Foundation

Comments about Foundation

GeekyTiki

GeekyTiki has visited Foundation.

May 29, 2017, 8:29 PM

Everything good that has ever been said about Foundation is 100% true. Excellent drinks, perfect atmosphere, friendly and helpful bar staff, Tikis EVERYWHERE ! It is everything a good Tiki bar should be.

Stacy Gomes

Stacy Gomes has visited Foundation.

May 16, 2017, 7:09 PM

What an unexpected surprise Foundation is on the inside! The drinks, the music, the decor, the lighting! I wish this was in San Diego! It would be go to bar!

Kahiki Guy

Kahiki Guy has visited Foundation.

April 26, 2017, 11:45 AM

One of my top 3 tiki bars of all time. Wish I could go back soon.

rsully95

rsully95 is a semi-regular at Foundation.

January 13, 2016, 7:44 PM

Foundation is my favorite tiki bar on the planet. It is quiet, the drinks are fantastic, and they play a great selection of exotica/Martin Denny/bossa nova. The main bartender, Michael, is an absolutely fantastic guy who will sit down with you and talk rum and drinks as long as you want.

I lived in Chicago for many years and would drive the 1.5 hours up to Milwaukee to go to Foundation over Chicago's two main tiki bars, Three Dots and a Dash (turns into a 20-something club approximately 30 minutes after opening where no one actually cares about tiki drinks) or Lost Lake (which has great drinks, but I definitely felt out of place not having a weird mustache or some other thing that said I was a hipster).

I would always go to Foundation as soon as they opened and found it to be a quiet place where you could drink peacefully, make new friends, and enjoy one heck of a mai-tai.

Put simply, Foundation is my own quaint version of heaven.

Kuai Craig

June 13, 2015, 7:31 PM

When I travel, I try to find a Tiki Bar. Last week, business made me go to Milwaukee. I looked on Critiki for a bar and two popped up. Foundation had a high score.

I went there and boy was I impressed. I would rank it as a top 10 tiki bar. Yeah, I was a little weirded out by the neighborhood and yeah, the place looks like an old house on the outside with an Easter Island head nailed to the side of it, but when you open the door, you are in a tropical wonderland. The crowd is friendly, the drinks are strong and authentic. None of your orange juice and pineapple "Mai Tai" here.

Don Nelson is a mixologist extraordinaire and loves his tiki culture. The music playing at Foundation is a wonderful mix of exotica, Bossa Nova, lounge, surf and the rest of the good stuff that is era specific and perfect.

I checked out another Tiki Bar in the area, had a decent Mai Tai, got a snoot full of pop rock and rockabilly and headed right back over to Foundation. Honestly, this was one of the best Tiki Bars that I have been to and I am looking for an excuse to return to Milwaukee... just to visit Don and Foundation again.

Wiki Tiki

Wiki Tiki has visited Foundation.

July 28, 2012, 12:51 PM

I just visited last weekend, and I'm glad I did. The decor reminds me of Frankie's Tiki Room, without the bartop video poker and the haze of cigarette smoke. The drinks are good, and they have a decent selection of souvenir mugs. The bar pizza is nothing special, but it helps soak up the rum. We'll definitely be back (and next time, someone else will be driving so I can drink more than half of one tiki drink).

Chappy

Chappy is a semi-regular at Foundation.

December 2, 2011, 10:29 PM

I've been to the Foundation twice now, and it is my new favorite place in Milwaukee. Great attention to quality drinks (had the Jet Pilot last week, which was very tasty). The decor is well done as well (maybe the tin ceiling is not totally Tiki, but still very cool). Definitely worth a visit if you are traveling to Milwaukee, or if you are a local, you should make this a regular hang.

demontech

demontech is a regular at Foundation, and is usually there never thought it could get better. it did!.

July 21, 2011, 8:23 PM

come on, i didnt think it could get better but the new menu and don going crazy with the decor is amazing- its great with the back now done up like the front so no more pool table. i am so in love with this place, escape and crafted drinks from great bar tenders and mix's made in house!

ktiki

ktiki is a semi-regular at Foundation.

July 6, 2011, 3:32 AM

Foundation Tiki Bar's new menu, which premiered a month or two ago, is pretty great. In addition to the Trader Vic's style Mai Tai they've added a nice collection of classics like a nice Donn Beach inspired Zombie; also a number of old staples like the Fog Cutter, Jet Pilot, and Shark's Tooth to name a few. One of their original drinks that I like a lot is called Al's Grog.
I always have a great time here, especially during the weekdays... weekends can be very busy and it is a small place to begin with.
But check out the new menu... you won't be disapointed.

KaitlinPD

KaitlinPD is a semi-regular at Foundation.

March 16, 2011, 5:31 PM

This place is rad! I just moved a few blocks away and I'm glad I did, the drinks are good and resonably priced. Has a down to earth vibe and plays good surf music!!!! That is a must in tiki bars for me and some don't live up to it, but Foundation does. I fully support this place and you should check it out if in the area.

NauTiki

NauTiki is a regular at Foundation, and is usually there Tuesdays and Saturdays.

May 8, 2010, 2:35 PM

From the unequaled, delicious Mai Tais to the music, Foundation is the ideal tiki bar. It tantalizes the senses. There is an evident personal passion in the decorating, that is missing in many other tiki bars. Just when you think it can't get any better it does, with the addition of new and interesting decor. I absolutely love the Foundation and I've never been disappointed in any way.

Pineapple Princess

Pineapple Princess is a semi-regular at Foundation.

May 3, 2010, 11:01 AM

Getting your tiki on in bleak midwinter is no small feat, but Foundation will get you there. Technicolor blow-fish lamps swim through this leopard and bamboo treasure; the perfect little island escape in Riverwest Milwaukiki.

Otto von Abbattoir

Otto von Abbattoir is a regular at Foundation, and is usually there After 10PM..

May 3, 2010, 10:15 AM

Surprisingly, one of America's best tiki bars is in this unassuming building in a dodgy Milwaukee neighborhood. Don't let the gay bar name or the lack of blenders fool you, this bar is at the cutting edge of rum mixology at thrift shop prices! The barmen are definitely more skilled during the workdays and watching them assemble your tropical libation is a thing of beauty. More importantly, this is a bar for those who've spent countless hours guesstimating what a particular tiki cocktail will taste like with a particular combination of quality rums. The frozen tundra may not be a cornucopia of fresh juices and fruits, but they are clearly a destination of the rum trade. For half the price of a more upscale joint, you can experience a Mai Tai made with your choice of name brand rums. Wonder what that Mai Tai will taste like with specific Jamaican and Brazilian rums? Not a problem. Just order one! A must do destination for any serious rum afficianado. My mouth just salivates at the heavenly aroma rising from the mint as I raise the Mai Tai to my lips and I can be secure in the knowledge that I'll be able to afford another. My inner Lono is soothed as my synapses wrap around this delightful concoction, happily tranquil that the DJ will not kill my buzz with a blaring Jimmy Buffet, Bob Marley, limbo party medley. Tiki for the working man; as it was meant to be.

jpurcell

jpurcell is a regular at Foundation, and is usually there Every Thursday for The Surfer's Stomp and weekends.

May 3, 2010, 8:07 AM

I went on an extensive surfing Jack Kerouac backpacking trip in Hawaii in 2008 and out of all the Mai Tai's I've tried there, The Foundation's are the best tasting and the freshest! The decor is highly detailed and every time you go, you see something you hadn't the last time you were there. The service has always been amazing and extremely friendly (even one of the bar-tenders has a nickname "Smiley"). Other than the Mai Tai's, their list of tropical/exotic tiki drinks is vast and explore-worthy (my favorite besides the Mai Tai is "The Zombie"). There's plenty to do while you enjoy the decor and excellent music. There's a quality pool table in the back surrounded by old school paintings of the ocean and wave breaks. If you want to challenge the regulars, go on Thursdays for their weekly "Surfer's Stomp" when Rick "Real Job" Royale spins old classic and abscure surf-rock records, but the competitors are fierce (especially Dustin and Jeff). So check this place out on a hot summer night, cause you'll leave thinking you flew to Kona for the evening. It's really the only bar I go to (and there's no douchey college dick-heads). Mahalo!

PhilTiki

PhilTiki is a semi-regular at Foundation.

May 3, 2010, 5:21 AM

The Foundation has the best Mai Tais in Wisconsin. No, scratch that. The Midwest. Hand-made while you wait like they should be. No pre-mix here. Amazing decor with attention to the little things like the frames around the pictures and the moulding around the doors. Plus, how did they get candles in the pufferfish lamps? Anyone can throw tikis on a bar and call it a Tiki Bar but when you step into Foundation, you'll know the real thing. The music is the best I've heard in any Tiki Bar as well. Once again the attention to detail sets this place apart. Tiki music mixed with Surf and Lounge heightens the atmosphere. Not being a local (it's a 2 hour drive for me), I always feel welcome here. The look, the vibe, the music, the people. Can this be the perfect Tiki Bar? If I had a Tiki Bar, it would be a clone of Foundation. Yeah, I like this place.

Regulars and Visitors of Foundation

Regulars

People who go to Foundation at least a few times a month.

• SweetieTiki
  weeknights
• mjrasque
• Boy Howdy
  couple times a month
• jpurcell
  Every Thursday for The Surfer's Stomp and weekends
• Otto von Abbattoir
  After 10PM.
• Son of Li Pon
• NauTiki
  Tuesdays and Saturdays
• allisonv
• NauMai
• demontech
  never thought it could get better. it did!
• KaluaPork
  Weeknights
• Lake Surfer
• ntylla
• bongoboy
  only on days that end in 'y'
• Cactus32
  always
• cliffidson
  every day except thursdays
• Ginnypig
• Jonny
  Monthly
• Cactus1932
  everyday

Semi-Regulars

People who go to Foundation at least a few times a year.

• 
  Quince at Dannys
• 
  Chappy
• 
  easterrecords
• 
  PhilTiki
• 
  WaukeeTiki
• 
  Pineapple Princess
• 
  DarthMalaguti
• 
  ktiki
• 
  KaitlinPD
• 
  Luau Lou Lou
• 
  bobeperu
• 
  Ragbag Comics
• 
  eli
• 
  BitnerDesign
• 
  tikenya
• 
  rsully95
• 
  eric
• 
  KukePuluke
• 
  Schwafish
• 
  Chester Copperpot
• 
  dominodamsel
• 
  BeccaSchmecca
• 
  GitcheeTiki
• 
  ChicagoTiki
• 
  paxattaxer
• 
  MaikeTai
• 
  Tige
• 
  tikitikidumke

Visitors

People who have been to Foundation at least once.

• 
  Trader Mike
• 
  ted tiki
• 
  ExoticSabina
• 
  hala bullhiki
• 
  Princess P.
• 
  Tikinaut
• 
  aloha.taboo
• 
  skyrule
• 
  pittsburgh paulie
• 
  RumRandy
• 
  phynix
• 
  croe67
• 
  EnchantedTiki
• 
  twitchums
• 
  fourfathermedia
• 
  pearl
• 
  TikimanDan
• 
  Wiki Tiki
• 
  Quasimodo57
• 
  Mono-Tiki-Tia
• 
  pocphil
• 
  thedrunkentiki
• 
  Smazik
• 
  Whaia-Muri
• 
  Test_subj
• 
  mllekat
• 
  Comicbookhero
• 
  atomicginger
• 
  trev
• 
  JeffCleveland
• 
  swiz
• 
  WinkyN
• 
  erichauser
• 
  thedrgram
• 
  lesamonster
• 
  Stacy Gomes
• 
  abacab
• 
  CarbondaleTiki
• 
  Claymontgomery
• 
  mattyt
• 
  elliepritts
• 
  Creepykate
• 
  DaveValdez
• 
  Tiki_Will
• 
  geotiki
• 
  Tonga Trader
• 
  Marilyn Mercury
• 
  MOETIKI
• 
  Bungalow Robb
• 
  Wernsiki
• 
  kemika_popoki
• 
  Uapu'uwai
• 
  adriancardwell
• 
  roddog
• 
  TikiCatKC
• 
  traderandy
• 
  Tiki Carl
• 
  A.E.Mitchell
• 
  VintageVixen
• 
  Kahiki Guy
• 
  Cap'nHaddock
• 
  GeekyTiki
• 
  Lacers
• 
  DevynBeth
• 
  Geoff_lundy
• 
  rkseal
• 
  Garrlicbread
• 
  Monkeydead13
• 
  JTiki