The Best Tiki Bars in Los Angeles
6 tiki bars in Los Angeles ranked by rum selection, technique, and atmosphere.
Los Angeles is the home of tiki. Don the Beachcomber opened in Hollywood in 1934 and started a movement that spread around the world. Trader Vic Bergeron opened in Oakland the same year. Both men spent decades arguing about who invented the Mai Tai, and Los Angeles never quite let go of the answer.
The original 1930s tiki bars are mostly gone. What remains is a serious modern tiki scene that takes the rum selection, the cocktail technique, and the room obsessively seriously. Tiki-Ti has been pouring in East Hollywood since 1961. Tonga Hut has been pouring in North Hollywood since 1958. The new wave bars — Strong Water, The Hidden Tiki — fold the modern craft cocktail wave into the tiki tradition.
Order a Mai Tai built with multiple aged rums, a Zombie, or a Painkiller. Avoid anything blue.
The 6 best tiki bars in Los Angeles
Tiki-Ti
Pouring since 1961. Tiny room, around 90 cocktails on the menu, no reservations. The Ray s Mistake is the move. Cash preferred. Open Wednesday to Saturday.
Tonga Hut
Operating since 1958. Heritage tiki room with original carvings and a serious rum list. Open daily.
Strong Water
Modern tiki room with a 200 plus rum list and obsessive cocktail technique. Reserve.
Lost at Sea
Modern tiki bar with a rotating rum focus. The cocktails are technical and the room is dark. Open daily.
Idle Hour
Heritage barrel shaped roadside bar from 1941. Programmatic architecture. The cocktails are tiki-adjacent and the room is unique. Open daily.
Damon s Steakhouse
Heritage Polynesian-themed steakhouse from 1937. The cocktails are classic tiki and the prime rib is famous. Open daily.
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