Lucky Joe's Tiki Room opened in the Walker's Point neighborhood of Milwaukee in November 2012. Lucky Joe's drink menu was a mix of tiki classics and their own unique inventions, with a focus on quality ingredients. Walls were lined with lauhala and bamboo, and a large Moai greeted you near the entrance. Lucky Joe's Tiki Room closed at the end of October 2015, when the building it occupied was sold to property developers.
In August of 2014, two of my colleagues and I barely darkened the door of this dimly lit homage to the Tiki bars of yore. We were in town for an arborist conference, yet this bar made the trip for us. The drinks were excellent, the decor fantastic, and the music first rate. It's too bad it fell prey to gentrification.
Glad I got to visit before they shut down, but I saw the writing on the walls when we were there. Spent a week in Milwaukee/Chicago, and got to come here a few times. The cocktails were solid and well made, the decor was classic tiki, the music was surf/punk/exotica mix, but the clientele just didn't seem to be there. the few times i went, my friends and I were the only tikiphiles there, with everyone else ordering beers or shots.
Made it out to Lucky Joe's this last week while visiting Milwaukee. AWESOME! The decor wasn't as dense as some more established bars, but it was SPOT ON. A lot of stuff from Oceanic Arts and a great look overall. Definitely a tiki bar in the classic style. Drinks were fantastic. All the classics were there as well as a number of modern spins. The music was more towards the surf/rockabilly side than exotica/traditional hawaiian, but still appropriate. Got to meet the owner Lee and talked tiki for a while. This guy really knows his stuff and appreciates everything that goes into a true tiki bar (super friendly too!). I can tell he put a lot of effort into it. I liked it so much I visited twice while I was in Milwaukee!
In August of 2014, two of my colleagues and I barely darkened the door of this dimly lit homage to the Tiki bars of yore. We were in town for an arborist conference, yet this bar made the trip for us. The drinks were excellent, the decor fantastic, and the music first rate. It's too bad it fell prey to gentrification.
Glad I got to visit before they shut down, but I saw the writing on the walls when we were there. Spent a week in Milwaukee/Chicago, and got to come here a few times. The cocktails were solid and well made, the decor was classic tiki, the music was surf/punk/exotica mix, but the clientele just didn't seem to be there. the few times i went, my friends and I were the only tikiphiles there, with everyone else ordering beers or shots.
Made it out to Lucky Joe's this last week while visiting Milwaukee. AWESOME! The decor wasn't as dense as some more established bars, but it was SPOT ON. A lot of stuff from Oceanic Arts and a great look overall. Definitely a tiki bar in the classic style. Drinks were fantastic. All the classics were there as well as a number of modern spins. The music was more towards the surf/rockabilly side than exotica/traditional hawaiian, but still appropriate. Got to meet the owner Lee and talked tiki for a while. This guy really knows his stuff and appreciates everything that goes into a true tiki bar (super friendly too!). I can tell he put a lot of effort into it. I liked it so much I visited twice while I was in Milwaukee!
SuicideKingTiki was a regular at Lucky Joe's Tiki Room, and was usually there Every day.
July 6, 2014, 10:53 PM
ALOHA! My name is Lee and I am the owner here at Lucky Joe's. I would love for you to come check us out. I would also love to meet you, give you a proper tour, and talk tiki...please ask for me when you come in. Thank you! Lee G.
I visited on a Saturday evening in March. The interior and the drinks reminded me very much of Foundation. They didn't just throw up some bamboo and call it tiki, they put some work into making a real tiki establishment. The bartender clearly knew what he was doing and cared about his craft. They had a nice collection of trade mugs from other tiki bars around the US on display behind the bar (I recognized some from Frankie's Tiki Room, Smugglers Cove and Three Dots and a Dash). If I remember the music correctly, it was more Mad Men then tiki (maybe some Rat Pack and Elvis and other random stuff). There were a fair number of random drunks in the bar, owing to its location in a trendy restaurant/nightlife district.