Tiki Bar & Kitsch Inn

A bona-fide one-of-a-kind on the Glasgow drinking scene, The Tiki Bar looks like just another garish Bath Street boozer from the outside. But inside – among mock palm leaves, a foosball table, plaster-cast Easter Island heads, comfy booths and pictures of scantily clad hula girls – it uniquely pays homage to the kitsch, mid-twentieth century Polynesian pop phenomenon of Tiki bars: a drinking trend that originated in LA in the 1930s and spread to New York, London and even Butlins in nearby Ayr, before dying out in the ‘70s.

Opened in December 2010, it’s managed to carve out a nice little niche for itself – predominantly as a cocktail bar, and also through the Kitsch Inn Thai restaurant upstairs – despite looking to all the world like a novelty establishment. The rum-based, tropical-themed cocktails are served variously in glasses, jam jars and OTT ceramic cups shaped like skulls and pineapples. Flavours range from authentic recipes such as Missionary’s Downfall – a refreshing combo of Pampero Blanco rum, peach brandy, fresh citrus, pineapple and mint – to Tiki’s own creations such as the jovially parochial Auch Aye the Bru, based around a mixture of whisky, rum, grapefruit, passion fruit and, last but not least, Irn Bru.

Impressively crafted large-scale sharers include the Glasvegas kiss – Stoli vodka, orange liqueur, Irn Bru syrup, ginger, grapefruit and pineapple juice, and the £111 Blingin’ Berry champagne punch, blending expensive fizz, vodka, various juices and fresh berries.

The Kitsch Inn upstairs has a similarly fun ‘50s surfer’s paradise feel to it, but is a little more reserved. Besides all your classic Thai curries, specialities include lightly battered coley served with onions, chilli and tamarind sauce, and sliced chicken and vegetables stir-fried with chilli jam. Don’t leave without trying a mix-and-match selection of fruity micro desserts, including coconut and mango panna cotta, fresh pineapple and vanilla and lime cheesecake.