Post #746605 by JenTiki on Thu, Jul 9, 2015 7:38 AM

On 2015-07-08 22:08, Tiki Dub wrote:

Day 3
Longitude - Oakland, CA (Done both LA Trader Vic's locations)

Day 4
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar - San Francisco, CA

Day 5
Smuggler’s Cove - San Francisco, CA

Mainly what I'm looking for is thoughts on the SF/Oakland portion. Are these the ones to hit or should I swap one of these out for another - I've never been to any tiki joints up there, but have read some of your suggestions for more single day bay area visits in other posts. Thanks much for your input!

As long as you're in the East Bay, you should go to Trader Vic's in Emeryville. You mention that you've been to the LA Trader Vic's locations, but Emeryville is the flagship and worth a visit. Much better in atmosphere and décor than the ones in LA. Also, Longitude isn't truly a tiki bar, although I've heard the drinks and food are good. But Forbidden Island in Alameda is a true tiki bar. The décor is fantastic and the drinks are usually quite good.

As for San Francisco, Tonga Room doesn't require a whole day, unless you really like listening to the cheesy wedding band that plays after 8:00pm (they also charge a cover if you stay for the band). Go for the happy hour (which includes a decent buffet), then head to Smuggler's Cove for the rest of the evening. Also, Smuggler's Cove is much better early in the week, or right at opening (5:00pm) on the weekends. It gets pretty crowded and noisy on weekend nights and it's a bit harder to enjoy the surroundings and vibe when it's like that.