Frankie's has added a bunch of new drinks and replaced the uncomfortable chairs so the experience is better than the previous 5 stars. The place is so tiki'd out I'm transformed into a new world, and that's before the terrific drinks. Bamboo Ben's decor and Crazy Al's masterful tiki are off the hook. Music is so good I purchased many of the same albums for my own bar- flanging guitar surf music and exotica.
A few things to be aware of. The smoke gets heavy so come in the morning (it's 5:00 somewhere) and maybe you'll be lucky. No food (even pretzels) can be served in a smoking bar but it's ok to bring food inside (Del Taco is across the street). Someone objected to the poor table service- there isn't any table service. Head up to the bar and place your order there. Order two different drinks and the efficient bartenders pour 8 different ingredients into each glass- that's two different bottles in each hand repeated four times with varying times for each.
Several people commented on the long cab drive- Frankie's is actually close to the strip, but on the opposite side of the freeway (NEVER walk there!). It's at Charleston which is further north than most of the popular strip locations.
A few thoughts about tiki bars. Supposedly there is a tiki resurgence but it is hard to find a great tiki bar. Others have mentioned Smuggler's Cove in SF but it has nautical decor, not tiki. Trader Vic's looks corporate. Frankie's limited competition is Forbidden Island in Alameda and the Tiki Ti in LA. So when in Vegas come to Frankie's for great drinks, decor and vibe.
Tropical cocktails and tiki lounges may or may not be the next big thing. Â San Francisco has an awesome tropical cocktail place called "Smuggler's Cove." Â After people out west went to war with Japan, many were stationed in Hawaii in transit, and that's where they encountered the whole tropical island meme, and after the ware, full of nostalgia, many opened tiki bars along the west coast, and so it will forever be tied to the 50's. Â Then it died out and became the butt of jokes in the 70s and 80s. Â I went to a tiki place in LA/Rosemead called Bahooka in the 90s and they had flaming bowls of tropical drinks. Â
These guys go overboard on the tiki theme with odd 50s/60s TV shows with tropical themes. Â I guess the surf scene also blended into the whole tropical theme. Â Their jukebox is practically a museum of obscure 50's/60s tropical them and surfer music, real historic stuff, no pirate sh t here. Â It was super dark inside, but your eyes adjust which only means when you leave you'll go blind in the sun. Â What's truly missing from the authentic tropical island bar experience is humidity. Â I worked in Hawaii in the early 90s and I'll never forget that wet, humid, tropical air. Â Otherwise, this is the real deal with nice, large tropical drinks.
Old Vegas has always been appealing to me. The Strip is fun, but I love the mid-century aesthetic that makes up old Vegas. Frankie's Tiki Room is one of those places that epitomize the old school feel. On a recent trip to Vegas, we rolled into Frankie's late night. The place was quiet and the drinks included large amounts of rum, fruit and umbrellas.
Tiki themed with fun drinks and a vibe that probably hasn't changed much since it opened make Frankie's a great spot. It feels like tiki bars are a dying breed, making Frankie's very special.
Took the Wife this visit . . . and yes . . . I was kind enough to hold the door open long enough for her to not run head first into the Tiki God. Â Had almost as much fun this time as last . . . wife is not a big RUM drinker, but she found one she liked . . . and I stayed with my Malekulas.
Finish with a Bender Ender . . . OOPS this turned out to be a Bender Starter.
Best part was that I e-mailed the owner before we went and got an Autographed copy of two of his books . . . Blue Vegas and Vegas Knockout . . . Thanks MOSS.
Will definitely be back again on the next Vegas trip.
Reasonably priced, nice selection of well made cocktails that are a bit on the sweet side, but they get the job done. You can pay a couple more bucks to get a souvenir tiki mug. They got some new comfortable chairs, since the last time I've been.
The parking lot is a bit on the small side.
Fun decor, music (drop some dollars on the jukebox instead of the slots, you'll win every time), a great atmosphere and friendly staff.
Dive bar FTW!!!!
frankie's is a relatively late discovery for me(a year ago) its been for awhile a long favorite of several friends of mine.
From the outside frankie's doesn't really attract quite the attention you'd expect, but on the inside is where things change. It a very dark bar, If it wasn't so tropical i'd put good money that it could double as a goth bar. Everything is tropical themed. Theres palm facades, and theres the drinking area on the side that appears almost slightly like a hut.
However, this is a bar that you come to drink. The drinks are definately on point. They have their own specialty menu and I've gone down the entire list. Â My two favorites are the fink bomb and the ninth island. Those drinks are sweet and they provide quite the punch. I also love them because the bartenders are one of the ones who will mix up a 151 and fun without batting an eye. They're also open 24 hours like all good vegas bars so they are good to either be my start or my end of drinking.
I am in Vegas for business a couple of time a year and always make a stop at Frankie's. Â Took a business associate from Germany to Frankie's recently and it was the highlight of his visit to Vegas.
I started going to Frankie's for the excellent décor, drinks, music but what keeps me coming back are the top notch bartenders like Mike.  He is a professional bartender and I wish more places hired guys/gals like him. He not only makes an great Tiki drink but is also a creative mixologist. I have seen Frankie's packed and am amazed that Mike alone can keep everyone very happy.
Met with my wife and her co-workers here for drinks several times. My wife likes the fancy mixed drinks and sassy service. I don't care about those very much. The best thing about this place (and the Double Down, same owner) is that you will NOT hear Don't Stop Believing or the cha cha slide or modern country music, ect......this bar has a juke box loaded with surf and lounge music. Even if that's not your thing it's a nice change! I like that it's dark inside too.
Review Source:Love tiki bars and wanted to visit here for awhile. Â Well, this trip we did. Â Took a cab from downtown and walked in to total darkness. Â As a previous poster mentioned coming from bright to dark takes a moment or two adjustment.
I was surprised at how small it is but the decor was very cool.
The drink choices were outstanding and numerous. Â We had three each and were not unhappy with any.
The only bad issue, maybe unfortunate is a better word, was after 1.5 hours or so some regulars came in and wanted our seats, or more specifically our slot machines and since we were just drinking and not playing we were told, not asked, to find other seats (wow!!!). Â In retrospect I get it. Â These people are regulars who will continue to contribute to the bottom line while we won't be back for a year. Â So no big deal but you would think a comped drink might have been in order. Â I mean we took a cab to visit the place. Â
Anyway all's well that ends well as a couple of very nice locals we were talking with at the bar were bit distressed by our situation and offered to drive us back downtown saving us the cab fare. Â We brought them to our pool with us and shared a nice afternoon with a couple of great folks!
Great bar with a cool atmosphere, the drinks aren't cheap but you won't need many thy are wonderfully strong. Favourite of the night were the wild watus and the ninth island, pro tip if you go 5 skulls make it one with a good fruit mix it takes the edge of the potency rums...it's definitely a place to try fun drinks and just enjoy the vibe!
Review Source:This place is a lovely getaway from the tourist trappy las vegas strip. Â As soon as you walk in, you are suddenly in a Tiki style cave. I love the music, the ambiance and the drinks. The only reason I did not give five stars is because I detected the taste of high fructose corn syrup in the cocktails. Â I did however, enjoy the ceramic tiki drinking vessels, I purchased two of them.
Review Source:Frankie's is such an institution in Vegas, I almost take it for granted. Â Shame, because it is a cool little Tiki Bar a stone's throw from UMC. Open 24/7 with gaming bartops if that is your thing.
All drinks are $9 with the collector Tiki Cup versions $23. The bartenders are great at mixing these potent potables. It is super dark and crazy smoky (though on our last visit, less smoky) Absoutely LOVE having to show my ID, what can I say?! It seems that the super uncomfy seats have been replaced, but this was the first time I've been there sober & in a corner booth.
The commitment to Tiki theme alone is worth a visit, there really is no other place in Vegas like it. Attracts mixed crowd of all types and you can carry on a conversation comfortably amidst the music, surf movies (or variety of interesting movies/visuals on the tv screens) There are locals, tourists, hipsters, gay, straight and all kinds of combinations thereof gathered here; a Cornucopia/Utopia of humanity getting their drank on.
Oh, and much to my little sister's delight: they have matchbooks. Just check it out; you're welcome.
Yelp 100 Challenge
I love this place.
I have been wanting to come here for years but hubby and I just went the other night and took a friend.
I definitely had my heart set on getting a collector glassware...but which one? what drink?
I still could not make up my mind when I went to order lol!
Upon entering it was like sensory overload and it was everything I could have ever imagined. We grabbed a table in the top far right hand corner in the booth area.
We got our act together and our friend and I went up to the bar and ordered.
Mesmerized by the music and the super cool stuff they show on the TV's I again could not figure out what I wanted. Take note...it is VERY VERY smoky in here!
I got a Bearded Clam and asked for another drink in it but I ended up with a Bearded Clam drink inside which that is fine LOL it was soooo strong and good I was not going to complain.
Hubby wanted a Mai Tai and no collectors cup. It was probably the best Mai Tai I have ever had! He loved it also!
I can't remember what our friend had but he got the top left hand first collector cup item  (on the menu) with the same name drink inside of it. They actually have a green cup but now they have a special edition blue color of that cup!
Our friend was irritated because the bartender charged him for his drink, our drinks, and another random $9. LOL! I think he got it straightened out with the bank. I'm not even sure if he charged our card for our drinks.
We went back to the booth area and sipped the night away lol just joking we casually sipped our drinks and wanted to get another but decided not to.
It was Sunday night and when we left SAUCED the food truck was in the parking lot. Very tempting! :)
I can't wait to go back!
P. Moss really did it right with this new venture. Decor was flawlessly executed to maximize the space and impart the Rock n Roll meets Enchanted Tiki Room vibe that a Vegas Tiki bar needs.
Drinks are a little on the sweet side but they are constantly offering new ones and updating the menu and occasionally have specials. Plus there are about 50 drinks on the menu so you are bound to be able to find something ou like!
A fantastic new Tiki bar in a historic location (was a vintage classic bar that had turned slightly divey, so now at least the structure is preserved)
Super fun little joint with great unique drinks and a super fun crowd. The best seats are up in the corner at the little tables. My boss and I like to go here to lounge and smoke cigars and be classy. It's pretty close to downtown as well. I WISH they served food, BUT they do have some menus at the bar for a couple places close by that deliver. So we orders wings every now and then. I wish I knew what THAT place was called because they are pretty dig-dang good! They deliever right to your table! Four stars only because they should have food. ;)
Review Source:I know I'm in the minority here, but I really didn't like Frankie's.
I think that perhaps the people who love it haven't been to many other tiki bars and don't have much to compare it against.
Here's what I didn't like:
*first and most importantly: THE SMOKE!!! It was so unbelievably nasty. Old, stale, a-million-old-ashtrays STANKYNESS. I can normally handle a bit of smoke...I'm honestly not a prude in this area...I'm a non-smoker (of cigarettes, hehe) and I used to work in the smokiest of bars, so I can hang, normally. But the smoke at Frankie's was so intense that my eyes were literally tearing up after about half an hour and we were forced to leave shortly thereafter. When we got back to our hotel, my hair REEKED of smoke so badly that I had to wash it.
*the drinks: waaaay over-priced, weak, and bad-tasting. I's bet you could get a better Mai Tai at a TGI Friday's.
*the parking: parking lot is miniscule and a perfect set-up for a fender-bender.
What did I like?
The decor
The music selection on the jukebox
The cool/random old movies playing on the TV screen.
My suggestion is that you go to Frankie's ONCE to check it out, but only if you LOVE TIKI and aren't bothered by smoke.
Visited Frankie's last weekend and I loved it!
It's a small space so i'm sure it gets really packed during busy hrs. It's open 24 hrs a day which is very cool!
They have a ton of drinks to choose from and be careful because some are very strong!! You can get a souvenir tiki mug for about $22
What I loved about this place is they have tv's that play old clips from the 50's of movies, commercials, sensual girls. Very cool!!
They also have a juke box!! So that automatically adds to it's greatness.
I definitely recommend this place and I can't wait to go back!!
I came here for a quick drop in and ended up staying five hours!!!
I feel the need to type no more. But I want to be sure to say that it is a cozy dark spot where you can hang solo or gab (did I just write that?) with some unknowns.
And video poker to boot.
Look for a food truck in the parking lot most nights.
I can't wait to go back.
I just love this place. Â Located on Charleston. Great place to sneak away and throw back a few. Â Not a very big establishment, but small and friendly. Â Staff is personable and you never have to wait long for your drink. Â
By definition a dive bar, but not hipster at all. Â Very mellow mood, dark and mysterious when you walk in. Â Alcohol is reasonably priced, and they have great drink specials that will do the trick.
My gripe was that Frankie's had some horribly uncomfortable seats at several of their tables...They changed them out...Nothing to hate on here anymore.
Frankie's is a welcome portal in the Vegas community with a lot of great drinks...a nice, slightly divey feel...and plenty of reasons to come back again and again!
If you're not drunk by 3 five-skull rating drinks, then you must be a lush.
Across the board $9 specialty drinks. There are skull ratings on each drinks, the more skulls there are, the drunker you'll get.
It's a very small establishment, next to a gas station. What I don't like about this place if that it gets so smoky in there that you'll end up smelling like smoke. Well, it's a bar, duh!
My fave drinks: Fink Bomb, Zombie and Lava Lech. Go get it!!!
Let's have a Tiki, I wanna have a Tiki
Lock the doors, tight
Let's have a Tiki, mother rummer
I'm gonna let you have it
Let's have a Tiki
I wanna have a Tiki
Dive, turn, work
Let's have a Tiki
We're gonna serve, and work and turn
*word of the wise.. pay attention to the number of skulls under each drink on the menu honey. The more skulls the more you wont remember what happened last night. Let's have a Tiki.
This place has soul.
When you see the sign out front you have an idea your going to have some fun. This place has the late 60's Tiki vibe going on. Outside its a plain looking building with a cool sign and marquee. Its also got a Tiki carving near the entry door. Not too much parking but you just need to get in where you fit in.
The Bar..... Once you walk in prepare to be blinded. This lasts about 20 seconds as the room is so dark you wont see a thing. While you are blind yo can soak up the Tiki surf music. As you regain your vision try and not notice the awesome furniture and decorations. Everything is bamboo, woven, carved, painted and has tons of character.
At this time you need a drink. Do yourself a favor and start it off right. Buy one of the drinks with the souvenir glasses. These glasses are really nice, they have the Frankie's emblem ingrained on the back of them. They aren't some crappy souvenir. They are a "proud to own" "show to your friends" souvenir. I plan on getting them all, just not in one visit!
Drinks are tasty and the menu is creative and fun to read. I would definitely come back here, matter of fact its a staple of Vegas, a "don't leave Vegas without visiting" kinda place.
Good Times!
My first experience at Frankie's was back in 2010. Â A very good friend of mine was out here at the same time as us. Â I never get to see this guy in San Diego, but in Vegas, no problem. Â What's up with that? Â The sad thing is that I have not seen him and his girlfriend since. Â So of course, Frankie's is a special place for me. Â This time, met up with another good friend and his girlfriend, who had just moved back here.
The vibe here is so inviting and fun. Â How can you not have a great time in a place with dark lighting and colored lights, and fun tropical drinks! Â The only thing I don't like is the small chairs around the tables. Â They are tiki chairs that will give you perfect posture, but don't lean back on them or you just might end up on the floor! Â LOL!
Me: If you fall back, I'm moving to another table....oh wait, I'll see if you're okay first, then I'll walk away.
We moved to the couch in the little cabana that could seat about 20 people if need be. Â This is a great place to start your evening and so much better than anything on the strip. Â Nice people who aren't the least bit pretentious...my kind of place! Â The parking lot is small so count your blessings if you scored a space.
Mahalo Frankie!
(Who is Frankie anyway???)
Look....this place never fails to please me. Â The coolest little quaint bar in town with a total cheesy tiki room vibe and super strong rum conconctions to be enjoyed whilst 50s beach themed movies play on the flat screens and surf music echoes in the backdrop.
I've never had a bad time here. Â 5 stars!
If I want to go to a bar where I can just kind of disappear into the scenery, this is it. There's so much to look at, there's so much stimulation for the senses that I feel like I can leave myself behind.
And isn't escapism the whole raison d'être for a tiki bar?
The drinks are sweet and strong. The crowd is more rockabilly than hipster. The decor is just immersive beyond kitschy belief.
I don't know how you can even be physiologically alive if you're in Frankie's Tiki Room and not having a good time.
I love Frankie's - they do proper old-school Tiki drinks and are really friendly.
The interior decor is just plain awesome.
My only minor complaints: really, really smoky (even for a 24hr bar in Vegas) and the Tiki drinks are all on the sweet side (even for Tiki drinks.) Â Otherwise a win.
Drink menu and prices:  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.frankiestikiroom.com%2Fdrinks.html&s=3ac0ddcc8fef4cc733290948aa4a6b1ed23ac52abdbc723ddabb40c94cfdde78" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.frankiestikir…</a>
Friend and I were here Wed/14 Nov and had a nice time.
5-stars because:
- Cheap, strong drinks. Â My friend had their $9 Wild Watusi (at 5 skulls strength) which was really strong and still tasted good. Â I had a screwdriver (I think it was $6) and I definitely got my money's worth considering the amount of Ketel One it had.
- Nice tiki decor, great locals' vibe, cool bouncer & bartender.
Suggested by several respected people, Frankie's is the real deal. It's a tiki bar that has old school polynesian decor, including internally lit puffer fish, and yet is not tired and gross. There are some carved coconut palm chairs (very upright) and benched alcoves along with  barstools. The space is pretty much the perfect size for a neighborhood bar and has a fascinating mix of patrons.
The drink list is classic tiki with some proprietary concoctions. As one would expect, the drinks descriptions are more humorous than a guide to what brand of liquor is actually used. We tried the Lava Leche, Thurston Howl, and Mai Tai. All were very respectable. For many of the drinks, one can either get the drink in a glass or in a specific tiki ceramic tumbler. They also have an on-line store for the drinkware and wearables.
Certainly worth a visit for those interested in tiki bars or just a fun setting to socialize.
I am so angry that I have put off stopping by Frankie's for so long! What an idiot!
This place has gone above and beyond to create their tiki room vibe. Tiki's, tiki's and more tiki's, blow fish lights and a ton of other little eccentricity's give this place a funky Polynesian feel.
And their drinks, I am going to spend the rest of my days in Vegas trying every one of their signature cocktails, and damn it I will own every tiki souvenir cup they make! Â
Do yourself a huge favor and check out Frankie's and you won't be disappointed.
Whoa, I think this might be my first bar review! Admittedly, I am not an alcohol-kinda person. However, since I wasn't driving tonight, I decided to go all-out. I took a gander at some of the five-skull drinks, and I eventually settled on the Zombie. It was not as sweet as the my friends' three-skull drinks, which I probably would try next time (if there's a next time), but it definitely set me up for the rest of the night. You'll know that there's alcohol in this bad boy.
The real standout here is the atmosphere. It's somewhat intense and relaxed at the same time with the not-too-loud surfer music, old surfer videos, and dim lighting. I also enjoyed the attention to detail with the chairs, tables, and overall decor, as well as those nice custom Frankie's stir sticks (took mine home as a souvenir).
There's one of those old coin-operated machines that offers to reveal your secret vice for only a quarter. It revealed mine to be Alcohol, which I suppose was accurate by the end of the night. The best part came afterward though. It correctly identified a cigarette-toting friend with Smoking and one of the girls as hiding a Shopping habit. She was astonished.
Gambling AND tiki drinks, it was like I died and went to heaven.
But the smoke! Oh, the smoke was noxious. I can hang, but after one drink I was ready to bounce. (Didn't help that a guy sitting at the bar wanted to fight little ol' me for accidentally bumping him as I stood out of the way of the waitress.)
I've passed by this bar quite a few times and never gave it much thought. Â I thought it would be one of those really crappy bars that are filled with down on their luck types but was I wrong! Â
Frankie's is a diamond in the rough! Â Upon entering, the decor is delightfully tacky and corny; everything opposite of those overpriced, snooty bars found littered along the Strip. Â You'll feel like your stepped into a drunken version of Gilligan's Island, minus Gilligan. Â There are also TV screens showing strange and eclectic films which fits perfectly with the theme. Â The place is a little bit cramped but still plenty of seating to be had.
Their signature drinks are of the rum based sort; very sweet and very strong as indicated by the skull ratings on the drink menu. Â Also, their rum drinks all run $9.00, regardless of skull rating but will run approximately $23.00 if you get their souvenir Tiki mugs. Â I highly recommend the Fink Bomb (five skull rating) and the Malekula (three skull rating). Â They do have beer and liquor on hand but do yourselves a favor and try their rum based drinks!
The clientele caters to anyone and everyone seems to be very friendly. Â The staff are very attentive and very friendly, a trait that is hard to find in any bar on the Strip. Â
I highly recommend people to check this place out at least once for a strange experience!
Some locals told me this place was in the "bad part of town." Â I think you guys need to tough up. Â IT IS FINE. Â
Frankie's is a gem. Super potent rum drinks, great friendly bartenders (ask for Mike,) and a decor like no place else in town make this place a winner. Â Frankie's plays great surf and vintage rock over the speakers and weird blends of surf movies and exploitation films on the tvs. Â Saddle up at the bar, order a fink bomb, and talk to the inevitable psychopath who sits next to you.
Only reason this plays gets 4 instead of 5 stars, is it could benefit from a few more cute girls and less 60 year old male weirdos. Â
Still, check it out.
I loved Frankie's!!!!! Staying in Vegas for two nights on a road trip to California for a family wedding. We were staying on the strip so it was a pricey cab ride out to Frankie's but worthwhile. The following criteria were scored on a scale of 1-10
DRINKS: 7 - Drinks were tasty but not particularly complex. Had a Mai Tai to compare to other Tiki stops on the tour. They were pretty damn boozy but in that nice relaxed sort of way. Â Canned fruit garnish - eh. The drinks were solid - not as sophisticated as someplace like Smugglers Cove but definitely yummy and very fitting for the dive bar kind of vibe.
DÉCOR: 10 The décor at Frankie's truly shines. Great Tiki heads greet you at the front door. Lots of work from interesting low-brow artists including Bamboo Bob. Terrific little secluded alcoves, requisite blow fish lamps, awesome vids on the TVs (Think Faster Pussy Cat with hula skirts) Nice and dim - a welcome relief from the blazing Nevada sun.
BARTENDER and STAFF: 8 Friendly warm bartender, greeted us when we sat down, mixed careful tasty drinks.
PRICE: 10 - We hit Frankie's at Happy Hour so drink prices were reduced. After a day on the strip I welcomed the $6(?)-$7 price range. They were generously sized and not over-iced. Definitely a great value.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 9 - I had a great time at Frankie's, to be fair I love friendly dive bars so I was prepared to like this place on general principal. Add the fun art, cool shwag and it was a home run.
TOTAL SCORE: 44
How has it taken me so long to review Frankie's? This is by far, one of my favorite dive-y type spots, here in Vegas.
For me, what this place has going for it is a few specific things: specialty (Tiki) drinks, in cool-as-hell glasses, a killer Tiki theme, and that it's small, which contributes to how you "feel" inside of the place. So ya, I love this spot, but the drop in stars is simply due to one thing: the smoke. Now, I know, we can smoke pretty much anywhere here in Vegas, which I'm totally use to, and I'm not going to argue; it's a bar, people smoke. However, this is like, um, SMOKEY. I mean, there could be not one single person lighting up in the place, and you can feel and smell the pawl of smoke that permeates this place. Like I said, I realize it's a bar, I realize people here might smoke, but I also realize that if I'm coming here, I'm not going to shower FIRST, I'm going to shower AFTER; so prepare yourself for that fact, and you'll have a winning night.
Writing this review reminds me that, I need to go back for a tasty Tiki drink, very soon! If you haven't been, this is a Vegas "Bucket-list" type of joint; it's a local one-of-a-kind!
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