Bali Hai, Eastside Santiago, Chile (restaurant)

Name:Bali Hai
Type:restaurant
Street:Avda Cristóbal Colón 5146 Las Condes
City:Eastside Santiago
State:
Zip:
country:Chile
Phone:+56 (2) 228 82 73
Status:operational

Description:
I just heard I am going to Chile on a shoot - anyone been here? Looks great!

http://www.balihai.cl/home.htm

Here's the website!

Here's the Babelfish translation of the homepage:

WELCOME To "BALI HAI" RESTAURANT
From 1980 only Polynesian Restaurant of Latin America

In Restaurant "Bali Hai" we sincerely waited for it every day of Monday to Saturday from the 20:30 hours, to enjoy an exquisite supper international Letter next to the spectacular live show of the Islands of the South Pacific, Folkloric Chilean and Orchestra to dance.
In the outside of Restaurant "Bali Hai" they give to the welcome enormous moais and in its interior everything is arranged to receive our friends and to welcome in the stranger who visits us of distant earth, to delight them with a magician and entertainment night in the exotic decorated atmosphere with valuable wood sculptures that project images of the millenarian Island of Passover a specially prepared for great and imaginary trip to Polynesia.

And the "Bar" Page:

We counted on a great international bar, for tastes of our exiquistos exotic drinks along with to enjoy our traditional polinésicas choreographies, dances and Chilean traditions.

And the "Show" Page:

The show-spectacle that offers Restaurant "Bali Hai" of Monday to Saturdays is from the 22:00 hours and will show you and its guests, an attractive live show, beginning with a route by our Chile, dances of the north, "the Tyrant" and center with "Huasos", a great unfolding of typical suits and authentic choreographies, in charge of the set folkloric "Latin Roots". Brightening up the evening he will be our entertainer, who will salute next to the orchestra, the different countries that visits to us, interpreting his typical songs with the participation of the public.
Soon the ballet will appear "Aromas of Tahiti" that will interpret the Polynesian dances with the ancestral dances of Island of Passover and Tahíti, showing exotic and colorful suits. Habitually we have a stellar guest comprising of the show, by which we solicitd to consult. In order to finalize and to dance, our stable orchestra invited it to remember and to enjoy the best music of all the times doing to participate it in the celebration in "Bali Hai".

And the "Gastromia" Page:

In the kitchen of Restaurant "Bali Hai", professionals highly described are the ones in charge to create and to give to life to most exquisite international prescriptions and typical Chileans, exploding of the best way the greater amount of products of our ample sea and rich agriculture, to please to night to night paladares of the visitors.
In the bar, the more tropical fruits and flavors with the noblest licores are combined, obtaining exotic and decorative drinks that refresh the beginning of a great full night of emotions.
In order to accompany the supper, the Wine Letter, specially made with the consultant's office of important to somelier of each one of the Vines they suggest his better wines carefully to accompany and to rescue in the measured joust each flavor of our preparations.

And always remember what they say on their "Orchestra" Page:

Enjoy a good moment next to our orchestra.

Santo Domingo Orchestra.
"danceable Music until the candles
they do not burn "

And please do check out their Photographic Tour page:

http://www.balihai.cl/tour-foto.htm

Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S

[ Edited by: freddiefreelance on 2005-03-04 10:02 ]

Jane, there's a pretty long review of this place in Tiki Road Trip and on Tiki Bar Review Pages. The LA photographer Ocatvio (Winky Tiki) got me hip to Bali Hai in about 1997. I visited there in 2000 on the way home from my first trip to Easter Island. It is WELL worth a visit. From the three life-sized moai outside, to the unique-to-Chile Tiki mugs, to the many-multi-lingual floor show, it was a blast. It is basically Chile's answer to the Mai Kai, but only 1/4 the size... but you'll love the camp value.

Make a reservation, they have 1 or 2 seatings per night (like Mai Kai), for the dinner and show (you can't just show up any old time and get seated).

More info in TRT and TBRP.

...and as long as you're in Chile, why not schedule some vacation time directly after your shoot, and make the pilgrimage to Easter Island? When else will you be 3/4 of the way there on someone else's dime?

:lol: I LOVE those kinda computer translations, I have read many from German, they are even better than Japanese Engrish.

I am imagining a scene where Tiki fish and her company are being seated by the Maitre'D, and both parties, with the utmost politeness and formality, converse only in Babelfish. Somebody write that dialogue, please!

Jane, you lucky fishy, bring me back a Chilli mug! I'll trade you some Spanish wares.

I thought about the Easter Island thing, but I have to get back to edit the damn thing, so no go. Plus, the next week is the SF crawl!

I'll see what I can do about those mugs... I leave on the 12th (March) so I'll be there soon!

I just got back from an evening at the Bali Hai - it was fabulous! The outside is spectacular, the pictures I have seen before do not do this place justice, 4 tall stone moai and a 'bridge over toublrd water' type entrance. We were a bit late for the show (work went late) but that was ok, because we managed to be there in time for the Easter Island and Hawaiian dancing. I managed to get pulled up on stage to dance with a sweaty half nude native dancer, and have the pics to show for it!

The food is shite, and the place is full of German tourists, but thats OK. Our Chilean interpreter kept telling me that I didnt want to go there because it was just for tourists, but then I reminded her that i was in fact a tourist, so she put up with it.

I did take a tiki washroom shot, as requested.

The only real dissappointment was the mug situation, I pleaded with them to serve me the drink in a special mug if they had it - no one else had one on any tables I passed walking in so I figured it wasn't to be. Also when my interprteer asked about the 'special glass' the waiter said there was no such thing. but lo and behold, my drink arived in a white shrunken skull mug! But not for sale. So my producer chucked it in her purse. The tropical drinks were shite so I didnt order more, plus if we kept stealing mugs all night we might have got caught, so I only have the one. I saw a gift shop display window on the way in that I hoped would have mugs, but it was only Moai carvings, fabric, and bath salts???!!!

Anyway, pics to come later, I will upload when I get back to Toronto on the 24th.

OLA!

MI AMO SANTIAGO!!!!!

Jane, I know what you should do: Just stay in Santiago for a while, and regularly peruse the second hand stores there, you're bound to find some of those mugs! (Or get kidnapped...)

There was some talk in this topic that the Bali Hai in Santaigo, Chile had closed:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=22351&forum=1&start=30&hilite=santiago%20bali%20hai

I am very, very happy to say that it is indeed now OPEN again. I visited in January & it was definitely alive & kicking, so next time you're n Santiago, you'll want to drop in & check it out!

The front door:

The Bar:

& Their MaiTai.
Not kidding - yes, it is GREEN.
Didn't taste a thing like any MaiTai I have ever had, but it was STRONG!!!!!

Rockin' good news.

(that they have re-opened, not so much that their mai tai is green)

I was able to make a visit during my Santiago stopover last week! They are indeed open, and the place was pretty packed. Sounds like reservations are definitely needed any night due to all the tour groups. We signed up and went, saw their show and the whole bit. I missed the green Mai Tai, you chose your drinks and food off the set menu, but it wasn't bad for that kind of place. The show covered different things - the early part is traditional dances from various areas of Chile, then they do the Rapa Nui segment followed by a Tahiti bit. They were a bit long on the 'amateur hour' part for my taste (bringing up audience members for their silly attempt to 'hula' and whatnot), but I'm glad we got to go. The building is pretty throughly decked out on decor. Some a little odd - part of the fake foliage above my table was daisies instead of just greenery, and there are disco balls hanging in front of a Moai in a logoony area. A fun visit, worth the stop if you're in Santiago!

Pictures didn't come out great due to the darkness, but here a few of areas I haven't already seen posted here -

Outside

Coral Wall with masks inside the door

Chairbacks

Disco Moai

Carvings -

Ladies room door with Rongo Rongo type symbols

Upstairs hallway

Show shots

Muy bonito! Chile, here we go!

Zeta, you lucky guy! I am sooo glad this place turned out to be not closed, I had chalked it off to "Too late!!!" already...

Here are some more pics from my sis:

I love those thrift store-style paintings:

Their birdman cult portrayal is hilarious! I want eeet!

Some of their carvings are borderline Oceanic...more like surreal wood art:

Love that coral wall with its stone faces! And check out the display cases!

The challenge is to get good quality pictures --WITHOUT flash! A tripod is recommended! Go get'em, Z-man!

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-02-04 14:49 ]