Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar
415-772-5278
Entering the Tonga Room is like stepping into a happy-hour version of Disneyland's "The Pirates of the Caribbean."
Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar Restaurant Review:
As if the setting of San Francisco's Fairmont hotel isn't dramatic enough, located atop Nob Hill with an almost 360-degree view of the city from the front entrance. The Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar is almost as dramatic with its very 1950s kitschy fascination with all things Polynesian --- from décor to drinks. Entering the Tonga Room is like stepping into a happy-hour version of Disneyland's The Pirates of the Caribbean. The lights are dimmed to highlight an array of tiki torches which encircle the central pool. A huge raft floats around the pool with a live band belting out top-40 tunes for the lively bar. A couple of times an hour the sound of thunder quakes through the room and a mist drops onto the dance floor. To accompany the large, sweet cocktails, there is a menu of Pan-Asian and Pacific Rim dishes such as peanut-y chicken satay; Mongolian beef; and lemongrass and fennel crusted butterfish with roasted ginger and scallion grits, watercress salad and coconut fumet.
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