The Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar ( *Image Heavy* ), San Francisco, CA (restaurant) - Locating Tiki

P progrocktv Member Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 12	P progrocktv Posted posted on Thu, Oct 18, 2007 1:33 PM HERE'S A QUICK REVIEW My Wife and I finally made it over to the Tonga Room. After reading about it thanks to Critiki, I knew it was a place we HAD to check out while visiting San Francisco! We went on a Sunday night which had me a little worried that there would be no live music that night (thankfully they have music from Wed-Sun, so we were good). THE PLACE First off the décor is FANTASTIC. Here in the home base of Colorado we don’t have anything even CLOSE to something like this. All of the cool nightspots in Denver have either been replaced by Sports Bars (like the ill-fated and way too short lived Tiki Boyd’s) or there’s always a plasma blaring the latest ESPN news coverage) so it was nice to not only see a place like this, but to see an establishment that still keeps with the spirit of such a place (even thought there was an unobtrusive plasma by the bar;-) Even though it was a Sunday, we till made reservations, which sat us at a table next to the stage. There is a pool in the middle of the eating area, and the stage is an actual boat floating in the pool, REALLY COOL! The music was Fantastic! The Toga’s house band “Groove Island” had a fantastic mix of Classic Rock, Blues and Disco cover tunes (they were even able to put in a Tom Jones cover by request;-). These guys really nailed a diverse range of songs. On the far end of the pool was a ship’s deck that also served as a dance floor. The pool area also featured a pseudo rain storm which ended each set of the band. THE DRINKS A great selection of drinks ranging from Volcanos, Zombies and Singapore Slings. We went for the Volcano (in a place like that, you have to go for it) The drink for two was a bit small, but nice and strong which made up for it THE FOOD I read several reviews of the Tonga Room’s food and they weren’t that great, and a place like that, it’s almost expected, however, I can say this by far was NOT the case. The food was absolutely FANTASTIC (in fact the Mongolian beef was the best I’ve EVER tasted, anywhere) I understand the Tonga Room recently had a change in cooking staff and judging by the quality of our meal, it was certainly for the best! THE BAD The only thing that might be considered a downside is the price. It is a bit pricey (certainly not a place you could go weekly for dinner) However considering the quality of the food and overall atmosphere, it is certainly worth a monthly visit. THE RANT I’ve spoken to a few people and read some (non-Critiki) reviews that slam the place, saying it’s tacky, overpriced or cheesy, without really understanding what The Tonga Room really is about. Living in a state that is being overrun by sports bars (granted the Rockies are going to the world series as I write this) it is really sad to see “entertainment hot spots” and simple dance clubs going by the wayside. All too often people are now looking for a pickup joint, a place to bring the kids along or a place to get away from their wives. I, on the other hand, LOVE to take my wife out on the town for a nice night of entertainment. Sitting and watching a game on a plasma over a burger, to me that’s not my idea of a fun evening (can you tell I’m not a sports fan;-) A place like the Tonga Room, to me, is a great adult evening out. Many people will slam the décor, the rain storm, the prices, the drinks, etc. without even remembering what the place is. I’ve even heard someone say they need to put more TV’s in and make it more “Sports Oriented”. Fine, go to a sports bar, but there should be room for places like this as well right? Overall we had a GREAT night at the Toga Room. The only downside was it was a bit pricey (not a place you could go every week for dinner) however, for what it is, and what is STILL is, it is absolutely worth it and will most certainly be an occasion to remember.

HERE'S A QUICK REVIEW
My Wife and I finally made it over to the Tonga Room. After reading about it thanks to Critiki, I knew it was a place we HAD to check out while visiting San Francisco! We went on a Sunday night which had me a little worried that there would be no live music that night (thankfully they have music from Wed-Sun, so we were good).
THE PLACE
First off the décor is FANTASTIC. Here in the home base of Colorado we don’t have anything even CLOSE to something like this. All of the cool nightspots in Denver have either been replaced by Sports Bars (like the ill-fated and way too short lived Tiki Boyd’s) or there’s always a plasma blaring the latest ESPN news coverage) so it was nice to not only see a place like this, but to see an establishment that still keeps with the spirit of such a place (even thought there was an unobtrusive plasma by the bar;-) Even though it was a Sunday, we till made reservations, which sat us at a table next to the stage. There is a pool in the middle of the eating area, and the stage is an actual boat floating in the pool, REALLY COOL! The music was Fantastic! The Toga’s house band “Groove Island” had a fantastic mix of Classic Rock, Blues and Disco cover tunes (they were even able to put in a Tom Jones cover by request;-). These guys really nailed a diverse range of songs. On the far end of the pool was a ship’s deck that also served as a dance floor. The pool area also featured a pseudo rain storm which ended each set of the band.
THE DRINKS
A great selection of drinks ranging from Volcanos, Zombies and Singapore Slings. We went for the Volcano (in a place like that, you have to go for it) The drink for two was a bit small, but nice and strong which made up for it
THE FOOD
I read several reviews of the Tonga Room’s food and they weren’t that great, and a place like that, it’s almost expected, however, I can say this by far was NOT the case. The food was absolutely FANTASTIC (in fact the Mongolian beef was the best I’ve EVER tasted, anywhere) I understand the Tonga Room recently had a change in cooking staff and judging by the quality of our meal, it was certainly for the best!
THE BAD
The only thing that might be considered a downside is the price. It is a bit pricey (certainly not a place you could go weekly for dinner) However considering the quality of the food and overall atmosphere, it is certainly worth a monthly visit.
THE RANT
I’ve spoken to a few people and read some (non-Critiki) reviews that slam the place, saying it’s tacky, overpriced or cheesy, without really understanding what The Tonga Room really is about. Living in a state that is being overrun by sports bars (granted the Rockies are going to the world series as I write this) it is really sad to see “entertainment hot spots” and simple dance clubs going by the wayside. All too often people are now looking for a pickup joint, a place to bring the kids along or a place to get away from their wives. I, on the other hand, LOVE to take my wife out on the town for a nice night of entertainment. Sitting and watching a game on a plasma over a burger, to me that’s not my idea of a fun evening (can you tell I’m not a sports fan;-) A place like the Tonga Room, to me, is a great adult evening out. Many people will slam the décor, the rain storm, the prices, the drinks, etc. without even remembering what the place is. I’ve even heard someone say they need to put more TV’s in and make it more “Sports Oriented”. Fine, go to a sports bar, but there should be room for places like this as well right?

Overall we had a GREAT night at the Toga Room. The only downside was it was a bit pricey (not a place you could go every week for dinner) however, for what it is, and what is STILL is, it is absolutely worth it and will most certainly be an occasion to remember.

Post #339192 by progrocktv on Thu, Oct 18, 2007 1:33 PM