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Trader Vic's
Chicago, ILplus: In Search of Pago Pago!
Full review and history of Trader Vic's
is available in Tiki Road Trip
Trader Vic's in Chicago closed on December 21, 2005.
A new location in Chicago is slated to open in 2007.
January, 2005:
This is a good time for a reappraisal of Trader Vic's American restaurants.
New Trader Vic's stores are opening as we speak (San Francisco is open, several more are planned), they have begun to embrace their Tiki heritage (rather than the yacht club pennants and lithos of galleons that dominated the 1980s), and they have adapted a welcoming attitude towards the aloha shirt crowd (as long as we bahave!).
The importance of the Trader Vic's legacy in the Polynesian Pop pantheon can't be understated, and the fact that Trader Vic's is still not only existing but thriving - so long after the Don The Beachcomber, Kon Tiki Ports, and Kona Kai franchises have all gone the way of the dodo - is tesament to the integrity of Victor Bergeron's vision, and his passion for taking good care of his customers.
New managers in the Chicago and Atlanta locations have sought out members of the growing Tiki community to conduct monthly events in their restaurants, and the staff in Emeryville and the new San Francisco location could not be more accomodating.
I cannot deny that during the 1980s and 1990s my Tiki loving bretheren and I were treated aloofly at best by the management of most of the Trader Vic's locations, but in the same breath let me state that this attitude has been reversed completely. It is immensely pleasing to seeTrader Vic's management begin to recognize the efforts of people like Sven Kirsten, Otto Von Stroheim, myself, and the Tiki Central staff in keeping the Trader Vic's legacy alive, and to make the Tiki community feel most welcome in these temples of the Tiki that we hold so sacred.
The Chicago Trader Vic's location (which opened in 1957 as The Traders - “created and supervised by Trader Vic’s”) lives on in the lower level of the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. The Palmer House is a gorgeous and very ritzy place to drop your bags for the night. As a result, the Trader Vic’s is set up (like the Vic’s in Beverly Hills), to cater to a pretty upscale and conservative crowd.
The food is outstanding, and the drinks are straight out of the (awe-inspiring) Trader Vic’s recipe book. The Mai Tais at the Trader Vic's around the world can vary, since most are franchise operations. The ones in Chicago are usually made from Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix, but if you ask for it 'the old way', you'll be accomdated with a traditional mixture of Triple Sec, Orgeat, lime jice, two kinds of rum, and a mint sprig.
After remodeling early in 2002, Vic’s began a series of nightly specials. Depending on which night of the week you show up, you can get a Mai Tai, a Zombie, or several other classic drinks for $4 (half off), but the drinks themselves are not the ‘real versions’ you’d get by paying full price. Proceed with caution. Pig out on free PuPus if you get there early on Friday.
Remodeling in early 2002 and again in early 2004 brough a welcome addition to trader Vic's in Chicago: they actually added more Tikiness ot the location. We love it when classic establishments embrace their Tiki heritage. This sprucing up unfortunately failed to rid the bar area of the two televisions.
Of course we give Trader Vic’s Chicago location respect for being one of the few surviving first generation Tiki Bars, and the only one of the seven(!) classic Tiki Bars in the Chicago Loop (the central business district) to have survived, and for that reason alone, all urban archaeologists will want to pay it a visit.
The rest of you will want to visit for the spectacular food, delicious drinks, and classic Polynesian atmosphere. If you're seeking vintage Tiki, you can't go wrong with a visit to Trader Vic's.
Pam writes: I grew up in St. Charles, IL. When I was 16 an older man of 20 took me to Trader Vic's for dinner; it was 1960. I was very excited about the date and had my mother make me a slinky Hawaiian print sundress (although I was Twiggy thin at the time), which I wore with spike sandal heels in an attempt to look glamorous and sophisticated. Unfortunately, the minute my date and I entered the restaurant I began looking around me, above me, behind me... everywhere I could, in complete awe of the place. My date, an arrogant country club type with a way of talking that sounded as if he were always bored, grabbed my hand, pulled me next to him and whispered "stop gawking... you look like a hick". I tried not to, but it was rough. I don't remember much more other than that the waitress was not convinced I was 18 (legal drinking age at that time) and I had to drink a kiddie cocktail and that the gift shop was my favorite part of the evening.
The following year I traveled to Delray Beach, Florida (to visit a friend). Many times she and I passed the Mai Kai while driving to and from Lauderdale for shopping trips. I never did make it in the door, despite wanting to with a passion. Now, after reading your review I think that maybe it's time to fullfill that particular dream of mine. Again, thanks for the mental trip... I had a great time.
What mysterious fate has befallen that most mythical of all establishments - an entire chain of Tiki bars right in the Chicago loop?
. No one is quite sure. If one is to believe the photographic evidence presented here, there was once an incredible trio of Tiki Bars right in Chicago's business district! However, we checked out all three addresses listed on this billboard, and all three are currently run of-the-mill Chinese food joints. Two of them have no Tikiness about them whatsoever - not the slightest trace. One of them has a very small stinky basement bar area, redecorated in the 1980s in salmon and mauve, with a single crusty old tropical drinks menu stuck on the side of the cash register.
..
Imagine walking around downtown Chicago back in the Tiki Heyday, and having three Pago Pagos, a Kon Tiki Ports, Don the Beacjcomber, the Shangri-La, Tommy Wong's, and Trader Vics all within a few blocks. You'd be hard pressed to go for a stroll without stumbling across (or into) a Tiki Bar or four!
The above pic shows the billboard as it is today - about 20 feet high and three times as wide. The pic at the top is an enhanced closeup. This holy relic is located on the north side of a building on Wabash Street (so you'd be facing south if you were looking at it), at about 300 south (near Jackson).
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