Tarantula Tiki Lounge
Tarantula Tiki Lounge
Tarantula Tiki Lounge will be located at 117 South Main St., next door to Morgan Mercantile.
Tiki is making a comeback. After a 50 year absence from Fort Worth, Tarantula Tiki Lounge will resurrect that Polynesian vibe with gusto this January.
The lounge will be located at 117 South Main St., next door to Morgan Mercantile.
The cocktail craze that swept the nation in the 1930s had its heyday after World War II, when GIs returned home after serving in the South Pacific. Exotic umbrella drinks, lush island decor and tropical themes quickly spread tiki bars across the country.
In Fort Worth, Ren Clark’s Polynesian Village once transported visitors to distant shores up until 1969, when it burned down inside the Western Hills Hotel on Camp Bowie West.
Owner Autumn Brakeen is also the co-owner of The Boiled Owl Tavern on Magnolia. Her partners in the venture are Jason Alford, her co-owner at The Boiled Owl. Cody Raymond, who is a senior staff member at The Boiled Owl and Steve Steward. She says the building they’re renovating is a very old one, which at one time served as a grocery warehouse.
“I’ve always loved tiki bars,” she says. “Most major cities have at least one longstanding tiki bar. But Fort Worth has not had one for 50 years.”
She’s hoping Tarantula Tiki Lounge will reignite that passion, and plans to put a unique spin on it alongside the best aspects of traditional tiki bars. While she describes the design of The Boiled Owl Tavern as “eclectic,” Tarantula Tiki Lounge will be downright “weird and creepy” with lots of spiders and skulls incorporated in the mix.
“You’ll feel like you’re stepping into someplace far away,” she says. Expect exotic music and a dark and intimate space, complete with tropical lighting and ambience.
The cocktail list will have eight classics, including a Mai Tai and Zombie, as well as eight colorful, house-crafted originals that are still under lock and key. There will be four traditional bowl-style cocktails, with long straws to be shared by two to four people, and a rotating collection of frozen drinks.
Tarantula Tiki Lounge has a covered, tropical-themed back patio that’ll seat between 20 to 30. Brakeen also plans to partner with some local food trucks for pop-up events.
