Port Aransas’ dining scene welcomed a new addition over Memorial Day weekend with the opening of Tiki Jay’s, a coastal-inspired restaurant bringing tropical flavors and handcrafted cocktails to Cinnamon Shore.
The new concept comes from restaurateur Jason Stout, who followed the success of Stout’s at the Shore with an entirely new dining concept. The former focuses on upscale coastal dining, while Tiki Jay’s was designed to offer something different.
“I’ve always wanted to do a tiki bar. I didn’t go full-out cliché. I went more for a beachy tiki—clean, crisp, with a lot of bamboo,” Stout shared of the new restaurant’s aesthetic.
Custom-designed tiki mugs, a clean color palette of deep greens and neutrals and textured decor elements bring this vision to life. The Star Wars-inspired tiki carvings—a nod to Stout’s love of the franchise—add another layer of personality throughout the restaurant.
The menu leans into tropical flavors with dishes like poke bowls combining soy-marinated salmon with jasmine rice, seaweed salad, mango, dragon fruit, edamame, carrots and sriracha mayo, while blackened drum fish tacos are topped with cabbage slaw and sriracha mayo. Other favorites include sesame-crusted salmon served with pineapple pico, coconut ginger carrot purée and miso butter, along with fresh ceviche and salads.
The restaurant’s biggest seller is the pulled pork sliders. Slow-cooked for nearly 28 hours, the pork is topped with house-made barbecue sauce and cabbage slaw before being served on Hawaiian rolls. The house-made yuca fries are another draw, served with garlic aioli and three house-made dipping sauces that have quickly become a customer favorite.
“It’s a completely different menu that’s not offered in Port Aransas, and it’s been a super big hit,” Stout said.
Behind the bar, the tropical theme continues with more than 60 varieties of rum and a cocktail menu built entirely around scratch-made drinks. Guests can sip tiki bar classics like the Painkiller, Hurricane, Dark & Stormy, Piñata Colada and Mai Tai, or order the signature Tiki Jay cocktail served in one of the restaurant’s custom turtle tiki mugs.
The core menu is here to stay, however Stout plans to keep things fresh with rotating specials throughout the year. Spam dishes and ceviche plates are already making appearances, and heartier additions, including coconut shrimp and other seasonal favorites, are planned for the fall. Tiki Jay’s is also already preparing for its first Tiki Christmas with tropical cocktails, holiday desserts (such as a pineapple upside-down cake that we’re already dreaming of) and festive events.
Open seven days a week, even during the off-season, Tiki Jay’s is designed to be a year-round destination for both visitors and locals looking for fresh coastal flavors, handcrafted cocktails and a relaxed tiki atmosphere at Cinnamon Shore.
Contact: 125 Market St. Suites A & B, Port Aransas | 361.204.7804 | @tikijays | tikijays.com
