WaiTiki Restaurant – Orlando, FL

Before you think I’ve actually moved to Florida, I’m finally wrapping up this trip. After working up an appetite mini-golfing at Tiki Island Adventure Golf, we stopped for lunch at WaiTiki on the way to the airport.

This awesome tiki establishment is nestled in downtown Orlando’s Wall Street Plaza, a pedestrians-only stretch of bars and restaurants.

I can imagine it can get pretty fratty in here, but at the hour we were there I’m sure that crowd was still nursing last night’s pina-colada-induced hangovers.

I love the look of it, with all the bamboo, glass floats, thatched huts, Mai Tiki pieces and nouveau tiki art. Not too many folks were there when we first arrived, but it filled up as the afternoon wore on.

In case you hadn’t caught on after reading this post, this post or this post…I really dig Shag. (Also, note the rendition of Mr. Bali Hai in all his heavy-lidded, bone-through-the-nose glory on the left.)

Unfortunately, I neglected to consult my trusty “Tiki Road Trip” guide again before I visited and thus forgot to check out the Monkey Bar upstairs. No worries, though, since I’ll definitely head to WaiTiki again the next time I’m in the area.

Now, on to the libations. This blue beast was a Tidal Wave, which according to their drink board was made with Bacardi Coco, amaretto, a “splash of blue” (curacao, I would imagine) and pineapple juice. I vaguely recall it being good, but there was so much ice that it got watery at the end.

They had a Sunday brunch menu so I had to go with french toast, though I kind of regretted that when I tried…

…the super-flavorful “Polynesian-style” pulled pork sandwich ($7.99) that Mama Tiki Chick ordered. All the dishes had creative names like Babe’s Nightmare (above), London Underground and Bourbon Street Hangover, so you’re sort of forced to read the entire menu and descriptions to figure out what you want. But I do that anyway so I didn’t mind. 🙂