Broken Compass Tiki Bar
Date: Unknown
First time here! Friendly atmosphere, good food — the cocktail menu is somewhat limited compared to many other Tiki bars in the Los Angeles area, but the bartender told me they'd be happy to make us anything "off-menu," as their bar is very well-stocked. We went on a Friday night, though, and be advised: when it's busy, they'll only seat you at a table if everyone in your party is ordering an entree, otherwise you have to sit at the bar.
The description of the decor, above, is accurate: there's more "pirate" than "tiki" about the place, but there's still plenty of Tiki decor as well, with classic Polynesian pop album covers framed along one wall, and a couple of (non-animated) perched parrots named José and Juan. We enjoyed it!
Tiki Bar
Broken Compass Tiki Bar
Burbank, California, United States
Opened in 2019 on the site of what used to be Buchanan Arms, a British pub.
Upon opening, there were minimal changes made to the decor (some skeletons and cutlases and nautical netting) but this was in keeping with what the owners described as a pirate bar serving up British pub fare (Fish n’ Chips, Bangers n’ Mash, and Shepherd’s Pie).
However, from early on they had a heavily tiki influenced cocktail menu.
The cocktail program and regular food menu received excellent reviews and customers were told that they were going to lean more heavily toward tiki with future updates.
Further remodeling took place and in November 2022, the bar re-opened with a much more heavily tiki influenced interior including tons of rattan and thatched huts. The pirates and skeletons are still there also, but the overall tropical ambiance is much enhanced -- right down to Jose and Juan, skeletal versions of the parrots found in Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room.
The name phased out from "The Burbank Pub" and into "Broken Compass" some time around the beginning of 2023.