Freaky Tiki - Rum Shack Bar — Restaurant in Lisbon

Freaky Tiki is a hidden gem tiki bar and well worth the visit. Whenever I travel I usually do a quick search to locate any tiki or tikiesque bars in a new city visiting Lisbon brought me here. Many modern tiki bars miss the mark or fail in one of the key elements of success; decor, ambience, cocktails, and barware. Freaky Tiki is an exception.

The bar is a small intimate place with only a couple of high top and low top tables. However, the seating is mostly along the walls so one can sit back see the whole room. The space is decorated with tiki themed items, and beach debris wall and ceiling hangers. They have the right balance of beach and tikiesque items to achieve the right feel.

The ambience is also great. The decor, small space, limited seating add to their success. Also there is only one tv, while in some circles a tv breaks the escape space of a tiki bar the choice to show old pink panthers cartoons was a really nice touch. In another break from recent experiences, the music was great. The playlist wasn't modern pop or hiphop. Instead there was a thematic mix of mellow music that supported or was adjacent to the theme of the bar. Lounge and light jazz also supported and provided background instead of dominating the space or preventing discussion.

The bartender Dela was great. This place is small and served by only one person. He greeted all the customers when they arrived, was knowledgable about the drinks and how they were made, and answered any questions that were directed at him. He also had a personal interest in tiki and tiki culture. Not only was he able to talk about how he made the drinks but was also open to talking about variations and other versions of similar drinks. Freaky Tiki also had a very solid foundation. The drinks are all custom made, no batch drinks or premade offerings. All the cocktails are made one at a time specific to the customer. While the bar doesn't make all of their syrups the fact that they make some of them from scratch and continue to use fresh produce is a great maintenance of tiki past and a welcome break from commercialized mass produced cocktails. The ones syrups they do order are top of the line products. All the cocktails I tried were top notch. The cocktail list is small, but this means that you are getting a drink made with fresh juice and garnishes.

The bar also uses stemware, glasses, and mugs appropriate to the drink ordered. I have been in several places where the tiki mugs behind the bar are for decoration and not actual usage. This place is giving you the opportunity to imbibe straight from the barware tiki is known for. So don't steal them!

Overall Freaky Tiki is a great bar for anyone interested in the cult of tiki. The small space is a bonus in that you get a custom drink and personal attention. This is not a spot to be missed for the tiki lover who visits Lisbon. Tell them Tiki Tom from Boston sent you and have some...

As a mixology enthusiast/home bartender, this place was a must-visit for us during our time in Lisbon, and I’m so glad we stopped by.

Bruno made us some delicious cocktails that pretty much converted us into rum fans. I got to chat with him and he even recommended some books and introduced us to probably one of the best rums I’ve ever tried (it’s Lang's banana-flavored rum, in case you were wondering. The pineapple one is really yummy too.)

The tiki-inspired decor, complete with tropical accents and music transports you to a distant paradise, making it the perfect backdrop for enjoying your carefully crafted cocktails.

Confession time: as soon as I landed back home, I bought us a few bottles, ingredients and even some tiki mugs in an attempt to recreate our experience

My stop here was undeniably one of the highlights from my trip to Lisbon and I can’t wait to return whenever we...

One of the best hidden gems in Lisbon- take your friends or date here if you want to impress them with your insider knowledge of Lisbon spots. You couldn’t ask for better quality drinks surrounded by the most atmospheric old school tiki vibes! Honestly the drinks are next level, down to the handcrafted glasses and the presentation. They have the most impressive collection of unique rums you can’t find anywhere else. If you like Lychee, I highly recommend the Freaky Lychee. Bruno is a fantastic host and always takes care of us and makes us feel like VIPs every time. Not...