The Bali Hai on Shelter Island is a pretty much a MUST DO when visiting San Diego. We insist!
The drinks, the view, and the food are all superb - sit upstairs by the window if you can and try to time your visit to coincide with sunset - dreamy.
The Bali Hai is a Polynesian Palace that first opened its doors in 1954. That makes it one of the oldest surviving mid-century tiki establishments in the USA.
The Bali Hai has more than 100 pieces of vintage Polynesian art and artifacts.
The two greatest things in the collection are actually outside the restaurant and can be seen from the street.
Mr. Bali Hai is a giant wooden headhunter that stands by the front door. He has Marty Feldman eyes and a bone through his nose. I’d say he is not to be missed, but if you visit Bali Hai, he will be impossible to miss.
And “the goof”, one of the oldest pieces in the collection sits on top of the roof.
The Bali Hai is famous for their Mai Tais - they’ve sold over two million of them - but they are STRONG! - -my head nearly blew off!
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Southern California #74 - last visited June 2022