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.

Details

Type

Bar & Restaurant

Phone

(818) 588-3013

Address

Burbank, California, United States

Closed?

Links

Gallery

3 Tiki Mugs

The Broken Compass Mai Tai Glass - by Lost Safari Trading Co - for The Broken Compass

Captain RedRum Beard - by Tiki tOny - for Broken Compass

Pirate's Peg Leg Bowl - by Tahiti Gil & Tiki Tiki Monster - for Broken Compass

1 Swizzle Stick

Broken Compass Paddle Swizzle - Brown & Green

17 Visits

Tikitassa – 28 June 2025

Trader Tom – 11 Nov 2022

First visit and took the family along. Enjoyed the Zombie! They had Stagg Jr. bourbon behind the bar too, but for $22 a shot I decided to stick to cocktails (Quick math: Stagg Jr is $299 on secondary market so their cost is @ $12 a shot and a $10 mark-up is fair for a retail establishment in Los Angeles). Pub Burger was excellent and so was the banana dessert.

DeltaTikiphile – 22 Mar 2025

We visited on a Saturday afternoon, and found a ten minute wait. After that, we were seated and ordered drinks and small plates. The decor is "pirate/beachcomber-esque" and is well done. The drinks were excellent. We bought a "pirate head" mug and moved along, as we were tight on time. I hope to return!

Napsto – 2 May 2025

Monica and I had a quickie date Friday night over to BC!

3VAb – 6 Mar 2026

Napsto – 4 Apr 2025

Monica, Diane, James and I went for happy hour

Napsto – 28 Feb 2025

fun visit, they just opened their new entry way.

Cactus32 – 3 Jan 2026

Cool place but not great.

CaptainNemo – 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!