You can experience the islands just about anywhere with a good travel agent and an itinerary. But our criteria for a true island getaway brings it closer to home. we’ve handpicked 2 island experiences in the East Bay that will feed your Island Fever. So don your flip-flops and puka shells, or just come as you are to two fun tropical paradises, The Conga Lounge in Oakland, and Forbidden Island in Alameda.

The Conga Lounge
5422 College Avenue
Oakland, CA 94618
510.463.2681
congalounge.com
Open at 5pm Tue-Sat

Tuesday through Saturday we’ll mix you any one (or two or three) of our fabulous 40 cocktails starting at 5pm in the town that is the birthplace of Trader Vic’s original bar and the Mai Tai cocktail. The Conga Lounge captures the best elements of Oakland’s legendary Tiki past — a welcoming and laid back atmosphere, great drinks, hip decor that balances bamboo and kitsch, and a classic soundtrack of vintage Exotica (think Martin Denny’s “Quiet Village”). Who says you can’t take an island vacation on a weeknight?

Enjoy their daily Happy Hour from 5pm-7pm, with $2 off our fabulous Mai Tais, draft beers and appetizers! During restaurant hours you can sample anything from the entire Rustica menu or graze on our tasty selection of fantasty island appetizers. Join them for one of their various theme nights or catch DJ spots on selected weekends.

Forbidden Island
1304 Lincoln Ave.
Alameda, CA 94501
510.749.0332
forbiddenislandalameda.com
Mon-Thu 5pm-12am
Fri-Sat 5pm-2am
Sun 3pm-10pm

Located in the heart of Alameda’s historic Bay Station Shopping District, Forbidden Island features a wide array of classic and contemporary gourmet cocktails, served in an exotic & fun tropical atmosphere.

Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge is a tropical vacation spot right in the middle of your hometown! Serving award-winning, world famous classic and exotic cocktails along with many original recipes, along with some tasty snacks, Forbidden Island is a retro-oasis in the desert of your busy modern day! Many compare its dreamy decor to the Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland, with its colorful assortment of decorative exotica, from tiki statues to glowing puffer fish to velvet Tahitian paintings.

They are a classic tiki bar interior evoking the legendary tiki lounges of the 1950s and ’60s, with bamboo huts, waterfalls, and much more. They offer Happy Hour all night Mondays and every weekday from 5-7PM. Along with the aloha atmosphere and fabulous cocktails, Forbidden Island offers many special themed events, from DJs spinning a variety of tunes to live surf/lounge bands to movie nites once a month, along with annual shindigs like the Luau, Parking Lot Sale, Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Forbidden Island is also available for your own private Polynesian party on weekend afternoons.

Swing by after work, after dinner, on your way to a party, enjoy a social celebration (one free flaming Mai Tais for all birthday babies!), or just come chill out and relax with our friendly staff, ensconced in a tropical time capsule, watching vintage movies on the bar TV, listening to the best of mid-century pop music on our jukebox, and luxuriating with their luscious libations. Aloha!