Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar

Ya gotta come to the Tonga room at least once in your life! Old World Historic Fairmont Hotel, and the historic Tonga room. Check out all the pictures of days past while you are there. It’s an experience… that’s all I have to say. Drinks are pricey of course, but strong and well made.

My fiancé and I were staying at the Fairmont and decided to check out the hotel bar — to our pleasant surprise we discovered the Tonga Room on the lower level!
This spot is pretty unique — a rectangle pool is at the enter of the room where rain falls and tables surround the perimeter.
We arrived Saturday night to a large line — I believe hotel guests do not have to pay cover for live music on weekend .
Pros:
— ambience, ambience, ambience!
— signature drinks /​fish bowls are strong
— variety on menu
Cons:
— food was just ok, we enjoyed out dishes but nothing blew us away.
— somewhat pricey ($ 10 – 15 drinks) but considering the experience it’s totally worth it.

What a cool and unexpected place sitting in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel! I attended a party in a section of the Tonga Room and absolutely loved it! The atmosphere is second to none, the service was great, the piña colada was refreshing and expertly made and the food was quite tasty too. I will definitely be back on my next visit to San Francisco as this gem is too good to go to just once!

Go for the atmosphere. It’s like stepping into the pacific islands. Their known for the great tiki drinks. We got the chi chi and listened to the live music and enjoyed the «rain» — plus, the Fairmont hotel is gorgeous and is worth checking out!

Ok I am in love with the Tonga room and this girl Natalie but that’s not why I’m writing this review today. Other than running out of pineapples on a Sunday at 10:30… Flawless!!!
Great show, amazing chicken wings, cold beer, coffee served in a carafe.
And let’s not forget the atmosphere! It’s like you are in Hawaii and it has fake thunder!!! Boba! It’s exciting fun and romantic!
I highly recommend it, it’s my go to in SF now. I may call ahead or bring my own pineapple. Oooo and the giant banana split! Get it!!! I know $ 20 but it feeds 4−6… Really 10 – 12’n
Special thanks to PJ! You made our last night in SF perfect, I think she has great dessert skills too!

Four stars for tiki drinks, appetizers + nostalgic environment. Singapore Slings were our favorite and assorted spring rolls. Short rib sliders could use a bit more meat for the price. Loved the crab Rangoon but they now charge per piece $ 3.50, which adds up! Overall, it’s fun for occasional celebration, and I’m glad it’s still around. If you hop on the Powell St cable car afterwards, hold on! The cocktails sneak up on you.

I got tipsy when i was here because the drinks was good especially the coconut cocktails. They have awesome deal with $ 10 per person buffet. There were eggrolls, salad, fruits, Fried rice noodles, and two kinds of chicken wings. Except noodles and rice, I like everything else. Good place for happy hour. But line was long if for seats, you can directly go inside to get food and drinks if you want to stand the whole time, very crowded after 5:30pm. We had our seats around 5:45pm but had to wait about 40 minutes.

I’ve been meaning to come here for the last year or so since I heard about it from one of my friends… so glad I finally got a chance to check it out!
Came here last night (Wed) around 7:30pm with a group of 6 friends. One girl had gone earlier and saved us a table, but it didn’t seem to be super crowded, probably because the first Warriors vs Cavaliers game was going on at the same time!
I can’t speak to the food because I only had a drink here, but I thought the drinks were about what you’d expect from a tikki bar… lots of rum cocktails with tropical flavors mixed in. I got the Island Margarita for $ 12, and it was pretty tasty. No complaints there!
I absolutely enjoyed the feel of the whole place. They’ve gone to great lengths to create that tropical island atmosphere, complete with a pool of water in the middle, periodic «rain» accompanied by thunder, and even the beginnings of a ship’s rigging!
Once it hit a certain time (around 8 – 8:30), the live band started playing and some people started dancing on the wooden deck of the «ship». They looked like they were having a blast!
My one minor complaint about my experience last night was that it was a little bit stuffy inside, but I took it all in stride and treated it as part of the tropical humid atmosphere.
Check out my pics to get a sense of what it looks like inside!

Total tourist must try spot in San Fran.
I have been wanting to go to Tonga Room after seeing it on Anthony Bourdain’s drunk travels around SF in one of his shows. My boyfriend’s parents were staying at the Fairmont and looking for a pre-​dinner drink when we decided to head downstairs to the Tonga Room. Walking in this place is pretty cool, yes, cheesy, but the fact that you are literally underground in what used to be the pool for the hotel they have done a good job of renovating it into a tiki bar/​pirate ship. I actually prefer this spot to Smugglers Cove as there is was more seating and a nicer space. Slightly reminiscent to my childhood days at Walt Disney World and the Pirate ship attraction… but with booze!
We were able to grab some seats by the pool and shared the Smuggles Golden Punch Bowl for Two ($ 22). It was not overly sweet and ginger/​yellow chartreuse were a nice balance with the rum. The server was a bit busy and neglectful, but it seemed that she was the only one working in a pretty full bar/​restaurant area so that was understandable. This is not the kind of place where I would go on the reg, but bringing out of town guests (who are paying) is a different story! I would choose this over Smugglers Cove for the better seating and overall experience

Oh my god ! I’ve died and have gone to heaven, this place is magical, there is a swimming pool where the stage should be, when the band comes out they are on a boat you hear thunder and lightning and it begins to rain as if your in a tropical rain forest, but you don’t get rained on its just over the pool… Our food was delicious we had a myriad of Polynesian delights, absolutely Devine, the waiters where great, courteous and prompt with our orders, it was quiet the experience. The band was outstanding playing 80s music
totally in my element !

Stopped in last night with my family (kid friendly too), super fun and unique retro tiki bar/​restaurant! A pool with a live band in a floating hut/​boat in it, it even rains with lighting in the pool area! Good drinks & live music playing top 40 hits, cheesy but super fun of you don’t take yourself too seriously! The only downfall is they charge a $ 10 cover per person if you want a table. It’s free if you don’t mind standing around the bar/​dance floor.

I went to this place on a first date, which was probably not the best idea lol… but anyways — I really wanted to check out this place because of the décor/​ambiance. We had tried the week before, but had failed to realize its NOT open on Tuesdays… so we came the next week on a Wednesday! We didn’t make a reservation, but still got seated anyways — there were plenty of open tables. So I wouldn’t worry too much about making one on a weekday.
Back to the date thing — too loud for a first date lol. Between the rain showers over the pool, the fake thunder, and the live music… haha not good for getting to know someone.
Also note, on some nights — they have live music, and charge you an extra $ 7 as cover (but it’s just added onto your bill.
I got the Pineapple Royale as my drink, and it was good (smaller than expected), but good. We also ordered the Pu Pu Platter for two, crab tacos, and pork dumplings. Honestly, everything was okay — like nothing life changing.
I think this place is worth coming and having a drink for fun and mostly for the décor/​ambiance — but just keep in mind it’s for tourists, foodies will not be impressed.

Can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place — I make sure to go every time I visit here with my son, who pretty much considers this what a grown-​up restaurant should be.
The food is asian-​influenced pacific island style (as you’d expect) — so think spam fried rice, coconut shrimp, poke, etc. I can’t say it particularly ever blew me away but I never had a bad deal here.
Of course what’s not to love about giant tiki drinks or listening to lounge music being played from a small «boat» during an indoor «thunderstorm». Come here for the experience, because they don’t make places like this anymore, and I’m betting soon enough this will close down to be replaced with a «could be anywhere» new-​American cuisine/​hipster spot.

Whoa mama, we’re deep in kitsch flavor country now!
The band boat floats serenely by as fake rain falls over the outer edge of an indoor pool in the center of the thatched-​roof restaurant. This is your faux dream tropical vacation, complete with pricy luau foods and hilariously big communal drinks. Scorpion bowl ahoy!
They make a surprisingly good piña colada, opting to put in just pineapple juice, coconut milk and rum, no half-​gallon of simple syrup!
The Tonga room was well worth the trip to the Fairmont based on their colada game, but baby, if you’re going, go big. Get the Royal Pupu platter because everything on it is phenomenal! The ribs and wings are tender and covered in wondersauce with sesame seeds. The crab rangoons have tasty actual dungeoness crab in them, but oh man, those shiitake spring rolls are UNREAL. Crisp, savory, succulent, they don’t need sauce but you’ll get territorial over these dainty nibbles and want to experiment. Give in, it’s worth it.

This place has an awesome atmosphere you can’t find at many other tiki bars in the city! Located underneath the Fairmont, I wouldn’t have expected to stumble upon this sort of bar with a fun, laid-​back environment.
I’ve been here twice now with my boyfriend and we’ve always had a good time here. First time we got their scorpion bowl, smuggler’s golden punch bowl and their pineapple royale cocktail. How did we drink all that? To this day. we don’t even know haha. All we remember is having a great time on the dance floor that’s looks like a ship and enjoying the live music out on the water. Oh and the indoor rain!
We came back recently to try a couple of appetizers with their scorpion bowl and we couldn’t even finish it. Their appetizers are pretty good though! We got their calamari and egg rolls and got to sit by a table next to the dance floor which was a good people-​watching spot. On fridays and saturdays they have a $ 10 cover charge/​person for the live music so I would recommend coming here on a weekday if you can!

As much as I give credit for the concept, the combination of poor service, mediocre food, and an overpriced menu is not worth it.

Maybe the dumbest place on earth, and f**ka I love it!
THE TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR!
«If you have no love in your heart for this place you are a sick twisted lonely f*ck with too many cats.» — Anthony Bourdain (on the Tonga Room episode of The Layover)
Hmm, okay! Back in the day I lived on «upper» Nob Hill with my ex-​wife, well we were married then, and we have lots of fond memories of our old neighborhood, including me passing by the Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar almost daily, but never going in. I mean c’mon now, I’m part Hawaiian, I was born in the Pacific, and wouldn’t this excessively gaudy & cheesy place just offend someone like me? And yes, I also dig Anthony Bourdain…
On proper tiki bar etiquette: «You don’t drink, like, scotch on the rocks here, man. It’s girly drinks with umbrellas and sh*t, and you drink them proud.» — Anthony Bourdain
Why to my surprise my ex-​wife held a surprise birthday for me here! Of course, I would have chosen elsewhere, but let’s toss all those stereotypes and reruns of Gilligan’s Island in the bamboo toilet and give it a whirl! I mean the worse scenario would be kissing a tiki, right? Unless my ex was being vindictive?! Oh boy, what a f**k’n night!
THE TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR!
This retro-​glowing-​bar is located in the very ritzy Fairmont Hotel on the top of Nob Hill. Upon entering you will get hit, like a tsunami, with that contagious island fever, hey in a hella good way, brah! You feel that island jive! Fishermen’s glass globes hanging from the ceiling, between the fishing nets, ferns, and other South Pacific décor! Of course faux tiki, hula girls, and glowing fires everywhere! Hey, maybe I should scope-​out for Ginger & Mary Ann! Oh baby!
The décor seems gaudy, but actually quite historic, having been originally built in 1945 by a set designer from MGM Studios. The star of the restaurant is the aquamarine lagoon, installed even earlier in 1929, as the «Fairmont Plunge» and popular with celebrities of the day. There is no swimming in the lagoon today, but instead a live band on a floating platform. And O M G even hourly tropical storms! Yup, you had to be there! Now realize you’re witnessing this while sipping signature umbrella drinks — vintage strong! Some island-​style pupus, and a surprise ice-​cream birthday dessert thingie, too! So after a few…
«This place is completely, completely awesome!» — Anthony Bourdain (on the Tonga Room episode of The Layover)
The night came, the night went. My third pineapple tasted way better than the first. The live music was Grammy Award worthy, well really Gramma, but who really cares with long straws dangling from our lips. Matching heather gray shirts to be proud of, and certainly no God Complex here, you dig?!
So after a few more…
«This is like, the greatest place in the history of the world.» — Anthony Bourdain (on the Tonga Room episode of The Layover)
Well maybe not, but it sure brings a smile to us adults tired of Disneyland & Chuck E. Cheese. It really makes you feel alive, so in a way, this is nearly the greatest place to be! ;)
THE TONGA ROOM & HURRICANE BAR!
«With my sunglasses on, I’m Jack Nicholson. Without them, I’m hella fat…» — Jack Nicholson
Haha I love Jack too! Happy Birthday to me! And I love my ex-​wife too, who btw, even though we went our separate ways, still knows how to put a smile on my face. No, silly… Tiki drinks! I am so glad I dived-​in and will always hold her dear to my heart. Hey, we only live once in this lifetime, right?!

Anthony Bourdain approved, so we had to check it out!
What an awesome place! A live band was playing amongst an indoor tropical storm while we sipped mai tais and ate delicious Asian/​Hawaiian inspired food. We asked for the drink that came in a skull, like the one we saw on The Layover and our waitress laughed and said that everyone asks for that, yet they don’t serve that type of drink! No problem, we enjoyed the Lava Bowl and other delicious concoctions.
The location is a little difficult to find, it’s literally in the underbelly of the hotel, but the ambiance and service is definitely worth experiencing!

Loved it, loved it and loved it!
Unique and amazing interiors and experience. Live music. Casual and loud — so me!
Loved the cocktails especially my Zombie!
You HAVE TO reserve way early. It’s always full.
They don’t take reservations before 7 though. You can walk in; although there is usually a ½hr wait.

I will say that parking for this place on a rainy Friday was an absolute nightmare. We ended up parking on Vallejo on the other side of Chinatown and just walked it. This has nothing to do with the Tonga Room itself and won’t affect it’s star rating.
You walk into this beautiful hotel from the California Street side to get to Tonga, (though I highly encourage you to look at the lobby before heading home if you just came here for the Tonga Room, photo attached). If you REALLY want to enjoy the Tonga Room, MAKE A RESERVATION! So many of the low ratings on here are because people have had to stand in line just to stand at the bar.
I made my reservation a week prior on Open Table and requested a spot by the water. When we arrived, we bypassed the line, and were immediately seated by the water. This may have just been the next open table, but I’m an optimist and will just assume they read my request. Also, on Friday and Saturday there is an additional $ 7 entertainment fee.
The wait staff is amazing. Our waiter was quick and polite. The manager even stopped by our table to give the history of the bar. We ordered our food and drinks and they were served promptly.
As a vegetarian, I didn’t try much of the food, but my husband was IN LOVE with his food. The complimentary edamame was good for me. Drinks were strong and tasty and come in mugs that are fun to take pictures of.
Our bill for the Pupu Platter and two drinks each was about $ 84. Our reservation was at 6:15pm and we left before the band started so we didn’t have to pay the entertainment fee.

Wonderful service thanks David and team at the dinner tables section. He always checked on us and was absolutely wonderful.
jan 2016 thursday, listened to the band and had a great time.
Lychee martini from the bar was yummy.
Parking fee was $ 58!!! What!!!
From 5:30pm-9:30!!!

Make reservations or arrive early to wait in the ‘walk ins’ line which the staff takes you to the bar area.
Order one of their bowls, it will not disappoint. S-​t-​r-​o-​n-​g. One bowl for two ppl is around $ 22, for four $ 32. The rice is delicious.
Fun atomosphere with dark lighting.
The downsides are it gets very busy and parking is hard to find. You can either pay the hotel to do valet, or try and find street parking. St parking only allows you to park for two hours before 8 or 9pm

Seriously such a cool spot. Highly recommend this place for a fun night out!
I had been wanting to come here for awhile now and finally got around to it. We came here on the Sunday night before MLK day and it was bumpin’. SO many people. We wanted to get a table but we also wanted to be in the fun part of the bar so we decided to just walk in and wait for a spot at the bar, which we luckily found after about 5 minutes of hovering.
There was live music when we came, which I am pretty sure they have every night of the week (besides Mondays and Tuesdays when they’re closed). The band sits in a little hut in the middle of the pool (that’s right, there’s a pool in this place!). Extremely Instagram worthy I would say.
The bartenders were all super friendly too. They helped us when we had no idea what to order.
DRINKS:
PINEAPPLE ROYALE ($ 13) — insanely delicious! I ordered the cheaper version of the drink, which comes in a ceramic pineapple vs. a real pineapple ($ 24). Perfect mix of pineapple, rum, and brandy. I would 100% order this drink again and again
SCORPION BOWL ($ 20 for 2 people) — love how this drink is served… in one big bowl with multiple long straws.
SMUGGLER’S GOLDEN PUNCH BOWL ($ 22 for 2 people) — tasted like a moscow mule but with rum… it was amazing. I liked it better than the scorpion bowl. so much happiness
FOOD:
EDAMAME — Can’t go wrong… always a great snack.
SLIDERS — so yummy! perfect amount when we weren’t too hungry and needed some light bites
VIBES:
After we finished our (many) drinks, we headed to the dance floor. I felt like I was at a wedding/​bar mitzvah. It was a hilarious group of people… most of which were on the older side (probably because this restaurant is in a hotel) but regardless we had so much fun!
Head to Tonga Room ASAP. You will not be disappointed.

I took my son and daughter here to celebrate her 21^st Birthday. All I can say is this place is awesome. It’s kitschy, cliché’…and has that old time feel of those wonderfully cheesy 70s joints.
The food and drinks are a bit pricey… but everything, as far as we were concerned was delicious. And mind you… we started our night there, so we hadn’t even had a first drink yet. After a few drinks… and haven eaten some delicious appetizers… we almost canceled the remainder of our evening and nearly decided to spend the entire evening at the Tonga Room… especially once the band began playing.
A small floating platform moves out into the center of a lagoon in the middle of the place… and they play all sorts of music from just about every era. Plus they sang Happy Birthday to my daughter… and to everyone else with a Birthday that night.
Cheesy great fun! Going back again!

I was here again this past weekend and had a blast! They’re fairly quick on tables even if you don’t reserve one and the band was really good. Def a great group/​party spot. Try the zombie drink but keep in mind you really only need one– it will sneak up on you.

Here for cocktails with my band. It’s pretty dark in here but that’s mood lighting. Every once in a while it starts «raining» and has lightening in the middle of the plane. Pretty cool. Like rainforest café but fancier without all the gorillas and smelly children.
I opted for the buffet which was minimal but is $ 10 and totally worth it.
The pinch bowls to share are not worth it. They’re pretty small. Just get your own drink. All in all I liked it. Our waitress is bomb!

Definitely a tourist attraction so just keep that in mind when you go. Gotta wait in line for a table or go in and attempt to crowd around the bar space.
The buffet food is mediocre but helps soak up all the alcohol from their drinks. Cocktails are pretty strong and consistent. Everything tastes delicious and boozy! Not to mention some are served in tiki glasses which makes the experience way more fun. Highly recommend sharing the punch bowls if you’re going with a group. Get em all!
Perfect for hanging out with friends, though not the best place to catch up as it gets pretty loud with the live band. They also charge cover when the band is playing and they mostly play covers of recent pop songs.

Kitschy old-​school tiki bar in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel, complete with an island-​themed band that plays out of a pagoda floating atop a pool in the middle of the room, and a simulated rain show every now and then.
The food isn’t so much the focus as it is the retro atmosphere and the chi-​chi cocktails, which are generously sized, well-​presented, and feature all sorts of fruity ingredients. I enjoyed the hurricane, a «tropical cocktail» with rum, lemon juice, passion fruit syrup, and pomegranate, as well as the pineapple royale, which came in a ceramic pineapple-​shaped container and featured rum, brandy, Cointreau, and pineapple juice. The bartenders are also friendly and on top of their game.
While I wouldn’t go at peak periods (weekend nights), this might be a good venue for some pre– or post-​gaming if you’re heading to the Masonic Theatre down the street or if you’re having dinner in the vicinity.

This is review on a recent company party we had at this location. The venue obviously oversold our company on what they could deliver. Here is a recap of my experience — stand in line for a drink for 30 minutes, stand in line for an appetizer for 30 minutes, stand in another line for food, stand in line again for a drink. One co-​worker made the perfect comment of «oh look! a line!» A couple key notes —
— We were supposed to have appetizers (400 of each) yet they somehow ran out in 10 minutes. I was there at the very beginning and never saw anything. They had the venue throughout three rooms but I later found out that the appetizers never left the first room and the people walking around never made it to the actual tonga room
— The bar did not take cards. SERIOUSLY? And I know that if they had told our team putting this together before hand, they would have got the message out to everyone to bring cash so they obviously didn’t. How does a bar not take cards?
— The bartenders except one lady were incredibly slow. Someone said it best, they were like bartenders you have in a hotel lobby — not a bar. The old man actually snapped at the coworker I was with and she hadn’t even said anything to him yet. Incredibly rude. Another bartender when asked if there was anything to drink for pregnant ladies, literally yelled back «WATER!» How is this a way to treat guests? The guests weren’t even being disrespectful. And then they tried to charge for water! The free stuff that comes out of a tap!
— The food was not set up in a good situation to refill easily and food ran out everywhere.
Like I said previously, the Tonga room definitely over sold us and were in no way ready and able to accommodate what they said they could.

This is less of 2 star review and more of a 1.3 star review.
Also this review is exclusively for how Fairmont’s Tonga Room handled my employer’s holiday company party.
Here are the lowlights:
1. HUUUGE SLOW INEFFICIENT lines
2. Running out of food.
3. Some of the bars ran out of some of the beers (anything other than bud or bud light)
4. Cash only — wont accept credit cards
5. Prices — i think the cheapest thing was 11 $ and that was something horrible like budlight.
6. Honestly — the space is just not big enough to accomdate over 600 people.
7. Band too loud
8. Foods OK at best but — stale pita ≠ pita chips
9. Ran out of room in the coat check — clearly they accepted a booking they were not prepared to handle.
Other that — the event was wonderful, and I have no strong feelings about this particular establishment.

Wow, every bit the tiki room feel you’d hope for. Bored with the button-​up vibe upstairs? Head down to the Tonga Room for a kicked-​back good time. Simple Hawaiian-​inspired drink and food menu. Sometimes they have live music, as they did on Sunday night. Great décor. And I don’t mean ad hoc, improvised minimal décor… it’s a treat for the senses. Love the water feature, but I’m not going to over-​explain it and take away your fun. ;)
The Tonga Room’s rep as an SF institution is well-​deserved. A must-​do!

Tonga Room is very cool… but not exactly what I was looking for
ATMOSPHERE
Hands down, Tonga Room is the most unique bar/​restaurant I have ever been to! The repurposed pool into a lake with floating live band? Genius. Too bad the band left not 10 minutes after we got there.
It is VERY loud and quite bustling. I would say Tonga is the perfect place for a family or friend celebration. There’s a little dance floor to see all the silly or crazy moves people are willing to do in public.
There’s also a decent standing table area by the bar for those who are only drinking and not eating (where we managed to grab a table).
SERVICE
This ain’t the club but holy cheesus I could NOT manage to get the bartender’s attention. To be honest, I was hoping for a quiet night with a few drinks so I was a little overwhelmed and people were just so pushy at the bar that I couldn’t find the courage to speak up. I just let my friends handle it. Bartenders are a little slow. Maybe they should put more on shift. Staff were not that friendly but were not horrible but the chaos of the room felt like it needed a little more control… Unless that’s what they were going for? I was hopelessly lost half the time.
DRINKS
The drinks were, unsurprisingly, fruity and sweet. The balance of flavors wasn’t too bad. Besides a few cocktails we shared a large bowl thing, which seems quite unsanitary to me (backwash alert). The drinks could have been stronger. Price is alright.

This place gets a ⁵⁄₅ for its atmosphere! It’s inside the Fairmont Hotel. There’s a beautiful lake in the middle of the restaurant and you are seated around it. There is a band that floats on a boat and sings/​plays music while you eat. The music was too loud so it became difficult to hear the people around you/​speak. Because there was a band playing while we ate, we had to pay a $ 5 – 7 surcharge (I can’t remember the exact number) for it. This was automatically added onto our check per person. During our meal, there was fake rain that started falling alongside the lake which was pretty cool. It really felt like we were eating in a tiki hut right by the water, enjoying some nice music in the rain.
I got the kahlua pork and mm, the sauces that came with it were good! Can’t really remember much from my dining experience foodwise, but it was overall a unique dining experience :)
There were a lot of random fees on our receipt that we didn’t really expect. Like for example, I think they charged for alcohol. or idk.the way the receipt was formatted was so confusing.

Did I go to Tonga when I went to the Tonga room? Heck no! Nor did I feel like I did. I had mixed emotions. Is this rather cheesy and off the wall spot really in the Fairmont hotel? Yes. Yet the simple fact of the matter is… It was fun.
The venue is creative and entertaining. You aren’t in the stuffy feel of the Fairmont (please read that with a tone) and the craziness of the city life. You are in this cheesy fun spot that has a live band playing while you enjoy some colorful cocktails. By the way… share the cocktails, or you will all be stumbling out at the end of the night.
Service was ok. You can never be quick enough when you want a cocktail, but the staff kept up with the pace. While I can’t speak for dinner service, the post hours certainly was fun and entertaining.
For something different than the normal city activities, check it out. It was a cool laid back spot that was worth the small cover charge!

Came here last Saturday at around 8:00pm. The line was getting longer and longer as we were waiting. After about 20 minutes we managed to get in. We were in the standing are of the bar, if we wanted a table the wait was an hour.
The place looks cool, like a Pirates of the Caribbean set. There was live music, with a $ 7 surcharge for the entertainment (we didn’t have to pay it though because we were standing I guess… not sure why)
The music was loud, the drinks were good and the atmosphere was fun! We ended up having a real good time.
I wouldn’t call it my regular place but I would come here every once in a while for some tropical drinks and fun music.

I wouldn’t be back for the food. I had the sliders on the appetizer menu and that was enough for me to know that I won’t be trying their food again. I will probably make sure I eat before I come next time. The drinks are strong. You have been warned.
There is a $ 5 surcharge for the entertainment. Also the sporadic rainfall is unique. The night I went the music wasn’t popping like other reviews have mentioned. Was I not drunk enough? Do they start slow and get better as the night continues? If I’m back in the city it wouldn’t be the first place I rush to come back but if I’m the neighborhood I probably will drop by for some drinks.

TIKI TIKI TIKI DRINK!
My wife and I are huge fans of Tiki and the recent revival of the scene has definitely put a spotlight on the historic Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar located in The Fairmont Hotel. In it’s 70^th year of operation, this place has not lost any of its charm. From the band floating on the water, the rainstorms, and of course, the potent concoctions coming from the bar.
Standing room only at the bar, no problem. We were greeted immediately with a friendly barkeep who was more than happy to make us a few classics. A Mai Tai here, a Painkiller there, Zombie… then things get fuzzy. William was kind enough to show us an extensive list of tiki drinks that aren’t on the regular menu.
It’s got all the right ingredients. It’s dark and cozy, the music, minimal cellular reception, you could stay here for hours and not know what day it is. Such a great atmosphere, and a good time. We are definitely looking forward to coming back!

Kitschy fun, it is worth going just to see the band launch themselves on the lagoon barge at 8 pm and play a set. Not a cheap night out, but where else can you experience a tropical rainstorm every 15 minutes? The Hurricane drinks are the best deal. Service is very pleasant and on island time, so you can sit, sip, and overlook the lagoon with no worries.
My husband and I love tiki bars, but next time we will come early and grab a seat for happy hour rather than make dinner reservations as we did this visit, (which are a must, otherwise you are standing in a long line). For dinner, we enjoyed the large serving of tasty calimari appetizer, the green beans and the pork. Either way, it is a fun night out. Plus, wandering through the Fairmont lobby and gardens is a must.

It was a Wednesday night, and I was already at the Fairmont Hotel with my colleagues for a business seminar and we decided to dine at the Tonga Room since we heard such great things about it.
We did not have reservations so we were seated in the bar area. The bar area did not include a full dinner menu, just the limited bar food menu and drinks. We ordered the ahi poke, teriyaki wings, short rib sliders, fried rice, edamame, and bulgogi lettuce wraps. The food came out slowly since the small tables in the bar area could not accommodate more than two plates at a time. The taro chips that came with the ahi poke tasted stale and old. It was crunchy and soggy at the same time. The teriyaki wings was overly salty. The short rib in the sliders were so tough you could not even bite into it without pulling the whole piece of meat out. The bulgogi was as tough as the short ribs. Edamame is edamame, you can’t really mess that up. The fried rice was decent and was the only thing I liked about this meal.
I also ordered a lychee martini and it was made with vodka instead of sake, which is more common, and it did not taste good at all. My next drink was the pineapple royal, which was just rum and pineapple juice. This was pretty good.
The bill came out to be over $ 160 and that is ridiculously expensive for some bar food and 3 drinks. They also had entertainment that night so it was $ 5 per person.
The atmosphere and concept is cool which merits them 2 stars but the price and quality of food is definitely not there.
Anthony Bourdain may have featured this restaurant but trust me and save yourself by NOT coming here.
Total disappointment.