Vintage Bay Area: Tiki Bars-Alameda & San Francisco, CA
Few know that the Mai Tai has historic roots in the bay area. It’s humble beginnings are traced back to 1944 in Oakland, CA at the original Trader Vic’s. Possibly why the area has some of the best tiki bars around.
The small, but formidable Forbidden Island (pictured above) is a mainstay for east bay tiki enthusiasts. Appropriately, on the island of Alameda off the Oakland coast, it’s ornately decorated interior and all around great atmosphere are top notch.
San Francisco also boast two great tiki bars with the highly recognized Smuggler’s Cove, a Caribbean/Prohibition-era Havana themed watering hole, and the Fairmont Hotels historic Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar, complete with lagoon, indoor tropical rainstorms, and house band playing on a floating raft in said lagoon.
Honorable Mention: Roy’s in SF, Bamboo Hut in SF, Conga Lounge in Oakland, Trader Vic’s in Emeryville.
