This is an archive - these pages are no longer updated!
Some information will be out of date.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.

Bahi Hut
Sarasota, Florida

.. Opened by Tom McLenithan in 1954, as part of what used to be the Golden Host Resort (which has been a Best Western since 1991), the Bahi Hut is a stand-alone building in front of the motel, surrounded by dense foliage.  The current owner (Tim) worked there as a kid, and took over the business when the original owner retired.  Mention the Tiki Bar Review Pages or Tiki Road Trip, and Tim might show you his Harley, which is decorated with custom airbrush art (by Rick Lutz of Sarasota) of two Tikis and two sexy hula gals. Actual Tikis at the Bahi Hut are limited to a Wayne Coombs influenced pole in the garden outside, and a nice Maori mask on the wall inside.  Several other Tiki poles were stolen.  The Hula girl portrait near the door is outstanding as well, and may be the subject of a Bahi Hut 50th anniversary print in 2004.  Don’t miss the giant Tiki fork door handles, panels of fiberglass with tapa-like prints on them, great kitschy old thrift store paintings, and vintage bar napkins from an original massive 1960’s batch (replete with an incredible mid-century modern architect's drawing of the Bahi Hut).  Thorough urban archaeologists will spot two small Moai statues on a shelf near the ceiling (between the two televisions). Tim says that more Tikis once existed, but that the fire department deemed them a fire hazard and demanded their removal. Bahi Hut serves what one person calls “the most lethal Mai Tai on the map”.  Their Sneaky Tiki and Mai Tai have used the same secret formulas since Bahi Hut opened in 1954.  Danny, a 26-year veteran Bahi Hut bartender, proudly states that the Mai Tai is “92% alcohol”.  The ingredients are mixed fresh each morning from seven kinds of fruit juices. to which a little rum is added.  The mixture is left to ferment a bit before use.  Light and dark rums are added when the drink is ordered.  What doesn't get used each night gets dumped.  The garnish is a cherry and a pineapple, and although the rum used is not top-shelf, and the drink isn’t anywhere near the original Trader Vic recipe, it will get you just a little tipsy...  The Sneaky Tiki is a little sweeter and not as strong. Ambiance at Bahi Hut is locals at the bar, often bringing in their own food, with televisions in the corner and classic rock on the radio.  This is a local blue collar type bar that just happens to have a Tiki thang going on.  That said, I found the locals to be friendly; the people who frequent the Bahi Hut seem to have been coming there for many years. Someone had told me that if one wears a hat into Bahi Hut, the management would erupt with fury, strictly imposing an archaic anti-hats law.  I was pleased to be able to put this rumor to the test: when a customer walked in wearing a baseball cap, the reaction exhibited by Danny was far more moderate than I had been told about, but he was still adamant about removal of the chapeau.  Local traditions.  Love 'em. Bahi Hut opens every day at 4:30, and closes at midnight Sunday and Monday; 2:30 AM the rest of the week. .. Need more? Order TIKI ROAD TRIP

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