Selling escapism, pop-culture and cocktails, Kiki Lounge started off as a basement bar in 2020 and was met with so much success it was able to relocate to its current prime location in the city’s North Quay.

With its deliberate design contrast to the moodier surroundings outside, the bar makes use of traditional nods to its tropical theme: glass floats hang from the ceiling, bright colours are given small moments to shine, such as the tiles around the bar front, and elements of bamboo and thatch tie the design aesthetic together. But this is no typical tropical-themed bar, with the building’s original features, such as the neo-gothic windows and stone frontage, making themselves known among elements from 80’s and 90’s pop-culture. Guests can spot a disco helmet, a Jar Jar Binks action figure, signed Spice Girls pictures, My Little Pony and a framed picture of Tom Cruise in Cocktail.

Kiki’s venue offers guests the chance to enjoy the space by daylight in the afternoon, where it feels more like a funky pub, while neon lights transform it come sunset, bouncing off the corrugated steel wall and setting the scene for a technicolour disco-esque bar. A charity shop find, a large grandfather cabinet, is the centrepiece of Kiki Lounge’s back bar, and holds a large chunk of the spirit collection on display.

Cocktails are grounded in the classics, with drinks receiving a tropical makeover from the team in both taste and presentation. Bartenders also have the freedom to create new drinks, but with the same parameters that they must taste and look tropical, ensuring everything is in the bar’s house style, with fire and theatrics finding a natural home alongside it.

The bar also boasts a soundtrack that is bold and dynamic, reflective of the time of day. Funk, disco, soul and world music make up most of the playlists while the occasional curveball of a tune lands somewhere between the 90’s and Studio 54.

For a venue intended to be a sunny escape, service is a priority and all guests find they are made to feel at ease immediately with a welcome drink, prepared daily by one of the team. That attention to detail carries right through service, from drink recommendations to genuine interactions, and finishes with the bill presented inside Kiki’s visitors’ book. Guests from around the world have jotted down messages, feedback and a smattering of crude drawings. Tourists will also receive a postcard filled with recommendations for their stay on the island, a point the bar makes to support local business and hospitality.

Unable to find a UK-based supplier willing to transport directionally frozen block ice to the Isle of Man, Kiki Lounge joined forces with an island-based business selling ice sculptures. While this business is so far unable to provide block ice in appropriately cut shapes for cocktails, the bar has invested in an industrial band saw so they can carve their own.

As the only cocktail-centric venue on the Isle of Man, Kiki Lounge has taken on the task of building a community of like-minded hospitality professionals from a naturally small talent pool. To address this, the team have introduced the “Industry Baby” scheme, aimed at cultivating a sense of camaraderie and collaboration amongst all hospitality venues on the island, featuring events, training sessions and even a cocktail competition. The bar also works closely with local charity Isle of Pride, which supports the LGBTQIA+ community through its pride festival and events, and runs training courses for employers and employees on workplace inclusion. For Kiki Lounge’s team, there are comprehensive career development plans in place and coaching sessions led by the co-founder, who has become a qualified coach for this purpose.