About Max’s South Seas Hideaway!

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Experience a unique, world-class immersive experience for friends, co-workers, or a romantic escape.

Our two-story urban oasis features an immersive dining and drinking experience designed to transport guests to a distant tropical paradise bathed in perpetual twilight.

Max’s features an original interior design from Bamboo Ben and Notch Gonzalez, two of the best-known tiki artisans in the world, along with a giant collection of vintage and modern tiki art and decor.

Meet The Crew Latest News

Meet The Crew

Max’s is a passion project for owners Mark Sellers, founder of HopCat; Martin Cate, a James Beard award-winning author, bar owner and expert mixologist; and Gecko, a renowned Hawaii-based tiki and Polynesian artist.

A team of skilled tradespeople and artists, working in conjunction with local contractors Wolverine Construction and Phoenix Construction, has spent months transforming the historic three-story building into a Polynesian Pop fantasy world. Max’s will also feature Sellers’s collection of mid-century and modern tiki artifacts— one of the largest collections of its kind in the world.

Mark Sellers

A native of Grand Rapids who created the award-winning HopCat, which BeerAdvocate.com called one of the Best Beer Bars on the Planet. GQ Magazine once called the burgers at Sellers’ Stella’s Lounge in Grand Rapids the best in the nation. His passion for tiki first went public in 2017 with the opening of TikiCat, a “hidden” tiki bar in the basement of HopCat in Kansas City. That year TikiCat went on to be named “Best Tiki Bar in the World” by the readers of Critiki.com. Sellers owns one of the largest and most valuable collections of vintage tiki art and memorabilia (some of which we’ll have on display at Max’s).

Martin Cate

Our cocktail menu was overseen by James Beard award-winning mixologist Martin Cate who also supervised the training of our team and equipment design. The Times of London called Smuggler’s Cove one of the “Greatest Bars on Earth” – one of several international accolades the bar has received over the years. Cate is also the co-owner of Whitechapel in San Francisco, Hale Pele in Portland, False Idol in San Diego, and a partner in Lost Lake in Chicago.

Gecko

The founder of South Sea Arts on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, this master craftsman has now expanded his repertoire to include collectible tiki mugs, authentic Polynesian art, artifact replicas, and custom work for individual and corporate clients. Born on the islands, Gecko carved pieces for musicians, restaurants, and homes all over the globe.