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Dear Love: The Church Key's New Tiki Happy Hour (West Hollywood)


By: Maren Swanson • December 15th, 2014


The Church Key Happy Hour in West Hollywood.

You may have read my previous post about The Church Key's happy hour and how much I enjoyed it, but things have changed a bit since the last time I stopped in. There was word of Tiki in the air, so the dynamic dining duo, The Food Pervert and I, Ubered it over to Sunset to see if the Tiki happy hour rumors were true.

A Tiki-themed happy hour in Fall/Winter? Yup. It was true and we were unbelievably excited. According to The Church Key General Manager, that's how they do things here. Their dining ideas may be somewhat unconventional, but they apparently seem to work. One hour into happy hour and the entire place looked as busy as it had when they first opened - and it was a Monday.

The Church Key Happy Hour in West Hollywood.
The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.

The Church Key happy hour runs Monday through Friday, 5:30 p.m to 7 p.m. and their new menu is entirely Tiki-themed. And they really own the Tiki thing. One of my drinks was presented in ceramic glass that looked like it was stolen from the set of Hawaii Five-O. Happy hour Tiki cocktails are $9 and they are loaded with flare (flowers, flamingo straws, paper umbrellas). I highly suggest the Papoy (Bacardi rum, thai basil, lime, cardamom) or the Polynesian Pearl (Bacardi rum, Bekrovka, oj, lime, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla). The Food Pervert loved The Blue Hawaii, made with Malibu, Blue Curacao and coconut - basically a blue Pina Colada. You can purchase a punch bowl for 2 or 4 ($14 & $25) and try their nostalgic house-made "Odder Pops" for $6 each.

The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.
The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.
The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.

Appetizer options are plentiful and if you want to go big, don't hesitate to order the Pu Pu platter, suggested by Chef Steven Frentz, which is served "Lazy Susan" style and loaded with meat. Just make sure to keep your eye on the meat sticks when laying them over the flame, otherwise you could over char one of them - guilty as charged. If you're a slider enthusiast, then get ready for some varied slider selections including Pork & Spam ("Hawaiin style" with teriyaki & pineapple), Beef (pimento cheese & secret sauce), Falafel (truffle Tahini sauce, tomato) or Chicken "Scnitzel" (garlic lemon aioli, avocado). I really dug all of them, but the Chicken "Schnitzel" really caught my mouth's attention.

The Salt and Vinegar Popcorn packs a punch of flavor and it's completely addicting, plus a great complement to the slightly sweet and fruity cocktails. The Rock Shrimp Po' Boy for $7 was my favorite happy hour dish of the night though. Fried rock shrimp is served over a butter toasted Brioche bun with pickled egg remoulade and it's freakin' fantastic. I also must, must mention one of the best desserts I've ever tasted, their Brown Butter Glazed Donuts served with a Gingerbread Milkshake. I kid you not, the doughnuts are insane; served warm with the perfect amount of icing and the cold follow up of blended gingerbread ice cream, together, is a home run (not on the happy hour, but worth every penny).

Brown Butter Glazed Doughnuts at The Church Key in West Hollywood.
The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.
The Church Key's Tiki Happy Hour in West Hollywood.


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