Tonga Room

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950 Mason (at California) San Francisco, CA 94108

415-772-5283

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SF Weekly
Recommended
Saddest Farewell
Award Winner 2009

Cuisine(s): Hawaiian, Polynesian

Hours: Sun-Thu 5pm-11:45pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-12:45am

Price: $$$, $$$$

Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
Features: Delivery, Private Party, Family Style, Coat Check

Serving: Dinner

Entertainment: Live Entertainment

Alcohol: Full bar
Reservations: Accepted, Recommended, Online Reservations Available

Parking: Street, Valet

Description

One of the city's most delightfully kitschy nightspots (thatched-hut decor, Polynesian idols, and an honest-to-God tropical downpour every hour on the hour) serves up magnificent exotic cocktails and mostly lackluster Asian food (excluding good pepper beef, crispy fried bass, and five-spice duck). Other highlights include dance music of the Commodores cover band variety - performed on a floating raft - plus a lively happy hour buffet.

2009 | Saddest Farewell

In an era of crumbling institutions, rampant greed, and change forthe hell of it, the all-but-certain demise of the Tonga Room may be thesaddest slap at historical preservation to date. The grandest of thecity's tiki bars blossomed just after World War II and in the decadessince has delighted natives and visitors alike with its over-the-topdecor, foliage-festooned umbrella drinks, and regularly scheduledtropical downpours. Those of us who grew up delighting in thewall-to-wall tribal... More »
2003 | Best Tropical Phantasmagoria

The Tonga Room is one of the last remnants of that giddy era when umbrellas sprouted from every coconut, Trader Vic ruled the cosmos, and ukuleles could be heard from North Beach to the Richmond. The crucial element that separates the Tonga from its Polynesian competitors past and present is, of course, the tropical downpour. Sure, the totem poles and the jungle foliage and the ship's riggings and the fertility-god icons are lots of fun, but your voyage to the tropics really begins when the... More »

Identify Anthony Bourdain's Mystery Sandwich

By Dean Schaffer | Thu, August 11, 2011

So as we posted yesterday, No Reservations star Anthony Bourdain is in town, tasting some local fare, barhopping, and tweeting about it for our enjoyment. Yesterday, after finishing up a photo shoot,... More »
Little Garden's Hong Kong-Style Pork Chops and Baked Spaghetti

By Jonathan Kauffman | Fri, July 8, 2011

Rice Plate Journal is a yearlong project to canvas Chinatown, block by block, discovering the good, the bad, and the hopelessly mediocre. Maximum entree price: $10. "Would you like your pork chop w... More »
Pho Vung Tau: Nice Space, Functional Noodles

By Jonathan Kauffman | Tue, July 5, 2011

Last month, SF Weekly moved offices to within a mile of Chinatown, allowing me to embark on a new project: systematically visiting a different Chinatown restaurant each week, starting at Powell and... More »
Decision on Tonga Room Put Off Till Next Year

By John Birdsall, SFoodie Editor | Fri, October 22, 2010

How long did it take to lash the ships' ropes and assemble the thatch for the Tonga Room back in 1945? We bet it was considerably less than the long years it'll take to decide its fate. At our sister ... More »
Tonga Room Happy Hour: All-You-Can-Eat Tiki Kitsch

By John Birdsall, SFoodie Editor | Fri, September 24, 2010

The place: Tonga Room, 950 Mason (at California, in the Fairmont Hotel), 772-5278 The hours: Wed.-Fri., 5-7 p.m. The deals: All-you-can-eat $10 buffet of quasi-Island specialties The digs: Exubera... More »
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Tonga Room

950 Mason (at California) San Francisco, CA 94108

415-772-5283

Description

2009 | Saddest Farewell

2003 | Best Tropical Phantasmagoria

By Dean Schaffer | Thu, August 11, 2011

By Jonathan Kauffman | Fri, July 8, 2011

By Jonathan Kauffman | Tue, July 5, 2011

By John Birdsall, SFoodie Editor | Fri, October 22, 2010

By John Birdsall, SFoodie Editor | Fri, September 24, 2010