The Tradewinds Pub in Reedley offers a theme-park-like experience with international and traditional pub cuisine. Photo by Estela Anahi Jaramillo

Indiana Jones meets the Jungle Cruise as customers step back in time and enter a 1940s adventure-themed pub.

The Tradewinds Pub in Reedley offers a theme-park-like experience with international and traditional pub cuisine. Heather Ground, along with her husband, sister and brother-in-law, have always been interested in entering the restaurant world. They purchased the 2,400 square-foot space at 1041 G St. in May 2023 and opened their doors last December.

The group also owns and operates Hidden Hollow, a wedding venue outside of Reedley.

The Tradewinds Pub is located in downtown Reedley, giving it a Disney Main Street feel. The previous space housed two different pubs, so renovations were reasonably simple as the previous owners had already updated the infrastructure.

Ground and her family members are Disney fans and love anything that is an homage to our inner child. This was a significant factor in deciding what their restaurant should be.

“Sometimes you have a dream, and there are lots of ways to do it. So why not make it a place where it’s its own experience?” said Ground. “Sometimes, it’s not practical to go on a trip, and sometimes you don’t have time, and you just want a mental break or an escape. What if it was like this?”

 

The Tradewinds Pub also comes with its own mythology, featuring a fictitious British character named A.L. Gerrig who goes on expeditions around the globe. Whenever Gerrig “comes back into town,” he brings a new recipe to try in addition to the standard pub fare.

As an Instagram-ready location, Tradewinds has also garnered quite a following on social media, with nearly 6,000 Instagram followers.

Menu items listed on their website, thetradewindspub.com, include a Thai salad wrap, “Bang Bang” shrimp tacos, a Polynesian pub burger, New York strip steak and BBQ citrus salmon.

The ambiance is enhanced by music, monkeys hanging from vines and sounds of the jungle, which transport diners to a different location every 45 minutes.

Ground and her family have collected antique collectibles from around the world through vintage shops and eBay to help create the 1940s feel.

 

Ground found a special treasure: an old movie projector that is hardwired and waiting to be used. The owners are in the process of syncing all the televisions together, and once completed, once an hour a commercial telling the restaurant’s backstory will be played.

“When you’ve been in a location for a long time, nature has crept its way in. We’ve had to make friends with the local animals because they’re coming in, and the electrical system is shorted out, which kicks on the generator, which is running this whole place,” said Ground.

Ground said they filmed the commercial with a local media company at the Reedley Opera House, known for its old-timey feel. Every aspect of the restaurant is detailed to give their customers an authentic experience, making them rethink if they really are in Reedley.

“We were interested in getting into a restaurant, and we are actually in the process of opening a craft cocktail lounge a couple of doors down in the Hotel Burgess on the first floor,” said Ground.

With so many ideas to transport their customers away from Reedley, they needed another space to bring them to fruition. So, they took the opportunity and transferred it over there.

Odds Bodkin is hoping to open its doors to the community this fall. The name is an old phrase that one would use when they didn’t want to use “the Lord’s name in vain.” The theme of this location is based on a curiosity shop, complete with “oddities.”

“We didn’t want people to think it was too mystical. I didn’t want to have things like heads in jars. Sometimes, curiosity shops are very strange and fun to look at. But maybe you don’t want to drink while staring at something peculiar, and sometimes people don’t know what it is,” said Ground.

In addition to weekend brunch, The Tradewinds Pub features bands performing live music, karaoke and DJs. Ground said they are hoping to add trivia nights to their weekly schedule as well. She noted that people from all over California have come to experience the pub’s atmosphere, which makes them feel like they are doing something right.

After much feedback, they recently extended their brunch from Sunday only to Saturday and Sunday. Ground completed the restaurant’s website, which customers can now visit to see their events throughout the week, menus and anything fun to learn about the pub’s history.

Other plans include adding an outside patio toward the back of the pub to increase the space for visitors and generate foot traffic in downtown Reedley past regular business hours.

“We’re just enjoying the ride, and we hope to be here for a long time,” said Ground. “We like that we’re a part of our own community, and we really want our community to have a nice time.”