A Great Escape Awaits at Rochester’s Coolest Tiki Bar
Corner space at Easy Sailor tiki bar on Park Avenue in Rochester, New York. You can see a variety of unique and intricate decor that adds to the style of a traditional tiki bar where more is more.
An exotic getaway to satisfy the urge of escapism has been a coveted and lingering dream for many lately. We have seen this theme played out in popular music where the artist symbolizes the dream of escaping to a foreign land. Consider “Paradise” by the famed British rock band, Coldplay, or the hit classic by Rupert Holmes, “Escape,” known informally as the “Piña Colada” song. Both songs reveal an inner desire to escape a destination, a mental state of mind, or the mediocrity of a life driven by routine. Whatever the case may be, it is a relatable experience that we have drifted off, time and time again, in the pursuit of purpose.
A view of the light fixtures and bar at Easy Sailor tiki. The bar is loaded with many interesting rum and other liqueur varieties.
While by no means will I attempt to dive deep into the heart and soul of our individual desires and motivations for a new purpose, but rather I hope to provide a small foundation to lighten the load and provide a quick, yet reasonable escape from the cold winters of the Finger Lakes, Western New York, and Upstate region in the form of a Tiki Bar. Yeah, I’m talking about you, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse!
In late August 2025, the Park Avenue neighborhood in Rochester, New York, gained a new and enchanting speakeasy-style tiki bar, Easy Sailor. To better understand the origins of tiki bars, we must rewind to 1934 Hollywood, and the genesis of what was considered the first of its kind bar known by the name, Don the Beachcomber. The bar’s founder is Donn Beach, a pseudonym taken on by New Orleans-born traveler, adventurer, and WWII veteran, Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, whose ingenious idea introduced foods, drinks, and spirits from the South Seas, or Polynesian Triangle, to the bar and restaurant business in the form of novel cocktail recipes and dishes. Gantt did not solely create a bar, but rather a romanticization of a great escape from the American hustle culture and mindset toward one of exotic beaches and faraway lands. Through the appropriation of cultural relics, unique rum-based concoctions, and a little flambé, the Tiki Bar was born.
Photo of one of Easy Sailor’s unique cocktails, the Humuhumunukunukuapua’a which features an adorable seahorse fixture.
Fast forward to 2025, Rochester, New York. If you’re a “downtowner” like me, you likely enjoy hanging out in the Park Avenue neighborhood. If you were to venture out to Park Avenue in between Barrington and Berkeley, you’ll find a subtle entrance to a space designed in the fashion of a travel agency. Painted on the wall is a thematic mural that reads, “Greetings From Paradise.” What stands out is the imagery of beaches, Moai figures from Easter Island, and Japanese cherry blossoms that seduce the eyes and draw you in. If you have made it this far, you have now stumbled upon Easy Sailor, a tiki-style speakeasy offering an escape from the social norms and an exotic, yet whimsical experience in the city of Rochester. One thing is certain about this distinctive entrance at Easy Sailor: it undoubtedly pays homage to the tiki bar spirit, where more is surely more, and that is exactly what you will find in this hidden oasis.
From elevated rum-based cocktails to a curated selection of dishes with Caribbean, Chinese, African, and Pacific Island-inspired flavors, Easy Sailor is shifting the way Rochesterians and visitors alike experience a night out in the city. A visit to this sensational tiki bar will undoubtedly involve some sparks and flames, a dash of lively energy, and be full of flavor and exciting memories. For those who take the voyage, a great escape awaits.
