Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room in Monterey, CA

Hula's Island Grill in Monterey started off initially with more of a Hawaiiana/Surf feel, but has been deepening its tiki roots over the years, most notably with the addition of their Tiki Room. Carved masks and trim details by the artist Bosko are throughout the restaurant, and a very large Tiki Tony carving shares the space with much bamboo and Leeteg reproductions. The restaurant is enormously popular with locals, and has a very cozy, intimate feel. Traditional drinks include a proper Mai Tai, and Hula's has their own tiki mug (produced by nearby Munktiki) available for sale.

In 2006, a second location opened up the coast in Santa Cruz

Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room

Santa Cruz, CA

Bar & Restaurant

, and Hula's Modern Tiki

opened in Phoenix in 2009.

Comments

StinkyMatt

StinkyMatt has visited Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room.

February 11, 2020, 6:22 PM

Huge disappointment. I will say that the decor will probably make some people happy, but I�m more in it for the drinks and food. The food here was ok. The highlight was the abalone style calamari, which was cooked perfectly, but the batter tasted like the fry oil was maybe a little old. The pork sliders were decent. But the coconut shrimp rolls were inedible. They were made with those tiny shrimp, which weren�t deveined, and the dish tasted like bait. I didn�t try many of the drinks because after painkiller and the mai tai I didn�t see the point. The painkiller was ok, but the rum wasn�t pussers and the drink definitely suffered. It was also a little OJ heavy for my taste. The mai tai was sour and somehow watery and too strong at the same time. If you like tiki drinks, this is not the place to get them. That said, the bartenders were fast and attentive and friendly. The bad rating is not the fault of the service staff.

KevinCrossman

KevinCrossman has visited Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room.

November 19, 2018, 5:02 PM

Finally got to visit the last Hula�s location we haven�t been to yet (though we haven�t been to the new Phoenix location). Hula�s in Monterey is right in line with the Santa Cruz location. Decor in the main dining room is a little more elaborate, but the tiki room has open windows so isn�t dark and mysterious like the Santa Cruz location. Energetic crowd on Saturday for lunch, with lots of families.

We enjoyed our lunch. The Coconut Shrimp Rolls were very tasty and I liked my Pork Sandwich. Mrs Mai Tai liked her Jungle Tofu too. Service was spot on, though the restaurant was a little chilly due to the open door from the patio.

We tried some cocktails from their premium cocktail menu. Julie liked her Summer on the Porch made with Bourbon. I had worse luck. The Reverend Stiggins with Plantation Pineapple rum, Myers�s White, Pineapple Juice, Mint and Sosa was too minty in my opinion. But the presentation was pretty interesting.

I had a very poor experience with the Pele�s Punch, made with Skipper Dark Rum, Myers�s Platinum White, Falernum, blood Orange, Pineapple Juice, Lime Juice.... and Firewater Bitters. The bitters completely overpowered the drink, totally out of balance. I knew I was taking a bit of risk but I don�t think the bitters would be so forward. I turned this back in and had their Island Mai Tai instead. They�re trying to do more with the cocktail program but not quite hitting the mark.

This was tiki bar number 30 for me this year (so far...).
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqTUs5Ygn5N/

Island Queen

Island Queen has visited Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room.

August 17, 2018, 12:27 AM

We visited Hula's Island Grill and Tiki Room in July 2018. We had a few drinks in the bar. The drinks were very good. we also had dinner at the Grill the Poke was delicious and we went back the next day for lunch and the Fish soup was very tasty. We will go back on our next trip to Monterey.

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