Tiki Tomb, BOMA on Bree’s strictly 25+ basement bar

Dive into the tropical setting where everyone’s all in to party

Last updated: 23 October 2024

Totem mugs. Rum cocktails like Jungle Bird and Drunken Monkey. Tunes that take you into the night, where the night can start early and happily ends late. Tiki-Oke on Wednesdays and DJs on the weekends.

This is Tiki Tomb, the underground basement bar with a decked-out tiki bar interior (look for the carved wooden door and red neon sign between Burger & Lobster and BOMA on Bree). Tiki Tomb is fully committed to giving you a good time, as we learned when we partied there on Saturday night.


Tiki Tomb is underneath BOMA on Bree. Image: The Tiki Tomb

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN MEETS BEACH BAR

“Tiki Tomb was built from the ground up because there’s no existing tiki culture in South Africa yet,” says Pini MacDonald, head of marketing and media at The Firm. The tiki bar era started gaining popularity in the 1930s, with the first tiki bar in California.

The immersive shipwreck and island beach bar decor, the Polynesian iconography, and rum-based cocktails served in elaborate tiki mugs, are some of what give a tiki bar its unique charm.

So do the curious treasures, which are everywhere at Tiki Tomb, from the buoy-like technicolour globes on the ceiling to the shark teeth under the glass bar and the roped legs of the bar tables. The hulking tiki totems that guard the bar were all hand-carved in a small village in Mozambique.

The bar at Tiki Tomb is something to marvel at. Image: The Tiki Tomb 

DJ EVERY NIGHT PLAYING CROWD-PLEASERS

Tiki Tomb has a carefree energy, which is stoked by the DJ of the night, who plays music that brings everyone to the dance floor. “You'll hear a mix that echoes the upbeat energy of a wedding playlist – 80s and 90s hits, alternative, indie, old school house classics, cheesy sing-along tracks, rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and disco.”

The DJs play all the hits from across the decades. Image: The Tiki Tomb

TIKI COCKTAIL CLASSICS & TOTEM MUGS

The tiki drinks are seriously delicious, and all the classics are there: Like the Zombie, which comes in a grimacing porcelain totem (made with lime, grenadine and Falernum, a Caribbean liquor). Or the Painkiller, with pineapple, orange and coconut cream, served in a goblet with its tongue sticking out.

There are seven tiki cocktails in total, including the Drunken Monkey, which is served in a holed-out monkey’s skull. Of course other drinks of your choice are there too, like Margaritas and Vanilla Whiskey Sours.

Each of the tiki-inspired cocktails are served in unique mugs. Image: The Tiki Tomb

TIKI-OKE WEDNESDAYS & HAPPY HOUR

An underground bar with karaoke makes absolute sense. Tiki-Oke Nights take place every Wednesday from 8pm. Singers who brave the stage get free shots, and there is a new host every week.

During Tiki Tomb’s happy hour, every Wednesday to Saturday 8pm to 9pm, you can enjoy 2-for-1 deals on beer, spirits and Tiki shots. There’s tropical options like Psychedelic Spice (chilli-infused tequila and pineapple), Passion Trip (vodka, passionfruit and lemon) and Aloha (rum, pineapple, lime and cinnamon).

The only thing better than karaoke? Tiki-oke! Image: The Tiki Tomb

BANGING BIRTHDAY PARTY VENUE

You know what Tiki Tomb is perfect for? Special celebrations, milestone birthday parties and bachelor and bachelorette parties, because the crowd is so jovial. You can book the Chief's Hut or the Hula Hut, the bottle service areas that people often book for celebrations (for up to 15 people). It’s private enough and still close enough to the action because everything faces the dance floor.

The Chief’s Hut for a private party: The Tiki Tomb

THE COMBO: START AT BOMA, END AT TIKI TOMB

You can come straight to Tiki Tomb, which opens at 8pm, or start with dinner at BOMA on Bree right next door. BOMA is a feast for the eyes, and stomach, too. Like Tiki Tomb it’s distinctly decorated, with cacti, weathered stone pots and photos of African plains. Here are the 10 things that will keep you coming back to BOMA on Bree.

Evening plans: Tick. Dinner at BOMA before heading downstairs to party at The Tiki Tomb. Image: BOMA on Bree

VISIT TIKI TOMB

The Tiki Tomb is open: Wednesday till Saturday, 8pm till 2am
Find it: 107A Bree Street (entry is through the wooden door to the left ofBOMA on Bree) 
Book: Call 021 109 0039 for table and booth bookings
Cotact on: @thetikitomb, The Tiki Tomb Facebook page

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EXPLORE MORE OF CAPE TOWN’S NIGHTLIFE 

Read our guide to Bree Street.  

These are some of the most curious cocktails in Cape Town.  

Check out some of the hottest nightclubs and bars in the city.  

Here's our guide to events happening this week(end).

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