Category: Tiki Bar

Posted on

Tweaks at The Tonga Room

Mrs. Mai Tai and I had a couple weekend events in San Francisco so made it a staycation weekend. We started with dinner at The Tonga Room on Friday, arriving for our reservation right at opening and seated along the water with our friends Kristi and Jessie.

There are still a lot of things going well here, including our server Ahmad who was on top of everything during our visit. I was interested in checking the Mai Tai, but knowing that they batch some of the drinks I thought I’d take Ahmad on his prompt that the bartenders can make anything by asking for a Mai Tai with Jamaican rum rather than the Bacardi rums it normally comes with. I figured they would use Appleton Signature which is exactly what they used, with the overall result being just okay but at least they didn’t charge me anything extra.

I had better luck with the full-flavored Fair Fashioned, featuring rye and amaro. Mrs. Mai Tai’s Seafoam Espresso Martini was also pretty good as was the vodka-based Divine Dragon. The Tropical Itch was also quite good, the kind of complex tiki drink that Tonga sometimes had trouble with in the past. The revised cocktail menu sadly drops the Tiki Hunter which was our favorite, though the prices are a little lower than last time. A little.

We did enjoy the food as well, though my Ahi Tuna came in sort of a weird format with little chips. The side of fried rice was a good addition and the tiki noodles and veggie duo featured large portions.

The fine for jumping into the pool remains $1000, though more notably the cover charge for when the band plays is now $20 per person, which we feel is far too much and hence why we come early before they start at 7:00. We felt the overall value was a little better than our last visit, and though it is still very expensive here for dinner and drinks we do enjoy visiting for the vibe, decor, and frequent thunderstorms.

Posted on

Tiki Tom’s Ultimate Mai Tai is Still Great

We had another wonderful visit to Walnut Creek to have a family dinner and drinks at Tiki Tom’s. They don’t do reservations on the weekends but we only had to wait around 10-15 mins for a table.

We did very well with the food including a fantastic smash burger with kalua pork. Even better were our cocktails including a couple Ultimate Mai Tais that are still made correctly to spec and taste great. I also enjoyed a Tiki Negroni that comes with Jamaican rum and a bit of amaro. Quinn enjoys a good Navy Grog and said that Tiki Tom’s made it the way it should be.

We still love the Ohana Punch, which does include bits of walnuts and apples. Our server made sure to note this is a little chunky so patrons should avoid it if those little bits aren’t your thing. There’s also a new Espresso Tikini, though we suggest avoiding the option to use Bailey’s in place of coffee liqueur.

The tropical music and vibes remain at Tiki Tom’s, nice and cool inside as well. It’s an indoor and immersive tiki bar that all fans of the genre should be sure to check out.

Posted on

New Format for Mai Tai Day 2026 at Trader Vic’s Emeryville

Mai Tai Day is the day each year where we celebrate the birth of the world’s greatest cocktail and the man who invented it, Trader Vic Bergeron. The date is based on Oakland’s 2009 Mai Tai Day proclamation, the city where the Mai Tai was invented.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville has been hosting ticketed Mai Tai Day celebrations since 2019, with varying degrees of scope depending on the year. A couple years ago it was the 80th anniversary so there was a three-day celebration including a “Black Tai” event that was all-inclusive in the restaurant along with a dressy theme. In most years, Mai Tai Day has featured a festival vibe with vendors and performances in the parking lot plus drink and food stations inside.

Trader Vic’s Emeryville recently announced this year’s theme and a different scope for event ticketing.

Mai Tai Day 2026: Mai Tais then Fly

Flight departs August 30th. Destination: paradise.

Mai Tai Day 2026 is an all-inclusive tropical takeover: themed rooms, Tahitian dancers & drummers, rum tastings, island food, and enough Mai Tais to forget you never left the Bay.
3PM – 8PM. 21+. Limited seats. This one will sell out.

This one-day event seems to be similar to the Black Tai event with an all-inclusive food/drink format and ticket price of $200 plus fees. This setup will provide for a more intimate experience but has also generated some consternation from some previous attendees who are balking at the high entry price. That’s certainly understandable, especially for those who won’t drink their “money’s worth” of Mai Tais and other cocktails. We will see if this actually sells out or not, and whether this format works better for Trader Vic’s, but in any case we’ll see you there.

The travel theme seems to be paying homage to the Oakland Airport and Kona Hawai’i locations that are opening in the near future. The airport location is supposed to open very soon, though several rumored April and May openings have passed. The Kona location is connected to a refreshed Hampton Inn by Hilton Kailua-Kona Bay property that is taking reservations for October, and the venue just launched their website and Instagram profile @tradervicskona.

Posted on

Livermore’s Latest Popup: Lost on Pigeon Island

Livermore’s Fat Pigeon has launched their latest themed popup experience, the pirate, tropical, and tiki inspired Lost on Pigeon Island. As with their previous popups, you can expect thematic decor and cocktails inspired by the theme.

When initially announced, this seemed to lean heavily on pirates, but in practice it is much more of a beach themed experience with tropical and tiki elements. The music includes surf, reggae, and Jimmy Buffett, and there are inflatable sea creatures and tikis within the venue and outdoor patio. This isn’t quite as immersive as the previous Wizard of Oz theme, in part because this is a more general concept.

The good news is that the cocktail options continue to be pretty strong. There are a variety of cocktails using different spirits, so there’s something for fans of bourbon, tequila, and gin, along with rum of course. I very much enjoyed Azure Bliss which is better balanced and more interesting than most of the Blue Hawaiian’s I’ve ever had, and comes with a gummy shark as a garnish. Our party also liked the clarified Toasted Trader which has good bourbon notes and actually uses Cinnamon Toast Crunch as a flavoring ingredient.

It should go without saying that for hardcore tiki fans that Fat Pigeon isn’t really the tiki bar you are looking for in Livermore, given numerous “party city tiki” type decorations, instead we’ll direct you to the nearby Tikeasy at Rosetta. But Fat Pigeon is open every day including early on the weekends, so is a very nice option for day cocktails and the service here is nice and friendly. A Pirate High Tea service is also coming soon.

Posted on

Tikeasy at Rosetta is the Bay Area’s Newest Tiki Bar

Livermore’s Rosetta Roasting coffee roastery is going full tiki for their evening cocktail persona this summer and adopting Tikeasy as the venue branding. We’ve been big fans of the Nightcaps at Rosetta cocktail program, but have certainly noticed a gradual shift to more tiki decor taking over the space including a magnificent A-frame to serve as a portal to the tiki area. The staff said that additional traditional tiki elements are coming soon. The dimly lit booths work great with exotic music and superbly executed tropical cocktails, and nobody would peg this as a tiki bar from the outside. It’s a speakeasy, tiki style.

The official launch of Tikeasy was on Sunday including a Mai Tai flight featuring two of my Mai Tai recipes. It was a lot of fun to welcome tiki friends visiting the Livermore location for the first time, plus locals who’d experienced evening cocktails there in the past but who appreciated some casual Mai Tai education. The Rosetta Mai Tai features Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black rum and notably switches from orange curacao for orange bitters. The team did a great job with my Ultimate Mai Tai and Blue Mai Tai variants.

The team behind Rosetta Roasting are true believers in tiki, and they’re taking a chance by trying something a little different in downtown Livermore. There’s a menu of over twenty cocktails to choose from, all expertly prepared. We saw many customers order the Zombie-like Man Overboard and also The Privateer that features tequila. Rosetta’s coffee roots are a big influence on the Espresso Martiki, featuring creamy Gardenia Mix to help make a great foam head. We also heard good things about Pele’s Passion, Pearl Diver, and Rum Fashioned. If you’ve visited, leave a comment with your favorite.

The Tikeasy is open Wednesday-Saturday at Rosetta Roasting in downtown Livermore, with savory bites and deserts available as well. Reservations are available and recommended as the space is cozy, with outdoor patio seating also available.

Posted on

Jungle Bird’s Amazing Tropical Itch

I had business near Sacramento again, so it was a perfect opportunity to check out Time Travel Tuesday at The Jungle Bird, the city’s leading tiki bar. The crew put together a cocktail special each week on Tuesdays and this week’s was one of Hawaiian bartender Harry Yee’s greatest creations, the Tropical Itch.

This version included Jamaican rum, bourbon, a Demerara 151 rum, passionfruit, orange curacao, and bitters – all for only $10 and not lacking in the booze department I assure you. It was honestly the best Tropical Itch I’ve ever had, staying potent all the way to the end and fighting against the melting ice all the way. It’s such as credit to Mariella and the team to come up with an affordable cocktail each week that’s still really great, an opportunity to try something new that’s not on the cocktail menu you’ve tried a million times before.

Speaking of a millionth cocktail, I did try a Mai Tai at Jungle Bird and found it to be nicely balanced and with enough rummyness to enjoy and that I think it would work great for some of the more casual cocktail fans who pack the bar on weekends. You know, when they’re not drinking Painkillers and boozy Dole Whips and are looking for something a little more sophisticated. The pot stickers and fried rice were really great as well, so I think that Jungle Bird is once again at a place that warrants a full-throated endorsement.

It was a blast hanging out with some of the Sacramento Ohana in attendance including Larissa, Matt, Nav, and Alissa. Plus Natalie who also got the same “in town for business, go to JB after work” memo that I did.

Posted on

San Jose Goes Hawaiian at Dr. Funk’s Luau

San Pedro Square was awash in the aloha spirit on Sunday for the inaugural luau at Dr. Funk Rum House. The San Jose tiki bar’s ticketed event included Hawaiian food including barbecued pig, Polynesian music and dancing, and even a mechanical shark ride. VIP ticket holders were let in early to claim their spots on the large outdoor patio or indoors, offered a flower lei, a welcome cocktail, and two cocktail tickets. Standard ticket holders were let in an hour later and also received a guava-forward welcome cocktail.

The musical offerings started with DJ SamoaBoy on the patio, flanked by a few rum brands with samples and small cocktails. I especially enjoyed the daiquiri station from 9North rum where you could choose a style and a specific rum to pair with. Island Daze followed with an energetic Jawaiian set and then the entertainment concluded with some excellent Polynesian dancers from Ha’aHula TeReva including a fire dancer.

Throughout the day, Dr. Funk staff were offering small passed bites including spam musubi, sliders, delightful pork buns, and ahi tuna tacos which were our favorite. There also was a buffet featuring fried rice, macaroni salad, fruit, and freshly barbecued pork. This plate lunch style offering was pretty good, and there was more than enough food for everyone. I’d have liked a little soy sauce or some other sauces but overall we felt the food was well-executed.

Aside from the welcome cocktail, Dr. Funk was offering their standard menu and had two bartenders going at all times. None of us thought the welcome cocktail was particularly punchy and honestly was I disappointed there weren’t some special event cocktails being offered. Ever resourceful, I took matters into my own hands by ordering off-menu Blue Hawaii and Hawaiian Mai Tais. Thankfully, Justin and Joy rolled with the request and delivered some excellent drinks that helped us get into the mood – so much that we did end up briefly riding that shark!

Mid-May seems like a great time to do this, and a five or six hour experience was executed with aplomb. The Dr. Funk staff was fully engaged and working like a well-oiled machine for this event, yet still found a moment of levity to pose for a group photo with the shark. We hope this will be an annual event.