wed,thu,fri, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM ยท Tonga Room & Hurricane Bar, Nob Hill + Chinatown, San Francisco
Mai Tai $13, Lychee Martini $15; $10 buffet per person (1 drink minimum)
The ballroom pool of the Fairmont Hotel was converted into a tiki bar in 1945 and hasn't changed an inch, the water is still there, and the house band plays from a barge floating in the middle of it while a fake tropical rainstorm rolls through every 30 minutes. The mai tais are among the better ones in San Francisco, and the drinks arrive in coconuts and tiki glasses, which at this point is not a gimmick but a tradition.