VanTiki has a day in San Fran

Aloha Folks -

Ms. VanTiki and I are heading off for a much needed vacation in a week or so, and the tail end of it has us spending a short layover in San Francisco. We will be there on Sept 2nd, from 8am to 4pm (or something like that). I'd like to see one of the amazing Tiki Bars that SF has to offer - and I am wondering which one we would have time to get to and enjoy. We won't be renting a car, so access via public transportation is a big plus. I'd love to see Forbidden island - but perhaps I should visit an Old School establishment instead?

On another note - I'll bring along a hand-pressed tiki tile (or two) as a gift for any TC members in the area who'd like to meet up and talk story.

Mahalo!
Henrik "VanTiki"

san francisco is extremely amazing public transportation. you can take the bart to forbidden island, the kona club and the kava lounge as well as trader dick's final resting place. i would check out the tonga room if you can only make one place simply because it may be going away forever. i also would check out trad'r sam's since it is the oldest tiki bar in the world. but if you have the time you can easily hit all of those places.

Unfortunately, the only tiki bar in San Francisco that is open before 5:00pm is Trad'r Sam's way out on Geary. The interior has some cool bamboo work, but everything else about it is "dive bar" chic. The crowd is surly, the music is rock, the drinks are horrendous. It is included in the crawl every year simply because it is the oldest tiki bar in the city, but really, only a few people bother with that part of the crawl.

If you can get there, Trader Vic's in Emeryville is open for lunch, but public transportation is a bit of a challenge. You would need to take Bart AND two different buses and a bit of a walk to get to Trader Vic's. If you were going to be here on a weekend, I'd be happy to meet you in the city and drive you out to Trader Vic's, but I just can't do it on a weekday.

Kona Club in Oakland opens at 2:00pm, but if you have a 4:00 flight, you won't get back to SFO in time. Forbidden Island, Conga Lounge, Trader Vic's in Palo Alto, and the Tonga Room don't open until 5:00 on weekdays.

Sadly the hours of 8am - 4pm just aren't Tiki Time in the bay area. I suggest taking the Bart train from SFO to the Embarcadero station. Visiting the Ferry Building, then walking north along the Embarcadero to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf. Or if you'd like to do some shopping, just take Bart to Powell Street and visit the stores in the Union Square area. Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Sak's, and tons of designer boutiques. There are also some great restaurants in that area. There are also several amazing museums that are easily accessible on public transportation.

[ Edited by: JenTiki 2009-08-09 10:54 ]

If you took Bart (underground) from SFO to Rockridge in Oakland, Denise and I would be more than happy to take you guys to Trader Vics Emeryville.
Maybe we could even squeeze in Kona Club and a sneak peak at Forbidden Island and Conga Lounge.
PM me and we can discuss details.

[ Edited by: Molokai Mike 2009-08-09 19:16 ]

These crazy tiki bars and their "evening only" hours! Why are they not open for breakfast and lunch?! :)

Welp, considering our tight schedule, and a general reluctance to stray too far from the airport, I think we are going to follow JenTiki's advice and hit the Union Square area. Sadly un-tiki, but I shall return someday for a proper overnight with plenty of tiki bar time scheduled. A huge mahalo for all the advice and assistance!

Henrik

Union Square, while not particularly tiki, is a wonderful place to visit. Tons of shopping for Mrs. VanTiki. If you want lunch, a great place to go is Yank Sing for Dim Sum, you can get off Bart and go there on your way to Union Square. Or, Sears Fine Food is also one of my favorites. While they look like they only serve breakfast, I had a particularly good burger there one night for dinner.

In the meantime, pray your flight will be delayed and you can hit the Tonga Room.

Cheers, dcman

There is a great new classic cocktail bar called RICKHOUSE 246 Kearny @ Sutter which opens at noon
try the KENTUCKY BUCK or RED & BLUE SMASH close to Union Square

There is also the oft-overlooked Bamboo Hut in North Beach. It's super easy to get there on Muni (a 30 or 15 will take you right there), it's in the heart of a fun neighborhood (North Beach), near City Lights Bookstore, and is usually open in the afternoons. I've seen a few bands playing there on a Sunday afternoon as well. Just don't go anywhere near it on a weekend night.

On 2009-08-25 14:22, Hanalei Sweetie wrote:
There is also the oft-overlooked Bamboo Hut in North Beach. It's super easy to get there on Muni (a 30 or 15 will take you right there), it's in the heart of a fun neighborhood (North Beach), near City Lights Bookstore, and is usually open in the afternoons. I've seen a few bands playing there on a Sunday afternoon as well. Just don't go anywhere near it on a weekend night.

Bamboo Hut is one of those that doesn't open until 5:00. The decor is kinda cool, but the drinks are definitely not worth missing a flight for.