Aloha, BAMBOO HUT — SF’s Oft’ Overlooked Tiki Bar

2019 is quickly ticking away and 2020 will be here before you know it. As my New Year’s Eve plans for the year fizzled out (I had hoped to spend it in San Francisco. That’s NOT happening. Maybe next year?), I thought I could take a quick trip to the city by the bay anyway–if only in my mind–and do a quick blog entry on one of San Francisco’s often overlooked tiki bars — Bamboo Hut.

I’ve been to all of the other tiki places in San Francisco and have written about them on here. There was the Great San Francisco Tiki Crawl that had me hitting Luau Lounge, Trad’r Sam, Tiki Haven, Smuggler’s Cove and Tonga Room (You can read about it HERE). There was a visit to Pagan Idol and Last Rites (HERE) and most recently, a visit to the incredible Zombie Village (HERE). The only SF tiki bar (that I know of) that hasn’t had a mention is Bamboo Hut. With so many tiki hot spots in the city, Bamboo Hut can easily get lost in the mix. But Bamboo Hut isn’t that bad. But then again…

Opened in 1997 (according to its website) on Broadway in the North Beach section of town, Bamboo Hut looks like it wants to be a tiki bar–with its tiki drinks, lots of bamboo and thatch decor and a huge wall-mounted tiki idol near the door…

But Bamboo Hut has trapped itself into being a neighborhood dive bar instead, with DJs and lots of beer.

While it’s not my favorite SF tiki bar, I don’t dislike it. It grows on you…Or maybe that’s just the alcohol that makes it seem as if it is growing on you? The place does serve up tiki drinks — and the various flaming Volcanoes are ever-popular–but the vibe is ruined (at least for me) by loud dance classics. I don’t always agree with Critiki’s rating, but this time the website’s current 5.3 rating isn’t far off the mark.

Bamboo Hut was closed for a year or so while some renovations and repairs went on. While reports that the place underwent a bit of a subtle facelift, these same reports say it is back to the same ol’- same ol’ as far as the way the bar is run. We’ll see. As my New Year Resolution, I’ll eventually get back and give it a look-see. If it has improved–I’ll let you know. If not, well… There are many other places to tiki in that town. But I’m optimistic. Bamboo Hut has good bones. Let’s just say that there is room for improvement.

CHEERS!

Bamboo Hut
479 Broadway Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 989-8555
Website: https://www.bamboohutsf.com/
Critiki page: https://www.critiki.com/location/bamboo-hut-san-francisco-158/