Behold: Longitude, Oakland’s new tropical cocktail bar
The East Bay’s newest tiki-style tropical cocktail bar is opening for Mai Tais this Friday at 4 p.m. in downtown Oakland. From exotic drink expert and former bar manager at Alameda’s Forbidden Island, Suzanne Long, Longitude takes over the former Disco Volante location at 347 14th Street.
And it’s quite a spot.
In the seven or so months since Long took over the building, she’s completely transformed the space into a lush slice of paradise. Interior elements include a small seated area with a covered thatch hut, a 28-foot bar made from two slabs of Monkey Pod wood imported from Hawaii, an upstairs mezzanine that overlooks the rest of the bar, lush foliage and colorful orchids, and a custom audio system that plays ambient bird calls over the speakers.
Unlike a traditional tiki bar, the interior design is not strictly Polynesian but rather evokes a general tropical theme, aided by the mostly east African art.
“I figured, why just limit yourself to one place when there’s a whole world out there to explore,” Long says. “I sort of look at Longitude as a ticket to adventure.”
Helping customers on that adventure will be the menu of tropical drinks ($9–$13). Those include everything from a classic Trader Vic’s–style Mai Tai to the Shrunken Skull with house made grenadine, two rums, and cinnamon to the Black Orchid, house-flambeéd rum cordial with Angostura 7 rum and citrus topped by an edible orchid with a real pearl (that you can keep). In addition to rum, the bar also carries a large selection of rare whiskeys, including several from Japan.
The food menu, meanwhile, mixes classic tiki fare such as crab rangoon and coconut shrimp with pub-style comfort dishes such as bangers and mash and shepherd’s pie.
Longitude adds to a robust tiki–style bar scene in the East Bay, which includes Forbidden Island, Emeryville’s Trader Vic’s, the Conga Lounge and Kona Club in Oakland, and Tiki Tom’s in Walnut Creek.
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday and Sunday, 4 p.m.–midnight, and Friday–Saturday, 4 p.m.–1:30 a.m.
Longitude: 347 14th Street, Oakland, longitudeoakland.com.
