Downtown Boston is in line for a fresh hit of tiki flair. So Lim Ting and his wife, Yingqi Su, the team behind Ting Management Group, are planning Tiki Cove, a tiki-themed bar and restaurant slated for the former Loyal Nine space at 17 Union Street in the heart of downtown.
City paperwork lays out a U-shaped ground-floor dining room of roughly 2,418 square feet, anchored by a 19-seat bar, along with plans for a seasonal patio. The filings show proposed late-night hours, with a requested 2 a.m. closing time for the interior and a 10 p.m. cutoff for the patio. The owners say the concept is still a work in progress and have not released a menu or an opening date.
The project was confirmed in an interview with What Now Boston, where Ting acknowledged Tiki Cove but declined to share more while plans are in the early stages. According to What Now Boston, the couple’s portfolio already includes Nan Xiang Express in Chinatown, Friendship BBQ in Allston and JiangNan in downtown, and they recently added Novo Lantern in the South End.
Licensing filings lay out layout and hours
The city’s Licensing Board agenda lists a petition to transfer the common-victualler all-alcohol license to Chilin Union Street LLC d/b/a Tiki Cove, with So Lim Ting named as manager and a 2:00 a.m. closing hour requested. The paperwork describes the ground floor as a 2,418-square-foot U-shaped room with a 19-seat bar and a roughly 3,002-square-foot basement for storage and back-of-house use. It also proposes a public-space patio along the easterly side of Union Street, open seasonally from April through October and closing at 10 p.m.
The application seeks to pledge the license to CRG License Holding II, LLC as part of the transfer, according to Boston.gov. The Licensing Board scheduled the matter on its virtual agenda for Wednesday, putting Tiki Cove on the official radar for downtown’s late-night scene.
A long-running downtown address
The Union Street storefront has seen plenty of turnover over the years. It most recently housed Loyal Nine and, before that, Sons of Boston, The Tap Trailhouse and The Tap, according to Boston Restaurant Talk. The revolving door underscores both the block’s pull for late-night crowds and the challenge of keeping a concept humming in a high-competition downtown market.
What’s next
No official menu or opening timeline has been released. What Now Boston notes that the tiki name, paired with Ting Management’s background in Chinese cuisine, could hint at playful cross-cultural dishes alongside tropical cocktails, though nothing has been confirmed.
The Licensing Board has already placed the license transfer on its agenda, and readers can track the city’s docket and posted documents as Tiki Cove works through the approval process and edges closer to turning on the neon over 17 Union Street.
