Post #178154 by tikiwinebear on Mon, Aug 8, 2005 5:11 PM

Howdy sneakyjack! Welcome to the left coast!

I was just at the Tonga room on Saturday night, and the room is back in order and looks great! It has been a long time since I have had drinks or eaten there, so here are my observations about the restaurant and bar.

1. 99% of the tropical drinks (mai tais, scorpions, etc) have pineapple juice in them. We asked the waiter if any were NOT made with pineapple juice, and he laughed and told us that we would have to get a margarita or non-tropical drink if we didn't like pineapple. If you are a fan of Trader Vic's mai tai's, don't expect the same in the Tonga Room.
2. It was great fun to have a band play on the boat / barge in the middle of the pool. My two comments here - don't expect to carry on a conversation if you are sitting near the pool, and don't expect Hawaiian music from the band. They were very good at their craft, but for the environment, I wasn't expecting to hear the same old lounge tunes from the 70's and 80's that I heard years ago.
3. The menu has a wonderful assortment of puupuus and entrees to select from. Remember.. you are in a hotel restaurant.. the atmosphere is what sells the place, not the superb food. We enjoyed all of our selections, but I would not return just for the food. SF is know for its culinary delights, and the Tonga food was a bit above the good grade, but not excellent.
4. I remember many more tiki displays around the room from years past. This trip, we saw 3 full sized tikis, and many masks on the wall. The thatched umbrellas with the lite glass floats were wonderful and gave it much of its charm. The rain storms with thunder and lightening was as fun as ever. All the wood seems to be polished and glowing and looks in great shape.
5. The staff and management (Steve) were always there to serve your needs, and were great. Very positive and warm.

My next visit to the Tonga room, I might give specific directions in making my drinks, and will stay for Happy hour, but not necessarily for dinner. We left the Tonga Room and took a cab to the new Trader Vic's ($6.00 ride) and had a couple of real mai tai's.

Have a great trip!