“The bartender is flailing about like a heavy-metal drummer, desperately beating eight, ten, fourteen ingredients into towering, elaborately garnished concoctions. Strange words fly about—hogo, agricole, solera, orgeat—and the heady perfume of distilled sugarcane fills the air. Tiki. As San Francisco’s and perhaps the nation’s reigning Tiki bar, Smuggler’s Cove draws a crowd almost every night, and you’ve got to wait outside until there’s space. It’s worth the wait.”

“Since its opening in 2009, Smuggler’s Cove has changed the Tiki and rum bar game globally.”

“When it opened, Smuggler’s Cove was at the time—and still is today—the new mecca.”

“With an extensive menu of complex cocktails and an interior worthy of a movie set, it’s not hard to understand why Smuggler’s Cove is one of the most lauded tiki bars in the world.”

“I had indeed found a Polynesian wonderland and arguably the best tiki bar in the country.”

“As much as Mr. Cate enjoys the fantasia of classic mai tai joints he is rigorously academic about rum itself.”

“Mr. Cate is an acknowledged master of both the rum cocktail and of tiki culture.”

“Bay Area rummies will have a new watering hole of their own from none other than neo-tiki master Martin Cate.”

“It’s truly a complete vision and once you’re inside the windowless space you feel completely disconnected (in a good way) from the reality of Hayes Valley right outside the completely opaque door.”

“Given Cate’s reputation in the industry his hand with home-made tiki drinks and his unparalleled knowledge of the history and culture of the drinks Smuggler’s Cove will probably be it’s no stretch to say the greatest tiki bar on earth.”

“Join Martin Cate at Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, a shrine to Tiki libations and rum goodness.”

“...tiki palace Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco features two bespoke spirits.”

“Martin was the first to take the principles of the craft cocktail and apply them to modern tiki drinks. I think Smuggler’s Cove is the first true neo-craft tiki bar, and what’s great is that the place itself is not trying to be serious, but the drink themselves are.”

“Tiki's big move came in the final weeks of 2009, when Martin Cate opened the doors of Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco. A product of years of work and dedication by one of the most talented people (and it should be said, one of the nicest guys) working in bars today, Smuggler's Cove took the once-déclassé realm of exotic drinks and made them respectable, and proved that just because something comes in a volcano bowl adorned with flowers and erupting with flames, it can still be a delicious, well-balanced drink.”

“Smuggler’s Cove has tons of potential to be the kind of cheesy bar you’d find at Disney World. But it’s not. You can tell that Cate put a lot of thought, time, and effort into his brainchild.”

“There is so much history in the place I’m considering asking Martin to train me as a docent to give regular tours.”

“What sets Smuggler’s Cove apart from the tiki pack is its focus on top-notch bartending talent...quality ingredients, and solid technique. It’s a serious rum-focused bar with retro-tropical decor, but there’s refreshingly little of the tongue-in-cheek cheesiness that you might expect.”

“It’s a little bit of rum-soaked escapism, right in the heart of the city.”

“A rum haven run by one of the great advocates of the spirit.”