WauwaTiki opening brings tropics to Tosa

The prospect of tiki drinks on North Ave. in Wauwatosa, long delayed, is coming to pass: WauwaTiki is opening to the public on Monday.

The tiki bar and restaurant, at 6502 W. North Ave., has been turned from an Arts-and-Craftsstyle office space into a tropical setting, with the help of Flux Design.

Installing a kitchen and extensive plumbing were part of the construction delays, said Jason Growel, one of four WauwaTiki partners and the owner of the Eastsider in Milwaukee. The partners also encountered a delay in the purchase of the building. Wauwa- Tiki originally was expected to open in June 2015.

Although the bar is ready to start serving drinks, the kitchen that will be turning out small plates won’t open for about another two weeks, Growel said. WauwaTiki eventually will be open for lunch, brunch and dinner.

In the meantime, the Hawaiian deli Ono Kine Grindz that’s seven blocks away will cater to hungry WauwaTiki customers, Growel said.

The tiki drinks, on a menu printed to look like a treasure map, were designed by Kendall Lockwood, bartender at Indianapolis’ Ball & Biscuit.

It will have classics like a Singapore Sling ($11), made with organic gin, Cherry Heering, Benedictine, dry Curacao, orange, lime and soda, and signature drinks, such as the Island Smoke ($13): mezcal, passion fruit, falernum, pineapple, orange, lemon, grenadine and Angostura bitters.

The bar will also mix tiki bowls that serve at least two people, like a flaming Scorpion Bowl ($35). The most elaborate (and expensive) is the Shiver Me Timbers ($225) for six to 10 people: spiced and Jamaican rums, dry Curacao, Amaretto, orange, pineapple, lime and a bottle of Napa brut bubbly on the side.

Drinks will be served in tiki glassware and mugs, and they’ll have some elaborate garnishes — in the banana Daiquiri ($11), expect to find a dolphin made from a banana, with a blueberry in its mouth.

A patio is expected to be ready by June 1; its 70 seats will add to the 99 inside.

The opening of WauwaTiki after test runs for friends and family might make Wauwatosa tiki central in the area; it already has Lucky Joe’s Alchemy & Eatery in the village business district, where tiki drinks inherited from the late Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room in Milwaukee make up a portion of the menu. The area’s other tiki bar is Foundation Bar in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood.

WauwaTiki opens at 4 p.m. Monday; once the kitchen is ready, the bar and restaurant will open at 11 a.m.