The Suffering Bastard (coming to Sanford)

Stopped by a fairly new bar in downtown Sanford last night (east of Orlando, 25 minutes from UOR if traffic not bad), Bitters & Brass. It's nice, all craft cocktails, including absinthe. Worth a visit if you're in town. But talking to the bartender ...

The owners are opening a tiki bar a couple blocks away, hopefully by the holidays. "The Suffering Bastard" will be a true Smuggler's Cove-style tiki bar with like 45 different drinks. It's being designed by a long-time UOR artist who did a lot of the close-up work for WWoHP and other attractions. He also wrote the premiere book on tiki bar design along with the guy who designed both Trader Sams. Obviously there will be some nautical items on the walls, and I'm told they make look familiar to those of us who used to ride Jaws.

Again, not open yet, but if you're a Universal or tiki fan, sounds like it's going to be a destination bar. "SufferingBastardTiki" on Instagram if you want updates.

 

No firm date, but I guess shooting for December some time (downtown Sanford has a lot of little shops, gets a decent holiday crowd).

 

Yeah, the designer sculpted the basilisks statues and the Anglia in the old Dragons queue. He's also done a lot of HHN builds in the past.

 

This soinds relevant to my interests

 

I look forward to this!!

 

So my wife and I completely stumbled into this place last night. We were eating dinner in downtown Sanford and walked into Tuffys for a drink. The bar is hidden in a back hallway with almost no signage. We actually walked by it 2 or 3
Times before even seeing it.

Let me just say this place was incredible. A huge cocktail menu that rivaled Mai Kai. Drinks were potent and delicious. We had a couple apps that were also delicious.

If you are in the Sanford area and want a unique experience, I wouldn’t miss it.

Also the decor was top notch.

 

That's great, hadn't even heard it officially opened yet. Might have to make a trip next weekend.

 

Apparently it's only been open for a week.

 

Finally made it in last night. Rhino4evr is not lying, it's behind an unmarked door in the back room of Tuffys, which is otherwise given over to TVs and a shuffleboard table.

What an incredible place. Goes for a true tiki bar vibe, in the vein of Smuggler's Cove in San Francisco or Lattitude 29 in New Orleans, and it is beautiful. The decor and music work perfectly. The drinks are authentic, tasty and absolutely lethal. Make sure you have a designated driver if you're even thinking about a 3-tiki rated one. As Rhino said, huge selection, tho vast majority center around one of over 100 varieties of rum they stock. Prices were reasonable compared to Disney--$12 - $16 seemed the general range, but those higher drinks pack a ton of top-shelf liquor.

If you are a tiki fan, absolutely worth the 45-minute drive from tourist town. Even if you're just looking for a day away from the parks, this plus the four breweries and a couple nice restaurants within walking distance would be a nice antidote to the other side of Orlando.

 

Glad you enjoyed it, actually thinking of going next weekend

 

How were the prices? We really wanted to go a couple months ago for my birthday but due to our party size and the Woo Hoo-ness of our party, we weren't allowed in.

 

LOL.

$12 - $16 generally. It is a tight space, and definitely more subdued than, say, Grog Grotto.

 

If you’re interested, here’s the designer’s Insta.

Tom Allsmiller (@typhoon_tommy) • Instagram photos and videos