{"id":389289,"date":"2026-09-03T13:18:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:18:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/389289\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T13:18:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:18:25","slug":"tiki-culture-takes-root-in-cape-coral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/389289\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiki culture takes root in Cape Coral"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jungle Bird Tiki creates a tiki vibe outside and inside. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

In seaside cities across the globe, traditional tiki bars thrive on and off the grid. Traditional tikis are not the same as Florida tikis; just ask Jeremy Vincent, owner and visionary behind Cape Coral\u2019s Jungle Bird Tiki in downtown Cape Coral.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile a Florida Tiki is typically a thatched-roof hut, where sweet drinks are served, the true tiki experience is a whole culture. Tiki is a Vibe,\u201d Vincent explained.\n<\/p>\n

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Jungle Bird Tiki owner, Jeremy Vincent, holds his daughter, Brighton, in the entry garden of the family-friendly hot spot. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

Inside the Jungle Bird Tiki property, the vibe sets in just a few footsteps off the sidewalk. Diners and visitors enter beneath a canopy of pink flowers, palm leaves and twinkling lights. At the end of the garden archway, visitors may choose between an outdoor bar-top with accompanying stools, a moody indoor bar to the right \u2013 accompanied by traditional wicker and mahogany furniture \u2013 or, to the left, a vibrant jungle-themed dining room with luxurious textured wallpaper and an eclectic display of ceramic tiki glasses.\n<\/p>\n

Brooke Field, a first-time visitor from Delaware, said Jungle Bird Tiki was more than she expected, in a good way. \u201cWhen you walk in, it\u2019s not blue and sea shelly,\u201d Field said, sipping an authentic cocktail, \u201cit\u2019s more of an island feel. I didn\u2019t expect it to look so detailed.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Whether guests notice the details, or simply unwind within the authentic tiki vibe, every bit of Jungle Bird Tiki\u2019s aura is intentional. Like so many great ideas before this one, the basis for Jungle Bird Tiki began as a vision on a cocktail napkin. Don\u2019t believe me? Just ask Vincent.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he smiled, \u201cI had been researching the Tiki culture of the 1970s and 1980s for a while before I moved to Cape Coral.\u201d The entrepreneur and innovator hails from St. Louis and seemingly has an affinity for all things retro.\u00a0 He explained that traditional tiki recipes are based upon high-quality food, and traditional tiki drinks are built using a blend of hand-made juices and spirits.\n<\/p>\n

When it comes to the history of tiki bars, we have World War II veteran Donn\u00a0Beach\u00a0(born Ernest Raymond Gantt) to thank. Beach is considered the \u201cfounding father\u201d of tiki culture. Just inside of the Royal Kona Resort in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, an original Don the Beachcomber restaurant and Mai Tai Bar sits; a knee-high lava rock wall separates the space from sprawling views of the Atlantic Ocean. Occasionally, an outrigger canoe races over waves in the distance. Tiki torches stand guard in the corners of the open-air space. Vincent gleaned inspiration from the likes of Donn Beach. He read nostalgic books to find original tiki recipes. He also attended tiki conferences. There is an annual tiki conference in Fort Lauderdale, and Tales of the Cocktail, a New Orleans event, is one of Vincent\u2019s favorite \u201cclassrooms.\u201d \u00a0Tales of the Cocktail Foundation is a non-profit organization for the education, advancement and support of industry professionals and innovators in the craft and spirits arena.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tJungle Bird Tiki is a traditional tiki bar with a seventies vibe. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tEven the grounds outside of Jungle Bird Tiki are tropical. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY
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\u201cOur authentic recipes are less sweet than what some folks may be used to,\u201d Vincent shared. \u201cIn the beginning, when we first opened, we\u2019d get some pushback from customers, and I was like, \u2018listen, we\u2019ll make you whatever you\u2019d like,\u2019 but I also wanted to teach people about the flavor behind traditional tiki.\u201d A Mai Tai at Jungle Bird Tiki includes dry curacao, rhum Agricole, light rum, lime juice and house-made orgeat. \u201cOrgeat is almond syrup,\u201d Vincent revealed. He said the house syrups he and his team generate are truly special, and added, \u201cOur drinks are more boozy (than some less authentic versions). We also add less coconut and pineapple than more highly commercialized bars.\u201d Whichever drink you choose, libations at Jungle Bird Tiki arrive in colorful ceramic glasses with a flower, fruit or umbrella perched loosely on the edge.\n<\/p>\n

Along with the cocktail napkin that carried Vincent\u2019s first tiki bar menu, the entrepreneur also utilized the post-COVID-19 era to help build hype around his concept. Before the property at 1520 Lafayette Street became Jungle Bird Tiki, it housed a restaurant called Red Fish Point. Vincent worked as a consultant for Red Fish Point, and at the start of COVID, when the restaurant planned a last-minute shutdown, Vincent took his shot.\n<\/p>\n

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Mark Sparrow and Nicole Shaffer (both seated) have a laugh at Jungle Tiki in Cape Coral. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

\u201cI took the cocktail napkin out of my pocket and sort of showed it to the owner of Red Fish. I asked him if I could try a pop-up tiki bar in the space. I said, \u2018Give me three months,\u201d Vincent explained. \u201cAnd the concept absolutely blew up!\u201d\u00a0 Vincent remembers lines stretching out the door and down the sidewalk when he first opened Jungle Bird Tiki in 2020. \u201cNow, here we are, about to celebrate six years.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Following the pandemic, Vincent settled into a rhythm with Jungle Bird Tiki. He hired executive chef Nick Hartman and used the cash he had earned from selling his landscaping business to become a legitimate part-owner of the restaurant group that previously owned Red Fish Pass.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer is tough,\u201d Vincent explained. \u201cWe only survive the quiet months because of our summer regulars. We treat people right and they keep coming back.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Toni Warren is one such regular. \u201cI have been coming here since they opened,\u201d Warren shared. The retired businesswoman typically takes a low table to the side of the main bar. \u201cI like it here, because of the vibe. It doesn\u2019t feel beachy. It feels authentic,\u201d she said. Warren and her lunch date shared Hawaiian sliders and chocolate toffee Kahlua cake. \u201cThese little burgers are perfect,\u201d Warren shared, pointing to her plate. \u201cThey are small, spicy and just enough.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Vincent said the menu and the space are intentionally family-friendly. During my visit, the seemingly laid-back Vincent \u2013 his curly hair pulled back in a ponytail \u2013 carried his own toddler, Brighton, from one jungle-themed room to another. \u201cWe are definitely kid-friendly,\u201d Vincent said. \u201cAnd, during the season, which is October to April, we have live music daily.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

If you are eager to see more of Cape Coral\u2019s authentic tiki bars and even taste a local Mai Tai, Jungle Bird Tiki has a selection of cocktails, and dining either outside or inside, and the tunnel of pink flowers that ushers you into the space might also make for an excellent photo-op. There are plenty of places for a tiki-inspired selfie at Jungle Bird Tiki, along with authentic flavors to sip and fresh food to savor.\n<\/p>\n

In The KNOW:<\/p>\n

WHAT: Jungle Bird Tiki
WHEN: Monday 4-9 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday 12-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 12-10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
WHERE: 1520 Lafayette St., Cape Coral
MORE INFO: junglebirdtiki.com<\/a>\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jungle Bird Tiki creates a tiki vibe outside and inside. -CASEY BRADLEY GENT \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY In seaside…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":389290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-389289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}