Tropical drinks, ukelele music, kitschy midcentury decor: it's impossible to resist the charms of a tiki bar, especially when there's a pu pu platter involved. Here are five places around Chicago where you can raise your glass (and tiny umbrella) to tiki.
Three Dots and a Dash
Near North Side
Tucked away in an alley off North Clark Street, Three Dots and a Dash is Chicago's premier upscale bar for tiki mavens. Housed in a dimly lit room stocked with more than 200 types of rum, it's the best place for your floral button-down to shine.
You can choose from 18 creatively named drinks ($14-18), from the Pandan Pain Killer to the Wiki Wiki. Or team up with a group of 4-5 and order the Bali Bali, a combination of passionfruit, orange, pineapple, falernum, lime, Puerto Rican rum, Armagnac, and London dry gin. It's $85, but worth every penny.
Coconutz
Near North Side
If you're looking to get lei'd in the Windy City, make your way to Division Street for a cocktail at Coconutz. The colorful space serves classic drinks of the islands like mojitos, piña coladas, daiquiris and margaritas, as well as shareable concoctions like the Mermaid Water (Bacardi Oakheart, Malibu, pineapple, blue curaçao, lime, sour and ginger ale). You can also snack on chips and salsa, jerk chicken "tiki tacos," and the Hawaiian burger, topped with pineapple and sriracha aioli.
The Orbit Room
Avondale
Judging by its brick exterior, The Orbit Room looks like an ordinary restaurant. But make your way to the bamboo-walled "Tiki Patio," and you'll be transported to the islands, with plenty of lush plants, colorful lights and comfy patio furniture. The menu is simple, with just three tiki cocktails: a Shark Bite, Hurricane, and Sneaky Tiki ($9 each). There's also a great food menu to accompany the drinks, with appetizers, pizza, sandwiches and more.
Lost Lake
Avondale/Logan Square
Three Dots and a Dash may be Chicago's most famous palace of tiki, but its former head mixologist, Paul McGee, has moved on to this smaller tiki bar in Logan Square. Despite a temporary shutdown after a devastating 2016 fire, Lost Lake has been racking up national awards, including Cocktail Bar of the Year honors from Imbibe magazine.
You can choose from 12 individual drinks (all $12) and four oversized group drinks ($30-$50). But if that's too pricey, the daily daiquiri or A Tiny and a Tot (a pony glass of Marz Brewing's special Lost Lake Vacation Beer with a shot glass of rum) run just $8 a pop.
Hala Kahiki Lounge
River Grove
This list wouldn't be complete without the OG Chicago tiki bar: Hala Kahiki Lounge, which has been in business since 1964. With more than 50 years in business, it's perfected everything, from its decor to a wide-ranging menu of more than 130 tropical drinks. And as a bonus, it's open until 2am every day but Saturday, when it closes at 3am. That means there's more than enough time for you to work your way through the lineup—but don't say we didn't warn you.
