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All the United States Georgia Atlanta Trader Vic's
Gastro Obscura

Trader Vic's

Mai Tais and Navy Grog served up in one of the original tiki bars.

Atlanta, Georgia

Added By
Molly McBride Jacobson
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Dining room at Trader Vic’s Atlanta.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
Dining room at Trader Vic’s Atlanta.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
Trader Vic’s logo.   Matthew Ragan/Flickr
Inside an original Trader Vic’s menu.   California Historical Society
One of the original Trader Vic’s.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
From a 1940s/50s Trader Vic’s menu.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
From a 1940s/50s Trader Vic’s menu.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
  ski queen / Atlas Obscura User
We come here every time we’re in Atlanta!   IronQueen / Atlas Obscura User
Bark wallpaper from mulberry trees   mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Decor at Trader Vic’s Atlanta.   Trader Vic's Atlanta
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
Menu cover from the original Trader Vic’s.   California Historical Society
  mocchiatto / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Though the original Trader Vic's no longer exists, the Atlanta outpost offers just about everything you could want from one of the original tiki bars—bamboo, fake tribal masks, and lots of rum.

The story of Trader Vic's is like that of any successful chain—Victor Bergeron, spotting the burgeoning popularity of all things tropical, opened a bar across the street from his parents' grocery store in Oakland, 1934. Its popularity quickly grew too large for its surroundings, and spread into franchises across the West Coast.

Trader Vic's served up "exotic delicacies," most of which were actually just Americanized Chinese dishes with some pineapple thrown in. This conflation of cultures was the case in most tiki bars: African masks hung next to Japanese fishing buoys, and patrons listened to Hawaiian ukulele music while they drank Caribbean alcohol with Tahitian names. Tiki culture was native to nowhere, but evocative of an imaginary paradise.

Part of what attracted folks to the tiki craze was the feeling of escapism. If you couldn't get to the Pacific, no matter — a temporary vacation was available to you at Trader Vic's. Vic capitalized on this by placing many of his franchises in hotels, which ultimately was the downfall of tiki. Its connection with cheap leisure marked it as tacky.

Nevertheless, a few Trader Vic's outposts hung on. The Atlanta Vic's is located in a Hilton, and it has (thankfully) held on to the midcentury kitsch that makes it so unique. Today, tiki kitsch is yet again exportable—most of the Traders Vic's in existence are not in the contiguous U.S., but in far flung destinations like Dubai and Amman.

Trader Vic's was always in friendly competition with Donn the Beachcomber, the other claimant to the invention of such tiki staples as the Mai Tai and the Zombie. The true originator may never be known for sure, but both Don and Vic were essential to the vision of Pacific paradise that evolved over the course of the 20th century.

Related Tags

Tiki Bars Unique Restaurants & Bars Shops

Know Before You Go

In the lower level of Hilton Atlanta.

Community Contributors

Added By

Molly McBride Jacobson

Edited By

Gogostevie, ski queen, mocchiatto, IronQueen

  • Gogostevie
  • ski queen
  • mocchiatto
  • IronQueen

Published

August 3, 2016

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Sources
  • Tiki Pop, Sven A. Kirsten. Taschen.
  • http://tradervicsatl.com/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Vic%27s
Trader Vic's
255 Courtland Street
Atlanta, Georgia
United States
33.76161, -84.383296
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

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Atlanta, Georgia

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

Nearby Places

Folk Art Park

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

For Keeps Bookstore

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Switchyards Ping Pong Stadium

Atlanta, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Atlanta

Atlanta

Georgia

Places 64
Stories 9

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