Bill O.
Yelp
We've been seeing this place in Yelp for the last few years - while the write-up seems very interesting, we were wondering why the score kept dropping. We happened to be in Palm Springs over Christmas break, so we figured to give it a shot.
The entry is archaic....truly. Perhaps to set the mood? You get to the top of their staircase, and a greeter/host asked if you want to sit at a table on in the lounge area. Ok, the smart person would have asked what the difference is. I did not meet that criteria, unfortunately, and chose the lounge. We were seated on these really funky chairs with an even funkier table. Not exactly tiki like - not even remotely Polynesian. Nor remotely comfortable. But, we figured, let's live in the moment. (which, frankly, is about how long to spend there, but I digress).
After about 10 minutes, a CLEARLY not happy to be working dude stopped by to see if we wanted something to drink (in a bar, mind you). I asked about beers - he made it QUITE clear that I'm an idiot to be drinking beers in the Tonga Hut (hey, I don't drink hard liquor...pretty sure I'm not the only one). I ended up with a lager, while my wife had a mai tai. The beer was ok, my wife was ok with finishing the drink quickly and getting out of there.
Needless to say, she won. On the way out, I did check out the other sections- balcony (great for balmy evenings), the bar, the lounge, and the aforementioned tables. IF I were to go back (which is unlikely, but to each his own - I just was looking for a Polynesian vibe, and got a Palm Springs tacky one instead), I'd sit at the bar - eliminates unhappy waiters.