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On his return, he sold both The Tropic Cafe and The Gay Nineties to ‘well-connected’ Sicilians. Jack Ewing returned to active duty during WWII. Design and murals were by local artist Russell Dale Moffett ( Mexican Village murals). In 1939 he opened the Tropic Village room, with moonlit dining and dancing amidst a grove of coco palms, and music by Stone’s Hawaiians.
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Business was so good, two years after opening he moved to a larger space in the old Gates Hotel building (1894), just across Third Avenue from the U.S. He opened The Tropic Cafe to serve the large transient military population of San Diego. Ewing, who also went by the names ‘James’ and ‘Baldy,’ was a career navy man stationed in San Diego. Ewing (1893-1974), and originally opened at 11th & Market. Tropic Cafe newspaper ad, 1937 (1935-1946) The Tropic Cafe, arguably San Diego’s first pre-tiki nightclub, was helmed by ‘Skipper’ John S. Now boarded up and for sale, you can still see the neon sign on the building’s facade today. And strip club in the 1980s (notorious, along with The Long Bar and Club Bambi). Many rock bands, including those of Carlos Santana and Javier Batíz played at The Aloha. Duos from ‘Old Mexico’ Panchita and Don José, Delfina and Don Ramón. In the 1940s, The Aloha promoted tequila drinks a-plenty and live entertainment, with floor shows every half-hour by a cast of regular dancers. Together the Franki boasted their establishment was the ‘liveliest nite spot in town,’ open all night. Frank Cota rebuilt and re-opened bar in the early months of 1939 with neighbor Francesco ‘Frank’ Maggiora. It was a devastating loss to Tijuana business, and left many out of a job. In November of 1938 half a block along Main Street burned down, including the Aloha Cafe. Everything else screamed Tijuana tequila bar. His place was connected with amateur boxing, promoting bouts between Tijuans and Americans held in the Aloha Cafe Arena.Ĭota regularly advertised the liquor and dancing of his place to San Diegans, beckoning them to experience the racy Honolulu Trio and their ‘latest hula thrills.’ The only things pre-tiki, really, were some decorations, the name, and the hula. Cota was born in Ensenada, Baja California, but attended school and lived above the border in San Diego. He’d previously lost The Anchor Cafe in a 1927 fire. The bar was first opened as The Aloha Cafe during Prohibition 1928 by Fernando ‘Frank’ Blanco Cota. (1928-2011) The Aloha Cafe, Tijuana’s first pre-tiki bar, was sporadically located on Avenida Revolución (then known as Main Street by Americanos) - for over eighty years! It changed hands, was burned down and rebuilt several times, but stood the test of time until a fire in 2011 finally shut down the place. San Diego may not be the birthplace of tiki, but with its transient wartime Navy population and proximity to Tijuana, it became an incubator for the mid-century Polynesian craze… How many of these classic San Diego tiki joints do you know? Most are now just memories, but establishments with checkmarks ( ✔) are currently in business. Hawaiian, South Seas, Polynesian, Tahitian and tropics-themed restaurants and tiki bars from the San Diego area’s past and present.