Tiki Tom's - Oakland

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Tiki Tom's was a short-lived tiki bar on 29th Avenue along the estuary at the Park Street Bridge. Some people remember it for the giant inflatable frog on the roof. The building burned under mysterious circumstances in 2010. The frog was destroyed.

"Tiki Tom" was Tom Davies, who had previously owned a stake in Tiki Tom's in Walnut Creek. He took over the location of what had been the Pier 29 Restaurant (which had moved to Alameda) in 2008. On the night of October 7, 2010, after having lost the liquor license, the restaurant caught fire. The fire went to 3 alarms, and also ignited Tiki Tom's boat known as the Tiki Jubilee, which was tied up nearby. ¹

Although it had been removed from active service, the OFD fireboat Sea-Wolf was pressed into duty. It quickly doused the flames after arriving, but the restaurant was a complete loss. The wreckage of the boat was visible for many years further up the estuary.

It was apparently popular with a fairly rowdy crowd, but tiki aficionados didn't think much of it as a tiki bar. ²

The bar featured a mosaic by Laurel True (then of the Institute of Mosaic Art) ³ which survived the fire.

The location is now the aptly-named Phoenix Commons senior co-housing project.