The tiki bar is open!
Bartenders at downtown’s Glitter Gulch Tiki are now slinging drinks. The lounge opened in the former Nacho Daddy space last week joining the growing number of tiki bars in Las Vegas. And if Glitter Gulch Tiki looks familiar it’s because it was imagined by legendary tiki bar designer Bamboo Ben and his son, Blake Bassham.
Dark and moody, the 90-seat lounge has all the classic elements associated with the fantastical interpretation of South Pacific culture but with a bit of Vegas thrown in (think glitter and neon). The main bar and booths resemble straw huts. Blowfish pendant lights hang swimmingly over the room and wooden arches give the space a bit of that appropriately dated feel. There’s even a dance floor and a stage for live entertainment.
But we’re here for the drinks and Glitter Gulch Tiki has a bunch of strong ones—many of which are served in collectable tiki mugs or as shareable scorpion bowls.
Let’s start with the eight fire and dry ice cocktails: These flaming hot or ice cold drinks get the ultimate treatment. Tequila meets tiki with the Luau in Vegas which comes blazing after a float of 151 rum gets lit on fire. On the cooler side of things, Mai Hands Tai’d is a blend of two types of rum, orange Curacao liqueur, lime juice, orgeat syrup and topped with grenadine float and then served over dry ice. Tiki-goers can also grab a Dole Whip cocktail served in a pineapple or one of the bar’s many mocktails.
The kitchen serves a number of small Hawaiian-inspired plates including a Kalua pork bowl, coconut shrimp, lumpia, poke nachos and grilled wings with pineapple BBQ sauce.
Glitter Gulch Tiki pays homage to the historical nickname for downtown Las Vegas, a nod to its neon-lit past. It’s open daily, Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 2am and Friday through Sunday from 5pm to 3am.