Your (secret) haven for tropical beers

Visit this tiki bar and speakeasy inside Kilowatt Brewing — before it’s too late.

Go: Forbidden Cove

Know: A tiki bar and speakeasy with a beer focus, Forbidden Cove belongs to its Kearny Mesa neighbor, Kilowatt Brewing. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, the Cove is only accessible if you make online reservations. Wait in the Kilowatt tasting room for an escort, who will guide you to the Cove via secret entrance.

Yo Ho: Imagine Disneyland’s Tiki Room redecorated by a creative if impoverished buccaneer, then stocked with tropical-themed beer drinks. Like piña coladas? Try the Pineapple Coconut Blonde, Kilowatt’s blonde ale (4.8 percent alcohol by volume) brewed with fresh pineapple and then rested on toasted coconut.

Whoa: To appreciate the Cove, go with the kitschy flow. Admire the larger-than-life parrot, the plastic vines crawling across the walls, the bamboo furniture and the hallway’s “infinity mirror.” The shimmering red paper “flames,” the flashing “lightning,” the recorded “thunder” – raise a toast to this good-natured hokum.

Pro Tip: Don’t dally. Your reservation to the Cove is only good for 90 minutes, ensuring turnover in the 35-seat room. And don’t delay your visit. The landlord plans to demolish this space in a year and a half. This good thing won’t come to those who wait.

7576 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Kearny Mesa, 858.715.3998, forbiddencovesd.com