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    Foundation Bar

    4.5 (246 reviews)
    ModerateTiki Bars
    Open 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Foundation Bar Photos

    FOUNDATION BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Foundation Bar

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    Robert D.

    Super quaint tiki bar with an excellent bartender and amazing drinks! I loved the cozy feel it's intimate without losing any of those classic tiki vibes. The drinks were strong. I tried the Barrel, the Port Light, and the Shark's Tooth all were excellent. Highly recommend for anyone who loves great cocktails and tiki!

    Rawley D.

    A fun time out with my friends From the outside it just looks a dive bar and is fine. But once inside a cool looking dive. Strong drinks too! Good service.

    Blue Hawaiian, Jet Pilot, Dark n Stormy, and Rum Barrel!!
    Dewayne E.

    The drinks are just wonderful. The host or hostess will sit you to your table, and you order at the bar. The drinks are just wonderful. Get there early because it will fill up fast. Quiet enough to have a conversation. But it was a bit dark, but I'm sure if you're younger you'll be just fine. A great 2nd date place.

    Hope W.

    Foundation Bar is a hidden gem of a tiki bar. My brother who's been going to Milwaukee for years didn't know about this tiki bar. From the exterior you would never know there was a tiki bar inside (except for the teeny sign that says tiki bar). It's so normal looking & boring on the outside. It's located in a residential area. However, upon entering I was delighted with the tiki ambience and style of this small tiki bar. There are two areas to sit - by the bar and in an adjoining room. Everything is bathed with this red glow and the rooms were dimly lit. I ordered a Rum Barrel drink. It was served in a limited edition barrel that I was able to take home. The drink was glowing red which was even more pronounced in the light of the room. There was a light changing square that was put in the drink. The drinks were delicious! The only negative to this place is that they don't serve food. This wasn't a problem for us since we went there after dinner. We loved the ambience, the drinks were delicious and the staff were friendly. We can't wait to go back!

    Kill devil
    Cynthia S.

    Been open for 29 years. No frill, relax tiki bar, using good ingredients, can't beat the price. Talk with your bartender, ask for courtney if possible. Bartender knows what they're doing and they can give you suggestion based on ur preference. Worth to visit even though it's out of downtown Milwaukee. I went there twice last week at odd times, place is not busy, ordered from the bar. U can bring outside food too. Really chill place

    Audra M.

    For the modest price, these drinks pack a punch. They are tasty, and I enjoyed my libations a great deal. I did not notice a huge difference in taste when it came to my mai tai and my second drink, the Tonga Punch. Maybe it's just because I'm typically not a rum person, so two rum drinks tasted similar. Both were really good though. Just mentioning it in case someone like me goes in and would like two distinct flavor profiles. And I say "two" because more than two drinks here would be a mistake, given their powerful effect! We were there early enough that it was not busy, and ordering at the bar and having drinks delivered was convenient, but I am curious why they don't do table ordering before they become busy. It works for them, so it's fine. I really appreciated the affordable prices for drinks that are so inventive and flavor-packed. The interior is decorated in a fun way, per a typical tiki bar, albeit a small one. I especially appreciated that they had a Malort drink. I'm from Chicago, and Malort is a Chicago thing. I did not order, as I wanted fruity and not bitter, but if I go back, and they still have it, I will be having it as a first drink.

    Jack L.

    Foundation was exactly what I'd hoped it be! I feel like there's two types of tiki bars generally speaking, there are ones that are more trendy with loud music and then ones that are good vibes and good drinks, this one is the latter! It was super relaxing, loved the music and the drinks, can't wait to go back! If you want a casual tiki drink, this is the place!

    Jed H.

    Stopped by Foundation on a week night for a drink. Lots of tropical drinks to choose from. We each had one then wanted to try the volcano bowl. It was pretty neat. We definitely took out time just the two of us but it could easily be for up to 4 ppl. Cool place, nice ambiance, helpful bartenders. Definitely recommend. Unique spot for sure!

    Interior
    Travis B.

    Foundation: Considered by many to be one of the top ten tiki bars in the world, this hidden treasure is located not under the sea, but in Milwaukee. Awhile back, I was introduced to the bar during one of my friend's bachelor party. Even though it wasn't my bachelor party, this is the perfect bar for me as I'm a fan of all things tropical (and a hater of WI notoriously bad winters). The owners have spent years constructing one of the most interesting interiors in MKE and that's no easy task with a tiki bar in the north. An amazing collection of Polynesian carvings, artifacts, decor, and appropriate lighting all contribute to accomplish the south pacific atmosphere. Their goal is to provide the best cocktails around, in an exotic setting that takes visitors away to another place and time. I'm definitely due for another visit, but from what I recall this place easily accomplishes the owner's goals. Doughboy approved

    Tiki lounge decor
    Vanetta G.

    My girls and I wanted a place to have drinks and catch up and chose Foundation. They had been here and loved it, but it was new to me. When I walked in I was thinking, "wow the ambiance is super dark. Are we going for spooky and intimate?" Turns out the electricity was out in the whole neighborhood lol, but they had candles on all the tables. They were cash only while the electricity was out. The drinks all sounded delicious and were pretty reasonably priced. We went with the volcano bowl. I would only do that with my besties and my husband in the age of covid lol. The bartenders were personable and we were totally comfortable staying and chatting- we were there for nearly 5 hours lol. I don't think that would be as easy on the weekends, as on a Monday night it was fairly full by the time the electricity came back on. Anyways, I loved it and can't wait to bring my husband back with me.

    a man sitting at a bar
    Jenna W.

    Fun and kitschy with fantastic tiki drinks - what more could you want?!? Street parking only and the place fills up pretty fast on weekend nights but I've never waited more than 20ish minutes.

    Faith B.

    I visited Foundation on a date on a recent Saturday night. Although we got there around 8, the place was packed. We were seated immediately though. The decor is over-the-top tiki in the best way. The walls are dark, the lighting is warm and wacky - I'm looking at you puffer fish lights. We placed our orders at the bar and waited. A friend came to join us, ordered her drink, got her drink and still we waited. It turns out that our order was somehow "lost." Not great. But, the bartender comped the drinks and eventually we got two tiki cocktails we really enjoyed. I got the Martinique and it was herbaceous and refreshing. I definitely want to visit this place many more times. I want to try a bunch of the drinks, but I'm also seriously impressed by their deep rum list.

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    1 year ago

    We love Foundation! Tiny place with great ambience. The drinks are a great price and strong!

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    1 year ago

    i love the ambiance. i love the decor. i spend a lot of time trying to decide which i like more- the ambiance or the decor.

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    Wauwatiki Bar & Grill - Nachos

    Wauwatiki Bar & Grill

    (177 reviews)

    $$

    The vibe is awesome!! Love the theme and decor, has a real tiki feel! The server was very nice…read morehowever service was slow and not super attentive. Got happy hour drink, Water of Life which was good. It came in a flamingo cup. We ordered two food dishes to share and were not very impressed. Portions were small for the price. The island stir fry was bland, the teriyaki sauce on the side was needed. We added jerk chicken which helped with the flavor. But disappointed in amount of veggies. The Wauwatiki smash was alright. The smash patties were a little charred. The pineapple was not very juicy and the burger could have used more sauce. The burger came with crack fries which were just seasoned fries they were good but nothing special.

    Recently my friends and I decided to meet up here for a birthday drink and some of the people…read morepossibly wanted to get food. My friend probably should have made a reservation for the amount of people that we had, 8 total but not all came at the same time or stayed. When asked if we could get on a list for a table that Friday night, there was a 30-40 minute wait so some of us sat at the bar and there was an empty table next to us so we used that as well. The drinks were good, although a bit pricey in my opinion. I didn't try any food but several people got the fried rice and it looked and smelled really good. One thing I didn't like about our visit was the attitude of the server/host working the section we were near. I don't know, she was rude and kept glaring at us because some of us were in her section maybe? She kept talking to the bartenders while staring at us. I think she assumed those people would only order from the bar rather than from her but that wasn't the case. We ended up leaving before we got a table for all of us because the vibe was just off. I will say they have a large patio outside which would be nice in summer. The bartenders were very attentive and friendly, just not thrilled with the one person. Also, I got one of the drinks that has fire and I had to ask the bartender if I needed to put it out. He said, well yeah you should put it out before drinking it. Right, but what I meant was will it go out by itself or do I need to do it? Creative looking drinks but maybe they could mention how to go about it if it's on fire lol. Or maybe I'm stupid. I like the chill vibe and low lighting so in my opinion, it's better to go with a smaller group or for date night.

    Foundation Bar - tikibars - Updated May 2026

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