Tonga Room
The Verdict
"Mai Tais by the lagoon while a band plays on a floating barge. It "rains" every 20 minutes."
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.
Explore Nearby
WORK Vintage
A small vintage shop on Grant Avenue in North Beach with menswear...
Hang Ah Tea Room
Widely cited as the oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States.
The Rotunda
Lunch and afternoon tea under a 1909 stained-glass dome.
Tenderloin National Forest
A narrow alley off Ellis Street transformed into a dense garden of...
What to drink
Mai tais, Tonga Iced Tea, scorpion bowls for groups, tiki classics in ceramic vessels