Don the Beachcomber - Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Don the Beachcomber's Chicago location was a legendary hotspot on the Chicago restaurant scene for decades. It opened on May 1st, 1940, and was open at least until the late '60s, probably later. It was in Chicago's Magnificent Mile neighborhood, about where the Four Seasons Hotel is today.

The building had a simple entrance, with a large neon sign in the trademark Don the Beachcomber driftwood sign shape. Inside, the restaurant had several rooms: the Tahitian Room and the Zombie Room were dining rooms, and the Cannibal Room was the bar. The bar had striking black posts carved with a stacked trio of Tahitian cannibal tikis. The whole restaurant was thoroughly encrusted with bamboo, and float lamps and beachcomber lamps were everywhere.

One of the key bartenders at the Chicago Don the Beachcomber, Mariano Licudine, eventually went on to lead the bar program at the Mai-Kai in Fort Lauderdale, bringing drinks in the Don the Beachcomber style with him that can still be tasted there today.

Type
Bar & Restaurant
Address
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Permanently Closed?
Yes

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No one has visited this tiki bar.

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Source
Critiki
Source URL
critiki.com

Import Meta

Source
Critiki
Source URL
critiki.com
Date
2020-04-23 08:09:01

Entry Meta

Date Created
23 Apr 2020
Date Updated
10 Jan 2023
Author
mytikilife
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