This was the first visit of an epic 10 tiki bars in 10 day trip to Tiki Oasis in San Diego. Opened in 1958, this is an original place and has an old school vibe to it. Nude velvet paintings vie with huge tiki heads and Witco decor for attention here. Very dark but lots of secrets hidden here. Outside there is a large net-covered patio area that would have pleasant other than the 90 degree heat. We had a 90 minute reservation which the staff enforce pretty consistently. Instead of servers coming to you your booth or bench, you had to stand in line for drinks at the bar, resulting in a huge line of about 10 or more people at any given time. We spent a good 20-25 min of our allotted time here waiting in line (and we hit it before the crowd got bigger.) At the time, there was one bartender, but I think they added a second about when we were leaving. The host out front was very pleasant and gave good advice of other places to check out. Drinks were quite good, including the huge Tonga Hut Treasure bowl served in an epic sized flaming clamshell. I wasn't convinced we would be able to get that thing back to the booth intact. Vibe: 9/10 Service: 7/10 Drink Quality: 9/10 Overall Tiki Score: 8/10

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Tiki Bar

Tonga Hut - North Hollywood

North Hollywood, California, United States

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Established on June 18th, 1958, the Tonga Hut is a small bar in the middle of the San Fernando Valley with some absolutely fantastic tiki decor, lovely green booths and some great carvings. "Big Mo" the moai lurks just inside the front door. Towards the back is the "Drooling Bastard" tiki fountain which is overseen by the many placards from patrons who have passed the Loyal Order of the Drooling Bastard test to drink every cocktail in Beachbum Berry's Grog Log (at the Tonga Hut) within one year. Black velvet nude paintings by Jason Sallin grace several of the booths.

In May 2021 the back parking lot was transformed into a garden area with tent canopy and the back entrance was graced with a new Kirby tiki mask.

@2023, the space next door on the east side became available, and Tonga hut now leases it as well. So far, it hasn't been completely remodeled to match, but it is utilized during marketplaces and special events and they have hung some swag lamps and a few art pieces to begin the transition.

In 2013, the owners opened a second location in Palm Springs. See separate listing.