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Celebrating classic and modern Polynesian Pop

Tiki Central / Locating Tiki / Tonga Hut, North Hollywood, CA (bar)

Post #214103 by Humuhumu on Sat, Feb 11, 2006 7:07 PM

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We poked our heads into the Tonga Hut on Tuesday to see for ourselves what's happened with the new ownership -- and we really liked what we saw!

http://photo.humuhumu.com/v/lafeb2006/tongahut/

The new owner, Jeremy, happened to be there, and we spent the whole night chatting with him. He's very new to tiki -- only started learning about it after buying the bar in November 2005 -- but he's got the bug, big time. He really wants to restore the bar to vintage brilliance, and while the steps taken so far may seem small (he says it's only "an eighth" of what he wants to do) it felt like a night & day difference to me. With the beer posters gone and the lighting now much dimmer, it feels like a whole different place. More changes are on the way (the televisions have been turned off, a big sign of things to come), but he's being smart about it and taking his time, making sure he can do good work, and also not freak out the loyal regulars that keep the place afloat. He's also serving a Trader Vic's recipe Mai Tai! If you've never been to the Tonga Hut before, be sure to pop in and see it. And if you have been there before, go check it out again -- and be sure to update your Critiki ratings accordingly!

The regulars are very camera shy, which inhibited my ability to get good photos:


:up: The new owner, Jeremy