General Lee's Bamboo Room
1 Aug 2026
OK, so third tiki bar in one day in LA: this time General Lee's Bamboo Room. This place just opened in the past month, and we were sent here by the hostess at the Tonga Hut. We got there fairly late (10 PM) after a long day of tiki bars and dinner. The place had a live DJ and was just starting to get busy when we got there. The music was not terrible, but more club music than tiki for sure. We were able to get a drink fairly quickly. The decor was pretty spare with a few booths and a lot of open space for dancing. Walls lined with wicker/bamboo, and ceiling had brass colored decorative tiles. Very cool bar backsplash. The menu had classic tiki drinks and some new and interesting concoctions. All four of our drinks were quite good and unique. I really enjoyed the Jade Smoke (Mezcal, lemongrass, kiwi, and lemon.) However, by the time we were thinking about a second cocktail each, the place had filled to bursting with young club folks and I gave up on the fight to elbow my way to the front of the mass of humanity to the bar. There were two bartenders and 2 barbacks and they could not keep up with the demand. Vibe 4/10. Drinks 9/10. Service 6/10. Overall Tiki-tastic score 4.5/10. I wonder what this place might be like on a slower weekday night...
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Tiki Bar
General Lee's Bamboo Room
Los Angeles, California, United States
Opened in June 2026, in the former Mom's Bar location.
This is an offshoot of the original General Lee's bar located at 475 Gin Ling Way in Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA.
From General Lee's (at Gin Ling Way):
"Bamboo Room started as a one-night tiki takeover during Chinatown Summer Nights, the kind of party people kept asking us to throw again. So we built it a home. On Santa Monica Boulevard, the doors open onto carved wood, layered light, and no view of the street. Rum and baijiu share top billing, the drinks get the same care as the Chinatown original, and the outside world can wait until last call."
The interior space has an impressive build-out with lots of bamboo, lauhala matting, and tin ceilings. It is sleek and open, and has a DJ booth in one corner, built to function as a dance club.
However, there is a row of cozy booths for those not looking to dance (at least not at the moment).
What is missing are the accompanying tiki carvings or artwork that one would expect from a traditional tiki bar. This, despite self-labeling themselves as a "Tiki Escape".
The emphasis is on the drinks, though, and their cocktail menu has a good array of both classic and original tiki cocktails. It has been been well-received and many praise this new addition to the West Side.