Conga Lounge in Oakland to close.

It is with great sadness that we announce the closing of our beloved little tiki bar. Conga Lounge, was founded 12 years ago by my brothers and I, as an experiment to see if "tiki" could work in that day and age. It was the early 2000s, the tiki bug had bitten me hard and I had a dream of up a classic mid-century style tiki lounge, serving traditional tiki cocktails. This was still a dark time for the concept, several that had opened in LA and the midwest, were closing their doors after a brief period. We had an available 2nd floor to our pizza restaurant and so, Conga Lounge was born in 2003. It was an immediate success and set the stage for the "ultimate dream"...Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/02/03/conga-lounge-and-cafe-rustica-closing-in-rockridge/

Unfortunately, most TC's only experienced the Conga during a crowded, packed stop of one of the Tiki Crawls and never fully got to experience the awesomeness of this quaint little space. It also got overshadowed over the years, by the newer East Bay/ San Francisco tiki bars and lounges that opened it it's wake. Nevertheless, Conga has it's place in the Bay Area's rich tiki history, as one of the first "tiki-revival" bars in tiki's new golden age. At the time Conga opened, there was no tiki presence in the Bay Area other than the remaining Tiki mecca's like Trader Vics and Tonga Room (which were both perceived at the time as old-school and tired) and party tiki spots like Bamboo Hut and Trader Sams, both infamous for their dreadful concoctions passed as Tiki drinks. We set to change all of that by opening Conga. Shortly afterward, Kona Club and Forbidden Island opened and spearheaded a tiki revolution in the the Bay Area, which quickly spread across the country.

We are sad to see the Conga go and are even sadder for our hundreds of regulars and fans, esp those that have bonded, fallen in love or married as a result of meeting at the Conga! Unfortunately, tied to a 25 year old pizza restaurant, that has been struggling financially, spelled the end of our beloved tiki bar. We will miss you, Conga Lounge and you will always hold a special place in our hearts! Final date is Saturday 2/21.

A little photo tour...

[ Edited by: Molokai Mike 2015-02-13 10:26 ]

This is tragic, but economic realities often force undesirable situations and decisions upon us. Thanks for the heads-up. I hope you find the will, the inspiration, and the funding to consider another venture in a new location. Best wishes to you and your staff, Mike!

On 2015-02-13 10:39, AceExplorer wrote:
This is tragic, but economic realities often force undesirable situations and decisions upon us. Thanks for the heads-up. I hope you find the will, the inspiration, and the funding to consider another venture in a new location. Best wishes to you and your staff, Mike!

This seems like one of those situations where success is also the downfall. I never heard of this place until this post and I've been into the tiki/midcentury subculture for about 7 years now. It's one of those circumstances where a place opens up, does really well, creates a "scene" in the area (mid century tiki in this case), others follow the lead and then overshadow. I've been to others mentioned. I regret that I didn't know about this place and in effect never been. It looks great and sad to see it go.

Yup, surf4food, we're thinking along the same lines.

I really meant what I wrote to Mike - don't let the situation strip you of your enthusiasm, enjoyment, and inspiration. You CAN consider doing it again in a different place and perhaps also in a different way.

Besides, where else is he going to use all those awesome tiki decorations? Now go give the other guys a run for their money.

Sad to hear this Mike, But we still have Forbidden Island, right?

Very sad to hear, it has to be a really tough decision. You were on my to do list when I finally make the NoCal pilgrimage. Now you're on the list of great Tiki joints I was to late to experience. Good Luck!

damn if I only lived closer Id be there every night!!!!! too cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mahalo Mike for keeping Tiki alive for more than a decade through sharing your passion. Best to you and the staff. Paul

The Conga Lounge was the very first tiki bar I set foot in, and your Blue Hawaii was the very first tropical cocktail I ever had. I have very fond memories of your establishment. All the best for your future ventures.

Mike,
Sorry to hear the bad news. My wife and I stopped by the Conga along with your other bar, Forbidden Island whenever we drove up to Sonoma. We will miss the great drinks we had there and will continue to stop in to FI whenever we drive to Sonoma.

Thanks for all your kind words. Fear not, Forbidden Island is stronger/ busier than ever and not going anywhere! Conga would have been fine too, if it was a stand alone bar. However, tied to a financially struggling 25 year old pizza restaurant, gave it/us no option. We are committed to finding another location, though.

On 2015-02-16 15:32, Molokai Mike wrote:
Thanks for all your kind words. Fear not, Forbidden Island is stronger/ busier than ever and not going anywhere! Conga would have been fine too, if it was a stand alone bar. However, tied to a financially struggling 25 year old pizza restaurant, gave it/us no option. We are committed to finding another location, though.

As I stated above, I regret that I never heard of this place until now and am sad to see it go. I sincerely hope you find another location. I don't live in the Bay Area but from all the people I meet from there at Tiki Oasis down here in San Diego the tiki scene there is doing quite well. Hell I'd say better than here because we really don't have any true tiki bars. Also don't forget Smuggler's Cove on Gough St.

Mike I always enjoyed the Conga Lounge.
Thanks for the great memories and 12 years was a great run in Tiki years.
I would call it a success.

Only the best to you on your new horizons!

That is truly a bummer.

We only made it once, on our honeymoon, back 'round 2010 and had a great time!

Excellent vibe, excellent bartender, excellent drinks...

Here's a few shots from our visit I dug out (don't mind the flash...trust me, it's dark in there!)

Our bartender...

5 Years ago Cheers, Conga Lounge...

...Did I mention their signature mug was (is!) a truly awesome design??

...very sorry to hear we won't make it back. Glad we had the chance to visit when we did, tho... best of luck to you guys in your next venture!!

--Pete

This is truly heartbreaking! The Conga Lounge was a frequent destination for our rotating Tiki Crawls in the East Bay. We introduced many a friends to the world of Tiki via the Lounge. The Bay Area Tiki Ohana is really losing one of its shining jewels. While there is always a lot of talk of Trader Vic's, Forbidden Island and Smuggler's Cove, I always felt that the Conga Lounge never got the respect it deserved. The drinks were great, the decor was fantastic and the staff was superb. I raise my Mai Tai to you. Mahalo for everything!

I had to bump this thread because I just broke my beloved Conga Lounge mug last night and have been reminiscing about the good old days. That's me hoisting a Mai Tai in the previous post. I'll glue it back together but, just as the Lounge, it will never be the same. Thanks again for the memories!

"The horror...the horror..." :cry:
If I had an extra, I would flat out send it to you. I love that mug. It was the second location-specific mug I ever bought, and even today with more location-specific mugs than I can easily count, it's still in my top 3.

Thanks for the considerate thought finky099. Yeah, that's a tough one to lose, but I guess the silver lining is that I now have room for another mug! I'm thinking I'll see if the new Pagan Idol in San Francisco has any offerings. Hmmmm.....