The Experience, Emeryville: Trader Vic’s For The Holidays

The Experience:

New Year’s Eve in paradise on the water anyone?

Aloha! Get ready to embrace the spirit of the season with a tropical twist! Join the crew at Trader Vic’s this New Year’s Eve for an unforgettable tiki feast packed with festive fun, tantalizing flavors and good vibes all around.

Their island-inspired menu includes Oysters Rockefeller, Wood-Fired Chinese Oven ‘Oscar Style’ Wagyu Rib Eye with Hollandaise Sauce, delectable tropical desserts and other delicious choices.

Enjoy vibrant tropical drinks in an atmosphere that’ll transport you straight to paradise. And there will be live music!

On New Year’s Eve you can dance the night away with Calitos Medeno as Trader Vic’s brings the lively rhythms of Cuba to life – Son, Salsa, Timba, Rumba, and more. It’s the perfect Trader Vic’s way to bid farewell to 2024 and welcome the new year!

Dinner Service: begins at 4pm on Dec 31.. Reservations accepted until 10:15pm. See the full menu and book a table. 510-653-3400

About Trader Vic’s + the Mai Tai

Decades ahead of his time, Vic ‘The Trader’ Bergeron chose to offer Chinese dishes alongside the then-contemporary Continental cuisine, creating maybe the original fusion menu. Today, Trader Vic’s continues the tradition and still uses the Chinese Wood-fired Ovens featuring dishes from the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Asia, and Japan. And, as we all know, Trader Vic’s claims to be home to the original Mai Tai.

According to the Trader, Vic Bergeron, “In 1944, after success with several exotic rum drinks, I felt a new drink was needed. I was at the service bar in my Oakland restaurant. I took down a bottle of 17-year-old Jamaican J. Wray Nephew rum, added fresh lime, some Orange Curaçao from Holland, a dash of Rock Candy Syrup, and a dollop of French Orgeat, for its subtle flavor. A generous amount of shaved ice and vigorous shaking by hand produced the marriage I was after. Half the lime shell went in for color, I stuck in a branch of fresh mint, and gave two of them to Ham and Carrie Guild, friends from Tahiti, who were there that night. Carrie took one sip and said, “Mai Tai – Roa Ae” In Tahitian means “Out of this World- The Best”. Well, that was that, I named the drink ‘Mai Tai.’”

(Victor Bergeron and Carrie Guild featured below in 1970)

Hours: Wednesday-Sunday: