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2 Tiki Mugs
6 Visits
tabithablanken – 21 Feb 2024
Came over as part of a work trip to Boston. A fun little twinkle light-guided descent down into the underground bar area, with a very friendly and talented bartender and delicious food. My only letdown was this leans into the more modern, minimalist sort of tiki trope, without a real story or theme to the bar, and only a sparse (some would say tasteful, haha) hint at tiki in the decor. Nevertheless, the talent in making drinks and entertaining patrons was definitely present, and I had a fantastic night. Ordered the Morale and Welfare (it had mole in it!!) and a Shore Leave, and they brought out a daquiri boat for me and the few other Wednesday visitors as a surprise. All of the drinks were complex, creative, and beautifully presented. I'm so glad I came and would visit again, even if I do wish there was more junk on the walls like the tacky old tiki bird I am.
Tim "Temple Climber" Kincaid – 4 Feb 2024
While not a true tiki bar, Shore Leave's cocktail menu always has a well-crafted, recognizable rotation of tropical/tiki drinks, often with modern updates. Despite its lack of traditionality, it does pay light homage to tropical island aesthetics. Though, in the end, they make the greatest effort to capture the very young, hip, white collar professional crowd who aren't looking for or don't have a taste for immersive kitsch.
As a business, their theory of and ethical stances on tiki are bizarre and almost openly out of step with historical reality, which is a huge bummer. Not every tiki venue needs to be a Mai Kai or Vic's, but should their stances update with the evidence, I could see them leaning much more into what's defined that atmosphere over the past century some day.