The Golden Tiki has been racking up the accolades lately, but mastermind Branden Powers is far from satisfied, as he continues to evolve the place, which opened in 2015.
The Food Network recently included it on its list of the top Tiki bars in the country, and it has been named one of the 10 Best Nightlife Destinations in Las Vegas by USA Today and has received numerous best in the city awards from local publications.
Powers most recently introduced an animatronic bird show, "Al and Bud's Oasis," where two parrots built with microcomputers, nano robotics, 3D printing and hand feathering engage in some rather risque repartee. Bud plays the former parrot of W.T. Faulkner, a pirate legend that Powers created and has based the whole Golden Tiki theme around.
"A good TIki bar needs a good story, and everything comes out of that," he said.
As Powers tells it, Faulkner discovered the legendary Skull Island, where giant cyclopses mined gold, and the captain ran into headhunters, mermaids and other mythical creatures.
Powers' experience with Tiki goes back to the 1990s when he lived in San Diego and hosted a regular music night at Islands, a Tiki bar in the city.
"I was a punk rock kid and also did a lot of underground promotion of raves and other parties and music events," Powers said. "I've always liked to create worlds for people escape into, and Tiki is sort of based around that type of escapism."
The decor indeed offers plenty of conversation pieces, from an animatronic talking skeleton to the collection of more than 40 "shrunken heads," miniature models of celebrity noggins, including Marky Ramone, Carrot Top and Robin Leach, sculpted by Terry Barr, who also does work for the Smithsonian. The bar also hosts music and DJs several nights each week.
"There are all these areas to explore, and it all stems from the foundational story of Faulkner searching for the Golden Tiki on Skull Island," Powers said. "You come inside and you can explore the island. There are treasure chests you can open, portholes to look through you can spend hours looking at all of the details."
Powers is always adding, so even repeat customers often find a new display or decoration. He's noticed that the cocktail crowd dies down at the 24-hour bar around midnight, and he is thinking of adding fake bioluminescent plants to create a shift in ambience to a "glowing alien" world.
"We'll add bioluminescent paint around the bar and other items, and then at a certain time of night will switch things up and parts will start glowing, and the plants will move," Powers said.
Of course, plenty of attention is paid to the drink menu, which includes punch bowls for sharing and Tiki classics like the zombie along with unique creations.
"A good Tiki bar also has to have great rum, and a good knowledge of rum," Powers said. "Great drinks are super important and we've brought in Adam Rains as chief mixologist who features nostalgic classics and new creations alongside a strong list of craft beer and rum selections."
Powers also has a deep love for the old Vegas when visionaries pushed boundaries and let their entertainment imaginations run wild, and he would like to capture that spirit with the Golden Tiki.
"Vegas was built around this idea of you could do anything. You could put the Roman Empire here, and let's put Paris right over here," Powers said. "When I was coming here as a kid in the 1970s it was this entirely different world, and I think they lost track of that with more bean counters in charge."
Powers, who is also a partner in Evel Pie, an Evel Knievel-inspired pizza restaurant in Las Vegas, and other restaurants, is moving forward with plans to open two new Las Vegas establishments. Neptune's Palace is a new 60s-era themed bar that will be in the same plaza as Golden Tiki, and the nearby Magic Pagoda will focus on the fantastical, such as "unicorns, purple pandas and yetis," Powers said.
"People want adventure," he said. "When I came to Vegas I sought out places like the Peppermill Lounge that were exotic and attractions in their own right. What you don't want in Vegas is that 'been there, done that,' where it's the same stuff over and over."