Ever wondered what it must be like to party on Gilligans Island? Well, step inside. South London Pacific welcomes you to an alternative night out where tropical paradise meets a blast from the past.

The Venue
The bus and train links to South London Pacific are great (it sits snugly between Kennington and Oval stations) and it appears to be one of the only highlights along the dismal stretch of Kennington Road. There’s no way you’ll miss it - two giant blue tiki heads guarding the entrance make sure of that, and that's only the start of what your evening here entails.

Think thatched partitions and huts, bamboo furniture, glowing, googly-eyed tiki statues and masks on every wall and surface, fake palm tree and beach settings, skulls and all manner of tribal and tropical paraphernalia. A large square tiki bar mans the middle of the space and dotted around the front of it are lots of ample bamboo and pillow seating. Around the bar on the right is a small dancefloor and stage for the wild performances they hold occasionally. On the right are the toilets (intact with leopard print toilet seats).

Beyond the dance area, to the back of the venue, is a large secluded space with table football table and more low, comfy seating that would be ideal for private events, which they do cater to. You can hire the venue out for tiki wedding receptions and other parties.

The Atmosphere
South London Pacific oozes cool like Hawaiian tree sap. They’ve chosen to defy the mating ritual theatrics of the average boozy weekend, and have made it more about chilling out island-style, forgetting that you’re actually in balmy-weathered London. Friendly, conversational staff pride themselves in their bar work, and service is excellent. The crowds are lively, yet still at ease as if they’re on a Caribbean vacation.

There are wild themed nights every now and then. Their night on the first Thursday of the month is called Hoodoo Voodoo. Think potions and spells, painted faces, limbo competitions, skeletons, and caged go-go dancers performing jungle burlesque. The third Sunday of every month is a haven for jive fanatics: rock and roll tunes play while the Hula Boogie team run jive classes. There’s no room for a dull minute.

The Music
If the decor and atmosphere at South London Pacific don’t transport you to a new and exciting time and place then the tracks will. Bossa Nova, funk, soul, global sounds, lounge-core, Latin, dancehall, Motown, a few dance party favourites, and they’ve unburied a mound of amazing tunes from the ‘20s, ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. It’s such a diverse, cultural range but they all deliver, lifting the spirit and awakening your dance side.

The Drink
These are called tiki potions, not cocktails, and they’re nothing short of intoxicating. Going along with the general theme of South London Pacific, most contain rum, an assortment of fruit (mango, guava, pineapple, coconut) and syrups. Trinidad’s finest Angostura Bitters also does its part to put a Caribbean kick in a lot of the mixes. They range in price from £4.95-5.95 but the Tiki Hour brings them down. You don’t feel bad putting over £20 in cocktails down the chute because they’re that good, and great care and detail goes into their making.

They also stock Sol, Tiger, Staropramen and your average wines and spirits. To accompany this, they have a small Vietnamese finger food menu that includes samosas, meat, vegetable and seafood spring rolls, breaded prawns alongside affordable party platters for 10-20 people.

The Last Word
There is the worrying notion that their luscious Mai Tais may be laced with a voodoo potion to keep you coming back for more, but who’s complaining? South London Pacific leaves you with a jungle fever you won’t want to shake.

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