The Blind Dragon Reopens With a Tiki-Inspired Vibe

After a revamp, the h.wood Group, in partnership with Innovative Dining Group, has revealed a new look and feel for their flagship karaoke restaurant and lounge, Blind Dragon.

With the staff outfitted in Hawaiian shirt, the vibe is straight up vacation with an upscale taste.

“We have created a space to accommodate the new supper club atmosphere of Blind Dragon,” says designer John Sofio of Built Inc. “Large relaxed booth with cocktail tables populate the space allowing customers to socialize in a relaxed and intimate way. Our tiki-themed detailing pays homage to the cocktail lounge era while still maintaining a sophisticated energy.”

The speakeasy-style dining lounge has moved the main entrance on to the Sunset Blvd. street side next to Roku, with four uniquely themed private karaoke rooms, complete with a TV screen and audio systems, inside the 2,800 square foot supper club. Nightly, dinner and drinks are accompanied by alluring performances from sultry singers and piano men.

The h.wood Group’s Food and Beverage Specialist Adam Koral (also of The Nice Guy and Delilah) worked closely with Creative Head Chef Roger Lee of Roku to curate a menu to deliver their own Asian twists to the new exotic food plates including steaming pork ramen, chicken potstickers and tuna tataki sashimi and Tiki cocktails.

“Basically we wanted to flip Blind Dragon on its head, stray people away from what they were used to, which was a club atmosphere, to somewhere that would really take them away on vacation,” says Koral. “So what better way to do that than with a Tiki-infused version of what we do at our other venues, which are very light-hearted, market driven, fresh fruit cocktails.”

Blind Dragon’s Head Bartender Daniel Torres spent hours and hours perfecting the new drink menu to match the energy of Blind Dragon’s make-over.

“We wanted you to be able to get that same quality of a top-tier cocktail without the 20 min wait or smug pretentious attitudes,” says Torres. “We wanted to create a setting that’s more fun and more laid back When I make menus, there are usually two what you would call ‘fun’ drinks and the rest very serious cocktails. This menu is just full of crowd-pleasing drinks that people are going to love with a party, luau, vacation vibe.”

Torres says by far the most popular drink on the new menu is the Double Dragon, a spin on a spicy margarita with a little bit of guava, grapefruit shrub, pineapple, lime, chili and dill-infused Avion Silver. As the classic Tiki staple, the Mai Thai is also a standout with carefully curated dark and light rum, Mandarine Napoleon, orgeat, pineapple and lime.

For those not into the tropical trend, don’t worry, Torres has you covered. He suggests ordering the Fu Manchu, a 5 Chinese Old Fashion with black tea,-infused Chivas 12 and Mandarin zest garnish.

“We love that we can continue expanding the Blind Dragon brand into the next level of hospitality to include food, music and laughter,” h.wood Group’s co-owners, John Terzian and Brian Toll said in a statement. “This next transition for Blind Dragon will still hold its own identity as we expand across the globe.”