And then there was Max’s …
A couple years ago I started seeing pictures of this new tiki bar being built in Kansas City on Facebook. That bar was TikiCat and I was blown away by how cool that bar looked. It got great reviews across the board and even won “Best Tiki Bar in The World” on Critiki!
It took me a couple of years and I finally made it to TikiCat myself and it did not disappoint. TikiCat was incredible and the man behind that awesome bar was Mark Sellers.
Mark Sellers posted online that he was planning on building a tiki palace in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He said this tiki palace was going to be huge just like the Mai Kai or a Trader Vic’s, and it was going to be great. I had complete trust in Mark’s word.
Max’s South Seas Hideaway is located in downtown Grand Rapids and from the outside it doesn’t look like anything special. All you see from the outside is the door and a couple windows, which makes you think, is this it?
Once you step inside (and let your eyes adjust) you have two choices: you can go left or go up the stairs. Let’s go up the stairs …
One thing you immediately realize is that Max’s has tikis, a lot of tikis! So many that they line the walls, and each one has a story. While Mark was showing me around, he told me where each tiki came from, “this one came from St. Louis, this one came from Detroit, and this one came from a tiki bar that never even opened!”
As of writing this, Max’s is two floors, and there are plans to build a Tiki Air BnB on the third floor but it’s not ready yet. So, let’s talk about the second floor …
Notch did the build out here and it’s full-on nautical tiki! It feels like you’re upstairs in an old shipping warehouse, with crates and all …
The bar is literally a ship!
And there’s still plenty of good old tiki, with thatched bamboo huts.
Let’s head downstairs to the Atomic Lounge …
This bar is dedicated to Witco and everything tiki modern. There is about as much Witco and Pleasant Tiki art hanging on the walls that can fit. I guarantee your head will be constantly swaying around looking at and admiring all the artwork.
Max’s South Seas Hideaway feels like a giant tiki maze downstairs. One way leads you to a room with a very large tiki mug collection, all from Mark’s personal collection.
If you head in the other direction you will come into a room with a series of tiki huts set up just like at TikiCat. Bamboo Ben is the man behind the build out at TikiCat and he did most of the build out downstairs here too. I really like these huts. It’s a like a nod to TikiCat.
If you turn around, you will see what is probably the longest line of tikis ever! This massive collection of tikis were all carved by Gecko himself and I have to admit, it’s my favorite part of Max’s South Seas Hideaway.
If you follow the line of tikis, you will come to one very large tiki with a waterfall, which brings this part of Max’s all together.
If you take a right at the big tiki, you will come into the main bar at Max’s. Again, if Max’s South Seas Hideaway was just this bar, it would still be awesome …
The drink program was set up by Smuggler’s Cove’s own Martin Cate and the drinks are as good as you would expect them to be … Incredible! I had a 44 Mai Tai, and a Mahukona, but sadly I didn’t take any pictures of the drinks since I finished them so fast because they were that good! But here is the full cocktail menu so you can see what Max’s has to offer …
I know that Grand Rapids is very far out of the way for most people especially those on the West Coast but trust me, you NEED to plan a visit here. It goes without saying that Max’s South Seas Hideaway has immediately become one of my favorite tiki bars. It isn’t because Max’s is huge, it isn’t because the drinks are superb, it isn’t because there are more tikis here than any tiki bar I can think of … I love Max’s South Seas Hideaway because it’s cool, really cool! And that’s why I got into to tiki in the first place, because I think it’s so damn cool.
Here is the Max’s South Seas Hideaway website
And Facebook page
Max’s is on my list of top five tiki bars I want to visit. Thanks for the great article.
You are going to love it! Max’s is so awesome!
Max’s is at the top of my list for Tiki Bars. Unfortunately I live 3 hours away and cannot make it there often as I would like – which would be every weekend. Lol
Great food, great drinks and an amazing atmosphere. Max’s is the best Tiki bar in the midwest right now. Don’t be shy about going.
Max’s is a great tiki joint. My family stopped in while we were on vacation. I had to try a three dots and a dash while I was there.
RIP Tiki Cat Kansas City. We hardly knew ye.
Long live Max’s South Seas Hideaway!