Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, CA

Small bar in the middle of the San Fernando Valley with some absolutely fantastic tiki decor, with a bamboo-ridged drop ceiling, lovely green booths and some great carvings � but currently overcoming many years of decline as a generic dive bar (and not the cool kind), with blinking electronic dart boards and a large glowing jukebox filled with terrible music.

Ownership of Tonga Hut changed in February 2004, with no noticeable changes. The Tonga Hut changed hands again in November of 2005, and now things are looking quite a bit tiki-er, with the removal of beer signs, and vintage fountains running again after many years of dryness.

The new owners are dedicated to continuing improvements, and turning it back into the classic tiki bar it can be. In 2013, the owners opened a second location in Palm Springs

Tonga Hut

Palm Springs, CA

Bar & Restaurant

8.4

Comments

MuddyMaeSuggins

MuddyMaeSuggins has visited Tonga Hut.

March 23, 2022, 9:56 AM

Went here in February 2020. Sat inside. Atmosphere was great until they started playing hip hop and late 90's alternative pop. Horrible. I would have stayed longer but left because the vibe was killed.

CaptainNemo

CaptainNemo is a regular at Tonga Hut.

November 16, 2021, 4:43 PM

Brought my visiting sister here on a Friday, and we loved it so much we went back again Sunday! The majority of the seating is a bench tables under a covered patio outside, which does have a bamboo-tiki feel, but it's the three booths inside that capture the atmosphere best. I told the owner that we found Tonga Hut here on Critiki, and I think when she saw that we were real Tiki fans (as opposed to generic barhoppers), she went out of her way to seat us inside both nights we visited.

Between us we tried four drinks, ALL of them excellent, and the wait staff is attentive and really goes the extra mile to be friendly. We had heard a surf/Tiki version of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" when we were there Friday, and when we mentioned to our server on Sunday that we loved the song, she checked to see which of their Spotify playlists were going that night and retrieved the title for us! The owner was also kind enough to talk to us about the history of the place, how it has changed hands over the years, and about the provenance of their drink recipes.

I should also mention that earlier reviews of Tonga Hut here complain of the jukebox. The juke is still physically present, but both nights we visited, the music was entirely Tiki appropriate and a real complement to the decor.

Now if I can only find a group of people to take up the Grog Log Challenge with me... anyone here game?

Donkey_Hotay

Donkey_Hotay has visited Tonga Hut.

August 5, 2021, 11:50 PM

Good adaptations to post covid world. Outdoor seating with covered tents and lighting. Old Sokol Zombie was balanced yet potent. Extra bonus points for collaborating with a taco cart at the entrance (habanero salsa is fuego)

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