Bay Area’s 5 Best Tiki Bars

About mid-June the constant San Francisco summer fog starts to make me a little stir crazy.  I dream of island breezes and the ability to wear a summer dress at night. Or at all. Since I can’t actually afford an island vacation, I visit SF’s Polynesian themed restaurants and bars, sip a rum concoction, eat some Asian-inspired spare ribs, squint really hard and pretend that I won’t need to put my jacket back on when I head outside.

To be clear: tiki culture has as much connection to actual life in Polynesia as Full House does to San Francisco. But we all like our escapist fun every now and then. So join me at these places where you can take a little cocktail vacation to the South Pacific, or at least a kitschy version of it.

Trader Vic’s
4261 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Trader Vic’s 9 Anchor Dr
Emeryville, CA 94608
Trader Vic’s Emeryville 

This place invented Tiki. Or, at the very least, the mai tai, for which I am forever grateful. With two Bay Area locations, you can check out Trader Vic’s in Emeryville or Palo Alto. Either one will give you the impression of warm tropical breezes and island well being. Go with the original mai tai or try the rum barrel for your group. Order up the appetizer platter to soak up some of that rum and enjoy the island ambience of this classic Tiki place. The Emeryville location offers fantastic views of the bay, while the Palo Alto location next to Dinah’s Garden Hotel offers a hidden oasis feel. Both provide the illusion of escape to the islands.

Roy’s
575 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Roy’s

  For an upscale take on Hawaiian food, head to Roy’s, just south of Market. Sure they have the classic mai tai, but also have a whole host of slightly less sweet and more interesting cocktails. This is much more white tablecloths than crazy tiki gods guarding the doors, but its location makes Roy’s the perfect after work stop for a tiki cocktail. The shared canoe appetizer is fantastic, particularly the tuna poke, and the classic butterfish is delicious. Roy’s also perfected the chocolate lava cake, so if that’s not completely played out in your mind, save room.

Tonga Room
950 Mason St
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tonga Room

After a long urban planning nightmare where we thought this historic hotel tiki bar might close its doors, it looks like the Tonga Room is safe for the time being. So head here post haste! The best is to take advantage of their amazing happy hour on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings. The appetizers and a cocktail are practically a steal. Stay a little past happy hour and find yourself grooving to the tunes of the floating band on the pool in the center of the restaurant and take in some of the best people watching in the city, as couples take over the dance floor, you witness awkward first dates, or tourists experiencing an odd little slice of our city.

Smuggler’s Cove
650 Gough Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Smuggler’s Cove

  Elevating the tiki cocktail to an art form, eschewing the kitsch and bringing class to the Polynesian theme, Smuggler’s Cove is a welcome additon to the San Francisco tiki scene. The winner of copious awards, the smugglers at this cove mix a serious concoction. An inviting, multi-level space on a quiet part of Gough Street, the attention to detail, from the nautical theme to the specific glasses for each specific cocktail, let you know you are in the presence of something special. And if all these cloyingly sweet drinks aren’t your thing, try the bombo with nutmeg for a light clean rum taste.

Bamboo Hut
479 Broadway St
San Francisco, CA 94133
Bamboo Hut

  On the opposite of the spectrum from the fancier tiki establishments, check out The Bamboo Hut. It’s sort of a tiki dive bar. With a giant glowing tiki fountain by the front door and thatching through most of your site lines, this is the place to recreate that island party you found yourself at that one time. Sometimes you just want to share a giant flaming drink (the volcano bowl) with your friends and act like ‘vacation you’. This is your place. The Hut hosts a happy hour on Wednesday-Friday with $2 off tiki drinks and $3 off featured beers, making this a great place to stop to get your night started.
Caveat: tiki drinks are potent. You’ll think, “This can’t be that strong!” Next thing you know it’s 2 a.m. and you’re hailing a cab with a faux flower lei. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Bonus tip:

Hawaii has fantastic plate lunches. It’s sort of their thing. Made up of your choice of meat on a plate with rice and macaroni salad, it’s the Hawaiian way. Keep the tiki-theme going during the day and head out to the Mission to Hawaiian Drive Inn #28 and grab yourself an authentic plate lunch.

written by Lisa Tennenbaum / CBS News San Francisco

It's National Strawberry Shortcake Day! Here's a Strawberry Shortcake Cocktail!

 

Ingredients:

Servings:  4

Servings Size

• 
  

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice, cold
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 lemon wedge
• fresh strawberries, sliced, to garnish

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins

1. You need : 4 daiquiri glasses, put in the freezer (or martini glasses).

What did Pirates Drink?

Alcohol was both a Godsend and Devil's Torment on board Naval and Pirate vessels. Thanks to Captain Billy Bones in the book Treasure Island, the alcoholic beverage most associated with pirates is rum. Of course, rum has a long association with the British and American navies because both navies had liquor rations and that liquor was usually rum.   Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented molasses. At one time it was all the rage in the Colonies as well as Caribbean because of its inexpensive means of production.

Because water had a tendency to go bad on ships, due to bacterial growth, rum or other spirits was sometimes added to kill the taste. A dram (a small amount) of rum

Brennan's in New Orleans - Bananas Foster - The ORIGINAL

This is the actual Bananas Foster recipe from the original source and creator of this dessert: Brennan's Restaurant. In 1951, Chef Paul created Bananas Foster.

The scrumptious dessert was named for Richard Foster, who served with Owen on the New Orleans Crime Commission. Richard Foster was a frequent customer of Brennan's and a very good friend of Owen.

• BANANAS FOSTER
  
  
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup banana liqueur (try Bols brand)
• 4 bananas, cut in half
  lengthwise, then halved
• ¼ cup dark rum (try Whalers Dark Rum)
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
  
  Combine the butter, sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or skillet. Place the pan over low heat either on an alcohol burner or on top of the stove, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the banana liqueur, then place the bananas in the pan. When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum. Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.