Hala Kahiki is a tiki bar staple in the Chicago Suburbs! The inside is much larger than I expected…read morewith a huge bar area, covered outdoor patio, and at least two other indoor seating areas. I love that as soon as you enter, you are transported to a tropical oasis that is dark and moody. I visited with a larger group so we made a reservation before. One pays $5 per person in your group and the amount is later applied to your bill. The food menu is minimal and most items weren't available sadly. We got two orders of their pineapple salsa with taro chips. It was yummy but wasn't enough substance to match the drink levels. For drinks, our group got a wide variety. They have all sorts of flavor pairings to accommodate every guest. I got the Captain's Revenge after hearing the Pearl Diver was unavailable. It was good but not amazing. For my second drink, I got the Chocolate Banana Old Fashioned which I thoroughly enjoyed. I didn't hear anyone in our group be disappointed with what they ordered. Our server, Jazmine, was very knowledgable about the menu and asking the right questions to make sure what we each ordered would be something we liked. Overall, this was a fun experience and I am happy I finally got to visit! My experience was slightly tainted with how much was not available the night we visited.

The best way I can some up this place: "Aloha, mf'ers!"…read more Drinks are strong strong and always garnished with something fun. Heed the warnings on the menu and ask for help if you get stuck. Decor is classic tiki and the wait staff is top notch.

We had a free night in the Chicago area and found this ridiculously AWESOME tiki bar, Kahala Koa…read moreTiki Bar. The selection of drinks is downright encyclopedic, and the drinks were outstanding. In addition, we ordered a plate of bacon-covered water chestnuts, and they were so effing delicious!! I mean, they were a serious revelation!! So we ordered another plate. The atmosphere is amazing. The family that owns this wonderful tiki bars has put some serious work into adorning the place with amazing tiki decor. And this has to have taken YEARS to do. The outside of the building does not say, "Hey!! I'm an awesome tiki bars!!" But step inside and you are transported to tiki land extraordinaire. And then there is the staff there. They are so friendly, attentive, and helpful, and just very authentic and genuine. I CANNOT WAIT to return to Kahala Koa Tiki Bar the next time I'm in the Chicago area. The place totally rocks!!

This was a spur-of-the-moment choice but ended up being very fun for drinks and dinner!…read more I LOVE tiki bars and my husband noticed this one in the area near where we happened to be on Google maps, so off we went! We had about a 15 minute wait for a table but it gave us time to peruse the menu in the car. They offer many classic tiki cocktails, a page full of seasonal drinks, a page of "Designated Driver" mocktails (nice to have an option for something other than just a Shirley Temple!), Polynesian appetizers and entrees, and then Lola's Pizza. For drinks, I got the seasonal Gingerbread Painkiller and my husband got a Green Flash mocktail. (Pro tip on the seasonal drinks: check the regular cocktail menu to see how many skull and crossbones are listed under the regular version of your drink, if applicable, to see if it's a super strong one!) Mine was creamy and spicy but quite powerful. Props to our waitress, Makayla, who checked if anyone at the table was epileptic, because normally the "flash" part of my husband's drink is a strobing LED ice cube; I actually am photosensitive, so it came in the drink in non-strobe mode and just glowed an alien green. She said this was the first time it had actually paid off to ask, but I'm glad she did! The food was tasty: I ordered rumaki, an old-school appetizer of bacon-wrapped water chestnuts that you don't see very often these days, and he got loaded fries. We also got a small Lola's Pizza, which was very good, with a crisp but also chewy crust. The atmosphere here is pure tiki, with a fountain, swag lamps, bamboo, and Hawaiian-influenced Christmas music playing for the season. Lots of big groups here; everyone seemed to be having as good a time as we were! What a laid-back gem in Arlington Heights! We'll be back. Mahalo!

Tiki bars can really be a hit or a miss. They can be super expensive to have drinks at and often…read moredisplay the stereotypical cheesy decor. Foundation Bar was an unexpected surprise! From the outside it is so bland and you are truly unsure if you are walking into an abandoned building or a crappy towny bar. Once you enter, it may take your eyes a moment to adjust if you are coming in from a bright sunny day. Foundation Bar has super low lighting, very moody. There is ample seating and a few different seating options; bar stools, booths, high top tables. Seat yourself. To order drinks you walk up to the bar. There is not table service. The decorations here are great! There are some really incredible pieces and collections! Some I would love to have if I could find them. This is a very laid back atmosphere, very chill not loud or overbearing so relax and enjoy the ambiance. I believe my drink was called El Diablo and was very good. My boyfriend chose a Zombie which is always strong! He preferred my drink!

Such an impressive tiki bar! You would not know what an amazing atmosphere is inside from just…read morelooking at the exterior. The decor and level of detail is spot on. I could've stayed here for hours! Drinks were strong, authentic, and very reasonably priced. I loved the mystery rum mixes and how every drink is so different. We tried the volcano bowl, Mai tai, and zombie. Volcano bowl was obviously a fun drink, but the zombie was my favorite! Can't wait to go back!

Fun place with a very friendly, helpful owner! I went to Trader Nick's with a few friends for a…read moreweeknight book club. Trader Nick's is located on Lake Drive in Cudahy. It's kind of tucked into a corner lot so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Trader Nick's has a wide variety of rum Tiki drinks. I'm not much of a rum drinker, but the owner ran through my drink options without my needing to ask - including a couple of vodka, gin, and Bourbon drinks on the menu. I had a Bourbon Sling and it was very tasty. My drink - with a pretty hefty tip - was around $12 - pretty reasonable, in my opinion. The owner is so nice and helpful! He checked in on our group a few times, and thanked us for visiting more than once as we left. He seemed genuinely interested in whether we had a good experience. One of the two resident dogs was cute, but he didn't seem to like me very much. I got a little growl and bark - yikes. The only thing I think could be improved is the addition of food, or at least some snacks. Especially since most of the drinks are liquor based, it would be helpful to have some food with the drinks.

I don't really know where to start. When this is your local watering hole you want to get down on…read morethe ground to say, thank you baby Jesus. Nick is like a walking encyclopedia of spirit and distiller knowledge. I mean this in a historical PBS way. You'll learn about funny crazy bootleggers, prohibition, sailors, and historical facts about cherries you never imagined. On my second visit the barkeep remembered my name. If that doesn't make you feel at home I'm not sure what will. Nick knows Rum. Let me say this again. Nick knows Rum. He will make you a cocktail that's perfect and delicious and tell you its story. Yes. This is a tiki bar. So there are sweet options, but if that's not your thing tell your barkeep. They know what cocktails to make you. Did I mention how adorable this bar is? They have an impeccable tiki glass collection. Lots of local wood art work and all the tiki vibes. You can have a beer too if you are not in the cocktail mood. They even bring a Hawaiian beer to the list. If you want high class cocktails that don't have all the hoity toity, but all the flavor then get in here. Some nights they have live music too. Are you ready to feel connected to your local community?

I got to experience Anna's on the Lake on a beautiful spring day and it was everything I hoped it…read morewould be and more! This place is just the cutest. I love how it's a house with multiple rooms to camp out and get some work done. On this visit i tried the lil popper sandwich and it was incredible! Eggs, cheddar, bacon, pickled jalapeños, housemade hot honey cream cheese on an english muffin. I will be dreaming about this sandwich for a long long time! I also got the cookie butter latte which was one of the specials. This was really good, but a little too sweet for me! I would recommend asking for it half sweet and I think that would be perfect. The employees here are so sweet and welcoming! Another great visit to Anna's. I will always recommend to anyone visiting Kenosha. It's a must!

Delighted to be back at Anna's! What a wonderful little spot in Kenosha. Between the lake views and…read morethe cozy inside atmosphere, there's nothing not to love. Had an iced matcha this time and added their cherry almond syrup. Very tasty! Also went for the chicken caesar wrap, and oh boy so good, and so filling. It was stacked with fresh shaved parm, avocado, and yummy grilled chicken. Will absolutely return again next time I'm in town!

Been to this place a few times and its always a fun hang out place before we dance the night aeay…read moreat Joes Live. The place is sooo cute and its definitely a vibe. They are partnered with Crust Brewery which has a barcode on each table and you can order the pizza online and they bring it right to you. I feel like Crust Brwery should be another review but all i can say is their pizza was really good and definitely ordering that again! The drinks at Petes Tiki Tiki however are in this cute Tiki cups and it is worth your money because they dont skimp on the liquor. So definitely worth the price you pay. Service is great you can either go up to the bar to order but therr are also people going around to check on your table. Definitely coming back! Hapoy drinking!!!

Cute with $6 happy hour drinks. No food menu but had QR codes for Crust and Taco place on the…read moretables.

Nice outside patio area! They have a walk up counter outside to order. The menu outside is smaller…read morebut they were able to make my friend a drink from their full menu inside. The drinks were relatively quick and delicious! The outside patio and inside are much different. We went inside due to rain for our second drink. The inside is dark and moody. Also enjoyed an ice cream drink in a glass inside versus plastic on patio. Excellent place for cocktails! Note they are involved and do take time to make.

IG: diamante.lara.milwaukee…read more The drinks are fantastic and the ambiance was great. Seems to be a unique go to spot for me. Service was well. Watch the video attached.

Immaculate vibes here, very dark and moody…read more Fantastic drinks, didn't try the food though. Lexy was amazing!

Beautifully designed space and amazing drinks…read more Reservations will be needed, be sure to plan this spot! We had a bit of difficulty at first finding this place which is part of the fun, but make your way down an alley and you'll find your new favorite tiki bar! We were seated promptly and with an Arrival time around 330 it was low lighting, chill ambiance music and everyone enjoying good conversation. Honestly great start! The server was knowledgeable and attentive, our drinks came quickly after our appetizer did The ceviche was fresh and we ate every bit of it, would have ordered more had we not had dinner plans! Drinks were certainly tasty and well balanced, always what you want from a tiki bar My only gripe was they seemed to keep increasing the music volume and allowed for more standing room which wasn't the vibe we were looking for, but that just might be what they convert to closer to dinner time. Perhaps would be better in the later hours as people still were trying to simply connect with eachother on a speaking level but that's just my perception. Overall wonderful spot, we will return when we want to bring friends from out of town to experience three dots and a dash!

What a fun place! Conveniently located in Wood Dale, this lounge gives visitors a casual place to…read moreenjoy an interesting array of fun and colorful drinks at reasonable prices. Though I didn't get to try it on this visit, the food menu fits the tiki bar theme of the lounge and is cooked to order. Service was quick and friendly and it only took a few minutes to make each drink. With each drink I also got a good amount of background on the alcohol used to make the drink and some knowledge on how each flavor combination was developed. The space inside is nice with a mix of everything from tables to a bar to couches. This would be a perfect place to enjoy some board games or a casual evening of conversation with plenty of space to spread out. Parking is plentiful in the shopping center as well.

I walked in to the Pau Hana Lounge and expected a tiki bar but did not expect to get an education…read moreon rum. We were looking for a unique bar, and boy, did we get that. The bartender, Ron, seemed to have a good deal of knowledge about rum. All of the specialty cocktails contain rum. Ron was very engaging and enthusiastic about the cocktail menu. He was very friendly and spent a lot of time talking with us. We ordered the Zombie (a trio of light, gold, and dark rum with lemon, lime, passion fruit, and bitters - limit two per customer), the Navy Grog (lime, grapefruit, honey liquor, light rum, dark rum, and Demerara rum), the Painkiller (Pusser's rum, fresh nutmeg, pineapple, orange, and cream of coconut), and the Pineapple Coconut Delight (white rum, coconut, orgeat, pineapple, and lemon). The drinks were very good and I liked the sweetness in the drinks we chose. The drinks that we were served were very strong. I can see why some of them have a two drink limit. Ron kept telling us about the his brother who cooks in the kitchen. He is a classically trained chef, but we were unable to try any of the food because the kitchen is closed on Monday. Overall, the Pau Hana Lounge is a nice bar with a neighborhood feel to it. I recommend Pau Hana Lounge, just be prepared to get a lot of alcohol from these drinks.

Perfect spot for a hot day when you still want to be outside. We tried numerous drinks and food…read moreoptions. Great service. Chill vibes.

Tiki bar in the Third Ward is a little slice of beach in the busy city. With some of the best (and…read morestrongest) cocktails around, I will forever recommend this bar to anyone looking for bar recs in Milwaukee. During the summer, the windows are gone, allowing for fresh air and more room to move around both inside and outside the bar. It is always packed, but the bartenders are great at getting to everyone in a timely manner. We had their famous bloody mary, which comes with salmon jerky, shrimp, and of course a full lobster tail! Definitely a drink I will come back for. They also have your classic beach drinks too, including margaritas, pina coladas, and daiquiris. If you are looking for food, they serve food fresh from St Paul's Fish Market!