A mai tai glass from the Shores of Carcosa. Graphics feature an artist rendering of a Carcosan landscape with tentacles and Chinese Breezeway Tiles/Temple Tiles.

Carcosa is a fictional city in Ambrose Bierce's short story "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" (1886). The ancient and mysterious city is barely described and is viewed only in hindsight (after its destruction) by a character who once lived there.

American writer Robert W. Chambers borrowed the name "Carcosa" for his stories (The King In Yellow), inspiring generations of authors to similarly use Carcosa in their own works. These works are all grouped under the general heading of the Lovecraft Mythos and typically feature The King In Yellow, Hastur the Unspeakable, and Lake Hali.