Gulou's Bungalow Tiki Set to Expand, Serve Bar Snacks Fit for a Tropical Island Retreat

Good news for fans of the quirkily themed, highly intoxicating Bungalow Tiki Bar: this Jiaodaokou favorite (and winner of the Best Cocktails and Best New Bar titles at our Bar and Club Awards) is set to undergo a big expansion of both its space and menu after the Chinese New Year.

The bar's neighbor, Obsession Bistro, recently moved out, giving Tiki's owners the opportunity to spread into that adjacent space and triple its seating capacity in the process.

"On weekends it can get so busy at Tiki that we have seen many customers leave and go elsewhere because they were cramped, wanted somewhere to sit, and more space," says owner and bartender Phil Tory (pictured in the lead photo above), adding that expanding into Obsession's old digs, rather than an entirely new location, allows the staff to, "kill two parrots with one stone: We get to maintain the intimacy that Tiki has become famous for, as well as offering a much larger space next door, directly connected to the former bar area, where customers can choose to sit and eat in, drink cocktails in, spill over from the current Tiki, or directly go hang out in."

Having that bigger revamped space won't change the tropic vibe that the bar became famous for, though Tory and his Tiki cohorts do plan to incorporate more jungle-themed decor (compared to the current, desert island atmosphere). He and his staff plan to turn the former Obsession location into "The Iguana Room," that will feature a long padded bench and five tables. The lizardy moniker alludes to the bar's jungle theme and the dark green tones that will characterize the new space.

The increased square footage will also give the owners' more room to cook up some tasty pub grub. They enlisted chef Dustin Merrett (of Windy City fame) to create the yet to be finalized menu of snacks and Tiki themed platters to complement the bar's tropical cocktails.

"All the famous Tiki bars frequented by the likes of Howard Hughes and Marlon Brando and his wives served platters of tasty bar bites to accompany the imbibing," says Tory of the menu's muses, adding that those forthcoming bar bites are inspired by the pu pu platters (consisting of skewers, fried shrimp and other straightforward Hawaiian-style bites) served at many popular American Tiki bars that have long inspired him.

Overall, Tory is very excited about the changes, saying: "If all goes well, with a new and larger space, we will be able to consider some more ambitious party nights and theme nights in the future. We shall see how things evolve."

Photo: Tracy Wang