Tiki bars have been enjoying a revival for many years now, but the latest global Tiki trend is sci-fi fantasy/galactic bars that blend the tropical theme with out-of-this-world décor and drink concepts.
Two spaceship-themed Tiki bars have touched down in San Diego County in just the past four months. The first, the Space Pad, is a small hidden speakeasy that landed in May at Killowatt Brewing’s taproom in Oceanside. And in August, the much larger and more ambitious Mothership restaurant-bar debuted in South Park. Here’s a peek inside these planet-hopping spots, their mythical origins, the top cocktails and dishes, and how to get a table.
The legend: While exploring tropical space, the ancient astronaut shuttle crew’s mothership was disabled by cosmic rays, so they were forced to land on a lush but uninhabited planet. Unable to repair their ship, the crew members went on permanent vacation and converted their ship into a base camp, where they enjoy a plant-based diet and cocktails made with local spirits and tropical fruits.
The backstory: Six years ago, Kindred restaurant-bar founder Kory Stetina launched a weekly sci-fi tropical drink night called “Permanent Vacation.” Now that pop-up has its own home, Mothership, which Stetina opened Aug. 2 in South Park with business partner Arsalun Tafazoli of CH Projects. The eye-popping interior of this cocktail bar and vegan snacks destination was created by Top Notch Kustoms founder Ignacio “Notch” Gonzalez, who’s most famous for designing Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco. The immersive interior décor resembles a long-grounded spaceship overgrown with alien flora, glowing fruit pods, trickling water light effects, glowing crystal table lanterns and grotto-like cave walls. A nighttime starry sky overhead is occasionally crossed by shooting stars, and custom spacey music plays in the background. Don’t miss visiting the trippy red infinity-wall bathrooms.
What to drink: Mothership’s cocktail menu was created by Kindred’s bar team of David Kinsey and Juan Castañeda, who have given a galactic twist to some traditional Tiki drinks. The No. 1-selling cocktail is the Mindkiller, a painkiller-style double rum and coconut drink poured over crushed ice with a bit of Tang cordial. This drink is so potent, it’s restricted to a max of two per person. Another popular drink is the Homing Beacon, a less boozy frozen drink made with two rums, apricot brandy and fruity Cascara liqueur. I also recommend the Saturn, inspired by “Popo” Galsini’s famous 1967 Saturn gin martini, with palernum and orgeat syrups, and passionfruit and lemon juices. Drinks range from $14 to $17. There’s a $40, smoke-spewing punch-bowl-like drink for two called the Time Capsule, and virgin cocktails and canned beer and wines are also available.
What to eat: There are five Asian-inspired vegan tapas plates, plus a seasonal sixth dish that rotates every quarter. Portions are small, so order two or three plates for the table. The best is the potato dish, featuring gourmet tater tots on a bed of kimchi cream cheese and sprinkled with furikake seasoning and black radish slices. Also tasty is the Rice dish, featuring tteok (Korean rolled rice cakes) in a flavorful aji verde sauce with Japanese cucumber slices.
How to get a table: At 10 a.m. every Tuesday, reservations for the following week open up on the Mothership website. But they’re usually all swooped up within 90 seconds. No kidding. Most visitors stand in line outside the bar and wait for a table. Insider’s tip: Show up 30 minutes before opening to get in more quickly. Sundays and weekdays are the best bet. At busy times, waits can be up to two hours, but you can leave your mobile number and they’ll text you when a table’s available. Guests can stay for a maximum of 90 minutes.
Details: Hours are 4:30 p.m. to midnight weekdays; 2:30 p.m. to midnight weekends. 2310 30th St., San Diego. (619) 630-2187, mothershiptrip.com
The legend: The Space Pad is an interplanetary cocktail lounge based on Rillispore, a tiny planet hidden from Earth behind the dark side of the moon. Its interior was designed in the style of Earth circa 1950, when the first Rillisporan spaceships visited this planet and took home with them new ideas on American architecture and technology, not to mention the concept for Tiki-inspired cocktails. Visitors who enter the rainbow-hued hallway to the Space Pad are actually being magically transported via a cosmic elevator to Rillispore.
The backstory: Space Pad is the second hidden speakeasy to open inside a Kilowatt Brewing Co. taproom. The first, a Tiki bar, opened three years ago in Kilowatt’s Kearny Mesa home. The Space Pad’s theme was inspired by the late Ocean Beach artist Clinton Beverage Cary, better known as the “Spaceman of O.B.,” who died in 1993. In 1957, Cary began writing and painting about his personal encounters with aliens from a planet he called Rillispore. Inspired by Cary’s stories, Kilowatt co-founders Steve Kozyk and Rachel Fisher created the 500-square-foot space bar in a back room of their Oceanside taproom. With seating for just 18 to 20 guests plus three stand-up belly tables, Space Pad has a colorful 1950s vibe with sparkly walls, spaceship and star lamps, a disco ball, video panels, miniature space city skyscapes, glowing floor lights and a tiny, Disneyland-like skyway tram running across the back wall. Sound and light shows, with the “Jetsons” theme song and NASA countdown audio tapes, are presented periodically, but can also be launched by request.
What to drink: Space Pad’s drink menu was developed by Tiki mixologist Cristian Diaz, who has been lead bartender at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel for more than a decade. His tropical cocktails feature elements of molecular mixology. The Space Pad drink menu features nine Rillisporian cocktails and seven more traditional Tiki drinks. All range from $15 to $18. Kilowatt beers are also available for $10 to $12. The top-selling Rillisporan drink is the Blast Off, served on an elevated “launch pad” platform with a complimentary run of the house light show. It’s made with rum, orgeat almond syrup and citrus juices. Also fun is the Beam Me Up, a green Jell-O shot with a frozen citrus and coconut cocktail poured over the top and a candy spaceship for garnish. Space Pad also has a “Popo” Galsini-inspired Saturn gin cocktail.
What to eat: A handful of poke and ceviche tapas dishes are available for $9 to $17. The halibut ceviche is especially nice, with mango, lime , passionfruit, jalapeno slices and a side of tortilla chips. It’s big enough for a nice, light dinner for one. There’s also a yummy vegan option, the umeboshi pineapple salad, with fresh cilantro and mint, plum sauce and togarashi seasoning.
How to get a table: Because of Space Pad’s small size, reservations are a must. Fortunately they’re not as hard to get as they are at Mothership. Don’t show up late or your table will be given away to standby customers 10 minutes after your appointed arrival time. Reservations can be made on the Space Pad website.
Details: Hours: 5 p.m. to midnight Thursdays-Saturdays; 5 to 11 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. 406 Mission Ave., Oceanside. (760) 231-1997, thespacepad.com
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