Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge Reviews

If you like the bartenders that ignore you, and measure your $10 shot in a jigger, then this place is for you...

Awesome place for some drinks. Small but nice. I just wish they played reggae music there but I guess the theme is all 1950s 1960s but other than that it's a great place definitely will return

Great tiki drinks, nice staff, and super laid-back vibe

Authentic Hawaiian tiki place very cozy, great drinks and super friendly staff

Forbidden island is my Jam! I even celebrated my birthday here with my Bay Area Best Friends. Hurricanes and MaiTais for everybody. The staff is super friendly and the food is splendid (always order the coconut shrimp Yummm) If the weather is nice make sure you enjoy the back patio for good vibes and great sunshine.

We used to go here when we wanted a tiki bar to go too.

Service is excellent. The cocktail waitress goes above and beyond. Can be a little cramped sometimes when it gets busy because the space is small and seating is limited but it doesn't deter me from going. Also there are virgin drinks available and they are super tasty, you can't even tell the different. A great little tiki bar and a must see.

So thrilled to have finally seen this place! Legendary decor and fantastic drinks!

Great place. Love the drinks. Waitress and bar tenders were great.

Cool spot, the music wasn't very pleasant and it was pretty noisy inside, there wasn't enough AC running so from time to time it felt really hot. Good cocktails and friendly bar tenders. I would love to give it another chance to earn my 5 star, probably on a less busy night.

I had an excellent mocktail, and the service is straight out of a perfect 50's lounge movie!

It can get to be a zoo if there is a DJ/Band, weekends and holidays, but they make mighty fine classic and innovative tiki drinks. They also have an extensive jukebox and top notch decor. One of my favorite joints.

Walked in without reservations shortly after opening on a Sunday. Seated promptly, much to our surprise as the patio was already hopping. Very tasty drinks. The ladies loved the Macadamia Nut Chi Chi. The bites are better than the average bar food. We tried the corn dog, chicken bites, and coconut shrimp. Both waffle and sweet potato fries are good. We ll make reservations next time!

Great rum selection, craft cocktails and over all superb chill vibe. If you want classy eccentric chill hide out that's your place. Let me add that prices are very competitive for what you are getting you will save 20% on drinks and beers if not more.

One of the best tiki bars out there. Come early, stay long. The music and events are spot on, patio is a perfect lazy spot. Drinks are well executed and the bartenders kind.

I love all things tiki. Pro tip: This place fills up and will develop a line.

Nice place, cool bartenders. Cool drinks, a little pricey.

Very crowded, but you can stalk a table when people leave. Great atmosphere, great drinks, and they have snacks.

I went as a visitor and was an amazing place with great vibe. It is small so there is a wait and some standing. As long as you can do that and still relax this is the place to go. Drinks are AMAZING. Great price considering they are strong

Amazing local spot with such a simple, low key vibe. Great place to relax for a snack and a great drink. Tiki ambiance is fabulous; always some retro movie on the TV and sometimes some local band to provide some background music. Can be very crowded though!!

Hands down, the best painkiller in the bay! Well worth the trek to Alameda.

Our drinks were delicious and strong! We will definitely be back for more! The outside patio is next level!

This place is freakin' gem. Has a kind of theme restaurant shtick (hence the Tiki Bar) but without the cheese factor. It's cool and there is a dj spinning classic vinyls. My server wore a mumu and called "darlin." It gets packed which I think is a plus in a bar.

The most unique bar in Alameda - tiki themed. Awesome cocktail menu including classic cocktails like the Old Cuban, my favorite, and fun cocktails like the scorpion bowl for 2-4 people. The bartender told us you can get your name plate on the bar if you try all of their 50+ rums.

Always friendly, always good drinks and good advice if you're unsure what to order. Great atmosphere.

The cocktails are made with fresh-squeezed juice and are amazing. Subscribe to either their Instagram or other social media of your choice to learn about upcoming events and drink specials. One of my favorite events here is the International Flight Lounge, but there's some interesting guest DJs as well.

Authentic Tiki Bar with amazing drink selection. Zombies, Jet Pilots, Pain Killers, Mai Tia - choose an era and enjoy. Bonus - referencd in Silicon Valley.

Very relaxed atmosphere with quality drinks - consistently great!

Small, but amazing place! The drinks are fantastic, and the bartenders are so friendly! Great tiki bar, and a visit here should be on everyone's bucket list!

Best tiki drinks I've ever had but watch out, they are potent.

Best cocktail I've ever had, called painkiller 3. Excellent staff and entertainment.

Delicious drinks and bar snacks. Very nice staff. Love the ambience. Will be a regular spot for us.

Bars are a trip. The people in them are a trip. There is a scene here, big hair,
Lots of make up, rockabilly looks. It's all good though cuz the drinks slay. I finally got a hurricane and it was sweet and strong. Perfection. I have eaten snacks here like guacamole and chips. They were good. Loud but it's a bar. You have to be patient since well it's a popular bar. Patience is a virtue. Nice to have a tiki bar in town.

Funky tiki room in the heart of Alameda. Not a lot of parking here, but a lot of interesting style and a crazy amount of runs. The bar food is tasty and the patio is fun. They have a dj playing old school Hawaii style music...I mean you can loosely called him a dj. LOL Drinks are very good and made by hand.

A piece of Alameda Island that should not be missed. It can get a bit crowded here. We think it's the best bar on the island.

Great vibe. Great staff. To those reviewers that complained about the wait, bare in mind that this is a TIKI bar, where every drink ordered takes longer than usual to make. Expect a long wait for orders to be served on busy nights.

Cozy tiki bar with excellent drinks and decor, occasionally live bands and super friendly staff. Outdoor seating area in back, but they don't serve drinks back there, you'll have to cozy up to the bar to order. Get there early if you like a booth. Tasty bar snacks prepared in their small kitchen.

The theme of the bar carries through in every aspect. The bartenders have on matching outfits, the big screen was playing old surf movies. Awesome that the serve food late as well.

Such a chill atmosphere. The decor makes you feel like you're in Hawaii. The people are amazing, quick service and the best drinks!! I absolutely recommend this place!

This was rated as one of the best bars in the Bay Area, and today it still is. Tiki never goes out of style, and the quality of the drinks, the perfectly shabby chic atmosphere, and the friendly staff top off what is otherwise a great experience. It gets a little busy on the weekends, but has a patio and occasional partied with food and music. Check it out, and join the rum tasting club if you're brave.

It's a cool place inside. And the drinks were really tasty. In would certainly love to visit again. I went at a time when it wasn't crazy crowded so that was nice.

Great tiki bar with fun menu of tropical drinks. Atmosphere and decor is beachy and fun also! Great mixologists too!

Amazing drinks and super friendly staff. I'm going to make it a staple !!!

Awesome tiki drinks ftw. Can't go with here. This place will ruin any regular bar tiki drinks for you though so be warned. Mai Tai's are just not the same once you've had theirs

40 min for a drink (not exaggerating). Only one guy making drinks. Extremely rude bartenders. Will not come back.

We've been to a lot of tiki bars and this one ranks with the best. Not quite the lavish atmosphere of Smuggler's Cove or Hala Pele or as kitschy as Foundation but great neighborhood vibe, excellent drinks and plenty of seating. I'd knock off half a star for bar food. It's well-prepared but basically a bunch of fried stuff. Not tiki at all. But since some of the places we've been had no food at all, at least it was something to soak up the overproof rum. Tiki fan or just looking for a good place to grab a drink, you will be happy with Forbidden Island.

Fun place, strong drinks and amazing, bar food. Come for the drinks, you'll be satisfied.

Great place, vibe & drinks. Come early if you want a seat... Or maybe impress people who already have seats in some way & they'll offer their seat to you like what happened to me...

It was very cool but Covid-19 killed the fun. Thanks China.

Awesome atmosphere and the drinks are delicious. They have an outdoor patio too

The drinks are amazing, worth the price. But the seating can be improved, especially after 9 pm. Overall great service, great drinks and appetizers. Seating needs improvement.

Tiki bar! Money is mounted to the ceiling and I didn't ask why. Back patio is great but closes at 10pm. Probably not so good when it's packed but the inside is usually packed and a bit noisy. If you're claustrophobic you may not like the low ceiling.

Scorpion bowls and cocktails with guava and passion fruit. Not many other places offer this along with waffle fries and corndogs on-site.

Starting to see why it's so popular. Plus although drinks are maybe a little pricey they definitely don't skimp on the Booz.

Way too crowded and drinks are way too expensive. Count on standing the whole time because you'll never get a seat. Food sucks

Excellent selection of local craft beers, knowledgeable mixologists with a fine variety of spirits, wide range of live music, Ukulele jams, rotating weekly DJs and the best trivia night in the island.

In the top 3 of my extensive list of Tiki bars. Cocktails were spot on - highly recommend their signature drink. We didn't sample anything from the kitchen, but everything coming out looked fantastic. The decor and ambiance definitely make this a unique experience. All staff were pleasant - even though we were there on a pretty busy Saturday, the bartenders made a point to chat with us when they had a minute between drink orders. We will definitely be back here!

Had heard about this place for years. A friend and I popped in one Sunday night and were lucky to find a couch like area in the back corner, it was pretty crowded. We tried the only vodka based drink on the menu (chi chi? It was coconut flavored) since we'd just come from the hangar one vodka tasting-tour nearby and didn't want to miss liquors. It was way too sweet for my taste but my friend enjoyed theirs. We had the guacamole and chips and they were amazing! We couldn't get over how good they were! It was really tough to get our check, they're was a huge gap in service overall, and even after requesting it took another 15-20 minutes before we got it.

I worked at this place for one day of training. I signed documents abd was told that I would be put on schedule. They never paid me nor called to inform what my schedule is.

This place is always crowded. The drinks are great, and the bartenders are friendly.

This is the s a great little bar. Tons of rum. They also have hot foods. The table next to us had the shrimp and they smelled and looked delicious. A great casual place to get a good tropical drink when away from hawaii.

Fantastic drinks, love the atmosphere and attention to detail and theme. Loved it!

Great drinks, expensive and hard to sit on weekends but great drinks!

My favorite tiki dive in the bay. Intimate, dog friendly, classic tiki drinks made well and inventive newer riffs on the flavors and style.
Except when they're having a big event, and they don't let my dog in. Then they get no stars.

One of Alameda's best kept secret hangout spots. Fun atmosphere with an island feeling.

Friendly staff, fruity drinks, good mozzarella sticks. A little pricey but i mean it's a bar

Friends took me here for my birthday. They have really good drinks. I didn't have any of the appetizers, but the people at the next table did, and they looked pretty good.

First time in a real Tiki Bar! Awesome experience!

Scorpion bowl was not to standard. Even if you have a packed house people do t mind waiting for drinks made correctly

Very nice people, very tast drinks a little pricey, and some tasty apps. Shrimp or Corn dogs would be my choice!

Go for the Missionaries Downfall if you like mint! Fantastic drinks, basic bar food, cute environment