Honi Honi Tiki Lounge — Restaurant in Edmonton

We may be one of Canada's sunniest cities, and the most populated Northernmost City in North America (over 1M) but that is precisely why we needed a Tiki Bar. Edmonton is land-locked but our minds here, are always dreaming. Honi Honi is a dream. It is intimate, under 45 seats. This means book your (up to table of 4) weekend visit WEEKS in advance. While they always try to save room at the bar for walk-ins, it is always steadily booked up. This is good news, it means the doors are going to remain open for a while. The music is a fun mix of Martin Denny Exotica, Tikiyaki Orchestra, to Enchanted Tiki Room classics, and a fun mix of cult classic movie soundtrack hits. Food is from the Smoke Bar Yeg in the same building. Beer Battered Fries, sliders, wings, all steeped in the most mouth-watering flavours. Finger food mostly. Fun to pick at over your conversation about what's your favourite thing about this place. The highlight truly is the drinks -whether with or without alcohol, nobody should miss out on the tiki experience because they are steering clear of liquor, beer or spirits. I have had many a virgin cocktail here that made me feel like I was not missing out. While they have a few on the menu, they are currently developing an extensive alcohol-free menu to meet the demands of the ever-growing number of those skipping the booze. That said...Owner Scott constantly scours the globe for special ingredients and rare, hard to come by bottles for the most seasoned tiki cocktail connoisseur. Those in the tiki cocktail know can come to Honi Honi and test the mettle of the award winning mixologists and will not be disappointed. There is a reverence for both the origins of the cocktails and maintaining classic recipes, to a love of the Modern Tiki Pop culture that is enjoying its recent resurgence. That said, there are drinks that while harken back to simpler times, do bring a modern crispness to the genre without making a mockery of it. Did I mention everything is freshly squeezed and they make their own in-house syrups? The decor is simple. Not to say underdone, but like any tiki bar owner will tell you...it's always developing...and never finished. The decor is enough as is, but additions pop up from time to time. Opening week saw a beautifully appointed bar. All the right elements, carefully chosen pieces of art on the wall, and of course a big welcoming carving (by local Calgary carver Butchers Tiki Works) greeting everyone as we enter. It has all the elements you would expect: bamboo, matting, intricately carved trim, fish floats, mood lighting, and lively bartender's expertly mixing up all the required flavours and liquors to transport you away from here. It is like no other, and that's the best part. Honi Honi Tiki Lounge stands alone in a long line of those that opened before. It is a labour of love of one man, his connection to pop culture, and the desire to put it all on the line to bring us all into a place that is unique to Edmonton. It feels like a place we have been at some point, even if it was just watching movies with scenes in imaginary places. A place we have been missing but never been to. And walking in feels like being welcomed back again. With each drink hand-crafted, the experience can be a sharp departure from the local sports bar. That's the point Add to that the fact that some of these classic recipes can pack a punch with their ouces of fabulous rums in them...and it stands to reason it has an entirely different feel and pace. It's genuinely like no other bar in Edmonton. Come for the word-of-mouth recommendation, stay for the ambiance and sense of welcome. But only for 2 hours at a time...to make room for the next guest...

I hate doing this because I never try and bash a business, I’m fact this may be my first 1 star review, so please take this review with a grain of salt. First thing I actually know tiki and the tiki culture and really respect that the owners have brought tiki to Edmonton, so I thank you for that. However, here is what I am upset about, I tried to reserve a table for Saturday, I was told that they had reached their reservation limit and would not be taking anymore reservations, which is absolutely fine. The problem is they also told me that they would keep bar seating open for walk ins, which is great! So I made sure to show up at open which is 5pm and walked in and asked to sit down, I was told that all the tables were completely reserved and there was no seating available even at the bar, as those seats had been reserved too. While being told this I observed the bar and saw the bar had many open seats and none of the tables had been occupied yet, now I understand those tables were reserved and I’m sure those people would be arriving soon, but the bar seating was near vacant! At the very least they could have offered us a chance to buy one drink until everyone showed started to show up, of which I would have gladly paid for my drink and and then made that seat available to whomever they had suddenly booked. I guess my big issue is that I would have just appreciated being told that they were completely booked today and not to come down because they actually don’t offer bar seating for walk ins. I wasted an Uber for nothing and now really don’t even want to come back and I feel bad for that because I’ve actually been super excited for this place to open. I do hope they do well and are successful because this city needs a tiki bar. Just in the future please be honest, because I would have understood that you’re booked and would have just tried another night, now I’m probably just going to wait for tiki tiki to open. Good luck to you and all the best and I truly mean that. By the way baijiu took us in and were absolutely amazing, the staff were great and the food and drinks were top notch, so in the end it...

This bar is very themed and fun to go to, and I would say everyone has to try it at least once to say you’ve been there.

In order to make reservations you need to message them through Instagram (no phone number, website, or OpenTable option) - it was weird to make reservations this way as it did not feel guaranteed.

Parking is a tough one because it’s downtown and under construction - definitely Uber or use public transit if coming here (your blood pressure and anger management will thank you).

The seating is very confined and crammed, and it was awkward to get up to the bathroom. Our table was located next to the bar, which had less lighting and was hard to read the menu. As we went during the winter, we all had large coats and no place to really put them - maybe a summer experience will be different.

The drinks are very strong - which is good if that is what you like, but it also comes at a higher price. Also, don’t plan on driving here if you have a drink - safety first.

There are more drinks than food options, and the food was not the greatest (they ran out easily and portion sizes were small for what you got). The fries were over done, and it took a long time to get our food to us. The chicken drumsticks were great- but $20 for two and we still left hungry when we left.

The drinks that are on fire are cool to see, but since so many people were getting them it felt more fad than specialty.

Overall, I think this is a cool place you can go to just to say you went, and if you like stronger drinks - this is the spot for you! Just ensure you eat before hand and don’t have too much to lug around so you feel comfortable...