Made it out to Hala Kakiki last weekend on our tenth anniversary trip. The drinks and history were awesome, but it definitely felt like the flair and vibe were lacking, the night before(Friday) we went to Three Dot's and a Dash, and Sunday went back for a more intimate experience at The Bamboo Room, much more on par with Max's.
Ok. I’m a general contractor/carpenter and have a REAL appreciation for the bamboo work in those ceilings. That said, I’ll be traveling from California to Traverse City next spring for a job, and will be making it a point to visit Max’s.
I love these bar/restaurant tours! The more I learn about the art the more I jones for it. I've seen videos about dingbat apartment complexes with tiki styling, it's such a shame that whole themed apartment thing went away, but I'm so happy those tikis were saved and live here. Thank you!
I LOVE Max's! My wife and I found it after moving from Portland Oregon where we had been spoiled in the small room Hale Pele for years. Max's took the same level of detail and spread it over three floors!
Just visiteed their Website and the vitual walkthrough. Really rerally tasteful and very well done. The interior design process teken on this project is exceptional. Just need to fly over from the other side of the pond and experience it for myself.
Actually, there is still one authentic tiki bar that still survives in Michigan, Chin's Restaurant outside of Detroit in Livonia. Though it's a Cantonese restaurant, and not so much a tiki bar anymore, it still has all the original decor. 😃
What a fantastic collection… Much more like a Tiki museum I must say. The passion and love of Tiki clearly shows in this collection and this man's love for it.
This is utterly AMAZING!!! This Bar/restaurant is more like a museum! Thanks to your coverage of this gem, I find this place is only 6 hours drive away from me! I'm planing out a trip down there for SURE!!!
Was able to visit Seller's prior tiki bar TikiCat in Kansas City. Another great spot! Nowhere near Max's level but right at the top of my fav tiki bars then. Shame it closed down but noticed a few things in Max's from there living on. Heard they were trying to get the old Don the Beachcomber in socal for Max's but the owner wanted an insane amount of money. Gotta make it out to Grand Rapids!
@@BreezewayCocktailHour I believe in the video you and Mark just mentioned they were looking at socal as a possible spot. I remembered listening to Adrian's podcast when he had Martin and Mark on. They thought they had a deal to take over the DtB location. Would've had to tear down the building (salvage anything historical they could) since the current building is a mess and rebuild a similar A-frame looking building. But then the owner didn't want to lease the land for this and had to buy it at a crazy price. Kinda sad thinking what could have been, but seems like Max's has found its home in Grand Rapids. I remember they also were planning tiki-themed AirBnb rental units above Max's but doesn't look like that's happened yet.
Tiki bars are GREAT for places that get cold weather. It enhances the escapism by magnitudes. I would argue CA hardly needs them although that is where most of them still survive(lucky you). It broke my heart when the Trader Vics in the basement of the Palmer House Hilton closed. Need to start planning my trip to Grand rapids ;)
An astounding accomplishment & iconic joint - especially given that it's in a tiny city surrounded by 500K dairy farms in place known only for Gerald Ford & Betsy DeVos, and has absolutely never been on anyone in the world's dream vacation/high culture/must see travel itinerary. It's really overwhelming how much cool stuff is crammed in there, and all of it top level. What a surreal red brick temple of dedication to the legacy of tiki pop! Just amazing. Kalamazoo & Gargoyles too!
When you can afford to drop $459,150 just on a Tiki collection it's easy to build a bar like that. I would LOVE to know exactly how much that place cost to get built.
Fantastic tour! It will be great to see some more of these videos spotlighting 21st century Tiki temples, which deserve their own special category and shouldn't be compared with The Mai-Kai and others from the mid-20th century. These new places are much more DIY passion projects, which is great. Inferno Room next? FYI: The Mai-Kai does have some of those vintage yellow jade tiles.
21:16 From my town!!!!! I remember Imperial House as a kid....! This place is amazing, & might even better than the Mai Kai which will be opening soon after years of renovations.....would love to visit this place some day!
Such a cool place. So much detail. We went two nights in a row when we were there just to soak it in. I didn’t realise they sold copies of their menu and only nabbed a hoodie and T.
Very cool tour ... would love to see a collection of these tours of the across the country ... The max south sea website offers a nice virtual tour great tour / great conversation ... looking forward to the next ... Thanks Spike
Good tour video, Spike. We spent two nights at Max's a couple of years ago. Absolutely amazing Tiki palace. And Mark is a great guy. Purchased several pieces of artwork from him that now hang in the Cannibal Lounge, including one of those black Playa del Rey apartment building tikis by Bumatay and a Leeteg velvet painting. Hoping to get back to Max's soon.
OK, I love this post, love the Tiki culture, and planning to build a Tiki Bar on my 10x30 ft. deck but,this post has made me realize how ignorant I am on Tiki artist, and famous bar locations, Tiki culture in general. I need to dive into research and steal, I mean, make my own Tiki environment for enjoyment. Max's is like a Smithsonian of Tiki with 35 special drinks. I hope I get a chance to visit Max's for research. I've alot to learn and looking forward to the journey.
There are many many layers to tiki. If you don't already have them, I'd recommend any of the books by Sven Kirsten and the recent book by Jordan Reichek about Oceanic Arts. A wealth of inspiration and knowledge.
I was there last year (before catching Los Straightjackets at the Tip-Top Deluxe -- fun place by the way) and just wanted to what an excellent job you did really touring every aspect... wish I knew some of this history and background before we went! Love to hear KYMM BANG! get a shout-out! Hope to see you tour Hala Kahiki and/or Three Dots some day out here in Chicagoland. Can't wait to see more tiki tours!
The Mark Ryden prints at 27:02 are cover art for compilation albums released by Capitol Records in the mid 1990's as part of their Ultra-Lounge series. The lower print is the cover for "The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny". The upper print is the cover for "The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter". Both are 2-disc compilations. The original release of the Les Baxter album is a collector's item.
@@BreezewayCocktailHour For completion of thought, I believe Mark Ryden did additional paintings for other albums, but they weren't necesssarily tiki. "The Romantic Moods of Jackie Gleason" comes to mind.
Spike, you have to come back a few more times so you can finish the drink menu and get your plaque on the boat bar. My wife and I are now part of Max's decor!
I kind of agree with you. I'd prefer no TVs, but there are plenty of tiki bars across the country who play my Tiki Weirdoland DVD that I developed specifically for tiki bars.
After sitting down undistracted and watching this video again (my wife might smack me for saying this) who cares about the cheese this place is so next level it is crazy. I’m going to have to go for at least 3 or 4 days to be able to really appreciate it all
insanely cool place, and I love your videos! A few armchair notes from someone unqualified: if you brought a camera man I think it would free you up to focus on being the personable tv host that you are. A more walking interview style would suit you. exploring the bar's décor together to dig for those incredible stories which lie behind them. Maybe a detached mic to improve sound quality while your camera zooms in on features or turns to get nice room views. Also bar lighting is always pretty dark, a soft light might help your camera out a lot. take that all with a grain of salt, I own no camera and am no video man.
For all who've never been, Grand Rapids is a great city for beer lovers with some great craft breweries. In September each year, it also hosts ArtPrize.
It’s really nice, but it has too much of a museum vibe and that takes away from the fantasy. Trader Vic’s Emeryville is something of a museum also (of Trader Vic’s/Hinky Dinks fixtures) but still maintains the fantasy.
![Original Disney Imagineer's tiki mug release [Gurrtiki]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LNENrHz8UOo/mqdefault.jpg)
For sheer volume and concentration of decor, this is the first place I've seen that gives Hala Kahiki a run for its money. Well done.
Made it out to Hala Kakiki last weekend on our tenth anniversary trip. The drinks and history were awesome, but it definitely felt like the flair and vibe were lacking, the night before(Friday) we went to Three Dot's and a Dash, and Sunday went back for a more intimate experience at The Bamboo Room, much more on par with Max's.
Ok. I’m a general contractor/carpenter and have a REAL appreciation for the bamboo work in those ceilings. That said, I’ll be traveling from California to Traverse City next spring for a job, and will be making it a point to visit Max’s.
dude you should really be putting the bar's info in the description
I love these bar/restaurant tours! The more I learn about the art the more I jones for it. I've seen videos about dingbat apartment complexes with tiki styling, it's such a shame that whole themed apartment thing went away, but I'm so happy those tikis were saved and live here. Thank you!
There are still a bunch of tiki-themed apartment buildings. I'm planning on exploring those soon(ish)!
This place is my GO-TO for Tiki. It is a fantastic destination and it does the Tiki Culture justice. Be sure to ask for Derek- he is for real!
I LOVE Max's! My wife and I found it after moving from Portland Oregon where we had been spoiled in the small room Hale Pele for years. Max's took the same level of detail and spread it over three floors!
Just visiteed their Website and the vitual walkthrough. Really rerally tasteful and very well done. The interior design process teken on this project is exceptional. Just need to fly over from the other side of the pond and experience it for myself.
OMG!!! THIS PLACE LOOKS AMAZING!!!! Bucket list destination!!!
Actually, there is still one authentic tiki bar that still survives in Michigan, Chin's Restaurant outside of Detroit in Livonia. Though it's a Cantonese restaurant, and not so much a tiki bar anymore, it still has all the original decor. 😃
Amazing!
Awesome place,, Love that book. "Steel Like an Artist" ;)
This was a great tour of an incredible bar. Thanks so much Spike
What a fantastic collection… Much more like a Tiki museum I must say. The passion and love of Tiki clearly shows in this collection and this man's love for it.
Couldn't agree more!
The place is AMAZING!
This is utterly AMAZING!!! This Bar/restaurant is more like a museum! Thanks to your coverage of this gem, I find this place is only 6 hours drive away from me! I'm planing out a trip down there for SURE!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Just an amazing place. It's almost like a museum/bar/restaurant.
Was able to visit Seller's prior tiki bar TikiCat in Kansas City. Another great spot! Nowhere near Max's level but right at the top of my fav tiki bars then. Shame it closed down but noticed a few things in Max's from there living on. Heard they were trying to get the old Don the Beachcomber in socal for Max's but the owner wanted an insane amount of money. Gotta make it out to Grand Rapids!
Did we mention the DtB thing in the video? Mark and I definitely spoke about that while I was there (maybe not on camera though).
@@BreezewayCocktailHour I believe in the video you and Mark just mentioned they were looking at socal as a possible spot. I remembered listening to Adrian's podcast when he had Martin and Mark on. They thought they had a deal to take over the DtB location. Would've had to tear down the building (salvage anything historical they could) since the current building is a mess and rebuild a similar A-frame looking building. But then the owner didn't want to lease the land for this and had to buy it at a crazy price. Kinda sad thinking what could have been, but seems like Max's has found its home in Grand Rapids. I remember they also were planning tiki-themed AirBnb rental units above Max's but doesn't look like that's happened yet.
I go here often and now that I know all that went into it, I have an even bigger appreciation for it!
It really is incredible
27:15 The top picture is on the "Exotic moods of Les Baxter" album. Great compilation!
Been there a few times. Wonderful place.
Tiki bars are GREAT for places that get cold weather. It enhances the escapism by magnitudes. I would argue CA hardly needs them although that is where most of them still survive(lucky you). It broke my heart when the Trader Vics in the basement of the Palmer House Hilton closed. Need to start planning my trip to Grand rapids ;)
I totally agree. Cold locales are the best for tiki.
Wow! What a fabulous collection currated into an AMAZING PLACE! 😁
An astounding accomplishment & iconic joint - especially given that it's in a tiny city surrounded by 500K dairy farms in place known only for Gerald Ford & Betsy DeVos, and has absolutely never been on anyone in the world's dream vacation/high culture/must see travel itinerary. It's really overwhelming how much cool stuff is crammed in there, and all of it top level. What a surreal red brick temple of dedication to the legacy of tiki pop! Just amazing. Kalamazoo & Gargoyles too!
Absolutely.
Man, I'm a nube to tiki for sure, but also for sure, this bar surpasses anything I've seen or imagined. Kudos! Kudos! Kudos!
Wish I could give this episode more than one thumbs-up....
Thanks so much.
Ryden prints - one was the cover for the Best Of Les Baxter comp (Pele) and the other the Best Of Martin Denny (Exotica) on Capitol
That's right, thanks!
WOWZA...I hope I have some wild dreams tonight...AMAZING...!
The atomic lounge part is so cool. Especially the world map. Really caught my eye.
Totally a departure from the rest of the place. It's really cool.
Oh yes. The best I’ve seen. A new bucket list entry.
If I’m ever in Grand Rapids… this will be the reason why.
Great videos!
When you can afford to drop $459,150 just on a Tiki collection it's easy to build a bar like that. I would LOVE to know exactly how much that place cost to get built.
I'm sure it was a million dollar build (at least).
Fantastic tour! It will be great to see some more of these videos spotlighting 21st century Tiki temples, which deserve their own special category and shouldn't be compared with The Mai-Kai and others from the mid-20th century. These new places are much more DIY passion projects, which is great. Inferno Room next? FYI: The Mai-Kai does have some of those vintage yellow jade tiles.
Totally... and yes, the Inferno Room will be coming soon!
I can't wait til Mai Kai re-opens after $5M+ renovation in Sept!!!!
21:16 From my town!!!!! I remember Imperial House as a kid....!
This place is amazing, & might even better than the Mai Kai which will be opening soon after years of renovations.....would love to visit this place some day!
Such a cool place. So much detail. We went two nights in a row when we were there just to soak it in. I didn’t realise they sold copies of their menu and only nabbed a hoodie and T.
Absolutely incredible documentation of the rooms and pieces within. Super informative. Beautiful tiki bar.
Thanks so much!
I only heard of this place's existence, never saw it's glory til now :) Thank you Spike!! I'll have to plan a visit now
Glad you could come walk through with us!
Spike, I've been there three times and you've really done it justice. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
I kept saying "WoW!" at every turn on their tour! Spectacular! I have to make a trip out there!!
It's worth a trip to Michigan... Really.
Wow! What an amazing bar!!
Very cool tour ... would love to see a collection of these tours of the across the country
... The max south sea website offers a nice virtual tour
great tour / great conversation ... looking forward to the next ... Thanks Spike
My hope is to visit as many of these places as I can!
Been here, loved it! Great to see it showed off!
I will have to check this place out someday! Looks incredible
When I was here, they only had the second floor open. Didn’t know how much I missed out on seeing. Guess I need to go back!
Yeah, it's amazing.
Good tour video, Spike. We spent two nights at Max's a couple of years ago. Absolutely amazing Tiki palace. And Mark is a great guy. Purchased several pieces of artwork from him that now hang in the Cannibal Lounge, including one of those black Playa del Rey apartment building tikis by Bumatay and a Leeteg velvet painting. Hoping to get back to Max's soon.
Well now I know why I can't find anything tiki to buy. This guy bought everything! Amazing collection!! And not in California. Love it!
lol
Really great video, Spike! I really want to go to this place someday!
It really is worth the trip to Michigan.
WOW!!! I have gone to Tiki Heaven. What a fantastic place. Aloha😍😍
It's so good!
Damn I gotta make a trip there next time I’m in Chicago
Wow, great episode!
Thank you!
Oookeyy!!! Another one on the bucket list. Pheew. I better get retired soon!!
Video was so helpful to sell the magic of this place. Will definitely work in a trip!
Yesss
This really is an fantastic place; I really must try to get to the US one day and visit it.
OK, I love this post, love the Tiki culture, and planning to build a Tiki Bar on my 10x30 ft. deck but,this post has made me realize how ignorant I am on Tiki artist, and famous bar locations, Tiki culture in general. I need to dive into research and steal, I mean, make my own Tiki environment for enjoyment. Max's is like a Smithsonian of Tiki with 35 special drinks. I hope I get a chance to visit Max's for research. I've alot to learn and looking forward to the journey.
There are many many layers to tiki. If you don't already have them, I'd recommend any of the books by Sven Kirsten and the recent book by Jordan Reichek about Oceanic Arts. A wealth of inspiration and knowledge.
I was there last year (before catching Los Straightjackets at the Tip-Top Deluxe -- fun place by the way) and just wanted to what an excellent job you did really touring every aspect... wish I knew some of this history and background before we went! Love to hear KYMM BANG! get a shout-out! Hope to see you tour Hala Kahiki and/or Three Dots some day out here in Chicagoland. Can't wait to see more tiki tours!
Incredible looking bar!
Thanks for the great tour of what has to be one of the greatest bars ever. I visited Gecko while he was carving those tikis. Great to see them again.
The Mark Ryden prints at 27:02 are cover art for compilation albums released by Capitol Records in the mid 1990's as part of their Ultra-Lounge series. The lower print is the cover for "The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny". The upper print is the cover for "The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter". Both are 2-disc compilations. The original release of the Les Baxter album is a collector's item.
I remember that series! Great era for Capitol Records.
@@BreezewayCocktailHour For completion of thought, I believe Mark Ryden did additional paintings for other albums, but they weren't necesssarily tiki. "The Romantic Moods of Jackie Gleason" comes to mind.
Amazing! Did you see any puffer fish or shrunken heads? I like that there are no TVs at all.
I don't recall any shrunken heads (maybe just a painting of one) but there must have been puffer fish in there somewhere??
I am going to make it a point to go here ASAP! Such a beautiful place
Great job. What camera were you using?
Sony A7SIV
Spike, you have to come back a few more times so you can finish the drink menu and get your plaque on the boat bar. My wife and I are now part of Max's decor!
Hey Spike maybe mention the name of the Bar and Location at the beginning of the Video so I know where it is if I want to visit the place.
omg, did I not do that?? lol... shoot.
gREAT VIDEO!!!! THANKS!
Wow! my jaw dropped!!
Totally!
Amazing!
Great Tiki Bar!!!
That Tiki world map! Holy smokes...I'm going to Grand Rapids.
Absolutely beyond amazing. I’d love to hang out in Notch’s Nook and take in the nautical warehouse with a couple drinks.
Grand Rapids is an unfortunate place for this awesome collection. In GR it’s a gimmick but in a place like Palm Springs, tiki is a way of life.
Wow that place is great
can I get a parts list for this place? I'm going to make a poolhouse into a tiki bar.
On the downside, I live over 2000 miles from Max’s. On the upside, my best friend lives but an hour away from the bar.
Perfect reason to visit.
Makes me miss Tiki Cat... Come back to KC, Mark.
Okay, I’m going to Grand Rapids. Now we know the history behind the 3K jade tiles that are spread out across the world. I have one of them!
Me too!
Dude this bar is just an hour away from where I live
Lucky!
Tvs and music with the right content dont hurt a tiki bar at all
I kind of agree with you. I'd prefer no TVs, but there are plenty of tiki bars across the country who play my Tiki Weirdoland DVD that I developed specifically for tiki bars.
@@BreezewayCocktailHour does that include Frankie's? That's my favorite tiki bar. I love that crazy footage on their tvs.
Awesome 👍👍👍🌴🌴
This is your greatest achievement...
Beautiful place but the shaky cam is making me motion sick. Sorry. Had to bail.
Great video if this doesn’t make you want to go to Grand Rapids nothing will!
But, What About The Cheese!
After sitting down undistracted and watching this video again (my wife might smack me for saying this) who cares about the cheese this place is so next level it is crazy. I’m going to have to go for at least 3 or 4 days to be able to really appreciate it all
Hahaha... I really do think that this restaurant should be a destination for all tiki-philes
Where can I find this place?
insanely cool place, and I love your videos! A few armchair notes from someone unqualified: if you brought a camera man I think it would free you up to focus on being the personable tv host that you are. A more walking interview style would suit you. exploring the bar's décor together to dig for those incredible stories which lie behind them. Maybe a detached mic to improve sound quality while your camera zooms in on features or turns to get nice room views. Also bar lighting is always pretty dark, a soft light might help your camera out a lot.
take that all with a grain of salt, I own no camera and am no video man.
As it turns out there are a bunch of Tiki carvers in France!
I think the swamp monster is perfect, I love the Devo cat too.
Here's to hope that he will send Spike 1 of the 15 tikis from the Tiki's apartments,👍
Haha... you hear that, Mark?? Pleeeease...
Aloha!
So many ideas to steal! Awesome place.
OMG, did I just see a Sleestack?
BEWARE THE SLEESTAK!
@@russdee333 WILL . . . . . HOLLY . . . .
For all who've never been, Grand Rapids is a great city for beer lovers with some great craft breweries. In September each year, it also hosts ArtPrize.
Super impressive, what a fantastic place! I wonder what his capital investment totaled?
It wasn't cheap, I can tell ya that!
Only 35 drinks?
You need more? lol
Where's this at? Where is the website? I can't find it.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
All I could think of was Sponge Bob
why doesn’t he say where it is??
Sorry, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the simplest of things.
Just revisted this episode, and missed the Illuminat iPyramid with all seeing eye at the top, last time. Think I'll give this Bar a miss after all!
“This place “ …..uh so ….what’s the Name of “this place “
Why was the pandemic so tough on bars? If you drank something you were immune
Hahahaha...
LMAO at no info on the bar in the video details. Good job!
Oh shoot, I need to update that... but also, maybe that's a reason to watch?
It’s really nice, but it has too much of a museum vibe and that takes away from the fantasy. Trader Vic’s Emeryville is something of a museum also (of Trader Vic’s/Hinky Dinks fixtures) but still maintains the fantasy.
Is it all Polynesian? Some people think all masks are but they aren't. African masks are beautiful but have no place in a Tiki bar.
I'd have to look again, but I don't recall seeing any African masks in there.
Greatest in the world? Laughable. Maybe in Michigan. Don't get me wrong, it's very impressive. Ground zero for Tiki is the Tiki-Ti in Hollywood.
you are right about tiki starting out in Los Angeles but this place is awesome.