Category Archives: Bar & Restaurant Reviews

Tangaroa Terrace at the Disneyland Hotel

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

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The Disneyland Hotel recently remodeled and re-themed the pool and dining area in the center of the property, with last summer bringing the opening of Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and Tangaroa Terrace. The latter is a quick-service restaurant named after the tall tiki tree in the waiting area of the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland.

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The A-frame edifice features a sign with spears and three colorful masks as well as two large tiki columns carved by Leroy Schmaltz from Oceanic Arts. The inside has a sleek look that’s accented with tapa and rattan lamps, bamboo and lauhala matting, and black-and-white vintage photos of Adventureland and Walt in the Enchanted Tiki Room.

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Diners order at three touchscreen stations and then pay at the cash registers off to the left. Drinks, desserts and grab-and-go items like pineapple-macadamia nut muffins are set up at other displays nearby.

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Breakfast options range from french toast with banana-caramel sauce to a healthy-sounding egg white and tofu bake with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheese. After 11 a.m. the menu features burgers, panko-crusted fish and chips, cheese or kalua pork flatbread, and a couple of salads. There are also rotating “Island Plate Dinner” specials like miso-crusted salmon, chicken katsu and tamarind-glazed pork shanks.

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The Angus 1/3 pound Hawaiian cheeseburger ($10.19) comes with grilled pineapple, teriyaki sauce, Havarti cheese, lettuce, tomato and a sad excuse for bacon on a multi-grain bun. The toppings are key to distracting from the fact that the beef is served well done. The Disney Parks may be a little late to the sweet potato party, but some of their restaurants have started abandoning regular fries in favor of these trendy tubers.

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We used to fuel up on food here before going to Trader Sam’s, but they’ve since added some of the same dishes so you might as well head straight to the bar. It’s worth taking a look around Tangaroa Terrace, but I’d only recommend eating there if you’re looking for a quiet meal since it’s usually pretty deserted.

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The large shared patio overlooks the Disneyland Hotel pool and its Monorail waterslide. It may be quite tempting to enjoy the pleasant setting when the weather’s beautiful, but I’ll say it again — just go next door to Trader Sam’s.

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Tangaroa Terrace
Disneyland Hotel
1150 Magic Way
Anaheim, CA 92802

Previous Tiki-Related Disney Posts:

Tiki-Themed Restaurant at California Adventure Demolished
Holiday Drinks & Decor at Trader Sam’s
Los Angeles Magazine Article on Enchanted Tiki Room Imagineer

Tangaroa Terrace on Urbanspoon

Tong’s Tiki Hut – Villa Park, IL (Chicago Area)

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

IMG_5765When you first pull in to this strip mall in the western suburbs of Chicago and see the covered up windows of Tong’s Tiki Hut, you might mistake the Villa Park restaurant for being closed.

IMG_5767Upon closer inspection you’ll find that it’s indeed open — and has been for some 30 years. (Unfortunately, its three sister locations haven’t been so lucky over time.)

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In fact, the bamboo blinds obscuring the windows help to accomplish what most tiki bars aspire to do, which is create an insulated tropical environment with no distractions from the outside world.

IMG_5830For being a neighborhood Chinese restaurant, their dedication to the tiki theme is impressive. (They even got the music right with recordings of soothing Hawaiian steel guitar.) There’s a beach mural and lauhala matting on the walls, and a thatch overhang above the brown vinyl booths. Bamboo, shell and tapa pendant lamps are suspended from the ceiling, which is covered with fish netting and entangled plastic seagulls, lobsters and crabs.

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A vaguely Rarotongan looking tiki stands against the rock wall, and to its right is a leopard-print bar flanked by an odd, colorfully-painted tiki pole. Beyond that is another smaller dining room with more rattan furniture and another island mural (last picture).

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I felt like we must have entered some time warp when I saw that most of their tropical drinks cost $3.95! They’re served in tiki mugs and are actually pretty decent considering the price. About a dozen tiki cocktails are offered, from classics like the Mai Tai, Scorpion and Fog Cutter to the Tiki Lover, the house special made with gin, rum, coconut cream, pineapple juice and cream. Some even had wonderful throwback descriptions like this one for the Samoan Passion: “Legend has it that this potent drinks arouses hidden passions.”

IMG_5823Along with spicy Hunan and Szechuan dishes, the menu features all the Chinese-American standards you’d expect to find, including syrupy egg drop soup, orange chicken, chop suey and Mongolian beef with crispy fried cellophane noodles. (And if that’s still not American enough, they also have cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and french fries…)

IMG_5825Their version of the pupu platter is called a bo bo tray ($11.95), which includes two each of egg rolls, barbecue ribs, aloha fried shrimp, Polynesian beef and wontons surrounding a small cooking sterno. I, however, went for my favorite “Polynesian” appetizer, crab rangoon (6 pieces for $5.95), and it was one of the better renditions of the dish I’ve had, with lots of filling.

IMG_5873Less pleasing was the barbecue pork combination plate ($6.50), one of several weekday lunch specials that come with pork fried rice, flavorless wontons and an obscenely large egg roll (plus a cup of soup, fortune and almond cookies, and tea).

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If we’re comparing tiki-themed Chinese restaurants in the Chicago suburbs I’d say that Chef Shangri-la in North Riverside has better food and drinks overall, but I was charmed by the decor and cozy vibe of Tong’s Tiki Hut.

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Tong’s Tiki Hut
100 E. Roosevelt Rd.
Villa Park, IL 60181
630-834-7464

Tong's Tiki Hut on Urbanspoon

Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge at Psycho Suzi’s

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Bar & Restaurant Reviews and tagged with , , , , , , , ,

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I’ve already praised the main dining area and patio of Psycho Suzi’s, but there’s still more to this behemoth of a tiki bar. Upstairs is the Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge, a large space that houses three themed areas each with their own menus of six signature drinks. These bars are only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight.

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My favorite from the trio was the Forbidden Cove, which is straight ahead when you walk in. I loved the dark, romantic mood created with the orange glowing fish floats and string lights reflecting in the mirrors. The walls were also festooned with tons of plastic tropical flowers and foliage, and the tables featured fiberoptic centerpieces and peacock chairs.

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It doesn’t matter what section you sit in, you can still order from any of the Shangri-La menus. The very thirsty can undertake the Mender of Broken Dreams ($58), a three-tiered marvel that serves about 10 and includes a bottle of champagne, rum, other liquor, strawberry, pineapple, coconut, banana and lime.

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The other five signature drinks are all blended. On the advice of our waitress I opted for the Forbidden Cove ($10), a sweet blue slushie served in a coconut perched on top of a glass. It went down real easy and I preferred it over the Zombie Slush we tried downstairs. Meanwhile, my brother went for a Shasta Tiki Punch soda and my mum ordered the Poisoned Spear ($8.95) from the Shrunken Head side of the menu, made with various rums, cinnamon, pineapple and almond. How cool is that swizzle?

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On the left is the Ports of Pleasure with tiki poles, more string lights, nautical rope and ship’s wheels. There’s seating at the bar and at nearby tables with stools. It must also be mentioned that you can order food off the full menu from the dining room downstairs.

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I concluded our drinking tour with the lychee, mango and lime flavored Wangiwangi ($8.95) from the “Distant Shore Tropicals.” It was a bit bigger than I’d bargained for but that’s no complaint. (I’ll make the joke for you: “That’s what she said…”

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The Shrunken Head bar on the opposite end features neat atomic lamps, lots of tables, a long bar with a thatched overhang and, of course, some shrunken heads. The other side of that bar is kind of secluded — it’s where the cool kids like to hang out.

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In addition to the strong and spicy “Tribal Coolers” at the Shrunken Head, they also have a few local Minnesota beers on tap plus nearly two dozen more canned and bottled options ranging from PBR tall boys (for the hipsters) to Brooklyn Lager (for the beer snob hipsters).

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Just as we were heading out the house band, Exotik-a-GoGo, was starting to set up in the middle of the room. They play every Friday and Saturday night from 7 p.m.-11 p.m. (and they’ll also be performing at Hukilau this year.)