Our Metiki adventure this weekend took us to Cabana Shores in Palm Shores. Cabana Shores is a large tiki hut right on US1 in Melbourne. It's been there for a year now and is one of my favorite 'tiki spots.' It is not a true tiki bar - beer & wine only - but Cabana Shores has a great 'tiki attitude.' Upon driving The Metiki into the parking lot I was entranced but the large palm frond roof with wood beams jutting out. It overlooks directly onto the Indian River.
Some might argue this is actually a Florida Chickee Hut but in an area with less than stellar tiki offerings, I choose to view this as a tiki hut. So, back to the adventure - we pulled The Metiki in and were immediately greeted by an 'old salty biker type' who wanted to chat about The Metiki. He knew exactly what it was and fondly reminisced about his own old 49' Nash Wagon.
Secret Agent Man and myself decided on an 'outdoor table' although all the table are technically outside. The entire establishment is open air. But we went the sandy route and sat under the lanai area - this is what I like to consider 'roughing it' when dining at least. So with sand between our toes, we ordered our drinks (slight tear for lack of tiki drinks.)
Since there are no tiki drink choices I kept to the hard stuff- Coke and Secret Agent Man imbibed in a beer. We settled into our chairs, enjoyed the tropical breezes off the river and relaxed at the Cabana (Cabana Shores, that is.)
They boast a huge menu with many different food choices - tacos, nachos, fajitas, burgers salads and even a bunch of pasta dishes. Every offering has two variety's clean or dirty (healthy or not.) This is a great concept, I'm surprised more places do not offer. We ordered our food - Suicide Steak for Secret Agent Man and Blackened Chicken for me. Both came served with our choice of sides - we picked Squash/Zucchini Mix and a baked potato.
The food arrived just as the evening entertainment started. A local guitar player strummed some quiet mellow tunes - not bad but would have loved to hear some surf music. Anyway, the food was awesome. Even the side veggies were cooked and seasoned perfectly. Both the steak and the chicken wee moist, flavorful & delish (again left me lamenting for a nice Rum drink to go along with it.)
This proved to be a great stop and filled our need for a little tiki. I'll leave you with some interior shots of this fantastic Florida Tiki Hut - the construction is amazing. I forgot to ask who constructed it, I'm sure some locals know and will maybe drop me a line. Enjoy!
As I drove back home with Secret Agent Man I remembered why I love cruising around in The Metiki so much. Everything seems fun while driving a tiny, little car. People wave and smile even scary looking bikers! I also see why I love Florida so much - great places like Cabana Shores, Palm trees, the River - we are so lucky to live here. There is still alot of old, quaint and local Florida left to explore. Get off the main roads and I-95, you'll find some great treasures just in your backyard. And if they are not in your backyard, please come visit us, send me an email and The Metiki Gal will show you around!
Remember, keep your tiki mugs filled and be on the look-out for The Metiki Gal!
When TornadoTiki did a restaurant review of the place, she commented on the lack of tiki drinks and "real" tiki in her review and they wrote a really nasty letter to the paper.
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