Let the So-Cal tourists have their $20 drinks on the strip. I'll take Frankie's any day of the week. Frankie's Tiki Room is a local treasure. It belongs on everyone's top 5 list of non-strip drinking spots.
It has a unique decor (well . . .tiki rooms are rare on the mainland if not unique), serious charm and a comfy but stylish atmosphere. And by stylish I mean hip, but not hipster and filled with a decor that was cheesy in the 80s, ironic in the 90s and just plain awesome today. The 1950s ideal of Hawaiian culture exploded in this place and out of the explosion the bar's owners have sculpted a wonderful collection of mixed drinks and a solid drinking spot. Think warm, dark cave, but with carved tiki poles and 1950s Hawaii icons on the wall. And next to the bar--two plasma televisions showing hula dancing, surfing and 1950s erotic dancing.
Damn, I love this place. Just talking about it, I wish it was happy hour o'clock.
The bar offers a nice happy hour and surprisingly powerful pours on mixed drinks. Seriously. Be careful ordering off that drink menu without a pre-appointed designated driver. More than one person has enjoyed a few sweeter-than-sweet cocktails and slurrily ordered a taxi to take them home. Bottom line: it's a great place to hang out most nights of the week and a bar I hope stays in business for a long time.