“Louisville feels like Hawaii in the summer, and when it’s not summer, we’re going to be that oasis when you need it.” The Limbo will be open seven days a week, even Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the aim is to have some sort of programming each night, ranging from burlesque to DJs to live music and swing dancing. “A tiki bar was obvious for me,” she said. Griffin has owned the The Mysterious Rack hat shop on South Fourth Street since 2014, so she knows the “SoFo” area well. Swathes of fisherman’s netting are suspended from the ceiling, which will house an array of glittery sea creatures very soon: “450 starfish will be arriving any day now,” Griffin said excitedly, as she explained that there will likely be new memorabilia each time we visit The Limbo. Through the dim, ambient light and candle flames, vibrant tones of aqua and magenta on the walls encircle vintage bamboo and wicker furniture that is upholstered with cushions covered in tropical leaves. The entrance can be found only by reading a chalkboard on Chestnut Street’s sidewalk (Griffin hopes to have neon signage and even a tropical mural in the future). “The best for me are the ones where you can’t see from the outside, and you walk in and feel completely transported,” said Griffin.Īnd transported we were upon transcending The Limbo’s threshold, located just behind Craft Gallery on South Fourth Street.

Griffin seems to deeply value that the art of the cocktail remains a practice that blends history with innovation in the simple slurp of a Mai Tai (The Limbo’s is served with a brulee’d orange garnish, by the way, and it’s fucking divine). Retro-style and classic cocktails intertwining have long fascinated Griffin, and before she became the proprietress of The Limbo, she hosted events that featured both. Griffin, whose career trajectory began with bartending (and actually attending bartending school) while in costume design school in San Francisco, first developed a love affair with the classic tiki bar in her 20s, befriending a crowd of vintage and rockabilly-loving folk at her favorite watering hole and Bay-area tropical lounge, Smuggler’s Cove. It fills an aqua-colored void, if you will, and I’m ready for the sea vibes and humidity. The Limbo is a welcome, warm departure from Louisville’s icy winter and a collection of bars that some might consider more of the same. Chestnut St.), every detail would ooze perfect, retro panache - from the mermaid wallpaper to the “Titty Tiki Tuesdays” burlesque shows, and to the delectable, shaved coconut rim on the classic Painkiller cocktail. With such a clear and well-curated style, it’s no surprise that when Griffin decided to open Louisville’s only tiki bar, The Limbo (411 W.

In fact, she could be sporting all these items at once and yet somehow, they work seamlessly, channeling her true essence - a glorious collision of vintage meets neon meets fashion-forward funk. It’s true that one could spot her from a mile away, as she’s frequently adorned in faux fur, sequins, a colorful kimono or a billowing head-piece draped atop whichever dazzling neon hair color she may be flaunting at the moment.

Limbo bar naranjito