This is an archive - these pages are no longer updated!
Some information will be out of date.  Some of this writing goes back to 1995.
See Tiki Road Trip (2007 edition) for the most up-to-date information.

Alibi Lounge
Portland, OR

Full review and history of the Alibi Lounge
available in the book, Tiki Road Trip

November, 1999: The Alibi Lounge was a review that almost didn't happen.  I was in Portland with Royal Crown Revue, who had the night off.  Instead of my normal gig with RCR, I would be working with the Jazz Jury at E.J.’s that night. E.J.’s is a pretty cool little punk bar, and the owner (with her mom and their friend) made us the biggest and best dinner we ate on the entire tour.  Retiring to the bus for some rest and digestion before Jazz Jury hit the stage, I started to have some kind of foggy memory that there might be a Tiki Bar here in Portland.  I consulted the list of potentials that I had brought with me in my briefcase, and saw The Alibi right there at the top of the alphabetical list.  Not only that, but the fella who had alerted me to the place had also noted that it was one of the best Tiki Bars he had ever been to. I had three hours until show time.  There had to be a way.  I asked around and found that a cab would cost me $20 to $30... each way.  No one had a car I could borrow, although I was shy about asking more than one or two people.  No one else wanted to go with me bad enough that they wanted to chip in that much cab fare.  Things were looking grim.  A top-rated Tiki Palace in a town I was stuck in, with hours to kill, and I had no ride. Finally, I plopped down at a booth with my pal Steve who was chatting with one of the girls who made us dinner, and a friend of hers.  They must have seen the defeated look on my face, because they asked what was wrong.  I told them that I wanted to go to the Alibi, but I had no way to get there.  The friend perked up - “I love the Alibi!  If you buy, I’ll drive!”. The price of a few drinks was a minimal one to pay for the completion of this latest adventure in Urban Archaeology, so I grabbed my camera, and twenty minutes later we were at The Alibi.  Our stay at the Alibi was only an hour or so, but I am glad I made it there.  On the way back to E.J.'s., our ride told of us three other Tiki locations in Portland (Jasmine Tree, Grotto, and Key Largo), but we were unable to explore them.  Next time...   What did we find at the Alibi after all of that effort?   Read Tiki Road Trip for all of the details about the Alibi!     Tom Hemmen adds... We made it to the Alibi, had a blast. We had a Blue Hawaiian, Tropical Twist, and Mai Tai. The food was also noteworthy -- like something straight out of a 1950 Betty Crocker cookbook photo! My 'asian' entree was sautéed beef (excellent cut of meat, whatever they used) with a few pepper strips and onions on a bed of Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, in a soy-based, cornstarch-thickened sauce, with sesame seeds sprinkled on it. The only speck of green on the plate was the lettuce leaf under the two spice apple rings. Well-done, rigorously 50's-style preparation! The only off note were the TVs you noted in your review -- I think they've multiplied since then, as the dining area furthest from the bar had three! To escape the TVs (sort of) the best room now is the one with the hula mural. Otherwise, though, a fun experience we'd happily repeat. Mike Manges adds: I like your tiki bar site! Very cool! I travel quite a bit for my job and try to hit local tiki bars (if any!) when I go to a new city. I enjoyed your assessment of The Alibi in Portland. I was in P-Town last September on business and decided to check the place out one night. For the most part, I was impressed. The building's exterior illumination was ultra cool so I fired off a couple of snapshots that, unfortunately, don't do it justice. I really dug the swanky interior with the high-backed, plushly upholstered booths.  I had three Mai Tais during my stay, and was surprised at how strong they were; sadly, they were out of souvenir mugs. The bartender was friendly enough and seemed genuinely shocked when I mentioned my tiki bar-hunting "hobby." I asked about the history of the place, but got the same schpiel you did...maybe that's their standard line. For the most part, I liked The Alibi, though I found a few things to be somewhat disappointing: the TV, which was blaring at full volume; the broken-down slot machines in the back; and one of the worst jukeboxes I've ever heard (nothing kills a swanky, swinging mood like Bob Seeger & The Silver Bullet Band). It was also pretty obvious that The Alibi's regular patrons don't regard the bar as highly as tiki-obsessed nutcases from The Midwest do. But, all in all, it was a fun way to kill an evening on the road, and I'd go back if given the chance. Amy writes: Thanks for a great  page! I recently visited the Alibi in Portland, OR, based on the fine reviews on your site. It was a perfect excuse for an otherwise  unnecessary trip to Portland.  While I agree heartily with the  positive decor descriptions in the various reviews, I must admit there was  some disappointment as well. I took the train  from Seattle to Porland. On our one night in town, we knew we had to visit the  Alibi based on the reviews read here. We hopped on the #5 bus from downtown; our  gravel-voiced driver delivering a hearty "Oh Yeah!" when we asked if she knew of  the Alibi. Confirming that we had the correct bus, we climbed aboard for a  10-15 trip across the river and were dropped off about 1/2 a block from the welcoming neon. Stepping inside, it was impossible not to grin as I realized  that the foyer area inside the door was basically a giant coconut. We took seats  at the bar and admired the fine decor described by previous reviewers. We found the atmosphere pretty nice, with friendly bartenders and a good number of tikis.  We then noticed that the Oldies tunes playing from the speakers in the bar area  were somewhat drowned out by louder, off-key tunes emanating from the back of  the building. Ah, Karaoke night. While not very Tiki, the tunes, tvs, and  Keno machines weren't as big a distraction as I might have expected. They didn't seem overly intrusive and didn't really violate the overall Tikiness of the  place to that great a degree.  Sadly, I can't say the same for the  drinks.    I don't know if there's been some change in management/ownership since the previous reviewers  visits, if we got lesser bartenders than normally available, or if they just  plain ran outta booze. But the beverages just weren't up to snuff. I knew it was  a bad sign when I looked down the bar at the other patrons and saw nothing  but wine glasses and Coors Light bottles before them. But maybe they  just didn't appreciate Tiki Bars, I reasoned. We each started with Mai Tais which looked promising enough, served in pint glasses and complete with  umbrellas. Unfortunately, the flavor couldn't match the visual appeal; maybe it was all that ice. My friend, not being a tiki drink junkie, asked one of the  bartenders to suggest something tropical for her 2nd drink. He offered  something that sounded like Apple Pie in a glass and didn't let it go until she proposed "How about something blue?" Blue Hawaii's it was. 'Icy Blue Slush'  would have been a more accurate name, though. I tried a Pina Colada for round 3;  my friend tried the barman for another suggestion and was served up a  frozen strawberry Daiquiri. Again, neither was anything to write home  about.   I hate to be a  complainer, and I did enjoy the visit overall. I even expect to pay 7 bucks a  pop for a drink in that kind of setting. But I do want some BANG for my bucks.  Unfortunately, after 3 drinks, without having eating for several hours prior,  there was nary a buzz to be felt in my puny 5'2" frame. Worse yet, not only were  the drinks weak as far as alcohol content, they were also almost entirely  flavorless. Everything seemed extremely watered down and provided  absolutely no hint of that "if I close my eyes when I sip I go  to Tahiti" effect that accompanies a proper Tiki drink. And what the hell  were LEMONS doing on the umbrella stick of my Pina Colada? I can allow  a little leeway in the garnish department, but...that's just not right. If  you're out of pineapple, you might as well skip it. I'd also prefer Tiki  mugs to standard glassware, but a decent drink can overcome that.     Still a great stop if you find yourself in  Portland, as the decor was inspiring and the people friendly. Shame about  the drinks. A half block away from the Alibi is this AWESOME neon motel sign! (you can see the Alibi in the picture  at the lower right far in the distance!) .. Jasmine Tree Portland OR .. JASMINE TREE HAS CLOSED Full review and history of the Alibi Lounge available in my book, Tiki Road Trip August 2001: My first impression of Portland as I rolled in on a warm summer afternoon was a traffic jam that would put any I have experienced in Chicago to shame.  My destination was Jasmine Tree.  I had no idea whatsoever where in Portland the Jasmine Tree was, but I figured that as soon as I got out of the traffic, I’d stop to find out.  Twenty minutes (and two blocks) after making that decision, I passed Jasmine Tree, sitting there watching the traffic (not) go by.  Of all of the streets on which I could have entered Portland, I chose the correct one simply by fate.  I suppose my Aku Aku were on vacation and the gods of fortune were watching over me.   My early reports about the J-Tree indicated that it was basically a run-down Chinese food joint with a few Tikis inside.  I have seen dozens of places like that in my travels, so this trip was not one filled with high expectations.  My point of view changed quickly when I saw the size of the building, the three big Tiki Masks hanging on the side, and the words 'Tiki Bar' in big Chinese-style letters by an inviting red door.  Immediately impressed, I got a little more excited about this trip than I had been previously.   What did we find at the Jasmine Tree?   Read Tiki Road Trip for all of the details about the Jasmine Tree!

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