Experience a tropical getaway in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen at The Friki Tiki. Restaurateurs Robert Guarino, Eamon Roche and Greg Nobile have transformed the former Réunion Surf Bar located at 357 West 44th Street into an unmarked yet welcoming home for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of NYC.
The Friki Tiki Brings the Tropics to NYC
The Friki Tiki was custom-designed to transport visitors to a retro tiki room complete with classic cocktails, exotic bites and vintage-inspired spaces. “The room was designed by one of our other partners, Eamon Roche, who is a designer by trade. Eamon worked to create a subterranean tropical paradise that really makes customers feel like they are escaping into another world when they walk down the stairs of our unmarked bar,” Greg Nobile, Partner at The Friki Tiki, told us. “The bar is super intimate, so every detail was thoughtfully planned and executed — and every inch of the location has been touched by local artisans and technicians. A fun detail is that before Hell’s Kitchen, the first Friki TIki was opened on the shoreline of Connecticut, where Eamon and I are both from. This location includes a lot of nods to that first location, including a custom beer can ceiling (featuring empty cans from our first bar!), an iconic Farrah Fawcett portrait and even tarot cards wall art that used to be table tops in the first location. It makes for a fun game of I Spy if you’ve made it to both locations!”
Enjoy hand-crafted cocktails such as a signature frozen painkiller, paired with unique Hawaiian Sweet Bun Cubans while taking advantage of daily Happy Hours from 5 to 8 p.m. Satisfy your craving for adventure and indulge in a modern take on tiki culture before or after catching a show nearby on Broadway. “We are really lucky that The Friki Tiki is in partnership with the amazing restaurant group just above us whose restaurants include some amazing landmarks in Hell’s Kitchen, including Marseille, Nizza and 5 Napkin Burger,” Nobile explained. “So, our menu was designed by the group’s Executive Chef, Andy D’Amico. The menu includes a number of great shareable bites that are perfect for happy hour or post-theater. And the cocktail program was designed with the restaurant group’s Beverage Director, Aviram Turgeman. Avi helped us make cocktails for The Friki Tiki that support the idea of escapism and help people be transported with tropical tastes. All of the drinks are super tasty, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. There are lots of fun group drinks to share, an awesome Frozen Painkiller that will knock your socks off and of course, all of the Tiki cocktails that Tiki fanatics would expect.”
No matter where your evening takes you, a trip to The Friki Tiki provides an enchanting evening away from the hustle and bustle of the city. “We designed The Friki Tiki experience with fun at the top of our mind,” Nobile said of the venue. “We wanted a place where people could come to leave their troubles behind. There are no TVs on the wall and not particularly good cell service! That’s because this is about bringing people together and creating new memories — with friends, new and old. So I am really excited for folks to come and just experience some old fashion fun. We also have a super aggressive Happy Hour that can’t be missed!”
