New Tiki Bar: Bamboo Room, Schaumburg, IL

Aloha gang

I posted a long review of this place in Locating Tiki and on the good old Tiki Bar Review Pages (http://www.tydirium.net for you newbies).

Mele Kalikimaka

went last night, they blasted house music up in the tiki bar the whole time!....after goin to hala kahiki and chef shangrila, it (the bamboo room) was a bad place to end the night, with the misic, and the fact that thie drinks were not mixed well......at least the decor was o.k, and they used real mugs there....

I can save everyone their time reading a long review with this two word summary: "It sucks!" At the risk of again being criticized for offering an opinion about a neo tiki bar I have not actually patronized, I will explain.

I became aware of the Bamboo Room this summer while working on the Exotica event. The club developers approached me and asked Amy and I to help with their new enterprise. I was hopeful and enthusiastic at first. I thought maybe someone would actualy try and do a propper old school Tiki bar. I could not have been more wrong.

We were invited out to see the space and to help make suggestions for decor, etc. When we got there and were shown around we were informed that they were not interested in making a real tiki bar, rather, a bar that made you think "tiki." We must have had dumbfounded expressions on our faces because we were then told that it would be more like their '70's themed bar down the road: "Boogie Nights." They actually wanted the kind of place that "by the end of the night girls would be dancing on the tables and on top of the bar, like that bar Coyote Ugly."

Needless to say, we fled and have not returned. ANYONE who considers themselves a Tiki enthusiast should be warned NEVER to darken their door. I would visit the Rock-A-Tiki 100 times (and even pay their ridiculous drink prices; at least they got the decor right) before I would ever give a dime to the Bamboo Room. It's insulting to see someone attempt to cash in on Tiki by treating it as no more than the trend du' jour.

It's a real shame that a bunch of idiot "nightclub developers" who've noticed that Shag is everywhere, and that there is a geniune tiki revival growing, are trying to exploit the situation.

Save your gas (the place is in Schamburg, for crying out loud!)and spend your money at one of the REAL tiki bars in Chicago.

That's all I needed to hear... after reading the review I told Mrs. Lake about it and suggested maybe we check it out on our next trip down to IKEA for my lamp parts... if nothing else to see the giant tikis...

Mahalo... I won't waste the time and will go directly to the temple of Hala Kahiki instead...

Thanks for saving me time and gas!

It reminds me of the Jimmy Buffet themed(buffet) called "Cheese Burger in Paradise" (some side project of Outback Steak House) which is opening in Madison WI. Seems everyone is more than ready to cash in on the tiki/tropical revival.

[ Edited by: Creature from the Slack Lagoon on 2003-12-24 14:46 ]

Thanks for the background info, Duke.

Given this information, I am even less enthusiastic about going back than I had been previously. It doesn't surprise me to hear all of this, really, having seen the place.

As my review said, the food there is great, but the drinks blow and all the Tiki is in the little bar on the balcony. I'd think of it as a good place to eat if you're stuck in Schaumburg, with the bonus attraction of a few Tikis.

It's insulting to see someone attempt to cash in on Tiki by treating it as no more than the trend du' jour.

Unfortunately, the neo-Tiki bars that are anything other than this are very, very few and far between.

This place is not in the slightest bit cool! Tiki or no Tiki this place is a complete waste of ones time, not to mention the $10.00 cover charge you pay after 10pm to hear some real crapola music and bad dancing. If you are or aren't from Chicago please don't waste your time or money! Bottom Line is this place really Blows!
TTFN

The Chicago Tiki Mafia
"Protection of Historical Tiki Urban Artifacts from possible extinction"

[ Edited by: atomiktiki on 2004-01-05 15:05 ]

I dunno, there are plenty of tiki bars that are no fun if you go at the wrong time... the Alibi springs to mind, with its college karaoke crowd, and even our beloved Tiki-Ti plays rotten music and is overly crowded if you go late Friday or Saturday. You have to have reasonable expectations. It didn't sound like that small bar area in this place was so bad. Are these criticisms concerning the establishment as a whole, or is that little tiki bar part of it awful too?

On 2004-01-05 15:41, Humuhumu wrote:
It didn't sound like that small bar area in this place was so bad. Are these criticisms concerning the establishment as a whole, or is that little tiki bar part of it awful too?

The establishment as a Hole is bad, bad, bad!The fact that it has a decent Tiki Bar area in it , does not save it from being just another Schuamburg, IL Disco! If that scene moves you by all means check it out! Personal thought: there are already way to many bad places in Schaumburg, so from that point of view it is probably one of the best places to go!
Peace Out!

On 2004-01-05 15:04, atomiktiki wrote:
Tiki or no Tiki this place is a complete waste of ones time, not to mention the $10.00 cover charge you pay after 10pm to hear some real crapola music and bad dancing. If you are or aren't from Chicago please don't waste your time or money! Bottom Line is this place really Blows!

The cover charge, disco, and velvet rope vibe are really nauseating.
Actually, Schaumburg in general is neauseating.

Fortunately I didn't experience the disco clubby crowd when I was there, in fact the place was practically deserted.

I guess with all things, it all boils down to timing.

For example, I loathed the crowd and the atmoshpere at Kon Tiki in Arizona, but some people are defending it on this thread:

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6989&forum=1&10

...and their points are probably valid and true.

and on the same thread, people are actually saying (blasphemously! :) ) that even Tiki Ti is to be avoided at certain times.

Not that I am saying, in any way, that the pitiful Bamboo Room is anywhere near the same league as Tiki Ti!

I don't really think we need to worry though, becasue this place will be gone daddy gone by 2005, almost certainly.

Did you go to the Tiki lounge upstairs? I went there once & got the same report you did. House music,etc..when you enter the place.

But looking at the menu, it says to check out the Tiki room upstairs.We went upstairs to find a real cozy tiki bar.Nice hawaiian music playing.Good drinks too I thought too. At least that's how it was when I was there.

[ Edited by: love2uke 2005-11-13 08:38 ]

Gone, daddy gone, as predicted.

Closed.

All above comments are moot.

Who got the stuff?

Auction?

Any news?

Would love to get my hands on more bamboo.

never mind bamboo..i want those mai tiki root ball tikis!! they had some cool stuff....well, another one bites the dust....we're down to 3 tiki bars here in the midwest...

How are you counting those, Dave?

Hala Kahiki
Chef Shangi-La
Tiki Terrace
Aku Tiki Room
Breakers
The remains of Tong's Tiki Hut and Malahini Terrace
The new Trader Vic's (soon!)
and (sorta) Club Paradise, and that's just in northern IL.

You said "midwest" - Foundation, Rendez'vous, and a few minor outposts in Indiana and Ohio...

My next Tiki Magazine articles outlines all of these and more!

On 2007-10-12 12:43, tikibars wrote:
How are you counting those, Dave?

Hala Kahiki
Chef Shangi-La
Tiki Terrace
Aku Tiki Room
Breakers
The remains of Tong's Tiki Hut and Malahini Terrace
The new Trader Vic's (soon!)
and (sorta) Club Paradise, and that's just in northern IL.

You said "midwest" - Foundation, Rendez'vous, and a few minor outposts in Indiana and Ohio...

My next Tiki Magazine articles outlines all of these and more!

details, schmeetails!!...i meant chicago proper... you nit- picky bastard!!

FYI, The Bamboo Room is back ... and now known as the New Bamboo Room

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=97740

As the Who once sang, 'Meet the New Boss, same as the old boss.' The new boss is selling bottles of 10 Cane for $180, for those who don't mind being called a fool. (and a bottle of Malibu is only $150)

Pictures of the new space can be found at the website. http://bambooroomschaumburg.com/

The Tiki Room photo looks promising, although the typical patron is not shown -- and there is lots of standing room space in front of the bar. Derfinitely more of a dance club place than a traditional tiki bar.

yeesh......these people just don't give up ...it' looks like the same damn place!!! ..what's changed????

I guess they must have caught wind of the las vegas trader vics and decided that night club tiki chic is the way to go.....

..i also like the "stripper pole" conveniently placed near the dance floor.....a little too big in diameter but don't doubt that some drunk broad's gonna find a way to work it out on that thing....

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2007-12-26 21:09 ]

They have Rehab by Amy Winehouse running. tsts ;–)