Time warps and Tiki bars
Have you ever been to a place where you step through the door and you’re transported to another era or locale? Where you feel like everyone inside is in on the joke too and you’re wondering how in the hell you got there, but also if you’ll ever get out?
We’ll cover 3 such places, as the first installation of a new series called ‘Time warps and Tiki bars". There are a lot of these in the east bay - some are just time warps, others are tiki bars, some are both (see chart below).
Here’s the TLDR for this edition:
Time warp: Casa Orinda
Tiki bar: Kona Club
Time warp and Tiki bar: Trader Vic’s
Casa Orinda In the sleepy bedroom community of Orinda there is one such place called Casa Orinda. The place is so old that there wasn’t even a Bay or Golden Gate Bridge when it opened and with its windowless building and rustic saloon vibes, you really feel like you’re in the middle of a bygone era. Built in 1932 at the Orinda crossroads this Montana-cowboy-founded hitching post looks like it hasn’t changed in at least 85 years - with a stunning antique fireplace, oversized cowboy art on the walls and a beautiful mahogany bar surrounded by a considerably large antique gun collection. Photos in the entrance depict a simpler time, before freeways and rush hour traffic - a lone building among dirt roads and wide open spaces. Five years after Casa Orinda opened, the Caldecott tunnel’s first bore was carved out, the Bay bridge was built and soon a new movie theater went up in 1941 - making Orinda an exciting place for city folk to come for a night out on the town. Urbanites fell so much in love with the rolling hills of Orinda that they even started constructing summer homes in the area, to break from the fog and enjoy warmer weather.
Today, Casa Orinda is a local staple known for their hearty portions beloved steaks, pasta and especially their fried chicken. I’m still a city food snob - so my recommendation is to just get a burger and saddle up to a seat at the bar, take a look around and pretend you’re in one of the last remaining pioneer towns this side the Mississippi.
Kona Club Five years ago for my birthday, I did a bay area tiki bar crawl from west to east, but tiki drinks are strong so I didn’t make it across the bridge to this Piedmont ave bamboo hut until 2019. Kona club is a classic Tiki bar with a little bit of a rock and roll mixed in; a pool table, jukebox and ample space to imbibe on sugar-rich cocktails with mini umbrellas. The setting features a volcano replica and hanging lamps made from real blowfish (or so they say). If you’re looking to escape the outside world, you will not feel the warmth of Hawaiian or even Californian sun here - the place opens at 2 p.m., and shrouds customers in darkness and tiki lights until its 2 a.m. close. The ‘Macadamia Nut Chi Chi’ is one of their specialities, a hurt-your-cheeks sweet and nutty frozen concoction with a fair amount of booze - it should only take two to ease you into an island nap.
Trader Vic’s The legendary home of the original mai tai - Trader Vic’s has been a leader in tiki bar culture for decades - making the Emeryville locale both a time warp and a tiki bar for its historical Polynesian aesthetic. Like our previous exploration into the history of the crispy taco - people also contest who the original inventor of the mai tai was — some say it was Donn Beach of Don the Beachcomber restaurants - others Victor Bergeron/Trader Vic. Regardless - there is one cocktail invention that isn’t disputed and that’s the Scorpion Bowl which is a crowd favorite and uncontestedly credited to Vic.
Unlike the previous two spots, Trader Vic’s has ample windows, letting you drift away to the islands, or at least to the Emeryville harbor with a serene views of boats nearby. And the happy hour is a steal if you like fruity cocktails and faux Chinese food. Last time we went, nearly every other group in the restaurant seemed to be dressed for the occasion in oversized floral prints and leis, so wear what you like!
Lastly - speaking of frozen cocktails and time warps - there is a frozen-in-time-looking house for sale in the east bay (please click all the way through the photos) which, with the right design eye, could actually end up being appropriately priced at $1.4M. Or if you’re just looking for a historic place to spend the night for a change of pace, you can try this old school yacht or this 1954 trailer.
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