Kaona, The Hidden Tiki Room

Hands down the best spot in Miami! If you are in Florida I highly encourage a trip to Miami just to experience the Kaona room! The atmosphere was breathtaking! The food was incredibly delicious! All the drinks looked amazing it was hard to choose but the ones we did pick were served with a fun twist and packed a good punch. Billy’s & Paulo’s hospitality made it hard to leave. Will forever be recommending this place!

Great atmosphere! My wife and I came here for drinks for my birthday tonight and it did not disappoint. Tried several different cocktails and all were delicious!

This tiki bar has a cool atmosphere, fantastic drinks, and an attentive, knowledgeable staff. We had an amazing evening here! It’s a must-visit for tiki aficionados or anyone looking for a fun night out. And don’t miss the Kraken Dog—it’s absolutely delicious!

This speakeasy had the best of bartenders and cocktails and made us an unforgettable night. The bartenders make sure you are hydrated and do not rush you towards ordering more drinks. I would definitely come back soon. Go for the zombie. Drinks lots of water though

We absolutely adored this place! The bartender did an excellent job explaining the options and making recommendations based on my preferences. He was pleasant to interact with and super enthusiastic about his job. Each drink came with a unique presentation. We enjoyed everything we ordered. The ambience was intimate and the theme matched the drinks.

Amazing service, really kind staff and the bar is incredibly cosy and has a great vibe. There is a lot of attention to detail in the bar itself but also in the cocktails in terms of presentation and flavour. The cocktails were the best! It’s rare to have a place where the atmosphere is good, the service is good and the cocktails are amazing. What a gem!! It’s hidden inside the sports bar but you can’t miss it once inside some a staff member will guide the way. Wish I could visit here regularly but sadly I don’t live in Miami!

Great experience!! Loved the place, food was on point and Billy, the bartender, was great. His cocktails were pretty good and we had a great time talking to him. Highly recommend this hidden gem.

I was so excited to visit this place and was really disappointed. We had a reservation for 10:15 and waited for an hour to be invited in. At the one hour mark, i checked to see if they were screwing with us or if it was just a miscommunication. A table was open for us but the young hostess told me "we'll have a place for you in 15 minutes we think". 70 minutes past our reservation time, we were permitted to enter. In one hour we got one drink. The Bastard is a really fantastic cocktail. I was hoping to try something off the menu and a second drink but that seemed to overload our server. It's a fun visit if you're trying to get a good picture, but not if you're looking for anything else. Sorry guys. Wanted to give you a great review.

Great atmosphere and service! A little quiet when I came on a Saturday night but it was a nice vibe with relaxing music.

we absolutely loved the kaona room. outstanding drinks, delicious food and excellent service from Thomas. The kaona room is an entire vibe and i want to live in it.

Definitely recommend reservations and patience. It took about 45 minutes to an hour to get drink orders in and then additional time waiting for the drinks. The servers are very hospitable and have a great attitude. I just think they might need more bartenders to get orders in faster because the drinks do require a lot of work. If you look at the presentation, it is quite elaborate from the actual drink to the table side show. Reservations are highly recommended because of the limited space. We did not have reservations, but the manager was very kind to try to accommodate us although we did have to limit our party due to the size. This is fine because really after you've had a drink or two and experienced the fun ambience, you could drink at the regular bar which has faster service and have a great time there too. I think it's a nice fun place to try at least once.

Seems like we had an off visit. We reserved a table and ended up getting sat 45 minutes after checking in. Once we made it inside the experience was really cool. We were sat at the bar in front of a huge selection of rum from around the world. The lighting and ambiance makes it great for a date or unique night out. The drinks while expensive also included a table side presentation. We decided to order a shareable drink and the bartender proceeded to use dry ice and fire in our drink presentation. Personally I would try another drink if I come back again though.

Somewhat disappointing, considering I loved the old Esotico concept..a friend and I decided to come here to continue the evening or at least enjoy a nightcap. Like the original Esotico venue, the navigation app says Wynwood but it's actually a touch south. We make it to the new concept to the new front, a basic sports bar. A gentleman outside, guessing a promoter, says that it is indeed Kaona and we needed reservations but he would try to get us inside. We were served a couple of complementary alcohol heavy (almost no mixer) drinks that made moonshine seem non-alcoholic, and waited..and waited a little more. With no further acknowledgement, my friend and I made the decision to leave.

This place is attached to Esotico (now known as the Canvas Bar). It has the same style as Esotico and same drink menu. Very similar to Esotico, many of the drinks are frivolous and have some sort of 'flair' element, like smoke or fire. These drinks are aesthetically pleasing but not very strong in my opinion. This place is tiny and hidden, and walking inside completely transports you! They do an excellent job of decking out every corner of the interior and it is all very cohesive. The servers are friendly enough. It is in a bit of an isolated area in Omni- not close enough to other attractions in Downtown OR Wynwood to walk to another bar after. Probably wouldn't return but a nice spot to pop into once to visit!

Unfortunately I can't give much insight on the place because upon arrival, I learned that it's more of a secret speak easy inside of another establishment. We were told we'd have to have reservation. A gentleman told us to go ahead inside we were fine. Once at the door we were again told we couldn't come in. We explained that we were told we were fine without a reservation then we were told it was crowded we can wait to get in when someone leaves. A manager or owner perhaps offered a complimentary cocktail for being understanding and in hopes that we'd wait. We sat for a bit but the place which is more like a sports bar wasn't our vibe especially based on how we were dressed coming from dinner so we decided to head out. I would in fact love to still check out the location under better circumstance.

The atmosphere in this place was so awesome, decor was very detailed. The drink menu was very unique and you can tell the ingredients are very natural and fresh. The drink presentations are a whole experience of their own!

One of the hidden gems of Miami. A true bastion of tiki culture. Strong drinks, perfect decor, great food, everything is perfect. Miami really hasn't had a classic tiki bar until now and it feels like Kaona was plucked out of LA or SanFran and dropped downtown. I love this place. So thankful it exists.

6/5**** not 6 out of 10 hehe Clearly the drinks were so good that the math wasn't mathing that night. I am not sure why but Yelp won't let me edit the original review. GO HERE!!

This was my first tiki experience & I loved it! It was a hidden paradise with amazing service and excellent drinks. I'm still thinking about that coconut!

I'm a huge tiki guy and after doing some research, thought this place would be the best choice of tiki bar that I could check out in Miami. Drinks were decent with nice presentation, the bubbling dry ice coconut was a super aesthetic addition to the vibe. I do feel like with tiki drinks it's easy to over-dilute them since they're on pebble ice and these definitely were missing some flavor due to that. You should shake less and account for how long it'll take the server to bring the drinks in addition to that. Music was a vibe killer. They were playing some super depressing, drone-y sad music. Wasn't really a playlist befitting of a tropical bar or really any bar at all for that matter. Our server was definitely not the best I've had. First off, he seemed like he was stoned or drunk or something. But the service was reallllly slow especially considering the place was half empty all night. When our party was gearing up to leave, I ordered a neat pour of a rum I hadn't tried before. It took them a long time to find the bottle, which is weird but kind of understandable. Then once he brought it to me, I tasted it and said I'd go for it but he replied "nah sip on it and decide for a minute before ordering." Like, what? And then once I confirmed that I, indeed still wanted it 5 min later, it took soooooooo long to actually get my pour of rum. I'd say it took about 30-40 min just to get this one pour of rum. We actually got the check with the rum on it before I even got the rum itself. When we brought this to his attention, he asked what we wanted him to do. Super unusual, you're overseeing our experience so really it should be up to you how you wanna make it right. We just paid for it and went on our way. I don't know that we would come back here. Sucks because this place has lots of potential.

I went here with some friends and loved it! This hidden bar has some truly unique and delicious cocktails. The presentation is beautiful and they taste amazing too. I need to come back soon!

What a fun night - our friend is a big tiki fan and has been wanting to come here for awhile to try one of the rare rums they carry. I went to Esotico a few years ago, but didn't realize they opened a hidden tiki room in the back last year! When the hostess walked us to the back, you walk through a set of doors, that look like it would lead to an employee office or something, but open up to a brilliantly decorated tiki room. Every single cocktail was amazing, they each had their own interesting complexities, and they explained us their special process for aging the rum. The menu had fun graphics and tidbits of tiki history. My favorite drink of the night was the Aku Aku Lapu, which I didn't even think to order, had a sip of my friend's, which led to us ordering another. Many of the drinks involve them rolling over a tiki cart and giving a presentation with sound, fog, and fire. Several of the cups were available for purchase if you want to bring some barware home to start your own tiki collection. While the cocktails are the main star, the food should not be overlooked. In fact, you could eat an entire dinner here. Every single thing we had was so delicious - rock n shrimp, king bao, peanut butter dumplings, fried rice. The sushi boat was well priced, we were pleasantly surprised, given the cool presentation. Last but definitely not least, GET THE RUM CAKE, you know you want to end the night with more fire and alcohol, trust me. Service was superb, they have a massive selection of cocktails, the staff answered all our questions and guided us in the right direction all night. The playlist had vibey 60s esque tiki jams, that matched the atmosphere perfectly. 5 stars for a delightful night on the town, we were having fun for hours!.

The most exciting location I've ever been in Miami. It's obviously hidden because we had no idea where to go when we got there. They really nailed the speakeasy vibe of the tropics. I thought the attire, food, drinks, music, and décor were all excellent. They have a lot of drink options; my partner and I ultimately decided to share the pineapple-shaped drink (shown in the picture), but when the server brings it out ,they create a little show with fire and dry ice. The side dish of pork bao buns was fluffy and had the ideal balance of salty and fruity flavors! You must visit this location to have the experience!

Looks pretty online. Came here on a Friday night with a party of 4 and we were seating very quickly. Small little speakeasy style. The drinks were just TOO sweet! I felt like I was dying I couldn't even finish my drink because it was so bad. The ambiance sucked. The music made you feel like you were in Alice in wonderland, made us so sleepy. Not it if you're looking to get lit at a tiki. Staff was great! That is all.

I love lounges and speakeasies (which there aren't many in Miami) and I think this place is so great. You have to make a reservation to be let in, and the host escorts you to the back, where you are transported to a tiki style room that makes you feel like you're in a part of Hawaii. Each drink comes with a special presentation from the staff that is basically a small show. The peanut butter dumplings, krispy rice, and kraken dog are all delicious. Happy to share this spot but part of me wants to keep it to myself

I loved the kaona room so much that we went twice on our visit to Miami (first and last night!) The whole bar was so beautiful and immersive. You could tell that no expense was spared to create the perfect environment. The bartender was so friendly and the drinks were all very photogenic. Couldn't recommend this place enough. Bonus: the drinks came with a dry ice show!

AMAZING PLACE! The place was absolutely beautiful and the vibes were just what we wanted for a hidden little speak easy. Truly a hidden gem! Lighting and decor was Hawaiian paradise and the music was so calming and agent so perfectly with the place's aesthetic. Atmosphere was so chill and relaxing and we had a wonderful time with our server Thomas who really made our night so enjoyable and calming. The food was so good and the drinks were out of this world!! Will definitely have to return!!

One of the few truly tiki bars in a Florida riddled with chickee hut haunts marketed as tiki, Kaona Room is a crowning achievement in aesthetics, hospitality and cocktails. Daniele Dalla Pola and his son, Billy, imported their warm and generous service from Esotico to the confines of this speakeasy adjacent to the former tropical bar legend with smashing success. The interior vibe is surreal, and true in keeping with purest tiki furnishings and standards (Thatched grass wall covers, flamboyant cocktail presentations and no windows to the outdoor world... ). The Ghost - a clarified Zombie-based offering in very long format - is among the brilliant menu offerings you won't want to miss. Great for any occasion, Kaona brings a slice of lush tropical paradise to you with natural ease and a sense of adventure.

I can't say enough good things about my favorite bar in Miami. My boyfriend and I are tiki bar enthusiasts and Kaona Room is just the BEST. The drinks are all delicious and strong. My personal favorite is the Martini Colada. It's such a smooth cocktail and I've never had anything like it. My boyfriend's favorite is the Navy Grog. The presentation for each drink is always amazing. If you order a tiki bowl, you get a show with flames. The servers are very friendly and shout out to Billy! He always makes us feel so welcome when we're there. We started going to Esotico in 2019 and although we're sad it's not there anymore, at least we have Kaona Room. We will DEFINITELY be back again and again. Oh and if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night, I would recommend making a reservation beforehand or you may have to wait a little bit.

Wow what a beautiful bar. Everything about this place was absolutely beautiful. From the minute you walk in is like your in Hawaii. The cocktails were all presented with a show! What a great experience.

Love speakeasy and the tiki vibe was cute. Drink are all rum based and STRONG! Be ready to feel the alcohol. Some of the food was great some was ok. We had some extremely loud people that disturbed the vibe I'm it otherwise it was cute for a very casual drink out. Cocktail presentation was nice and clean and some very interactive. Wish I could do 3.5 stars

Amazing little tiki bar! The ambiance is great. The moment you walk in, it's very dark with little lighting. There are a lot of cute tiki designed furniture and decor. The bar is fairly small but it wasn't busy when my husband and I were there. The bartender, Billy was absolutely friendly and had great suggestions and very knowledgeable when it comes to the drinks. We had 4 different cocktails and they were sooo good! The cocktails were creative and we enjoyed it all.

A great hidden tiki bar. Didn't try the food, but it looked really good ! The drinks are so good. They are tasty, strong, and I love a good presentation with my drink. The service is amazing. Was greeted with so many smiles & the hospitality was outstanding. The ambiance is everything you'd want in a tiki bar. The jazz music creates a chill relaxing vibe, and the awesome tiki decor everywhere . This place offers 500 different types of rum, which is a great opportunity to try different rums that you haven't been able to. (They have a whole rum flight selection on the menu). Stop by this place, it's a must if you're a tiki enthusiast!

My favorite bar in wynwood. It's a little Hawaiian sanctuary tucked into a quiet spot in wynwood with the best rum-based craft cocktails. Reservations are recommended. The bar staff is so friendly, each and every staff member I interacted with had a great attitude. They truly care about everyone having a great experience from the beginning to end. I'll definitely be back again

Beautiful decor-- like stepping into a time capsule. Drinks are incredibly satisfying and the staff is great. Was lucky enough to share a shot of house rum with one of the owners, and it was an experience from another world!

Kaona Room is a hidden gem in Miami, the ambiance and drinks are amazing but the best part is the service! Everyone makes you feel like you are part of the tiki family and truly appreciated for being there. As a tourist this is always on the list when we are in Miami and has been excellent and consistent each time we've been. Highly recommend, we'd be here everyday if we could!

This place is fire! One of the coolest places in Miami for sure. Great service. Great food & drinks. But the ambience is what really ties everything together. Such a cool experience. Value isn't something you find often in Miami but this place has it. Go early and enjoy the atmosphere, you won't regret it.

Had an amazing time at KAONA room. The drinks are amazing and the food is delicious. The staff were top-notch happy to help and explain the amazing tiki concept that Daniele has designed. Shoutout to Paolo, Giuseppe, and all the staff. Highly recommend for anybody looking for a great night and great drinks in Miami.

This place is the real vibe! Billy and the other guy (sorry) were amazing! Presentation, atmosphere and mostly the cocktails were spot on! What an escape for a Wednesday evening.

This place is amazing. Attentive staff and very hospitable. Personal attention at the bar with Billy who really took care of us with drinks all night and very responsive.

It pains me to only give this place two stars because it has so much potential. It's a really cool speakeasy with a great vibe and delicious drinks with amazing presentation. However, I've been here twice and the service is ridiculously poor. The first time I went the drinks took forever and one of my friends never got his food. The second time I went was just this past Saturday and our greeting by the server was a warning that the service was particularly slow - a terrible sign. And he wasn't kidding - our drinks took at least 35 minutes, to the point that they came after our food arrived. And the table behind us was so upset at the slow service that the gentleman complained to the server and we heard everything. It definitely set a weird tone for the whole night when you know other patrons are upset and you're also getting mediocre service. If you're the owner of Kaona Room: please hire more severs and bartenders. You have great potential but you need to improve your service ASAP!

Hawaiian fried rice is delicious. Enjoyed the bao buns. Thanks for the night, and all the memories!

I had such a great experience here! This truly is a hidden gem. Every single person who works here is extremely kind, friendly, and attentive. The ambience really is incredible. You truly feel as if you are being transported back in time and as if you are on vacation. The decor, live music, and overall ambience really transport you and it feels like a magical haven. The food and drinks are also delicious and beautifully presented! Plus they serve food until about 1 am so it's great finding a place that stays open late serving food. An all around incredible experience!! I'll definitely be returning! Come here if you want to escape Miami and be transported to another time and place!

The vibe in here was so good! The service and everyone who worked here was so wonderful and friendly. The drinks and food were reasonably priced and delicious. There was a problem with our car and our group was actually stranded downtown and everyone working welcomed us to stay and made us feel so comfortable while we figured our situation out. 10/10 would recommend.