July 23, 2024
Coco Locos Tiki Bar Grand Opening: A Splash of Fun and Frozen Drinks by Lake Eustis!
By Gina Horan
Coco Locos Tiki Bar Grand Opening: A Splash of Fun and Frozen Drinks by Lake Eustis!
The grand opening and ribbon cutting of Coco Locos Tiki Bar was a success last Thursday as dozens of frozen drink fans cozied up to the outdoor bar, just across the parking lot from Lake Eustis Bar and Grille.
The outdoor Tiki themed bar seats around twenty and has plenty more seating at tables and around the outside near the lake. There are also T.V.’s and piped-in music.
Co-owner Conni Berry was on-hand to welcome friends and newcomers along with hubby Jim and partner Daniel DiVenanzo.
“The vibe was very energetic,” Conni says, who greeted each of the 50-60 guests with a warm hug and smile. “People were very happy for us and everyone had a great time!”
After the ribbon cutting, guests were treated to complimentary logo stickers and purple beer koozies plus live music featuring Mark Houghton who covered artists from Jimmy Buffett to Toby Keith.
Some of the menu items guests enjoyed included Rueben spring rolls, swamp fries, the hangover burger and a clever take on a charcuterie board, using a giant soft-pretzel as the base. The two featured specialty drinks were the Tiki Torch Punch and frozen Pina Colada.
Also on hand was Alice, the baby gator that holds court lakeside accompanied by the evening breezes off of Lake Eustis. Conni and Jim are looking forward to the future and providing their community with an outdoor alternative and beachy vibe.
“I think our popularity is going to just keep getting better because from what I hear, there is no other place on Lake Eustis quite like Coco Locos, which is really cool,” Conni says.
There is plenty of parking in the adjacent lot and across Lakeshore Drive, under the bridge. Coco Locos will feature an all-day happy hour and have entertainment every Saturday and Sunday.
The hours:
Thursday: 4pm-9pm
Friday: 2pm-11pm
Saturday: 11am-11pm
Sunday: 11am-9pm
COCO LOCOS TIKI BAR
Lake Eustis Waterfront Grille
350 Lakeshore Drive, Eustis
352.602.7446
Gina moved to central Florida in August of 2021 from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and spent 10 years as a fashion editor, columnist and food writer for The Knight Ridder Newspaper group. She was also a photo stylist and covered concerts, fashion shows and festivals all over Northern California. In 2000, she joined KSAN radio as a morning show co-host and produced the news and sports content there for 4 years. She also covered travel, events and the restaurant scene for KRON-Bay TV. She is a veteran bartender and has worked in hospitality on and off since high school. Her passions include travel, road trips, history books, baseball, tasting menus and most of all, landing in a new city with no map or guidebook. Gina lives in Oxford with her mom, cats and baby hamster.
