WHAT IS THE ARK ROYAL?

The Ark Royal is a modern TiKi concept that started in Downtown Raleigh during the pandemic. Our name comes from an old ship commissioned in 1586 by Sir Walter Raleigh. This man was a scholar, an explorer, but truthfully, he was a ruthless pirate. Much of his later life was spent hunting for the fabled City of Gold; El Dorado.

Raleigh studied, searched and struggled to find that mythical city, but the bastard was beheaded by King James before he could discover it. Due to his execution, Raleigh never stepped foot on THE ARK ROYAL, so we decided to sail it for him.

Our lounge is not an ode to Sir Walter Raleigh, rather an ode to exploration, adventure, and discovery. Our cocktails feature ingredients from many cultures from many regions around the world. This blend of spices, spirits, sweeteners and liqueurs offers fascinating insight into a world of history, tradition, and flavor.

The style of cocktails we offer are known as TiKi, but originally, they were known as exotic drinks, or as Don the Beachcomber called them; “Rhum Rhapsodies.”

TiKi is exploration. It is adventure. It is discovery. It is The Ark Royal.