Just east of Atlanta, in Decatur, Georgia, there lies a newly-minted tiki bar, The S.O.S. It is the sister establishment of neighboring restaurant Victory; the space had previously been Paper Plane, and the owners decided to change the concept to a tiki bar to have a little more fun, and better integrate the two establishments. It’s a small, intimate room, just a few booths and a row of seats at the bar. The S.O.S.’s drink program is led by Shanna Mayo, and includes a full selection of classics and originals, many offered in scaled-up versions for sharing.

I find the menu pretty delightful, it captures the feel of a vintage menu very well: the typography, the layout, the wording, the graphics. Someone did their homework. The coaster also has a great vintage feel to it. Kudos to the design team.

From the (admittedly very few) pictures I’ve seen, the interior design doesn’t appear to have the same thorough effort. It appears to be just the simplest of tropical veneers, but… it does look dark, and it looks upscale. I’ll take a dark, upscale place that delivers on the mood over a thatched-out, bamboo-heavy room that’s lit by neon and sunlight. But it’s early yet, we’ll have to see more pictures, hear more reports from you. I’m particularly eager to hear what the soundtrack is like; with the room being a bit of a blank slate, the music will have that much more impact on the feel of the place.

The S.O.S. is just a short distance from the Decatur MARTA station, look for Victory and dig around until you find it. It opens at 6pm daily, closed on Sundays. I’ve added a listing for The S.O.S. in Critiki — please go take some pictures and add them!

• The S.O.S. in Decatur, Georgia [Critiki]