Tonga Room

What you need to know

The Room

Every thirty minutes or so, the lights dim, thunder rumbles through hidden speakers, and rain falls from the ceiling onto the indoor lagoon. The band keeps playing on a floating barge.

The décor is tiki maximalist: thatched roofs, bamboo, carved masks, fishing nets strung with glass floats. The Fairmont built the room as the Tonga Room in 1945 and has maintained it through decades of tiki coming in and out of fashion.

What to Drink

The cocktail menu covers tiki classics. Mai tais, zombies, scorpion bowls for groups, and various house drinks served in ceramic vessels. The Tonga Iced Tea is one of the stronger items on the menu.

The food menu is Pacific Rim: pot stickers, coconut shrimp, pupu platters for sharing.

When to Go

The band plays Wednesday through Sunday evenings starting around 8 PM. Weekend nights fill with bachelorette parties, birthday celebrations, and groups. Weeknight early evenings are calmer. Happy hour runs 5 to 7 PM on weekdays with reduced drink prices.

The dress code is resort casual; in practice, anything except gym clothes.

Filmed here

All San Francisco films →

25 productions filmed at or beside Tonga Room.

1938Alexander’s Ragtime BandFairmont Hotel1948I Remember MamaFairmont Hotel1958VertigoFairmont Hotel1960Midnight LaceFairmont Hotel1968PetuliaFairmont Hotel1973Magnum ForceFairmont Hotel1974The Towering InfernoFairmont Hotel1974Freebie and the BeanFairmont Hotel1976Family PlotFairmont Hotel1978A Night Full of RainFairmont Hotel1981Chu Chu and the Philly FlashFairmont Hotel1982Shoot the MoonFairmont Hotel1983Sudden ImpactFairmont Hotel1984Hard to HoldFairmont Hotel1994JuniorFairmont Hotel1995JadeFairmont Hotel+9more on recordEvery film shot in San Francisco →

What to drink

Mai tais, Tonga Iced Tea, scorpion bowls for groups, tiki classics in ceramic vessels