Milton H.
Yelp
We stumbled on Tiki Tom's by accident this weekend, walking between the parking garage and our genius bar appointment at Apple. The building's exterior is evocative in its nonchalance, with Hawaiian details that hint at something special.
Walking in later, our intuition was confirmed. Tiki Tom's ambience is the perfect setting for a tiki bar experience:
--dim lighting punctuated by colorful lanterns and pin light illumination of tables and kitchy Polynesian art
-- a full restaurant and bar with a relaxed crowd--everything from couples, friends, even a birthday girl wearing a sash--the air filled with warm (but not loud) conversation
--performative features like special drinks serviced with sparklers and exciting thunder and lightning
--and friendly, knowledgeable staff in themed Hawaiian-shirt uniforms
Our service, of greater importance, was excellent.
--Good communication at the host stand during a busy Saturday night set accurate expectations of a 30-45 minute wait
--same for bar staff who served us in standing room only and at the bar while we waited; when asked if we should stay or take out table a bartender reassured "it's wherever you feel comfortable" and smoothly transferred our ticket
--the host helped us migrate over to a fabulous half-circle booth with a view of the entire restaurant and its entertainment
--our waiter Ericka was highly experienced and very knowledgeable of the menu and the extensive cocktail list, providing favorites as well as personal recommendations based on our input: "I just want you to have a good experience"
--even the friendly expo Quinten who contributed good cheer and a recommendation of his own (complimenting the Royal Blossom as his favorite drink)
And most importantly, but as we expected given the excellent introduction thus far, the back of the house matches the skill of the front. Food and drink were all fabulous:
--chicken lettuce wraps to start, a build-your-own with succulently-seasoned meat on sturdy iceberg lettuce
--for entrees, in consultation with and at the recommendation of our server, I had the drunken noodles--spicy and satisfying
--my partner had the kahlua pork plate which he said was like "sweet carnitas", before clearing his plate with a one word verdict of "delicious"
--for dessert, a satisfyingly warm, well-spiced, and perfectly sweet arroz con leche that my partner says reminded him of his grandmother's recipie
Our cocktails were well-crafted, well-executed (and effective):
--Banana Hammock
--Mai Tai
--Tequila Tai
--Royal Blossom
All in all it was a memorable experience of excellent quality and good cheer, strongly reminiscent of Trader Sam's in Disneyland (a favorite of ours). So much so that I bought a themed Tiki Tom's postcard to send to a friend who works as a bartender in the South Bay and is equally fond of Trader Sam's. My message to her and wait staff was a promise "we'll meet you here soon!" I suspect anyone reading this far in the review will feel the same.
When I asked my partner "is there anything the restaurant could have improved?" He echoed my sentiment: "I don't think so".
5/5 stars