which was very active from 1995 to 2003, and sort of half-active from 2003 to 2007.
Now it is gone.
The Tiki Bar Review Pages site was replaced by the book Tiki Road Trip in 2003 - the second edition of which (2007) is available NOW.
This is an archive - these pages are no longer updated!
Some information will be out of date. Some of this writing goes back to 1995.
See Tiki Road Trip (2007 edition) for the most up-to-date information.
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Kon Tiki
Tuscon, AZ
2007 UPDATE: Kon Tiki has been fixed up and given a facelift - give it a shot, it's a whole new place now!
Excellent!
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Pics and mail about Kon Tiki (circa 1999-2000)...
Alex writes: When i read the reviews that people put on your site i was rather disgusted. I have been to Kon Tiki and was rather disappointed by what i saw. The place is polluted with neon signs and customers who don't care about tiki. These people have no clue what polynesian drinks and food are about. I'm not trying to put anyone down but Kon Tiki is not what I expected it. On a good note the decor was very intetresting.
Here's an original Email from one of the people who I apparently missed out on seeing the night I went to Kon Tiki:
(before reading my review) Lee Ann writes:
Thank god for your website. I have been on a search for the lost and forgotten tiki lounge ever since I discovered Kon Tiki.
I'm not sure how long this place has been around, but is definitely a gem. Originally, I found out about Kon Tiki because they were known to ignore the drinking age and would not typically card the young college crowd. I'm sure things have changed since then. They also used to serve one of their 'Scorpion' drinks in a large bowl with many straws for sharing. Since the bowls were unique, many were stolen and they had reverted to very large caraffes. Leave it for a few to spoil it for the rest of us.
From what I remember, it was in a strip mall area, so the location is deceiving. And inside is a Polynesian delight. Low ceiling, low lights, round tables and a bar the length of the restaurant. Can't remember a damn thing about the food, but I know it was very reasonable.
I don't think you have any info on the site, so feel free to post this. I am planning a trip to Phx/Tucson over the holidays, so hopefully I will be able to check it out and get the full story.
(after reading this review) Lee Ann writes:
I read your review of Kon Tiki, thanks for posting my comments, and, well, I'm sorry you had a disappointing experience. I expected that to happen. As I said, leave it to a few to spoil it for the rest of us.
Now that I see the pictures, I know the place has changed tremendously. There were no primary colors in that place, just vintage coconut brown. The signs are completely new also.
I used to live on the main street just north (5th St) of Kon Tiki and I used to hang out at the Congress sometimes in college. And I used to take that same bus to campus. Funny.
...letters like the one that follows slay me. I really get a kick out of them. I hope this person decides to drop me another line soon. I SWEAR that I didn't doctor it or modify it an ANY way!
From: BRIZANDY@cs.com
Date: Thu, 4 May 2000 18:09:42 EDT
Subject: (no subject)
To: jt@tydirium.neti do not know who u think u are to write complaints about the kon tiki(tucson).who are u to have an opinion of what the place is like..who are u and what credentials do u have.are far as i am concerned u have no valuable opnion.that plac is a great place.and as far as your red neck reference.bite me.i have been gpoing there for 5 yrs.it is a great place with great people.so next time u come down.;u look me up and i'll show u the place that it is.
October, 2000Wendy writes...
You are so dead on. My friends and I started going to the Kon Tiki in Tucson about five years ago (gawd, I must be getting old) when it was so slow on some nights, they kicked us out so they could clean the carpets. I love the place still - Scorpions may not have impressed you too much, but in a town like Tucson, they are practically a gourmet treat! Then a few of years ago the college crowd 'found' the place - primarily because you can still get those mammoth drinks (guaranteed to get your buzz on) for less than 6 bucks. Can you believe the other day I had to wait in line to get in?! (I didn't. Nothing is worth that.) I am intrigued by your site - now I want to go on a Tiki adventure of my own.
Thanks for putting this on the web. It gave me quite a grin...
Wendy from Tucson, land of the redneck bars and frat joints.
October, 2001
Tiger Lily writes: I just so happened to find your site after the fact....What an amazing depiction of the place! My friend and I went to Tuscon for our friend's wedding and we just so happened to notice the Kon Tiki's multi-colored sign driving down the strip. All of us that went(including the bride and groom) were from Los Angeles and we agreed that the place was astounding compared to any Tiki Bar in LA. However, we were greatly disappointed by the oblivious crowd that seemed to have no reaction to what they had in their town for a night of cocktail sipping ambience. Even though I didn't mind Tucson as a city, I realize that it was a small town, so the college/jock crowd inside was expected. I'm sure they were in there because the drinks were so huge and cheap! And I'm sure there was a reason that the doorman took our driver's license numbers down..perhaps because they were popular with the underagers at one time? Well, I wish they were more popular with a more appreciative crowd. I was disappointed by the gum that had found their way onto the tiki masks, but was uplifted by the huge room full of parrots behind the bar! It was a treasure to find such a place on what seemed to be a 'road mall'
Matt writes:
I grew up in Tucson, and first went to Kon Tiki with my father in the early 70’s as a small child and started being a regular there in ’89. What most of the comments state is true, the place has changed significantly (and not for the better) since I first started going there.
I have two memories of the place that I would like to share that will forever hold the place dear to my heart. The first time I went there I was 5 or 6 years old and literally blown away by this bizarre tiki paradise in the middle an otherwise ordinary desert town. It let you forget for a moment that you were in Tucson. It blew my mind, and forever made me pine for tropical environments. Later, when I was of drinking age, some of my fondest memories of Kon Tiki are of crossing the bridge out front (when there was still water in the fountain), sitting in the giant wicker chairs (before they were metal with fake wood) underneath a blowfish lamp and ordering an Aku Aku Volcano (in a volcano bowl with flaming 151 rum in the volcano top) and eating “Monkey-on-a-stick” (They would actually bring out a hibachi grill to your table and let you grill marinated sirlon cubes on wooden skewers!).
Yes, Kon Tiki has lost a great deal of it’s tiki luster, and yes, the place is overrun with collegiate fraternity and sorority members looking to get drunk cheap, but I still can’t help trying to go there at least once each time I visit Tucson to re-live some wonderful experiences. For those not looking for a huge crowd, holidays and periods where the University of Arizona is on break are the time to visit.
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