Mai tai, anyone? Nevada might be a landlocked state, but there are plenty of spots to find tropical libations across the Las Vegas Valley. Here’s a roundup of tiki (and tiki-adjacent) bars to check out in downtown, Chinatown and beyond:
Frankie’s Tiki Room
Purchased and revitalized by Double Down owner P Moss in the mid-2000s, Frankie’s takes credit for bringing tiki-themed bars back to Las Vegas.
It was designed by Bamboo Ben, whom Moss has called “the Frank Lloyd Wright of tiki bar designers.” Ben is the grandson of Eli Hedley, who helped design one of the first tiki bars in Las Vegas — Aku Aku at the Stardust.
The bar’s menu features two dozen original cocktails, along with tiki classics, with eight served in their own custom mug available for purchase.
Open 24 hours at 1712 W. Charleston Blvd.
The Golden Tiki
While you can get a fruity, rum-filled drink almost anywhere in Las Vegas, there’s only one tiki bar that serves your boozy beverage with an Epic Flaming Cocktail Show.
In the heart of Vegas’ Chinatown, Golden Tiki has all of the tiki classics with painkillers, scorpions and mai tais, as well as an array of virgin cocktails, including a nonalcoholic painkiller for those who prefer to keep things dry.
Guests can also enjoy housemade Dole soft serve — classic or spiked with a little pineapple vodka or dark rum — or grab a bit to eat with the bar’s revamped offerings, including crap rangoon dip, sticky chicken bites, smoked ribs and other shareables.
Open 24 hours at 3939 Spring Mountain Road
Red Dwarf
Red Dwarf has it all: fruity cocktails, delicious Detroit-style pizza and live music nearly every night.
This dive bar off Maryland Parkway and Vegas Valley Drive has a loaded entertainment schedule with no cover, burlesque shows, DND nights and live surf rock every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The menu offers $10 tiki classics, with a devilish mug add-on available for $40, Dole whip and a wide range of beer.
Open 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily at 1305 Vegas Valley Drive
Stray Pirate
Like any great tiki bar, Stray Pirate has its own (bizarre) lore.
Legend (or rather, the bar’s website) has it that the crew of The Howling Shadow sailed in search of treasure under the leadership of Captain Sarge. That is, until the crew stopped outside an enchanted grotto, where they found and stole its crown jewel — The Bone of Eternal Sustenance. The treasure was cursed, and the crew was forever transformed into “a muttley crew of snarling dogs,” whose portraits adorn the walls of this swashbuckling watering hole today.
Guests can sip on a strong-poured Stray Dog Grog, featuring Kuleana Huihui and Nanea rums, Rumfire overproof rum, blackberry, grapefruit, lime and demerara. Abstainers can check out the nonalcoholic Virgin Voyage menu that includes a Dry Tai with Lyre’s dark and white cane spirit, Lyre’s orange sec, orgeat and lime.
Open 2 p.m. to midnight Mondays through Thursdays, until 1 a.m. on Fridays, from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 1 p.m. to midnight Sundays at 1321 S. Commerce St.
Tiki Di Amore
It’s tiki. It’s tropical. It’s … Italian?
A tiki bar tied to an Italian restaurant might sound like an unlikely combination, but if you understand Italian Americans’ involvement in World War II, it makes perfect sense. With President Franklin Roosevelt concerned over Italian American soldiers’ ties to Europe during the war, many were sent instead to the South Pacific theater, where they “acquired a great love for the South Pacific culture,” i.e., delicious, fruity tiki drinks.
To honor that legacy, Tiki Di Amore offers for $15 each eight classic tiki cocktails and six other Polynesian-inspired libations.
Open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays through Sundays at 2850 E. Tropicana Ave.
Glitter Gulch Tiki
The creators of Nacho Daddy opened Glitter Gulch Tiki in downtown Las Vegas two years ago. It’s got everything a tiki bar devotee would be looking for: scorpion bowls, Dole soft serve, mai tais (served with dry ice) and decor from Frankie’s designer Bamboo Ben (yes, there’s a straw hut-covered bar).
And it’s all just a few steps away from the Fremont Street Experience.
If you’re feeling snacky, you’ll find chips and queso, mango salsa, wings, fish tacos and nachos on the menu.
Open noon to 2 a.m. Fridays and Sundays, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays through Tuesdays, and noon to 1 a.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays at 113 N. Fourth St.
Todo Bien
You might be used to mostly rum-based drinks at tiki bars, but Todo Bien brings something new to Las Vegas’ tiki bar scene with Mexican-inspired drinks made with tequila, mezcal and sotol, along with other spirits.
Sip on a Todo Tai made with Mezcal Veras, Rhum JM Terrior Volcanique, dry curacao, lime and mac nut orgeat outside on the bar’s outdoor patio, and remind yourself that, as the bar’s name affirms, “all is good.”
Open 4:30 p.m. to midnight on weekdays (closed Mondays), and 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 8533 Rozita Lee Ave., No. 110, in UnCommons
Golden Monkey Tiki Lounge
At this tucked-away Strip tiki bar, you can find traditional island-inspired cocktails like the Jungle Bird and scorpion at the glowing green bar.
Resorts World says the lounge presents a “modern take on the classic Tiki bar concept,” with vibrant colors and playful decor. But don’t get too tropical — flip-flops and sandals aren’t allowed.
Open 5 p.m. to midnight daily at Resorts World