Tiki Tom's Hukilounge, Walnut Creek, CA (bar)

Name:Tiki Tom's Hukilounge
Type:bar
Street:1535 Olympic Blvd.
City:Walnut Creek
State:CA
Zip:94596
country:USA
Phone:(925) 932-9202
Status:operational

Description:
New restaurant/bar that features island cuisine, tropical drinks, and Hula dancers on Friday and Saturday night. They also run a catering service. I haven't been able to locate a website for the restaurant, but photos of the interior would seem to indicate minimal Tiki decor, somewhat along the same lines as Da Hukilau restaurants.

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2008-09-04 04:55 ]

[ Edited by: MrBaliHai 2008-09-04 04:56 ]

I was there a little over a year ago. It looks like a sports bar with some bamboo and balinese masks thrown at it randomly, lots of neon beer signs and a large TV showing sports over the bar. The food is good, but the drinks are terrible (mostly vodka- or bacardi-based "tinis"). The service was friendly, but inefficient. I called a couple weeks ago to see if they're still open and to inquire about a website. They are still open and they do still have live entertainment on weekends (though not always hula), but they do not have a website up right now. The crowd tends to be a bunch of loud 20-somethings.

On 2008-09-04 09:56, JenTiki wrote:
It looks like a sports bar with some bamboo and balinese masks thrown at it randomly, lots of neon beer signs and a large TV showing sports over the bar...The crowd tends to be a bunch of loud 20-somethings.

That's about what I figured from looking at the photos. The waitresses in "Margaritaville" t-shirts were definitely a bad sign, as far as I'm concerned.

The guy who opened this place sold it about two years ago (according to a staff member I spoke with), and has just (last weekend) opened a new Tiki Tom's on the river between Alameda and Oakland, California.

I was at the new location during the day, this past Monday (four days after they opened). They were closed on Sunday because they ran out of food. The Jab and I tried to visit on Sunday, with no luck.

TiPSY Factor: low to moderate.

Drinks: don't ask.

Food: miserable. One of the worst Ahi sandwiches I have ever had, or can imagine, and some crusty chowder with a thick skin on the top of my bowl that suggested it was poured a LONG time before being served.

View: pretty cool view of the river and bridge out big windows, plus plexi-covered ports in the floor to see the river below.

On 2008-10-18 17:01, tikibars wrote:
The guy who opened this place sold it about two years ago (according to a staff member I spoke with), and has just (last weekend) opened a new Tiki Tom's on the river between Alameda and Oakland, California.

My mileage varied considerably from tikibars's experience. I love the place.

The food menu would perhaps be a bit limited for a pure restaurant, but is far more than bar food. Good selection of fish and seafood. I don't have the most sophisticated palate, and by myself I wouldn't always be the best judge, but I've been there with several foodies who love the pupu platter, the calimari, and many of the fish of the day selections. The teriaki beef strips are also excellent. Tikibars's experience may have been more typical the first few days [although my own orders were excellent from day one] as they did a very soft opening, with many items only gradually being made available.

My fiancee, who is very much a foodie, likes their menu so much that we will be having our wedding there next April.

The bar selection is definitely limited at the moment. I'm especially surprised at the relatively small number of rums, always my key indicator of serious tropical attitude. However, my understanding is that they are expanding the bar selection over time. The drinks can sometimes be a tad overly sweet and not very strong. My fiancee, who likes exactly the opposite, was not initially impressed. However, the bartenders are anxious to please and always glad to adjust the recipes. They are all quite experienced and seem to be well-qualified mixologists. Prices are reasonable, so doubles are always an option.

I like the decor a lot, but perhaps I should confess to a slightly different bias than many true tiki afficianados. My love of tikiness is a subset of my love for any tropical beach or island culture. Hanging out in beach bars is of a piece with the fact that the first record I ever owned was a Beach Boys album and the last few have been Jimmy Buffett CDs. Thus, the 40 or so surfboards on the ceiling of "Tiki Tom's on the Oakland Riviera" is a great touch for me, while for others they may epitomise the lack of TiPSY authenticity.

If you do try it, especially in the afternoon, see if there's a guy in a white longshoreman's cap in the corner seat at the window end of the bar. Say hi.

chiwito

[ Edited by: chiwito 2008-11-16 20:33 ]

New (to me) tiki bar day.

Finally got out to Walnut Creek to check out Tiki Tom’s. After spending the week at The Kon-Tiki, Forbidden Island, and Trader Vic’s was I able to complete the “Alameda County Tiki Grand Slam”?

Hardly.

This place has lousy ratings amongst tikiphiles and for good reason. The decor is a mix of sports/dive and tiki, and embraces a working class vibe. It’s a little surprising considering it is sitting smack in the middle of Walnut Creek’s upscale shopping district. TVs over the Bar were showing Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (later, the Olympics) and there are game day Corona banners all over the place. There are quite a few tikis (none seem very authentic, though) with lots of Hawaiian elements. There is a nice stone feature at the entrance but mostly this feels like tourist-tiki circa 1999. The cartoony logo is consistent with this theme.

But, at 3:00 pm on Presidents Day I have to say the crowd was lively (mostly 20-30s crowd) and everyone seemed to be having fun. Music was reggae and the bartender was super friendly.

My Island-style Mai Tai was a mixed bag (remember, I don’t immediately disregard Island Mai Tais) but as you can see used low-ish end rums. At least the drinks are priced accordingly: the Mai Tai is listed at just $8 and my Mai Tai was just $4 (happy hour?).

Tiki Tom’s Mai Tai
Captain Morgan White
Orange Juice
Pineapple Juice
Grenadine
Float with Cruzan 151 and Myers’s
Garnish with orange, lemon, lime, cherry.

COMPLETELY RE- IMAGINED!!!

I personally threw away all the Walmart tiki decor myself during the DamnPanic ! Go check it out now!! The cocktails are top notch! The food is delicious and the Decor, well you know!! 😉😉🍹🍹🗿🗿🤙🤙

October 18, 2021

We’re late to the reopening party, but perhaps that helped our experience on Sunday. Mrs. Mai Tai did some shopping in Walnut Creek and we hit Tiki Tom’s for dinner and drinks. Everything they say about the remodel is true and even more so. It is gorgeous inside with all kinds of cool Hawaiian and Tiki elements. I loved the mug displays and nods to Disney and TV shows, plus some very immersive lighting and Hawaiian music that was totally on point.

Several people have told us that drinks were inconsistent, but my Mai Tai was really quite good. Mrs Mai Tai had the Dole Whip with a Dark Rum float that tasted very nice, and I also tried the original cocktail Blowfish Intoxica. This Hemingway Daiquiri riff with Rhum Agricole was really well prepared and balanced.

For food, I had the Shrimp and Pork Lumpia and also the Kalua Pork Sliders, while Mrs. Mai Tai had the Beet Salad and Coconut Nice. All the food we had was great, though since the kitchen is small the plates came out in pairs. Our server was quite earnest and friendly.

Patrons seem to be digging the new Tiki Tom’s. There weren’t any Frat bros or jocks on our visit, and one group even asked to be seated in the fantastic nautical-themed booth just past the bar.

If there’s a downside, the food and cocktail prices are at least ~$3-5 more than you’d expect to pay. We know the rent in downtown Walnut Creek is high, but prices seemed higher than Oakland or San Francisco. Nonetheless, we loved our visit to Tiki Tom’s and can’t wait to return.

(since the above was written in October, the cocktail prices have come down $2-3)

Absolutely gorgeous! https://ultimatemaitai.com/2021/10/18/tiki-toms/