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Tiki Central / Locating Tiki

Tonga Hut, North Hollywood, CA (bar)

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On 2006-05-14 13:16, tongahut wrote:
The Fountain Is Running!!!!!

Come Check It Out!!

Tonga Tom has had a face lift!!And along with new landscaping (the jasmine will bloom in July), a new paint job and our new neon cocktail sign, the Tonga Hut is on its way to ushering in a new era for tiki lovers in the Valley!!

Much thanks to Greg McKinney for all his hard work with the interior and exterior and to Glenn Aldridge at Spic & Span Fountain Cleaning.

There's more new music in the jukebox including exotica, vintage jazz and loungcore!!

Hope to see you soon!

Ana & Jeremy

Excellent tiki urban renewal!

I just joined Tiki Central and I wanted to say Howdy to everyone and invit them to come on down to the Tonga Hut. I started bartending there about 4 months ago and have been excited to see the gradual changes. When I first started I felt like my living room was more Tiki than the Tonga Hut but Jeremy and Ana have taken great strides to change all that! The best part is that THE FOUNTAIN IS RUNNING!!! and it looks great. I would like to invite all the Tiki Central members in the area to come down and visit me on any Wednesday night from 6-2. I play old B movies on the TV all night long and there's always lounge and exotica playing until you want to hear something in the jukebox. As a special "Hello" let me know that you're from Tiki Central and receive $1 off anything on our special tropical menu. Or ask me for my special drink, a Bettie Page Martini. And if you would like to be a "guest bartender" bring me a reicipe for one of your favorite tropical drinks and I'll do my best to create it for you! Hope to see you many of you there in the very near future!

H

I finally got a chance to go to the Tonga Hut last night. I highly recommend the place. Nicole the bartender made the best rum filled drinks in different tiki mugs. When the owners called in and found out we were TC people they bought us free drinks. The music was exotica great. The decor was great. I saw a Kirby painting on the wall as well.We met some nice people there also. For what it's worth this is one of the last remaining true tiki bars around in Southern California. I think we should support it and keep it going. Maybe we should organize a get together for all TCers to see this place and all the changes the owners have made here. I think the place needs more recognition from us since we want to see original tiki bars have staying power.

[ Edited by: hiltiki 2006-05-26 07:44 ]

And I'll still be there this Wednesday night and every Wednesday night hoping to meet lots of new friends from Tiki Central. Say "HI"!! I'm the redhead behind the bar that gives you RUM!!! :) :) :)
Megan

H

I am planning on coming over with Q-tiki and maybe more...see you!

H

Megan it was nice meeting you. We had a blast, hope to see you soon again. The drinks were just great, and the music was "exotica" out of this world.

Thanks to all of you that came out Wednesday. It was great to meet you and I'm glad you liked the drinks! Hope you'll all come back soon! I'm working again tonight and would love to see lots of you there. It really makes the place feel more fun to have people who love tiki and the culture in there drinking out of tiki heads!

T

Did somebody say a TC Party at the Tonga Hut?!?! Awesome, we'd love to have you!! How about Saturday, July 1, 2006 from 9pm-2am? We'll have drink specials, we'll rent the dj equipment if anyone wants to volunteer to move the crowd, and I (Ana) will make pigs-in-a-blanket. Tell all your friends!!!

By the way, we changed our business hours to 4pm-2am in an effort to make the place more inviting to a wider audience (how's that for pc)so our regulars are mad at us. Having TCers here would be awesome. We're doing everything we can to improve the place and keep tiki alive in the Valley. We hope you like what you see when you come to the party on July 1st.

See you then,

Ana & Jeremy

D

Are the new hours in effect as of now? Occasionally I bring some co-workers by for a lunch-time drink. I will definately be there July 1st!!!

Tonga Hut new hours took effect on June 8th. We look forward to meeting you!

Ana

T

Cyd's Farewell Party at Tonga Hut!! For those of you who know our bartender Cyd, her last day is tomorrow Sunday, June 25th. The party starts at 8pm and goes till the rum is gone! Stop by, I know she'll be glad to see you.

Ana & Jeremy

T

Cyd's Farewell Party at Tonga Hut!! For those of you who know our bartender Cyd, her last day is tomorrow Sunday, June 25th. The party starts at 8pm and goes till the rum is gone! Stop by, I know she'll be glad to see you.

Ana & Jeremy

T

Ok. The TC Party at Tonga Hut has been changed to Saturday, July 8th at 9pm due to the San Diego event. Hilltiki, thanks for the heads up. See you in San Diego!!!

Ana & Jeremy

H

Hi Tongahut, you can post this in Tiki events under California as well.

G
GROG posted on Sun, Jun 25, 2006 6:46 AM

See you tonight for Cyd's going away party.

GROG(Ernie)

Just to let you all know a few things about the Tonga Hut. It used to be called "The Brothers Three". The man who bought my parents house in Van Nuys, loved my fathers Tikis and huge Polynesian hut. He bought the "Brothers Three" and changed the name to the "Tonga Hut" and had my father carve all the Tikis, and did all the decorating. My father was Richard M. Ellis. He was taught to carve Tikis in the late 50's by Andy Bumatai (or Andre as most people call him).
My father also carved EVERY Tiki at EVERY Restaurant of Hop Louie's. Including Latitude 20, the "Trade Winds" in Ventura, and MANY others all over the country, AND a fabulous huge carved bar for Hop Louie at his personal residence. Hop Louie, I remember , also had him do many in Las Vegas and other parts of the country. His tikis can be seen also on page 250 of Sven's book "The Book of Tiki". The mug was made after one of his tiki's also, even though we have seen it on ebay as an Andre Bumatai Mug...NO, it is a Richard Ellis mug!!. My mother still has the Tiki on the left of the three pictures on that page, at her house in Malibu, CA. He was dad's FIRST big Tiki, and his name is "The Silent Man", and is still in perfect condition. I have the original artical that Sven got those pictures from but he mistakingly thought they were Bumatai's.(Sven and I have talked about this, and he says in his next book, he will get a section on my dad) The gate with the half Logs Tikis, as they called them, were actually the gates of our old house and our front yard, which brings us back to the guy who bought the "Three Brothers" and changed it to "The Tonga Hut", as he bought that house from my parents! I was lucky enough to get two large tikis of my dad's, that some one had bought from the "Trade Winds" when it closed. I bought them from the guy 3 years ago, and they are home in Malibu again, and in perfect condition!Others we had were not so lucky, like the big one I got back from the "Tonga Lei"(Malibu) when they tore it down. The termites got that one quick. As soon as I get more time I will write you all some great stories about Andy Bumatai, and my father Richard M. Ellis. I am getting more and more info. from my mom. I also will figure out how to send you all photos, so you can see more of his tiki's. My father passed away in 99.My mom has now visited Tiki Central, and has remarked how she would love for people to know who carved all these huge Tikis all around California. I am now on a mission to get the info. together, as I have had many people interested in my father's story. The LATimes did a huge 2 page article on him in the early 60's. Thank you all for your interest, he was a fabulous man!!!Annie Ellis

Wonderful info.... WOW.

Glad that you found us and posted.

Looking forward to seeing the images you mention.

Exciting.

On 2006-06-24 21:59, hiltiki wrote:
Hi Tongahut, you can post this in Tiki events under California as well.

I've already done that for them. I am going to be deejaying that night and I hope a lot of people can make it!

PS: Annie, very cool story about your dad!

Come visit me at the Tonga Hut!

I'll be your bartendress on this Exciting Occasion

Saturday Night Exotic Lounge Event
for
Tiki Central Folks and Friends

LIVE @

The TONGA HUT
12808 Victory Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606-3013
(818) 769-0708

July 8, 2006

Saturday Night

8pm-2am

Yes...Your Bartender Kamala will make your delicious exotic cocktails, Trader Rick will be spinning sweet sounds from Tropical Places...exotica, surf, lounge, and more! Wear your Hawaiian shirts, fresh flowers, Tiki necklaces, and "all things Tiki."

MAP:
http://maps.citysearch.com/location/325813?

WEBSITE:
http://myspace.com/tongahut

See you there.

Mahalo,
KAMAKOONGA

[ Edited by: KAMAKOONGA 2006-07-04 11:50 ]

T

Surfinannie,

We can't wait to hear more about your father and any other history you have about the Tonga Hut. So glad you found us. We'll stay tuned...

Ana & Jeremy
Tonga Hut Owners

T

Thank you to everyone who came out to the TC Party at Tonga Hut last night both lurkers and posters alike!! It was a very fun time and it was great meeting all of you. Thanks to Trader Rick for spinning such great music! He really helped set the tone for a great gathering. By the way, if anyone has a photo of Wolfe and the gang doing the "Tonga Line", I'd love to have a copy to post on our myspace page. I hope you all liked what we did with the place and we hope to see you back really soon!!

Mahalo!

Ana aka Mulatiki
Jeremy aka TikiHowlie

T

Thank you to everyone who came out to the TC Party at Tonga Hut last night both lurkers and posters alike!! It was a very fun time and it was great meeting all of you. Thanks to Trader Rick for spinning such great music! He really helped set the tone for a great gathering. By the way, if anyone has a photo of Wolfe and the gang doing the "Tonga Line", I'd love to have a copy to post on our myspace page. I hope you all liked what we did with the place and we hope to see you back really soon!!

Mahalo!

Ana aka Mulatiki
Jeremy aka TikiHowlie

G
GROG posted on Sun, Jul 9, 2006 7:31 PM

Thanks Ana and Jeremy for a fun time and tasty drinks.
The DJ was most excellent playing some really nice
tunes. Looking forward to dropping by again, soon.

GROG

T

Saturday Night~Exotica Lounge

9pm-2am

DJ TRADER RICK will spin exotic tunes from Surf, Exotica, Lounge, Rockabilly, and more...

Get yourself ready for a magical Mai Tai, a venturesome Voodoo Juice, a titillating Tonga Tea, or something straight up like a Kamala-Kazi!

WEBSITE:
http://myspace.com/tongahut

See you there.

Mahalo,
Ana aka Mulatiki
Jeremy aka TikiHowlie

TONGA HUT
12808 Victory Blvd at Coldwater Canyon Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91606-3013
(818) 769-0708

[ Edited by: tongahut 2006-07-15 21:39 ]

Nice Myspace page.

If you any of you are going to the Tiki Luau Night at the Egyptian Movie Palace July 23rd, 2006, then you should come on up Saturday Night (22nd) to the Tonga Hut, North Hollywood's oldest Tiki Bar (1958).

Have you heard DJ Trader Rick Spin his Exotic Lounge Set yet???? Well, he is shaken up the TIKI scene with his sweet Lounge, sultry Exotica, wailing Surf, and more...

See you there!!!

Your Bartendress,
Kamakoonga

Calling all tiki freaks...where are you?

Ooooh a whole lotta pirates came in last Saturday! Arrrgggh. They left a gun and a patch, but no booty! Too bad you missed the pirate party, Hopefully you won't miss our next party...

See you there TC folks!

Mahalo,
Kamakoonga

On 2006-07-02 18:40, Surfinannie wrote:
Just to let you all know a few things about the Tonga Hut. It used to be called "The Brothers Three". The man who bought my parents house in Van Nuys, loved my fathers Tikis and huge Polynesian hut. He bought the "Brothers Three" and changed the name to the "Tonga Hut" and had my father carve all the Tikis, and did all the decorating. My father was Richard M. Ellis. He was taught to carve Tikis in the late 50's by Andy Bumatai (or Andre as most people call him).
My father also carved EVERY Tiki at EVERY Restaurant of Hop Louie's. Including Latitude 20, the "Trade Winds" in Ventura, and MANY others all over the country, AND a fabulous huge carved bar for Hop Louie at his personal residence. Hop Louie, I remember , also had him do many in Las Vegas and other parts of the country. His tikis can be seen also on page 250 of Sven's book "The Book of Tiki". The mug was made after one of his tiki's also, even though we have seen it on ebay as an Andre Bumatai Mug...NO, it is a Richard Ellis mug!!. My mother still has the Tiki on the left of the three pictures on that page, at her house in Malibu, CA. He was dad's FIRST big Tiki, and his name is "The Silent Man", and is still in perfect condition. I have the original artical that Sven got those pictures from but he mistakingly thought they were Bumatai's.(Sven and I have talked about this, and he says in his next book, he will get a section on my dad) The gate with the half Logs Tikis, as they called them, were actually the gates of our old house and our front yard, which brings us back to the guy who bought the "Three Brothers" and changed it to "The Tonga Hut", as he bought that house from my parents! I was lucky enough to get two large tikis of my dad's, that some one had bought from the "Trade Winds" when it closed. I bought them from the guy 3 years ago, and they are home in Malibu again, and in perfect condition!Others we had were not so lucky, like the big one I got back from the "Tonga Lei"(Malibu) when they tore it down. The termites got that one quick. As soon as I get more time I will write you all some great stories about Andy Bumatai, and my father Richard M. Ellis. I am getting more and more info. from my mom. I also will figure out how to send you all photos, so you can see more of his tiki's. My father passed away in 99.My mom has now visited Tiki Central, and has remarked how she would love for people to know who carved all these huge Tikis all around California. I am now on a mission to get the info. together, as I have had many people interested in my father's story. The LATimes did a huge 2 page article on him in the early 60's. Thank you all for your interest, he was a fabulous man!!!Annie Ellis

Wow! That is a great story! I'd love for you to stop by the Tonga for a drink, I'll buy you one...

Angel City Derby Girls will be having their Freaky Tiki Throwdown this Saturday come check it out!

AFTER PARTY @ the TONGA HUT

Angel City Derby Girls vs. Central Coast Roller Girls AUG.19

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19TH!

FREAKY TIKI THROWDOWN!

7:00pm
Gates at 6:00 pm

North Hollywood YMCA Hockey Rink

5142 Tujunga Ave. North Hollyood, 91601

PLEASE NOTE: The rink is in the park, enter just off I-170 and Magnolia exit,
around the corner from the YMCA address
*Going North on the 170 exit Magnolia make a RIGHT then a Quick LEFT into the 1st Park Parkiing Lot!!! If you passe the LIBRARY on the corner of Magnolia and Tujunga you WENT TOO FAR. (extra parking on the Chandler Blvd side of the park)

Google Maps is your friend (not exact due to location in PARK)
http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=5142+Tujunga+Ave,+North+Hollywood,+CA+91601

Price: $10

Kids under 10 get in free

BUY YOUR TICKETS EARLY!

Click on this link to purchase NOW!
http://www.angelcityderby.com/

*Ticket aslo available at the TONGA HUT (where the after party will be going on)

BOUT AFTER PARTY 9:30pm-2am
at the
TONGA HUT

Saturday Night Exotic Lounge FREAKY TIKI After Party

LIVE @

The TONGA HUT
12808 Victory Blvd
North Hollywood, CA 91606-3013
(818) 769-0708

Trader Rick will be spinning sweet sounds from Tropical Places...exotica, surf, lounge, and more! Splash of Punk, Rock, and Rockabilly will also be enjoyed!

MAP:
http://maps.citysearch.com/location/325813?

WEBSITE:
http://myspace.com/tongahut

[ Edited by: KAMAKOONGA 2006-08-15 09:07 ]

The Freaky Tiki Throwdown is TODAY, Aug. 19th! Don't miss it!!!

Mahalo, Jeremy, for the incredible changes you have brought to the Tonga Hut.
I am astounded at the night and day transformation:

  1. the sublime beauty of water running from the fountains and the sound of the water.
  2. the lighting of the outrigger boat, behind the bar.
  3. The dramatic tapa cloth in its frame.
  4. The rightful rehanging of the Map of the Kingdom of Tonga.
  5. The display cases featuring tiki artifacts
  6. The hawaiian and mayan masks.
  7. The framed bamboo and tropical foilage prints, again nicely framed and nicely lit.
  8. The absence of the numerous televisions.
  9. The placement of the dartboard in a tiki hut.
  10. Tiki mugs.
  11. The palapa over the back entrance.
  12. The expanded tiki drink menu.
  13. The tiki grotto.

Mahalo for your investment in our tiki happiness!

O

Checked out the Angel City Derby Girls scrim in North Hollywood yesterday. Unlike the original roller derby, this sport is real competition. The theme was trailer park. It was a blast to watch them scrim and then onto the Tonga Hut to party. The Angels want to invite TC members to the meet this November in LA, I will get the details and post them.
The photos are of of the miniature next door at the Roundhouse model train store (notice the shoot out taking place)approriate for LA don't you think?. Jeremy the owner of the Tonga Hut, filled me in on some of his future plans for the place. He and Ana have some interesting ideas. He is open to advice and wants to hear from everyone in TC especially. He wanted me to say hi to Hanford but I never met you myself, so hi from Jeremy and Ana and me. Its nice that the Tonga map is up again and the waterfall looks cool. Nice vibes in the place but the music still needs help. Then again, maybe I'm too old to appreciate what they had on. A good time was had by all. Thanks Angels for a great scrim.
Ojaitimo

Here are a few pics from yesterday.

[ Edited by: ojaitimo 2006-09-20 10:27 ]

Tonite was our first time in the tonga hut, what a suprise!. Great drinks, cool folks and awesome decore. I think the tikibar review guy painted such a sad picture of the place that we never bothered to check it out......I am such a dumbass!.

[ Edited by: twowheelin'tiki 2007-01-08 04:27 ]

T

Get the whole story before you call someone a dumbass on a public forum.

The Tonga Hut was indeed a complete dump when I visited years ago, and when I composed the opinion you have read. I stand by it.

The current owners, Ana Reyes and Jeremy Fleener, have only had the Tonga Hut since November of 2005, and have done very, very good things with it since then. I visited Tonga Hut less than a month ago and spoke with Jeremy and Ana for quite a while.

My updated take on the place (which will be in print in April of 2007) will fully reflect the new owner's enthusiasm and hard work.

Don't blame me for the fact that it WAS a shithole five years ago when I last visited.
I call 'em as I see 'em.
Get in your time machine, go back to 2001, and tell me I was wrong about what Tonga Hut was like at that time.

I wish I could update my writings in real time, but once things are in print, I can't change 'em. Life goes on, things evolve. Presumably you've read the rest of this thread, and have noted all the changes this place went through, changing owners several times in the past few years.

Didn't that cross your mind before you decided to call me a dumbass?

[i]On 2006-12-06 16:10, tikibars wrote:

My updated take on the place (which will be in print in April of 2007) will fully reflect the new owner's enthusiasm and hard work.

EXCELLENT.

2WT: Tikibars is a revered tiki expert and is deserving of utmost respect.
However, such words are not what this board is about - and you should know that.

G
GROG posted on Wed, Dec 27, 2006 11:18 AM

The Tonga Hut is getting better and better. Atomikitty and GROG have organized a few art shows
that were great fun with good friends, and great drinks. Photos by Fank Tiki from Oslo, Norway.










[ Edited by: grog 2007-01-08 09:18 ]

G
GROG posted on Wed, Dec 27, 2006 11:23 AM









G
GROG posted on Wed, Dec 27, 2006 11:30 AM

And here's the links to see more photos and all the fun that was had.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=21873&forum=17&329

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=21541&forum=17&91


Atomiktty Coconut Monkey project

Tiki Ice

The Bosko corner

[ Edited by: GROG 2006-12-27 11:32 ]

O

Great pictures Grog! Way to go

G
GROG posted on Sat, Jan 6, 2007 6:37 PM

GROG, Kirby, Polly, Squid, Susan, and Cheeky Girl going to Tonga Hut tonight(Saturday, Jan6) for some drinks after dinner about8-8:30 if anybody is out and about and would like to join us.

Ojaitimo-----Not GROG's photos. Stole them off another thread.

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-01-06 18:39 ]

On 2007-01-06 18:37, GROG wrote:
GROG, Kirby, Polly, Squid, Susan, and Cheeky Girl going to Tonga Hut tonight(Saturday, Jan6) for some drinks after dinner about8-8:30 if anybody is out and about and would like to join us.

Ojaitimo-----Not GROG's photos. Stole them off another thread.

[ Edited by: GROG 2007-01-06 18:39 ]

Is This "GROG'S Coming Out Party???!!!"

Tikibars, I was calling myself a dumbass for listening to the review and missing out on the place, not you!!. Sorry for the improper english.

TwT, the transformation of the Tonga Hut is amazing.
You gotta go!

We will be back there again, my wife loved the mai-tai's.

I went one week early to check it out on a regular Saturday night and by 11:30, it was completely packed. Good to see.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2007-02-18 12:52 ]

[i]On 2006-09-18 15:26, Ojaitimo wrote:

So good to see the fountain working again, after all these years.

T

Hey Everybody! We have our first official website up (not a MySpace page)! Check us out at http://www.TongaHut.com. We just launched yesterday and will be adding more content and photos of our events. Get ready for your close-up; we'll be taking lots of photos tonight at our first Tiki Night featuring Atomikitty behind the bar and DJ Lee behind the turntables.

If you would like to contribute photos please email me at [email protected]. Please make sure to include your name so we can give you credit.

http://www.TongaHut.com

Mahalo,

Ana aka Mulatiki

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