Post #770410 by mikehooker on Sat, Nov 19, 2016 10:52 AM

Just read through this entire thread and I'm so glad my wife and I had a really positive experience a couple weeks ago being that the place has been so hit or miss over the past decade or more. It appears with the revamped cocktail menu they're taking steps in the right direction, as Oro stated. I agree the drinks aren't craft quality but they're still better than the majority of the non-tiki craft bars we have in Austin that do 'tiki nights' every summer. The three we had, which didn't overlap with the ones Oro tried, were perfectly enjoyable.

Here's a recap of my experience that I posted on the Visiting San Francisco thread...

We got there just after 6 and got a table by the water. Our waiter addressed me as Mr. Hooker and demonstrated that old school hospitality that is so lacking in this age. He thanked us constantly and took amazing care of us. According to their Instagram, they launched a new drink menu the week before so I was excited to see if they were any good as I'd heard the drinks there left a bit to be desired. I began with the Planter's Punch which was served in a tiki mug and had falernum, allspice and grenadine in it. It was sweet, spicy and delicious. Wife had a Tonga Kong which had nice flavors and was really nicely balanced.

For starters, we ordered the pupu platter with chicken wings, crab rangoon, spring rolls and pork rib. It was all very good.

Prices were pretty hefty there so we decided to order just one more drink, the Rainmaker bowl for two. It wasn't as good as either of our previous drinks but was certainly passable as a nice tiki drink. No complaints at all with the drinks here.

For our entrees we both went with pork, my wife had the smoked Kalua pork and I had the red curry pork loin. We both enjoyed our meals and the service there. Decided we couldn't pass up trying their Mai Tai creme bruele and so glad we got it. Heavenly.

After our meal we walked around and scoped out the decor. They had some nice pieces but the walls and ceilings are definitely more scarce than say the Mai Kai, Trader Vic's or some of the modern day revival bars. But overall I give this place a solid A.

The rain seemed to go off every 20-30 minutes. Not sure if it's automated or goes off whenever someone orders the Rainmaker bowl.

This guy was in the actual hotel near the bathrooms

We got out of there at a quarter to 8 so didn't have to pay the cover or be tormented by the house band.

So there you have it. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience and I'm so glad a place like this has stood the test of time. It was nice to learn more of the history of Tonga in this thread and see some of the awesome artifacts and photos.