My wife and I are big fans of all things Tiki and we've been wanting to go to The Luau for awhile now. Last night we finally went and it was so worth it. We were greeted the moment we entered the door. The bar was full so we went to the outside patio which was decorated perfectly with tiki water fountains and vintage longboard surf boards. Our bartender John was amazing and lit the spiral propane heater as it was a bit cold outside. He got us our two Mai Tai drinks (they were amazing by the way)super quick and kept our bowl of Goldfish and pretzels full at all times. John was such an attentive bartender and made sure we always had everything we needed including waters. Mind you it was very busy and he had a lot of other customers to serve but in spite of that he managed to check on us quite often. As the evening got later the inside tiki bar was less crowded and so we went inside. It was decorated so cool and a very warm and friendly atmosphere. We met the other bartender Tony and he was very friendly and attentive as well. Great experience we will definitely be back. Excellent tiki drinks in perfect tiki mugs at a reasonable price. We were both so happy we went to " The Luau"
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Oregon Vape Shoppe
Ordered a Zombie and not 1 jigger was used so 100% not a tiki bar. I was completely disappointed to say the least. Imho it's a tiny hole in the wall for hipsters and should be rebranded as such. Was packed with people singing karaoke so they must be doing something right but again, not tiki. I'll digress.
Corey White
The Luau is what I refer to many as my "Cheers".There is NO shortage of folks, friends and strangers alike, that I have brought to The Luau.My very first time visiting this joint was a Thursday after football. I drove by, heard the crowd singing and had to stop by. Once I found out they did karaoke Thursdays (now Fri/Sat too!), I was hooked. Come by any Thursday and see if I'm now here singing whatever Ashley will allow me the space to sing.People know about this place now and it can get packed on karaoke nights, so get here early to sing. There IS this thing though where if you are rude or try to sing under other people's names, the KJ just like, picks up on it and prefers you don't do that.Overall, there aren't many places better in this stretch of ECB to meet great people, sing your heart out, and enjoy a great MaiThai.I'll seeya at The Luau soon??
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Zachary McElroy
First off , just wow. Tiki surfer paradise in beautiful La Mesa! Great music , great vibes and amazing choice of libations! Usually come here on karaoke night and it does not disappoint. Ashley the kj always gets the crowd going and has great pace of getting singers in. Tony and John always slinging drinks fast and on point. If the bar is slammed , Jordyn or Sarah is always there to lend a hand. One night I met the owner, think his name is Brett. Talk about a cool dude with positive vibes! Thanks Luau! Keep it up!
Spice Burril
This place is awesome!! The atmosphere is absolutely lovely with friendly and professional staff. The decor brings you to the islands and the craft cocktails are yum!! We like to go for the Karaoke.Definitely tops in my book!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Annie P
I have been to the Luau many times over the past couple of years. However, the last few times I have visited the staff has been very rude towards my party and I.We had a terrible interaction with the DJ one evening and have not returned since. I went up for karaoke two times in a row to sing with separate friends for moral support who had put their name on the list. The DJ was extremely upset and told me this was not allowed and that I “already knew the rules”, which none were stated. She embarrassed me in front of the crowd although I was only accompanying my friend on stage. She said it was way too crowded that night for me to be on stage twice in a row, although we had put our song requests in five minutes apart and shockingly nobody else had signed up within that time period. She handed me the microphone and said “you’re lucky I’m even letting you sing”. After being yelled at, we left the bar and haven’t returned since. Unfortunately now, I have brought many people to this bar and they have become frequent customers. My party and I have always been very respectful so this interaction was especially upsetting. It sucks that we paid money to have a good time and ended up having an awful night.Before this incident, one of the bartenders had been rude to my party and I time after time. It is clear that this bar does not treat younger customers with as much respect and they do older ones. We will never be returning again with how many times staff has been unfriendly towards us. The female server has always been great!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Roz
We just recently found this spot and it might be my favorite cocktail spot. The place is really fun, low key, and has great drinks (bonus, you also get snacks and water!). Tony behind the bar is fantastic :)Great spot for a little drink and to relax for a bit
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Todd Harpenau
Love the polynesian motif and drinks. Very cozy feel witd friendly staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kristie Reece
We just went to this bar last night and we had so much fun!! The drinks were very yummy and the atmosphere was fun and inviting. All of the staff are so nice and friendly. I am really impressed. Also, this place was so CLEAN! I highly recommend this Tiki Bar.
Drinks are Delicious. They give you goldfish and pretzels. No Food. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
LeeAnn Buchanan
Love The Luau!! The atmosphere is spot on. Service is great! And the drinks...perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Keisha Moore
Had an amazing time, the service was on point!!! Will be returning!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Luau Shooter
Ann S.
Our group had our holiday party at the Luau and had the best time! Brett, Shailee and Tony are absolute rockstars and very accommodating. Super cool place decorated with the Tiki vibe plus fun Christmas decorations. Brett connected us with their karaoke source and let us bring a Hawaiian caterer - paired with the Merry Mai Tais it was the perfect party!!! We will return for trivia night and more Mai Tais for sure - Aloha!!
Tony Carr
I've never been, but I wanted to cancel out Scott Kessler's poor review. Looks like he was plugging his own bars at the expense of the Luau.Cheers to the owners.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kalua Pork Nachos, The Luau Shooter, Chardonnay, Chardonnay La Crema, Champagne Barefoot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Crema, Shot, Boochcraft Hard Kombucha, Negra Modelo, Stone
My wife and I are big fans of all things Tiki and we've been wanting to go to The Luau for awhile now. Last night we finally went and it was so worth it. We were greeted the moment we entered the door. The bar was full so we went to the outside patio which was decorated perfectly with tiki water fountains and vintage longboard surf boards. Our bartender John was amazing and lit the spiral propane heater as it was a bit cold outside. He got us our two Mai Tai drinks (they were amazing by the way)super quick and kept our bowl of Goldfish and pretzels full at all times. John was such an attentive bartender and made sure we always had everything we needed including waters. Mind you it was very busy and he had a lot of other customers to serve but in spite of that he managed to check on us quite often. As the evening got later the inside tiki bar was less crowded and so we went inside. It was decorated so cool and a very warm and friendly atmosphere. We met the other bartender Tony and he was very friendly and attentive as well. Great experience we will definitely be back. Excellent tiki drinks in perfect tiki mugs at a reasonable price. We were both so happy we went to " The Luau"
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Ordered a Zombie and not 1 jigger was used so 100% not a tiki bar. I was completely disappointed to say the least. Imho it's a tiny hole in the wall for hipsters and should be rebranded as such. Was packed with people singing karaoke so they must be doing something right but again, not tiki. I'll digress.
The Luau is what I refer to many as my "Cheers".There is NO shortage of folks, friends and strangers alike, that I have brought to The Luau.My very first time visiting this joint was a Thursday after football. I drove by, heard the crowd singing and had to stop by. Once I found out they did karaoke Thursdays (now Fri/Sat too!), I was hooked. Come by any Thursday and see if I'm now here singing whatever Ashley will allow me the space to sing.People know about this place now and it can get packed on karaoke nights, so get here early to sing. There IS this thing though where if you are rude or try to sing under other people's names, the KJ just like, picks up on it and prefers you don't do that.Overall, there aren't many places better in this stretch of ECB to meet great people, sing your heart out, and enjoy a great MaiThai.I'll seeya at The Luau soon??
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
First off , just wow. Tiki surfer paradise in beautiful La Mesa! Great music , great vibes and amazing choice of libations! Usually come here on karaoke night and it does not disappoint. Ashley the kj always gets the crowd going and has great pace of getting singers in. Tony and John always slinging drinks fast and on point. If the bar is slammed , Jordyn or Sarah is always there to lend a hand. One night I met the owner, think his name is Brett. Talk about a cool dude with positive vibes! Thanks Luau! Keep it up!
This place is awesome!! The atmosphere is absolutely lovely with friendly and professional staff. The decor brings you to the islands and the craft cocktails are yum!! We like to go for the Karaoke.Definitely tops in my book!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
I have been to the Luau many times over the past couple of years. However, the last few times I have visited the staff has been very rude towards my party and I.We had a terrible interaction with the DJ one evening and have not returned since. I went up for karaoke two times in a row to sing with separate friends for moral support who had put their name on the list. The DJ was extremely upset and told me this was not allowed and that I “already knew the rules”, which none were stated. She embarrassed me in front of the crowd although I was only accompanying my friend on stage. She said it was way too crowded that night for me to be on stage twice in a row, although we had put our song requests in five minutes apart and shockingly nobody else had signed up within that time period. She handed me the microphone and said “you’re lucky I’m even letting you sing”. After being yelled at, we left the bar and haven’t returned since. Unfortunately now, I have brought many people to this bar and they have become frequent customers. My party and I have always been very respectful so this interaction was especially upsetting. It sucks that we paid money to have a good time and ended up having an awful night.Before this incident, one of the bartenders had been rude to my party and I time after time. It is clear that this bar does not treat younger customers with as much respect and they do older ones. We will never be returning again with how many times staff has been unfriendly towards us. The female server has always been great!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We just recently found this spot and it might be my favorite cocktail spot. The place is really fun, low key, and has great drinks (bonus, you also get snacks and water!). Tony behind the bar is fantastic :)Great spot for a little drink and to relax for a bit
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Love the polynesian motif and drinks. Very cozy feel witd friendly staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We just went to this bar last night and we had so much fun!! The drinks were very yummy and the atmosphere was fun and inviting. All of the staff are so nice and friendly. I am really impressed. Also, this place was so CLEAN! I highly recommend this Tiki Bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Awesome place!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Drinks are Delicious. They give you goldfish and pretzels. No Food. Will definitely be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love The Luau!! The atmosphere is spot on. Service is great! And the drinks...perfect!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had an amazing time, the service was on point!!! Will be returning!!
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: The Luau Shooter
Our group had our holiday party at the Luau and had the best time! Brett, Shailee and Tony are absolute rockstars and very accommodating. Super cool place decorated with the Tiki vibe plus fun Christmas decorations. Brett connected us with their karaoke source and let us bring a Hawaiian caterer - paired with the Merry Mai Tais it was the perfect party!!! We will return for trivia night and more Mai Tais for sure - Aloha!!
I've never been, but I wanted to cancel out Scott Kessler's poor review. Looks like he was plugging his own bars at the expense of the Luau.Cheers to the owners.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Kalua Pork Nachos, The Luau Shooter, Chardonnay, Chardonnay La Crema, Champagne Barefoot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Crema, Shot, Boochcraft Hard Kombucha, Negra Modelo, Stone