The Alibi – Portland OR Tiki Bar Neon De Light!

Less than 1/4 mile down the road from the fabulous Palms Motel Neon Sign in Portland OR, is  the Alibi - a historic tiki bar that you just have to stop and ogle. And go in and do some more ogling!

Again, Mod B is a lover of so many cool authentic vintage styles that there's no way she can keep track of all the details. That is why it is so awesome that there are folks like that who take the time to do just that!

In the tiki world I am inspired to no-end by Critiki - the "Retro Roadmap" of all the tiki bars open and long-closed, across the globe. The creatrix Humuhumu has done an uber-fabulous job of not only researching and writing but also designing and coding the site. All for the love of it! Thank you for using your time to make the world a better place Humuhumu!

Here are a few tidbits from the Critiki entry on the Alibi:

A "watering hole" has always been at this location since 1880, renamed The Alibi in 1947, expanded with the restaurant in the 1950s. They still serve food as well as drinks (tho you must be 21 to enter.)

Tiki Central is another awesome "crowd sourced" place to get info about all things tiki! The great thing about "TC" is that posts can be added to, so threads can go back years, and you can get a sense of history and evolution of the remaining tiki bars.

For example, from the Tiki Central thread on The Alibi I discovered that this sign that we see today was put up in the 1970s and got refurbished in 2005.

Fast forward to just a few months ago, and learn that the current owners are working hard to improve the drinks (a sticking point with the tiki crew and cocktail types) and also honoring the 1970s decor. Bonus for the "collector of stuff/souvenirs" in your group - they just released their own Tiki Mug to add to your home bar!

One fascinating fact learned is that if you visit there now, the karaoke booth has been redone with (get this) the original Alibi's owner Roy Ell's home basement bar! Click here for details and pictures.

This is good news to us all! Any time someone cares to restore instead of replace is a reason to celebrate! I raise my Mai-Tai to The Alibi!