Is this a tiki bar or a tiki museum!?!
Right off the bat, I have to say that Bali Hai has to be one of the classiest tiki establishments I’ve ever visited. Bali Hai is located on Shelter Island and there’s nothing better that sipping a tiki drink while looking out over the water and enjoying the downtown San Diego skyline!
Normally I like my tiki bars dark and mysterious but Bali Hai is all windows, all around and it’s beautiful. What you get to see in glorious detail is all the tikis and art that are found throughout the restaurant.
Bali Hai opened in 1954 by a man named Tom Ham…
Here’s a little bit of history pulled from the Bali Hai website:
“Built in 1953 and originally one of several Christian’s Hut locations, the iconic Bali Hai Restaurant on San Diego’s Shelter Island is one of the oldest classic mid-century Tiki establishments still thriving. It became Bali Hai in 1954, with owner Tom Ham eventually gaining total control of the operations, then passing it along to his family after his death in 1973.”
I can’t talk about Bali Hai without mentioning its two iconic figures. The first one is located on the roof, called the “Goof”!
What’s the “Goof”? Here’s what the Bali Hai website says:
“Early matchbook covers revealed that the “Goof” head, was prominent on the earlier franchises in Balboa and Corona del Mar, and was subsequently transposed to the San Diego restaurant. However, the actual meaning of the head, i.e. “the Goof”, still remains a mystery.
On two of the early matchbook covers from the Balboa and Corona del Mar franchises, the cover reads next to the big fat guy, “Watch out for the Big Opu at….” In Hawaiian, Opu means stomach. Perhaps, the original character idea was that he was fat from eating such good food at the restaurant and his goofy face just evolved, or devolved, whichever you like, over the years into what’s on top of the Bali Hai restaurant today.”
Bali Hai’s second iconic figure is the one and only Mr. Bali Hai…
If you go to Bali Hai, you need to get your picture with him. You just have to!
You can even take home your very own “Goof” …
and Mr. Bali Hai Tiki mug …
I ordered a Mr. Bali Hai and my buddy Joe ordered the Fool Punch so we could get the mugs. How were the drinks? Strong, really strong, with lots of rum.
I want to give a shout-out to our server Betty who was nice enough to pose with me for a photo. She was awesome!
The service at Bali Hai was impeccable. Everyone was really friendly and I even got a little tour of the place. Bali Hai is a little bit out of the way from downtown San Diego but make a point to stop by and visit a piece of tiki history from the mid-century.
Here is the Bali Hai website
And Facebook page
Well documted article on a classic, Ray.
I love Bali Hai for it’s time travel value. The view is great, the vibe is less forced than most of the modern tiki bars.
Drinks do need help though.
Thank you Marc! I hope to get back to Bali Hai again soon!