You enter through a walk-in cooler. The concierge tells you to “be careful in there.” The minute you arrive, you leave. Leave San Diego. Leave daylight, leave the night. It’s perpetual twilight. Time is a silly, non-existent concept. There are no windows. Just pagan carvings and funny looking drinks. You are in False Idol, the new “secret” tiki bar and one of the country’s most anticipated openings.
It’s a partnership between Consortium Holdings (Craft & Commerce, Polite Provisions, etc.) and tiki expert Martin Cate, owner of San Francisco’s Smuggler’s Cove. It’s built of island art, sepia-toned paraphernalia, and rare rum. Potent drinks have ominous names. It’ll take a month to get a reservation. Start now.
675 West Beech Street, Little Italy
False Idol Brings Tiki Back
False Idol | Photo: Robert Benson
