Tiki Boyd's


"Colorado Tiki Sites Permanently Closed"

"The Heart O' Denver hotel once contained an Eli Hedley-designed Tiki lounge called The Tiki Lounge. Over the years, The Tiki Lounge became the East Coast Bar (and the building a Ramada). It was rescued in 2005 by Boyd Rice, who restored the bar to its former glory (as Tiki Boyd's). By 2006, Rice had pulled out, leaving the spot's fate in limbo."



"Denver's Polynesian oasis - Tiki Boyd's - appears to have become something of a celebrity watering hole. Recent sightings include: Trey Parker downing umbrella drinks with some chaps from his South Park production team; members of the seminal, Grammy-winning soul trio The Delphonics; not to mention the full lineups of the acclaimed bands Him, The Dwarves and Bouncing Souls.

Rising Brit stand up comedian and documentarian Stanley McHale managed to leave an indelible mark during the eight straight nights he spent at the lounge. After drinking through the sum of the lounge's extensive tiki drink menu (with some martinis thrown in for good measure) he decided to exit the Bamboo Room enclosure by the most direct means possible, diving headfirst through the bamboo divider in a most delightful fashion. The maneuver caused a marked amount of concern amongst the staff, but also inspired a fresh phrase of drinking slang. From this day forward any daring exit from a bar involving a leap and structural damage should be prefaced with: "Pardon me, but I'm getting the McHale out of here."

Another stunning event was the discovery that Tiki Boyd's was constructed on consecrated ground - turns out it was a tiki bar (bearing the rather generic title "The Tiki Lounge") from 1960 - 1970. A tip of the glass to local Polynesiac Tiki Mike for bringing this revelation to the attention of the staff."

    -- Giles Humbert III
    Modern Drunkard Magazine, 1/1/06


"In the 1960s, the Heart O' Denver Motor Inn... was home to one of Denver's finest tiki lounges. But in 1978... [a] franchise bought the hotel, and by early 2005, all traces of Polynesian paradise had been erased. Then suddenly this summer, as though divinely inspired by the tiki gods, a group of compatriots with no knowledge of the bar's original identity conspired to give the dank dive a makeover. Hotel management and owners were interested in improving and expanding clientele, so they happily collaborated with resident mixologist Lorin Partridge, Modern Drunkard staffers (who have made it their official meeting place) and local tiki aficionado Boyd Rice. It wasn't until after the grand reopening as Tiki Boyd's that they learned their homage to retro culture had really been a restoration project.

Now that the bar is filled with tiki sculptures, Chinese lanterns and naked Tahitian goddesses on black velvet, the team also plans to rebuild the waterfall of man-eating clams that was part of the original spot, and Rice has contacted Art Sullivan, the lounge's old piano player.

Partridge has slowly introduced his regulars to sweet tropical drinks, converting even the "punk rockers who at first just came down for the cheap beer." What a change: "Now they know the difference between Puerto Rican and Dominican rum. They've become connoisseurs," he enthuses. In an effort to convert more of the masses, Tiki Boyd's will present a Night of Tiki, featuring local historian Tiki Mike, who will screen Tiki Hunters, a film about a search for faux-Polynesian culture in Southern California, and discuss Denver's own historic faux-Polynesian hotspots.

The lesson will continue with a history of tiki drinks from Partridge, and an examination of the differences between such drinks and regular cocktails. The highlight might just be the tasting of flaming tiki bowls, which showcase Partridge's newest concoction, the Tiki Boyd. The party begins tonight at 8 p.m..."

    -- Michelle Baldwin
    Westword, 12/15/05


"Tiki Boyd's ... [was] once a dying sports bar that raked in about fifty bucks a day, the space is now overseen by... [a] band of tiki enthusiasts, including a few Modern Drunkards. And the pseudo-Polynesian hangout is hopping. "The original essence of tiki was a uniquely American fantasy of what a South Sea island paradise might be like," says (bar designer) Boyd Rice. "You'd go there and drink exotic drinks out of a coconut. You'd meet bare-breasted South Sea island girls who weren't burdened with all the hangups of Western civilization."

While popped tops are not listed on the menu, the bar does offer a selection of specialty drinks -- many of them invented by head bartender Lorin Partridge. The Bronze Serpent is a frothy mix of multiple rums that bites back -- hard. For local flavor, there's a concoction that honors another tacky institution on the other side of Colfax: a pasty pink drink garnished with honey called the Casa Bonita. "I take mixology really seriously," Partridge says. "A tiki drink is not like a gin and tonic. If you are off on the proportions in a tiki drink, it will taste totally different."

If the drinks aren't enough to validate the bar as an exotic oasis, there's also the vinyl-only sound system that, as a house rule, softly croons the likes of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman on a daily basis. If it's not tiki, it doesn't get played here. "I went into a tiki bar in Vegas that looked great," Partridge says, "but if you have fucking Aerosmith playing, it destroys the atmosphere completely."

Tiki Boyd's is not a theme bar, but rather a cheap, boozy vacation that comes with a tiny plastic umbrella. Although it's only been open a month or so, the decor -- bamboo curtains, black velvet paintings of naked women and many items from Rice's own collection -- as well as the drinks and regulars promise to make it a hot destination in the coming winter months."

    -- Tuyet Nguyen
    Westword, 10/20/05


"The sports-themed E.C.B... has been retrofitted to retro. Bamboo curtains. Velvet paintings. Low, warm lights. Martin Denny and Les Baxter on the sound system. A few stiff, fluorescent drinks slurped from hollowed-out pineapples, and you're taken by tiki to a practically perfect Polynesian paradise."

    -- The Denver Post, 10/16/05


"Local publications and pundits have long found pleasure in labeling Denver a Cow Town, an oversized burg with big-city pretensions but lacking the sophistication and culture to back it up… those decriers may have had a foot to stand on. But no more. Denver is now a real city. A full-fledged metropolis. And if you think I'm saying this because of the recently opened opera house, you couldn't be more wrong. I'm saying it because Denver finally has a Tiki bar… Tiki Boyd's [is]… a portal to another world, a better world, where the shackles of modern life can be traded for the trapping of savage sophistication. Where a man can drink rum from a pinapple, listen to Martin Denny and drift into Polynesian Paradise."

    -- Frank Kelly Rich
    Modern Drunkard Magazine, 10/1/05

"At long last, Denver will soon have an official tiki bar [Tiki Boyd's at E.C.B.]. The new bar is coming together... at East Colfax Avenue and Marion Street, and though it's far from finished, Denver's barflies and retro freaks have already found it... Colfax hipsters and hotel guests are regularly gathering in the tiki room for cocktails."

    -- Kat Valentine
    The Denver Post, 9/16/05

"[Tiki Boyd's at E.C.B. is] Denver's only tiki bar (that I know of, anyway)... the place looks great. Bamboo and velvet paintings adorn the walls, and colored paper lamps give the place a subtle ambiance that is neither over the top nor under-executed... The music was a lovely mix of tiki-inspired tunes on wax and the drinks were cheap."

    -- Dave Flomberg
    The Rocky Mountain News, 9/9/05


 © 2006, Tiki Boyd's L.L.C. / DISCRIMINATE MEDIA