Surf's up: A tiki bar with patio space, view of the soccer stadium, to open in Butchertown
A new tiki bar and restaurant is coming to Butchertown.
Shawn Cantley, who grew up in the beach cities of Southern California and has since moved to Louisville, is opening a restaurant called South Seas in the former Hog Father Pizza space at 1301 Story Ave, Louisville. The restaurant's opening is targeted for May 2.
Hog Father Pizza opened in February 2021 and closed seven months later in November. Before that, the space was home to Butchertown Pizza Hall, which closed in September 2019.
"Hanging out in surf towns, at least when I was growing up, it was Mexican food, Jamaican music, and an obsession with all things Hawaii. That’s the idea for South Seas," Cantley said. "Bringing those things together, and not trying to be too literal about anything.”
Cantley, a co-owner of The Silver Dollar and The Pearl of Germantown, said South Seas will be a tribute to surf culture in the heart of Butchertown. He said the bar will serve tiki cocktails done "the way Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic made them in the 1950s, with fresh-squeezed juices, house-made syrups, and high-quality spirits."
As far as food, South Seas will serve scratch-made food from regions like Southern California, Hawaii, and the Pacific coast of Mexico, as well as brunch daily.
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"If you’ve ever been to Hawaii or Mexico or Jamaica, you know that hospitality is everything," Cantley said. "If there’s a defining focus of South Seas, and there is, it’s hospitality — hospitality first among ourselves and the team, then to our guests, and then to our community, stakeholders, vendors, and anybody else who walks into our building.”
The two-story restaurant is a massive 8,400 square feet with an additional 1,600-square-foot outdoor deck. Downstairs is the "Cantina" space, with a casual vibe, TVs playing sports games, and a game room leading out to the covered patio.
The upstairs space will be a tiki lounge, opening later this summer, with a large bar, private event space, and an upstairs deck overlooking the soccer stadium and downtown Louisville. Cantley said it will not look like the prototypical tiki bar, but instead a modern take on the aesthetic seen in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s.
The kitchen will be led by Chef Tyler Powell, who worked at The Silver Dollar before moving to North Carolina in 2016. Cantley said he was able to persuade Powell to return to Louisville to lead South Seas.
Cantley said the menu will include items like Hawaiian-style pancakes, SPAM and eggs, tacos, and tortas. Many dishes will be family-sized, as the restaurant is targeting large groups for a customer base. There will be drinks like scorpion bowls and punch bowls, a pig roast, or build-your-own tacos.
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“I understand that some people will expect a Disney’s Jungle Cruise type theme and all Polynesian food, but ... that place has been done 1,000 times," Cantley said. "At the end of the day, this concept is escapism and hospitality — feeling like you’re on vacation right here in Louisville for a couple of hours while you’re at our place.”
South Seas will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. Brunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Features reporter Dahlia Ghabour covers food, dining trends and restaurants in the Louisville area. Send tips on new places or story ideas to dghabour@courier-journal.com or follow on Twitter @dghabour.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Tiki Bar South Seas opens in Butchertown neighborhood in Louisville
