This is the one for after the kids are asleep and the babysitter’s on the couch. The Grass Skirt is a full-on tiki speakeasy tucked behind a poke counter, you walk through what looks like a restaurant freezer door and land in a dark, carved-wood room strung with pufferfish lanterns and a menu of serious tropical cocktails, not the syrupy kind. It’s loud in a fun way rather than a rowdy one, more cocktail-focused date night than bar crawl stop, and the theatrics of the entrance make it worth the trip on its own. Reservations are recommended on weekends since the room is small and it fills up fast once word gets around. Go on a weeknight if you want a table without a wait, or embrace the queue on a Friday and treat it as part of the experience. It’s a ten minute walk from our Pacific Beach homes, close enough to leave the car and walk home after a couple of the stronger mai tais. Not one for the stroller crowd, this is the parents’ night out spot.
