UnderTow Is the Best Tiki Bar in Phoenix
Undertow
Here’s the gist—UnderTow is a tiny tiki bar dressed up like the interior of a some kind of pirate-era merchant vessel. It creaks like an old ship would, it looks like an old ship would (in Disneyland), and it has port holes on the sides with animated screens of the ocean. They’re not quite hyper-realistic, but they’re real enough to set the perfect mood. And once an hour, a thunderstorm rolls in that triggers some high-quality tiki pizazz. Oh, and the drinks rule. Whether you like juicy umbrella drinks or stirred drinks with some bite, they have something for your taste buds. Just don’t get the zombie unless you’re looking to have that kind of night (it’s a full diesel, super delicious tiki cocktail, but you’ll feel it for sure).
Gilbert / E. Chandler - 3150 E Ray Rd
Camelback East - 3626 E Indian School Rd
Awards + Accolades
Spirited Awards
2023: Best New US Cocktail Bar | UnderTow Gilbert - Top 10
2023: Best U.S. Bar Team: U.S. West - Regional Top 10
2019: Best US Bar Team - Regional Top 10
2019: Best US Cocktail Bar - Regional Top 10
2018: Best US Cocktail Bar - Regional Top 10
2017: Best New US Cocktail Bar - Top 10
AZ Central
2024: 25 Best Bars
Eater
2024: 14 Vital Phoenix Bars
Phoenix Magazine
2023: Best New Cocktail Bar | UnderTow Gilbert
2022: Best Tiki Drinks
2021: Hottest Reservation in Town
2019: Best Cocktail Bar
Phoenix New Times
2024: Top 100 Bars
2023: Top 100 Bars
2022: Best Tiki Bar
2021: Best Bar Reboot
2020: Best Bartenders | Jason Asher and Rich Furnari
2019: Best Tiki Bar
2018: Best Tiki Bar
2017: Best Tiki Bar
2016: Best Bartender | Keifer Gilbert
What to Get
In Honor of Nameless Days
For a true conversation starter, try In Honor of Nameless Days, a complex mix of extra anejo tequila, arrack, Mexican rum, pibil-spiced plantain, poblano pepper, coconut, pineapple, lime and Mayan gold — served in a colorful feathered jaguar skull.
- Phoenix New Times
Stirred Bird
The Stirred Bird is the best example of their success. Taking its cues from the original, the drink combines a spice-y rum blend with rum distilled from pineapples, in place of the juice, Campari, pineapple-infused sugar syrup, a few drops of acid phosphate for mild acidity, and oils expressed from a lime peel garnish, which combine to imitate the characteristics of lime juice.
- Shelby Moore, Phoenix New Times
Mai Tai
Another underground tiki bar offering a fun atmosphere and great cocktail menu, Undertow kicks out quite a mean drink or two. Though they have a slew of signature cocktails, a portion of their drink menu is dedicated to the storied classics. Topping the list is the Mai Tai, which the menu dutifully notes was established in 1944. They mix overproof Jamaican rum, aged rum from Martinique, curacao, and lime. Get it in a classic wooden tiki mug if you can, and we’ll see you on the other side.
Zombie
Though it's one of the last drinks on the underground tiki bar's extensive 18-page menu, the zombie is a classic cocktail. At UnderTow, it's served in a custom glass and has become a mainstay of the menu, carrying over all three iterations of the ever-evolving list.
- Tirion Morris, AZ Central
