Burt’s Tiki Lounge

Only reason I didn’t give ol’ Burt’s 1 star is it is what is advertised so no surprises. What can I say about Burt’s? Is it the charm of bartenders taking time away from slinging beers to count tips in front of you as the barbacks shrug at you? Perhaps it’s the unmistakable aroma of vomit in the back half of the bar and strong BO coming from the doormat at the front that blows in on a cold night? Don’t forget the fun of dodging the occasional UNM student or other downtown dweller running full-​speed through the bar to vomit wherever they land.
Ahh Burt’s how happy you make me that I am no longer 21 and barhopping.

Has changed since I was here awhile back, but still a fun little dive bar.
Live music often and plenty of seating.

Came in late on a Friday night and you would have thought it was a Grateful Dead reunion. Everyone in the bar had dredlocks, tye-​dye and sandals. The band was playing folk/​funk. The place was packed and some lady tried to sell her earrings to my wife so she could get another drink. We stayed for one drink. The place seemed pretty dirty. As we were leaving the bouncers outside were tending to a seemingly REALLY drunk girl laying on the ground with blood all over her face. There were about six people standing around her smoking cigarretes. I guess this type of situation is not unusual for this place.

Burt’s can be fun, but also more than a little rough around the edges. They serve excellent and creative mixed drinks and everything is bargain priced for their crusty clientele. You can catch free live music here nightly, from an extreme variety of local and underground musicians. This is a favorite watering hole for your local punk scene, and it smells the part. Bathrooms are constructed of tin roofing with the men’s room heavily adorned in touring band stickers and centerfolds of scantily clad women. Beware to anyone who is Looking for a classy joint, you won’t find it here, but they don’t want your type around to begin with. Pull up a seat in your Levi’s jacket covered street punk patches and you’ll be right at home. Protip: grab a friend, buckle your seat belts, and order a volcano bowl. You just might end up passed out on the street outside.

Nice dive bar. Music was a DJ when I was there. Not the best DJ. The bartenders are nice and the service was very good.

I’ve lived in ABQ for 12 years. There used to be lots of great bars, but sadly most closed. Even though Burt’s Tiki Lounge is divey and dingy, it is one of the few places to see local live music of all kinds. We used to have a great music scene, then people seemed to stop caring because it would either be too crowded or too dead.
I like Burt’ s. The staff can sometimes be slow, but it is usually a pretty entertaining place considering what options are available to us. They also help travelling bands. Drinks are cheap as well. There is only a line on Thursdays typically, and this is because it is college indie dance night. Wednesdays are hip-​hop night. The weekend should always give a good show.
The new stage set up is awesome (reminds me of the Dingo Bar), perfect for a great rocking show. The new staff needs to be trained a little better on how to handle big crowds however.

It’s a dive bar. It’s dark, dirty and slightly run down inside.
The drinks are good, the tables and walls are literally covered with interesting things to look at and it’s a fun atmosphere.
Cons– the bands really, really suck sometimes and are deafening. If they are bad, you can’t escape how bad they are.

The tiki bar where nobody knows now to make a Singapore sling. Otherwise a nice respite from the norm of downtown ABQ bars.
Live music most I think almost every night.

Good place to hear live music now that they moved the stage. Really good tiki drinks. Moderately priced beers and drinks. The only issue I have with the place is that when it gets busy it’s hard to get a drink. So double fist it.

Burt’s is definitely my favorite Albuquerque bar.
This was the first tiki-​themed bar I’d ever been to. I must say, Burt’s set the bar high. I moved back to Cleveland after a year in New Mexico and went to a place here that was allegedly a tiki bar. Burt’s ruined everything for me! I found myself being like «where is the volcano bowl of the extremely strong flaming punch that we split? Where is the darkness, the atmosphere, the group of people dancing to strange trance music?» Needless to say, it fell short for me.
Burt’s is always a good time. If I’m ever back in the area, you better believe it’s the first place I’ll stop!

Cool little place with friendly staff

This was my first trip to Burt’s. Hell, I’d been hearing off and on that this place was closed! Well, it’s not. Interesting crowd, definitely influenced by the band selection. But cool. No cover charge was nice. Eclectic décor. Good beer selection, both on tap and in bottles. Bartenders were very nice. Music was insanely loud, so if you want to have any type of conversation, move towards the back of the place and its all good.

This bar is awesome. They almost always have live music and no cover. There are so many interesting things to see on the wall. I’ve been going there for years and there is still times I look and see something new.
They have something new on special, a great way to try out new drinks.
Don’t forget to try the volcano bowl which is served on fire!

I love Burt’s tiki lounge. The drinks are awesome the venue is great. The tip I give you is go early and get a table instead of ordering at the bar. The people behind the bar take forever to get your drink or even acknowledge you unless you lay a tip right away. That’s the reason I docked a star. However if you get a table, the table side assistance person will keep checking on you and keep those drinks coming. The drinks are super strong which is a plus for me and they are really good mixed drinks to try. I like the Bermuda Triangle but all their drinks are good. You should go ASAP, I heard they are closing down :(

I’d heard a lot of horror stories before coming here. Someone I spoke to before arriving said, «Just don’t smell the carpet,» which was strange advice for reasons I need not explain.
What I found though, was something reminiscent of the bowels of a pirate ship, rife with characters just as liable to slit your throat as hand you a drink. Ok, maybe it was really just the ceilings and walls that gave off the vibe, because their was a guy in a bright red polo and white slacks looking more like he belonged on his granddaddy’s yacht then on a pirate ship, but still, this place seems to have a dark element.
I’d been sold on going here by another reviewers mention of a great craft beer selection; I think him either generous or drunk because the selection here was far from great. There were about 6 different beers in bottles that could be considered craft, and then some Budweiser equivalents from around the world (33 from Thailand is the only one I can remember) and then Marble Brews on tap. This is all fine and dandy but can’t hold a candle to Sister, Back Alley Draft House, or Anodyne which are all a stones throw away.
Still, I found the bartender friendly, the live music superb and the tv showing a horror movie to be a nice addition. But I still can’t say if any of these aspects were enough to bring me back here.
I’d say it’s best as stop number one or two on a night of bar-​hopping; the place where you go to pre-​game before moving on to greener pastures.

I love tiki bars. Burt’s, despite the name, is not a true tiki bar. It has tropical cocktails, it has a tiki motif, but there’s nothing but punk rock and metal blaring out of this place. With an occasional electro-​trance song thrown in.
You can find cheap drinks here, and you can find an assortment of fruity tropical drinks. I like both of these things. When the bar is slower, you can get great service. Take note: when this place gets busy, avoid buying the fruity drinks. They take time to make, and when there’s a crush of folks at the bar, this is a recipe for disaster. And Burt;s does get busy with a younger crowd of folks lookin’ to get liquored up and listed to some loud music.

One of the first spots I hit in Albuquerque (which is a surprisingly fun town). Love the vibe in this place. It’s mellow, young… but not that young. I wouldn’t really call it a Tiki Bar. It’s more of a Dive Bar mixed with a Tiki influence. Good beer and liquor selection, great music, and a great location with other spots nearby.

If you dont feel like getting dressed up and dealing and listening to Rap I would suggest coming here its a funky bar/​club and the crowd is usually laid back and friendly they usually have some good beer specials on PBR

Jedem der mal nach Albuquerque kommt möchte ich dieses Lokal besonders ans Herz legen. Spaßige junge Zielgruppe, tolle Cocktails und (zu minntest Donnerstags) immer tolle Livemusik. Schade dass es so etwas nicht bei uns gibt.

If you want to have fun, this is the place for you. Anyone looking for a «NICE» tiki lounge should go somewhere else. This is one of the best dive bars in the US. It actually made the list in Esquire a couple years ago.
Grungy goodness.
Sweetest bartenders ever.
Great booze selection.
Good mixed drinks.
Good craft beer selection.
Fast service.
Thursday nights get a little crazy, and CLKCLKBNG puts on a good set each week. Best place for a insanely fun night.

So here’s the deal…
I am a certified Connoisseur of all things tiki. (I can even spell connoissuer. Impressed?)
I say that to explain a bit about my impression of this place. The decour was fully what you would expect for a tiki bar. I don’t even have to make a concession for the fact that it’s something like a thousand miles from the nearest ocean.
The drink menu was perfect. 1 of everything you would expect. Even some stuff I was stoked to try for the first time. That’s where my stoke, kind of took a turn.
The glasses were garden variety, buy at Party City type. Understandable, and even forgiveable for a big bar that does lot’s of live music. The drink in them was totally unexcusable. How bad?
I switched to beer… in a tiki bar. It could have been a new bartender though. As I said, I like tiki, and I tend to be a little harsh on those that use the right names, but don’t even try to duplicate the by gone greatness of strong, sweet, tasty, traditional drinks.
The screaching cat album that was in play while we were there was a little rough too. But we were on vacation, so it gave us something else to laugh about.
After all that, I’d go back. Why? I like the layout, I like the potential, and I think if I could get in on a slow night, I might be able to straighten out the bartender. Really, who uses Cruzan rum and calls it a real cocktail. Even the bums outside were super helpful and polite.
But most of all, I’d go back because it was an island of tiki atmosphere in the middle of the desert.