Tiki Underground

I'm not sure what I'm missing but Tiki Underground is good. Not great, it's good. I'm lost on some of the ratings giving it tops in Ohio and in the country. The food selection is bar food, they have a TV with Keno on it (last time I was there), and the drink selection is ok. I point people towards Porco first and foremost over Underground, I wonder if Underground's cultivating of the culture over being a bar plays into the rating.

I moved to the Cleveland area in December of 2017 and checked out the two Tiki Bars in the greater Cleveland area. At last count, I have been to 37 tiki bars in and beyond the USA.

Tiki Underground has become my favorite Tiki Bar in the Cleveland area and is a top 8 contender in my travels. The decor is getting more and more refined as they get more kitsch going. The staff are delightful people, friendly and lots of Aloha Spirit. The mixologists are quite excellent, with traditional drinks and variations on some old standards. They also have a few originals that are worthy.

Tiki Underground is also coming on strong with a lot of really cool tiki events. The size of TU allows for bands and other entertainment.

Sean and Jessie, the owners are doing a fantastic job of making this out of the way place a Tiki Destination.

As noted by another reviewer or two, they have a fair amount of local traffic, especially during daylight hours which kind of messes with the vibe, but that's not something that can be easily controlled and they need to stay in business.

I have come to really dislike Ohio's alcohol laws. The state closely controls the brands of alcohol, so the selection is limited and small-batch distilleries that are not based in Ohio are hard pressed to be state approved. This limits all of the bars in the state and it is a crying shame.

That aside, given the limited available rums, Tiki Underground is a must for any tikiphiles traveling through the Cleveland / Akron OH area.

My husband and I visited Tiki Underground in May. We were heading to Canton/Akron for a graduation but being tikiphiles, needed to stop at this spot in Hudson. We visited on a Friday afternoon and were the only guests. We met the owner and he was a delight! He got to know us and even let us add a pin to a map as we were their first visitors from Arizona. The space and drinks are legit tiki. A touch I really enjoyed was that one of the two large TVs over the bar was playing "Fantastic Voyage", a 60's classic. The other TV was showing sports, which is decidedly non-tiki but it was on mute. The music was lacking, but in talking with the owner I have a feeling that they have to appeal to some of the locals and their tastes. This was highlighted as we were leaving, because 2 regulars walked in and order Bud Lites. All in all, a good bar, great drinks and enjoyable eats. Oh and the Jet Pilot had an ice cube shaped like an airplane which was an awesome touch!