Forbidden Island

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mrsmileyus

Joined 7 years ago

This place is awesome!. A new tiki bar staffed with 3 employees from a world famous tiki restaurant/bar trained in the art of making a cocktail?!!? Sounds like a good start to me. Walking into the bar, one notices a few tikis and it doesn't stop there. More tikis and great decor all inside the bar. Smelling the food(bar snacks) being served made me want to try some-so far so good. Food is nothing fancy, just fried fun good to help offset a few of their cocktails. The cocktails might seem a bit pricey to the newcomer, but they are actually a good deal because they are STRONG!!! I have trouble trying to finish more than two.

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humuhumu

Joined 7 years ago

The best drinks in the Bay Area. Forbidden Island is a gem of a place. I'm a huge fan of tiki bars, and I've travelled far and wide to visit as many as I can -- I would be thrilled to discover this place if it were on the other side of the country; I'm pinching myself that it's actually within driving distance. The owners of this bar have paid attention to every detail, and it shows. The drinks are the best-constructed and most delicious you will find in the Bay Area, and the decor is jaw-dropping, yet cozy. The patrons are friendly, the music in the jukebox is appropriate and not too loud, and the place feels like it's been around forever.

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thejab

Joined 7 years ago

Cozy tiki bar with outstanding tropical cocktails. This new tiki bar on the island of Alameda is the perfect recreation of a tiki bar from the 1960s. There is a long bar covered with a bamboo-framed thatched roof and some cozy booths made from bamboo with thatched hut roofs. The walls and ceiling are made of dark weathered wood interspersed with tropical matting, tapa cloth, and bamboo, giving it a shipwreck feel, and there are numerous hanging lamps and other flotsam suspended from the ceiling.

The drink menu is loaded with tropical drinks, all handmade with the finest liquor, fresh juices, and with full garnishes. All the drinks I have tried were excellent, and reasonably priced, considering their ingredients and strength. An assortment of fried pupus are available.

The service is top notch, from the bartenders wearing custom shirts to the cocktail waitress dressed in vintage aloha wear.

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mykel57

Joined 7 years ago

New Tiki Bar Takes you away!. What a wonderful place to open in the Bay Area! Bringing back the yesteryears of tiki and poly pop. Once you enter the front door, you are transported back to that small island you dreamt about for years. Rums of all kinds line the back shelf... a drink menu of 40 or more tropical drinks of all flavors and strengths... and those coconut prawns! I wished I lived closer, but well worth the drive from the wine country. Friendly and smokefree!!! A perfect escape.

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mme67

Joined 7 years ago

Authentic Tiki Lounge + Great Drinks= A Winner. Forbidden Island is exactly what it attempts to be, a well-done Tiki Lounge established for the appreciation of fine tropical cocktails and good company. The mood is right, the decor expertly done. Some great music on the juke. There are enough finely-crafted cocktails to satisfy even the most discriminating tastes. One can search high and low, visiting much larger and more well-known establishments and still not be served a better cocktail than Forbidden Island's offerings. Drink prices are in-line with the costs of tropical cocktails at this level. Given the quality of the product, a person will easily get their money's worth. You will enjoy a visit to Forbidden Island!

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maria_e

Joined 7 years ago

Awesome Place!. Had a great time there this past weekend. And the weekend before that. Forbidden Island rivals Traders Vic's in terms of ambiance, but it's much friendlier and more relaxed. It's literally like walking into a pirates ship on a Polynesian Island. They hit the mark in creating an authentic retro lounge. The drinks are tasty...and lots to choose from! Their drink menu had at least 40 tropical drinks. The decor is all about details. We sat in our own little thatched roof hut near the waterfall. Very cool place. I'll be hanging out at Forbidden Island often.

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nickyidol

Joined 7 years ago

An absolute gem in Alameda. Follow up reveiw:

I haven't been to Forbidden Island in a while (bogged down with work and life) but went by with some friends last weekend. What can I say? I realised how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE this bar.

The drinks have gotten better -if that's even possible. They now have drink specials created by the staff members (including the gorgeous cocktail waitress), as if their menu of 30 or so cocktails wasn't enough!!

I just cannot believe this bar is in Alameda. I can't think of a sinlge bar in the City (and I include NYC here too) that creates such incredible concoctions. The manager explained to me how they juice citrus daily and use nothing but Premium rums - whatever it is they do, it works!!

The jukebox is top notch too, by the way( no Top 40 or Steely Dan) It truly feels like you've stepped back in time.

If you haven't experienced Forbidden Island yet, get yourself over there!!

Wow..what a find. I went by with some friends this weekend and was blown away by what I saw. Wonderful decor and a fun time overall. The drinks in particular, were outstanding. We tried a bunch from their specialty menu - My favorite is the China Clipper and Sidewinder's Fang. The bartenders were really professional too. I liked it so much, I bought a T shirt!! I now have two favorite Tiki bars in the East Bay - Conga Lounge and Forbidden Island.