1920s Speakeasy-Style Lounge Coming to Downtown Tacoma

If you love craft cocktails, live jazz, and places that feel like you’ve stepped into another era… downtown Tacoma is about to get something different.

Ricky’s Lounge is preparing to open on Tacoma Avenue South, bringing a true 1920s and ’30s speakeasy vibe to the city’s nightlife scene.

🥃 A Return to the Prohibition Era

This won’t be a bright, sports-bar-style hangout.

Ricky’s Lounge is being designed to feel:

• Dark and intimate

• Moody and atmospheric

• Classic and intentional

Plans include a tin ceiling, low lighting, vintage finishes, and jazz music that leans into the Prohibition-era aesthetic. The goal isn’t just to open another bar, it’s to create an experience.

The owner has emphasized one thing above all: consistency.

The cocktail program will focus on high-end classics, especially the old fashioned, with a commitment to delivering the same quality drink every time, no matter who’s behind the bar.

🍸 More Than Just Cocktails

While drinks are front and center, Ricky’s Lounge plans to layer in additional elements to create a full evening destination:

• Rotating authentic Mexican food offerings

• Live jazz and themed music nights

• Special event programming

• Even occasional tarot card readings

It’s a mix of old-world charm and modern nightlife experimentation, something Tacoma hasn’t seen much of in recent years.

📍 Why It Matters for Downtown

Downtown Tacoma’s nightlife has been steadily rebuilding and evolving.

From sports bars to rooftop lounges to small music venues, the area continues to experiment with new concepts. A true speakeasy-style bar adds a different lane, one that leans into storytelling, ambiance, and craft over volume and screens.

If executed well, Ricky’s Lounge could become one of those places people bring out-of-town guests to show off Tacoma’s creative side.

⏳ Opening Timeline

The lounge is expected to open within the next couple of months, pending final permits and inspections. As with most new hospitality projects, timing can shift, but momentum appears to be moving forward.

For cocktail lovers and downtown regulars, this is one to keep an eye on.

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