The Downtown Tiki Lounge

2 stars. Meh. I've experienced better. (such a great way to sum things up)

The Downtown Tiki Lounge is pretty spacious with a good amount of seating but the atmosphere seems a bit dull and lifeless. I came here for the first time on Saturday night and by 12, the place was practically empty. When my friends and I came at 11, there was quite a few people. The thing was that everyone seemed to be grouped up and unwilling to talk to anyone other than who they came with. There was no liveliness.

Drinks are pretty cheap and they have a decent selection of specialty drinks. Most of the single drinks on the menu are $8 bucks and for the bowls (serves up to 4 people) those go at $17 bucks. Another thing I liked about this place was their music selection. They were playing a ton of Sublime which was awesome.

But yea, with all that being said I don't think I'm going to be back here for a while. It's no fun going to an empty bar or a place with no type of liveliness.

Came here for Happy Hour and definitely loved the vibe.  It totally reminded me of the dive bars that you go to in Hawaii. From the hawaiian themed decor, reggae music and the cute attentive bartenders - great change of pace from the typical happy hour spots.

Happy Hour 4pm-7pm (Mon-Fri)
$5 appetizers/jameson
$4 drinks

They offer a great selection of tropical and non-tropical drinks as well as happy hour specials. I'm not one to know if their drinks are strong or not - I am a complete lightweight but in any case, the drinks were delicious!  The food however was blah...typical bar food. Everything tasted as if they it was frozen and heated up. Save your appetite and eat elsewhere.

Ending your work week sipping on "tropical paradise" in an island themed bar was an awesome escape from the foggy bay area weather. :)

Overall, I would recommend this place for big or small groups.

The Tiki is the best lounge in San Mateo for happy hour.  $3 Guinness -- you can't go wrong. Kim, Tony and Dennis are all super friendly, as is Jesus, the cook. It's super cool with amazing carved tikis and a casual atmosphere. Check it out tonight!