Tiki bar takes brunch to new heights

Located at 19 S. 10th St., The Sorrow Drowner is an interactive tiki bar that recently started offering Sunday brunch.(Photo courtesy of The Sorrow Drowner)

Archaeological adventurers or fans of the 1930s-California tiki bar aesthetic can now enjoy Sunday brunch at The Sorrow Drowner.
 
“The Immersive Experience set during the golden age of adventure” is the creative conception of owner Alfred Wheatley, a former Hollywood special effects designer who used his contacts at Disney to secure imagineer Brandon Kleyla to design the space.
 
In the former TheatreNOW! building at Dock and South 10th streets, the unique tiki bar and lounge is truly “A Hideaway for the Adventurous at Heart.” With a brunch menu that follows the same theme of adventure, guests can expect a twist on fan favorites including biscuits and gravy with antelope meat. 
 
“The menu is seasonal with the freshest, most delicious foods we can find that are all world-inspired,” Wheatley said. “We try to mix it up with kangaroo, antelope and African boar.”
 
Other brunch specials include an Aussie Billabong Pizza with naan bread, gravy and hashbrowns, Spam, bacon or kangaroo sausage. “Slacker Breakfast” options include eggs, pancakes and French toast. Mimosas, a brunch staple, are served with orange or pineapple juice.
  
The unique space transports guests to the “Lemurian Institute” where they join “The Sorrow Drowners,” those who were left behind to hold down the fort, so to speak, while the others set out for adventures to track down their director who went missing.
 
With a tiki bar on one side and a stage on the other, the scene is set for an out-of-this-world experience.
 
“We want to take it to a different direction than anyone had ever been before,” Wheatley said. “We want people to come back and see something new and different each time. We want the storyline to change.”
  
Music and burlesque are offered Friday and Saturday nights, and Wheatley said that Thursdays are for game nights.
 
The Sorrow Drowner is open for brunch Sundays from noon-3 p.m., then stays open with the regular menu until 9 p.m. It is open 5 p.m.-midnight Thursdays-Saturdays.