Bamboo Room by Trader Vic's Archives

It took 90 years for Trader Vic’s to make it to trendy South Beach, but the new Bamboo Room concept could be the right bar in the right place at the right time.

See more below
• The space | The cocktails | Updated menu, more
Exclusive: Q&A with Trader Vic’s CEO Rhett Rosen
Bonus cocktail recipe: Suffering Bastard

With a capacity of 50, Bamboo Room by Trader Vic's is a small and elegant space that blends in perfectly with the Esmé Hotel and glamorous South Beach. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward / Sept. 15, 2024) — With a capacity of 50, Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s is a small and elegant space that blends in perfectly with the Esmé Hotel and glamorous South Beach. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward / Sept. 15, 2024)

Tucked into the newly renovated 1920s era Esmé Hotel Miami Beach, the speakeasy-style craft cocktail bar is stylistically a throwback to the pre-Tiki, post-Prohibition early days of founder Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron.

In fact, the Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s, as it’s officially known, is a callback to a tropical space inside Bergeron’s original Hinky Dinks restaurant in Oakland, Calif., circa 1934. Soon after, the Trader Vic’s brand took the world by storm as a dynamic Polynesian restaurant and bar concept, expanding globally as interest in South Seas exoticism dominated the pop culture consciousness in the mid 20th century.

Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group remains a venerable force worldwide with 25 locations in 11 countries. To augment the flagship brand, new concepts are positioned to expand the Trader Vic’s name into previously untapped markets and remain relevant in the 21st century.

PREVIEW: Trader Vic’s launches new Bamboo Room concept in South Beach

A bartender pours an inventive new cocktail (The Park Lane) while a Latin jazz band performs in the intimate Bamboo Room by Trader Vic's on Sept. 15. (Photos by Hurricane Hayward) — A bartender pours an inventive new cocktail (The Park Lane) while a Latin jazz band performs in the intimate Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s on Sept. 15. (Photos by Hurricane Hayward)

In making upscale South Beach the first location of the new Bamboo Room concept, the hospitality group is returning to its roots as a luxury brand. This is a far cry from the previous branded bar and restaurant in Florida, the middle-of-the-road Trader Vic’s Island Bar & Grille in Sarasota (2010-2013).

Opening with a menu of just seven cocktails priced at $20-$25 would be risky just about anywhere else. But in one of the world’s top hospitality markets, it’s more like a Bam Adebayo slam dunk. One of the Miami Heat star’s predecessors, Chris Bosh, owned a lavish mansion just up the road that sold for a cool $38.5 million in 2022.

Let’s just hope potential guests have the willingness to seek it out, then appreciate the craft and care that went into both the space and its inventive cocktails. I will recommend it to anyone who lives in the area or visits for any reason, such as a show or event at the nearby Miami Beach Convention Center and Fillmore Miami Beach Theater.

Look for the small sign next to the entrance to Bamboo Room by Trader Vic's inside the Esmé Hotel Miami Beach. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward / Sept. 15, 2024) — Look for the small sign next to the entrance to Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s inside the Esmé Hotel Miami Beach. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward / Sept. 15, 2024)

Following is a full recap of my visit at the end of the opening weekend on Sunday, Sept. 15. As I sampled my way through the menu, I was privileged to meet and talk with two Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group executives who were in town for the opening. This story includes insights from both CEO Rhett Rosen and vice president of operations Raquel Rodriguez.

Beyond the Bamboo Room, I gained a new understanding of the Trader Vic’s brand, including exclusive details on an upcoming location planned for Hawaii, the first ever 100% company-approved outpost in the South Pacific. Also featured below is a Q&A with Rosen just before the opening.

Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s – 1438 Washington Ave. in the Esmé Hotel Miami Beach, (305) 809-8050. Open seven days from 5:30 p.m.
• BambooRoomMia.com | Instagram | Esméhotel.com
• TraderVics.com | Instagram | Facebook

The space: From 1920s gambling den to exotic cocktail lair

The entrance to the Esmé Hotel Miami Beach on Washington Avenue. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward / Sept. 15, 2024)

Esmé is a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of South Beach at the intersection of Washington Avenue and Espanola Way (see map), a historic former artist colony that dates back to 1925. The cluster of buildings was transformed into a hotel in 2021 after a $40 million renovation by Infinity Hospitality Group. It quickly became a stylish destination listed in the Michelin Guide.

The hotel offers valet parking, or you can find multiple public garages within a short walking distance. I found a reasonable rate at a garage on 16th Street, a 5-minute walk away. Your GPS or rideshare may drop you off at the hotel’s valet stand and understated entry facade, where there is no mention of bars or restaurants within, but don’t fret.

Simply enter the lobby area and take in the neo-Spanish-Mediterranean vibe as you proceed along the red carpet through this small building and the double doors at the end of the hall. This will lead you into a quaint outdoor courtyard and building painted with striking green and white stripes. That’s your destination, as the small green sign near the door will confirm.

Continue reading “PHOTOS, REVIEW: Trader Vic’s blends pre-Tiki vibe with contemporary cocktails at new Bamboo Room in South Beach”

The venerable Trader Vic’s brand is returning to Florida for the first time in more than a decade with a new concept that promises an intimate and sophisticated cocktail experience. Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s opens Friday (Sept. 13) in a luxury boutique hotel in South Beach.

PHOTOS, REVIEW: Trader Vic’s blends pre-Tiki vibe with contemporary cocktails at new Bamboo Room in South Beach

Billed as a “lush, tranquil oasis” that “embraces the essence of escapism and indulgence,” the 1,000-square-foot, 50-seat bar in the Esmé Miami Beach Hotel will be a far different animal than the last Trader Vic’s concept in Florida. Trader Vic’s Island Bar & Grille, located in an old R.J. Gator’s restaurant space in Sarasota, closed in 2013 after 3 1/2 years in business.

“We’ve long dreamed of bringing the Bamboo Room to life, and when the opportunity arose to partner with the Esmé Miami Beach Hotel, we knew it was the perfect match,” Rhett Rosen, CEO of Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group, was quoted as saying. “With the rich history of both our brands, this collaboration offers a unique experience that we’re thrilled to share with the Miami community.”

Rosen is no stranger to the Sunshine State. He’s a Florida native who earned a degree in marketing and business administration from the University of Central Florida. He received a doctorate from the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, not far from the new Bamboo Room.

Bamboo Room by Trader Vic's is an intimate space in the Esmé Miami Beach Hotel. (Official photo) — Bamboo Room by Trader Vic’s is an intimate space in the Esmé Miami Beach Hotel. (Official photo)

The Bamboo Room is one of several new concepts listed on the Trader Vic’s Hospitality Group website. The pioneering Polynesian restaurant chain, founded by Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron in California in 1934, recently celebrated its 90th anniversary with a weekend of events at its flagship location in Emeryville, Calif., (open since 1972).

The hospitality group, formerly known as Trader Vic’s Worldwide, has for decades sought to expand the scope of its offerings beyond the traditional Tiki-centric restaurants by touting its “fusion flavors, tropical vibes, and Mai Tais.”

Bergeron famously created the iconic cocktail in 1944, and the “Trader Vic’s Original Mai Tai” remains a signature at most of the locations around the world. Successful expansion has recently been limited mainly to the Middle East.

With the Bamboo Room concept, Trader Vic’s appears to be embracing a more streamlined approach, similar to how Don the Beachcomber plans to roll out smaller Gantt Reserve Collection bars. Seeking an insider’s view, we sought out one of the Tiki scene’s foremost experts on Trader Vic’s (and the Mai Tai).