Bikini Lounge

I walked into BIKINI LOUNGE not expecting much at all. In fact, I almost skipped it (especially after a rotten experience at the nearby GILIGIN'S in Scottsdale). However, BIKINI LOUNGE was the oldest tiki bar in town (1947) even though it was apparently only tiki in appearance and just a beer bar. I decided to have a look-see. WOW! It was love at first sight.

Don't get me wrong. The place IS run down and dive-y. But it also has a charm about it. Age has given the place character. Despite it being a neighborhood dive bar that locals frequent for beer and a game of pool, the tiki aspect of it is ripe and just waiting to be savored.

Apparently the revitalized interest in tiki has had tiki tourists coming out to the place more and more (thanks, in large part I am sure, to sites like Critiki). That new-found interest has had the bar step it up a notch or two to bring back its tiki former glory and add to it. There is a small but decent list of tiki cocktails available. The owner has taken it upon himself to create tiki mugs of his own for the place. Vintage tiki booths are available for lounging and enjoying quiet conversations. (They remind me of those at Trad'r Sam's in San Francisco, just a little less ornate. ) The place has so much hidden and underutilized charm. It is a shame it isn't more widely regarded.

My experience was totally enhanced by the cool bartender serving us that day. She had a decent handle on the re-emerging tiki thang and had kind of gotten into it a bit herself. She'd made trips to Tucson to sample cocktails at tiki bars there to help with the creation of them back at the lounge. And she did well in reproducing them for our visit.

There was so much coolness tucked away here and there, everywhere you looked. They were little bits of the bars history (such as an etched window that had been discovered behind a wall after several years) that had you wondering and guessing. For a closer look at my experience (with lots of photos and a look at other Phoenix-area tiki locations), feel free to take a gander at my blog HERE:

https://monsterago-go.blogspot.com/2019/01/im-freaky-for-tiki-18-by-time-i-get-to.html

CHEERS!

Driving by on NYE 2018 we found the lights were off but the door was wide open. Walking in we found that they had no power but that didn't slow them down at all. The bartender had a small light that she shone on the menu for us to review.

We learned that the owner makes a special mug every year for the NYE party and that they were pre-order only - and all sold out. We got to see some of the previous year's mugs and one of them had a 1947 date on it. One of the gentlemen in the bar said he had been researching the bar and the earliest confirmed date he could find was in the '60s. But if the 1947 date is true then that makes this about the same age as the Alibi in Portland.

The power finally came on before we left and we were able to see the bar in its full glory. The decor is perfectly old-school tiki with ultraviolet paintings and beautiful design elements both inside and out.

The drink menu may be limited, and the music selection may not be entirely what you are looking for, but if you are in the area this is a MUST STOP! This is a neighborhood watering hole. Go in with an open mind and enjoy the truly beautiful tiki history of this place.

We will go back every time we are in the Phoenix area.

They don’t play surf rock or exotica music. It’s a little more dive bar than tiki, but a fun place to check out