Bust out your Hawaiian shirts and slip on a lei: L.A.’s storied tiki bar scene has gained a new member with Pacific Seas, a lavishly decorated tropical oasis on the top floor of Downtown’s Clifton’s Cafeteria. Opening to the public tonight, November 4 at 5pm, Pacific Seas has been a buzzed-about addition ever since Clifton's proprietor Andrew Meieran held a grand opening for the renovated iconic landmark.
And the space was worth the wait—tiki designer “Bamboo Ben” Bassham has created a wonderland of tiki paraphernalia, including decor from tropical stalwarts like the original Pacific Seas (a separate location in the Clifton’s chain), Bahooka, Trader Vic’s and Tiki Bob’s. After climbing a hidden stairwell, visitors will first run into a gorgeous, Art Deco-inspired mural hand painted by Sammy Beam—trust us, you’ll be seeing a lot of it on Instagram. Round a corner and you'll be inside the heart of Pacific Seas, where various nooks and crannies are decorated with blowfish lamps, Polynesian masks, model boats and captain's wheels. In one corner, a 1940s slot machine casts a glow onto intimate booths; at another end, an old Waterwitch outboard motor decorates a wall along with ornate compasses.
A massive Chris Craft boat deck juts into the middle of the room and serves as one end of Pacific Seas’ bar, where you can find tiki favorites including a Trader Vic’s mai tai, fog cutter and daiquiri. There’s food, too: hoki poki platters, Bluefin tuna served in a pineapple shell, sweet jumbo crab cakes. And in keeping with the theatrical element, Pacific Seas will feature live entertainment, including Polynesian dancers, bands and DJs.
Pacific Seas isn't like any other tiki bar in L.A., and that will either appeal to you or it won't. It's not a dive (ahem, Purple Orchid). It's dark, but not dark enough where your eyes take a full five minutes to adjust after leaving (ahem, Tonga Hut). It's elaborate and extravagant in its design—if you've ever been to the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar in San Francisco, it has that similar, purposeful intent to transport you to another place entirely. But so does all of Clifton's, and if you're looking for a place that will produce "oohs" and "aahs" when you turn a corner, Pacific Seas does the job.
Pacific Seas is currently open Wed 6pm-midnight, Thu-Sat 6pm-2am. Reservations can be made here.
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