Smuggler's Cove - An Attempted Visit

Saturday, February 18, 2017

For my annual trip to visit Warren in California I decided to try and visit a couple of notable San Francisco Tiki Bars. Warren, Scott, and I got into the city around 3:00 p.m. and settled in at Twin Peaks for our first cocktail. At around 5 pm we called for an Uber to take us to Smuggler's Cove and arrived around 5:30 only to find a long line out the door which wasn't moving.  We found out from someone else in line that staff let a group in right when they opened at 5:00. They were filled to capacity and that they'd start letting more folks in at 6 p.m. but it would be one in one out. We decided to head over to Pagan Idol.

Pagan Idol - First Contact

Saturday, February 18, 2017

We ubered from Smuggler's Cove to Pagan Idol in the Financial District where we arrived 10 minutes before opening and were met by a line of only two people. A few more folks lined up after we did but it ended up being no where near as long a line as at Smuggler's Cove which is, I imagine, quite the tourist destination due to the book published within the last year. 

Pagan Idol - Fish Tank

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Upon entering the bar we passed a beautiful fish tank full of tropical fish.

This not so little guy was quite the spirited fish. He moved quite quickly.

Turns out he's a puffer fish named Puff Daddy.

Once in we bellied up to the bar.

Pagan Idol - Stained Glass Window

Saturday, February 18, 2017

From a photo I took of the stained glass window above the front bar. I touched it up a bit with a photo painting app I use.

Pagan Idol - Quite the Place

Saturday, February 18, 2017

Pagan Idol was smaller than I pictured it and the decor was not over the top. The walls were paneled wood with video portholes along them which showed fish and other saline going by. The whole experience mimicked being in the hull of a moving ship.

Top photo, mine.

Bottom photo from Instagram (ccharrington1)

Pagan Idol - One Year Anniversary

Saturday, February 25, 2017

Happy one year anniversary to Pagan Idol and I love the seahorse tiki mug to commemorate the occasion. Wish I could have joined you.

Pagan Idol - Nicki

Saturday, February 18, 2017

The drinks in the foreground weren't for us. That's Nicki in the background and we were fortunate enough to have front row seats to watch her make incredible looking tiki drinks.

We sat at the bar right where the bartender, Nicki, was making the tiki drinks. We commented to her about how the bar filled up quickly over the first 15 minutes of opening and how crowded it became. Nicky told us that at 7:00 we'd be docking at Pagan Island which meant the back part of the part of the bar would open up creating a lot more room for people to spread out. She told us there was another bar in the back and that there was a volcano, a waterfall , and some custom made tikis as well (custom made for the bar itself). We told her she better not be messin' with us cuz all that sounded just to cool to be true. As it turned out, Nicki don't mess.