The Tilted Tiki

Minnesota Tiki Stop # 2: The Tilted Tiki in Stillwater

Stillwater is on the St Croix River and on the border with Wisconsin. It’s about 30 mins outside of the Twin Cities. It’s a cute destination with a historic downtown filled with shops and restaurants. The Tilted Tiki is located in the historic Grand Garage building and features an outdoor patio.

Decor is limited somewhat due to the historic nature of the building but there are lots of tikis and lots of little features. The Big Kahuna room has a loungey feel. Food is Hawaiian inspired and we loved it. My assortment of sliders were tasty and I liked the coconut shrimp as well.

And the drinks? Definitely the best of the three tiki bars we visited. That’s me with their $39 “Ultimate Mai Tai” which I had to order. Top shelf ingredients including Angostura 1824 Rum and Don Pancho Rum, this was a very good Mai Tai. What wasn’t obvious is that you get to keep the wonderful Angostura mug. I also tried their regular Mai Tai and that was pretty good too. Mrs Mai Tai loved her drinks including one of the best Lava Flows she’s ever had.

It wasn’t crowded when we went in for lunch on a Tuesday. This place gets busier once spring and summer comes to Minnesota. It definitely is not pretentious and the owner Chris was engaging with us and the other guests. Excellent service and hospitality.

Though the decor here isn’t dark and moody, I think most people will have a great time here with the drinks, food, and fun. It’s still an escape.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwpMOoxAluz/

We were here for lunch on a weekday and were the only patrons, which makes it hard to tell the vibe. Cool decor. But everything was overridingly sweet - all of the food was sweet (sauces, breadings, fruit), as were the drinks (I like sweet drinks, but this was a bit much even for me). I like that they have their own drink creations and they're pretty, but are served only in plain glassware, with many orchids. Despite us being the only patrons, service wasn't overly fast or super-friendly. I really liked that they had a lounge area with tiki books, the old building is cool. My main issue is that I emailed well in advance to find out if they had a house mug and was told that they did, only to be told no when I got there and on top of it, the waitress seemed to have no idea of what a tiki mug was, not awesome for a tiki bar. I might give them another try if I'm in Stillwater, but I was really looking forward to this new place and was disappointed.

Stillwater, you've got orchids! Orchids, orchids and more fantastic orchids!! Yes, sometimes it's just the simple details in tiki that gets my attention. But that traditional and floral element wasn't the only thing to please my palette. But it was this simple gesture that told me there is more to the Tilted Tiki than meets the ...orchid.

For years, many of us city folks have made the trek to Stillwater, MN in hopes of being refreshed by it's unique setting by the river, the antique shops and various restaurant bars. But, for many of us, it has been a slight let down of midwest predictability. Until now.

The Tilted Tiki is a breath of fresh air. Simple, unassuming and yet, there's never been anything like it before in Stillwater. It's sure, to be packed during the summer.

The Drinks -
I'm a stickler for some the classics of exotica but also, am, open to some minimal interpretations. Seems like someone here knows just what I'm talking about. These are not your revamped, trendy mixologist types of tiki drinks that eventually have you going back to your favorite micro-brewery beer or margaritas. From the Mai Tai to the Zombie (awesome!), Kapu Kai and the Space Pilot, these are your stick-to-your-ribs kinda tiki drinks that have me sold that they'll have me back and can have something for everyone. Can't wait to try the rest of their drinks!
The Food -
Again, unpretentious but spot on! I was pleasantly surprised that they followed up on that unwritten tiki rule of tiki drinks + polynesian/asian edibles = exotica euphoria.
Yummy sweet & sour pork ribs, pineapple fried rice, teriyaki meatballs... forget 'bout it. I'm sold and this place was so new when I visited it, all I could see is even more potential. As far as I'm concerned, this is THE perfect place in Minnesota to get your first, most authentic taste of tiki.

Aloha!