Trader Vic's
Tiki bar · Emeryville ·
Tiki bar & restaurant with tropical cocktails & bay views
Tiki bar & restaurant with tropical cocktails & bay views
"I'm noting that the Emeryville flagship Trader Vic’s — home of the mai tai cocktail — is throwing a 90th anniversary party (coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the mai tai) from Friday, August 23 to 25 with events including a black tie event, a bar crawl, and a Mai Tai celebration, and that tickets are available online." - Justine Jones
"There are only two Trader Vic’s locations left in the U.S. (the history is worth a Google search), and one is downtown in the lower level of the Hilton hotel. They’re still committing hard to the culturally appropriated Polynesian theme with carved tiki pillars on every surface and thatched bamboo roofs on the ceiling. Most meats from the Asian fusion menu are smoked in giant Chinese ovens on display behind a glass casing. The food is decent enough if you happen to be in the area, but we’d mostly recommend this place for after-convention drinks. The cocktail list is a mile long, and most are served in elaborate mugs. They make a mean mai tai and after a few strong fruity cocktails, we're not as distracted by the dolphin statue dressed in a coconut bra and hula skirt." - Juli Horsford
"I note the Bay Area claims (probably correctly) that Trader Vic’s in Emeryville originated the sugary mai tai, a contested origin mentioned to contrast Li Po’s different, locally famous “Chinese Mai Tai.”" - Paolo Bicchieri
"I confirm the East Bay location of Trader Vic’s — an 87-year-old tiki bar often touted as the potential birthplace of the mai tai — remains open despite persistent rumors that it’s closed. The original restaurant moved to this little spit of land facing San Francisco in 1972 under a 50-year lease that’s set to expire in 2023; management stopped booking events while the property’s future is undecided, and adjusted hours during COVID only fueled speculation. The building has not been sold, according to general manager Faith Nebergall, and for now the bar continues to operate and serve its problematically themed food and drink." - Paolo Bicchieri
Bourdain had: mai tais, ribs. Dinner date: Sean Wilsey, author of More Curious.