There’s a lot of tiki going on in the Mid-West. I’ve visited five different tiki bars in the Chicago area and that’s not including Foundation up in Milwaukie! A couple of new tiki bars have recently opened up in Illinois and Wisconsin which I need to visit, but the one tiki bar that I want to visit the most is the home tiki bar of Carl and Debbie Michels. It’s call the Aloha Lounge and it is full on mid-century tiki! Here is Carl and Debbie’s story…
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Carl-The Chicago area tiki scene is alive and well, with a variety of tiki establishments, although nothing like it is on the west coast. Collecting tiki is sometimes a challenge here in the Midwest.
Downtown Chicago boasts one of the top tiki bars in the country, Three Dots and a Dash, a subterranean bar which contains some decor originally from the now closed Chicago’s Trader Vic location in the Palmer House Hilton hotel downtown. Excellent drinks and food! To get to the bar you need to walk down an alley and enter a back door and then walk downstairs before entering the bar. Very cool atmosphere.
Other places in the Chicago suburbs include
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- The iconic Hala Kahiki in River Grove (since 1964), which boasts the world’s largest collection of Witco in the world, I believe. The current owner is the grandson of the original owners and has done a great job of preserving the mid-century tiki bar atmosphere and improving the quality of their cocktails since taking over the business. This is a must-see place for tikiphiles while in the area.
- Kahalo Koa in Arlingotn Heights, a newer place (opened in 2020) is a legitimate tiki bar and restaurant (mainly pizza) that the owners did a fantastic job of decorating, and capturing the feel of a mid-century tiki place. Their drinks are excellent and consistent. I highly recommend this place.
- The Tiki Terrace in Des Plaines offers a fun tiki experience with good decor, live hula shows, good food and a good variety of cocktails, including both classic tiki and some more tropical varieties.
- The Breakers in Crystal Lake is a decent Chinese Restaurant that serves tiki drinks which aren’t too bad. Their menu boasts that they are Illinois’ oldest tiki bar, first opening in 1949. The decor includes some interesting tikis and a nice collection of mid-century tiki style ceiling light fixtures.
- Pete’s Tiki Tiki in Rosemont opened in 2020. Although I have yet to visit this one, my impression is that it may lack the true tiki bar atmosphere as I’ve heard that at times they like to play loud dance house music (not sure what they’re thinking there).
- One place worth mentioning but not what it used to be is the Paradise Club on Belmont Ave in the city. Formerly called Gracie D’s, it used to be a decent and fun neighborhood tiki bar originally opened in the early 60s, I believe, until it changed ownership/name back sometime in the 90s.
- There are a couple other places, Pau Hana lounge in Wood Dale, and The Beach Hut in St. Charles, which I have yet to visit, that appear to me to be on the somewhat subpar level…serving “tiki” drinks but leaving a lot to be desired in the areas of decor and ambience.
In addition to the above bars in the area, there are some that are reachable within a few hours drive, including the Inferno Room in Indianapolis, Max’s South Seas Hideaway in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Psycho Suzie’s in Minneapolis.
What brought you into the tiki lifestyle and how long has it been part of your life?
Carl-My first exposure to tiki was at the Kon Tiki Ports restaurant (a Steve Crane place) inside the Chicago Sheraton. My first visit there was when I was a freshman in college in 1978/79. I was fascinated with the atmosphere which transported you into a different world, or worlds, since they had several differently themed dining rooms. My next tiki bar experience was in 1985 when my future wife Debbie took me the aforementioned Gracie D’s after dinner on the evening of our first date. Once again, I was captivated by the ambience of the place which took you to a tropical place although right outside the door was the big city. Around 2003 a new tiki bar called the Bamboo Room (since closed) opened in a northwest suburb of Chicago and Debbie and I visited it fairly frequently. It had kind of a speakeasy feel to it as it was kind of hidden upstairs and down a hallway from the restaurant that it shared the building with. In 2005 Debbie and I were contemplating making some sort of change to our then boring basement sports themed recreation room. After much brainstorming, I suggested turning the space into some sort of tiki themed room. Debbie liked the idea but was concerned that I might go “overboard” with the decorating aspect. After ensuring her that I would keep it simple, I shortly became more educated (and excited) about the whole tiki culture resurgence that was taking place and years later realized that she was right (once again) and that I did go overboard. Now we both love the space and enjoy entertaining friends in our little tiki paradise.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Carl-Our lounge has gone through a lot of transformation through the years as I have leaned more toward creating a space that provides a similar atmosphere as one would find in an original mid-century home tiki lounge. It went from a more Hawaiian beach feel to a true tiki lounge, featuring artifacts, furniture, etc. that represent the mid-century tiki days, and pay tribute to some of the classic tiki bars of the original tiki heyday. Much of the inspiration came from different aspects of the old tiki bars that we have visited.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Carl-Nothing too exciting here really. A friend told us that the lounge needed a name and we thought the “Aloha Lounge” was appropriate as we felt its purpose is to be a welcoming, friendly and relaxing place to be (full of Aloha).
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Carl-That’s a tough question since I enjoy so many. If I had to name a favorite it would probably be the Three Dots and a Dash. Not only is it a historic drink from the 40s, I really enjoy the complexity of the different flavors that come together to deliver a unique taste experience.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Carl-I would have to say that The Undertow in Phoenix is probably my favorite tiki bar. I just love the intimacy and dark tiki atmosphere, not to mention that the drink selection and quality is always outstanding, just wish we could stay there more than the 90-minute maximum.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Carl-To me a tiki bar’s environment starts with the decor (textures are important with predominantly wood and bamboo surfaces), followed by good low lighting (similar to what would be found in the mid-century), and of course exotica music to help set the mood. Some greenery also helps add to the tropical feeling. I like to decorate primarily with artifacts collected during my travels (mugs included) that make things more personalized, along with some vintage mugs, postcards, etc. to reflect the tiki bars of days gone by.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Carl-Debbie and I enjoy attending some of the tiki conventions and hope to continue to do so. As far as the bar goes, one never knows what turns it could take, and I prefer to leave it to natural spontaneity, primarily collecting more things from traveling and souvenirs from tiki bars we visit. One never knows when you’ll see some element in a bar that you’d like to incorporate into yours. Other than that, we’ll continue to welcome friends, old and new, to share some tasty drinks in our “tiki” environment, and to continue visiting bars around the country/world.
Anything else you would like to add?
Carl-We have had so much fun meeting and talking to people with similar “tiki” interests. I have yet to meet anyone at a tiki bar or tiki events that wasn’t happy and friendly! Hopefully we’ll be able to meet you some day and enjoy some cocktails together!
Regards and Mahalo,
Carl and Debbie
Wonderful article! We need to find a way of actually enjoying each other’s tiki bar.