On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
Categories: Hawaiian, Bars, American (Traditional)
4501 Rosemead BlvdMon-Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Chili's® Grill & Bar is as bold and flavorful as the food it serves. The energetic, fun atmosphere makes it the perfect spot for a... more »
Loading...
I've had a lot of fish in my life, both as pets and as food. It's been proven time and time again that eating a salmon fillet is exponentially simpler than keeping a garden variety goldfish alive for longer than two months.
My goldfish have died in a myriad of fascinating ways from the mundane scale disease to actually jumping out the opening of the tank's lid onto my living room floor. Poor little Ernie was probably screaming, "Any life is better than this!" as he fervently leaped out of the tank. Plop...gasp...die...
That is why I find Bahooka's so amazing. Their restaurant can be described as labyrinthian, with fish tanks as far as the eye can see. The fish seem healthy, especially the one who proudly boasts 30 years of life plus a couple (and going). Really, I don't know how they do it. Cleaning one tank is like cleaning out a well-used toilet bowl. Cleaning out that many tanks...well, the metaphor carries through.
The service was excellent. We felt welcomed from the first minute to the last, and yes, we even got to wander the place to our hearts' content. It was like getting a free aquarium ticket with the meal.
Well, here's the bucket of ice water in the face. The food was pretty awful. With all that attention to detail in the decor, the food at Bahooka's made my cooking look like the venerable Iron Chef Morimoto's. The ribs were an exercise in chewing, and the roast beef was unbearably salty. The thin slice of pineapple didn't really help balance it out. It was tasteless (other than the salt assault). It was even worse than the crab puff thingies I had last time. It was a whole new low.
If the food had been good, this place could have easily been the most amazing place ever. It's still worth going to, but just get one of those cool flaming drinks or something. It's good for special occasions, or those cute little casual first dates because if the date goes well, you can always secure a second one by saying "Hmm, we should go somewhere with better food next time!" Then keep your promise by taking them to Mc Donald's.
I have so many wonderful memories from Bahooka...
amazingly none of them have been washed away by drinking too many head shrinkers or other fabulous cocktails that were served in a giant trough for me and my friends to share.
While many of those enchanted memories don't involve the food per se, I would always jump at the chance to hang out here in Rosemead for the good company, the great atmosphere, and the awesome tropical drinks.
The Bahooka holds a special place that is near and dear to my heart.
If you're into nostalgia, tiki and tropical drinks you need to go here now.
5 stars for atmosphere, 5 stars for fancy fun cocktails, 0 stars for food.
I went here about 5 years ago and loved everything but my dinner. The place is fun, it's not a retro tiki bar, but an authentic 1950's polynesian restaurant and bar. The tiki drinks are big and yummy and come in the expected tiki glasses and bowls. The bar is decked out in more of a nautical theme. The dinning room booths are surrounded by fish tanks and if I remember correctly it seemed they all had only one kid of fish. All this is really great and fun. But then there's the dinner. I got chicken and veggies. The chicken was cut in half and grilled I didn't like that his neck was still attached, but that was the least of the problems, it has some kind of a sauce on it that I didn't like . The grilled veggies were "Hawaiian style" which means they cook them in sugar. yep sugar.
Come for the drinks, leave for the food.
They have a really good menu selection on the back of the menu- not sure what it was called but the plates where mostly chicken and under $15.00. The mix drinks are good too and very strong! Also, the decor is amazing, fish tanks everywhere! Its such a great themed restaurant suitable for all ages.
WOW..i cannot agree more with everyone's plead to not eat the food!!!!!!
amazing that ppl actually go eat ther.
i just got back from dinner ther with my family for my brother's bday.
funny i should read on here 'do not eat the bday volcano'
literally ice with food coloring.
the salmon is suppose to be grilled..but it smells and tastes like salmon from mcdonalds.
the chicken was so undercooked it was still bleeding.
my dad got sick from the chicken..he has poor vision and ddnt notice the chicken was not edible. wtf they gave us fukn coupons to go back!!!??!?!
pleeeeeeeeeeeeease close this place down!!!!!! before someone really dies!!!
everything on the menu is triple priced to top it off
thanks for ruining my nite bahooka!
Bahooka's was one of those restaurants I passed a million times growing up and never considered. Finally, after turning 21, I decided to go in and see what they were all about.
When you walk inside, you'll be flanked on all sides by fish tanks. It's a tiki-atmosphere, so if you're into it, then you'll love it. I think it's cool in a way, plus they have a soft-shell albino turtle.
The menu is a typical burger/ribs/sandwich joint that adds hawaiian bbq sauce to pretty much everything. I've tried several of their entrees, and they've all been very so-so. The pulled pork sandwich is the 2nd driest pulled pork sandwich I've ever had (only bested by Tony Roma's). The hamburger was nothing amazing, but nothing terrible (I've only been to a handful of places in my life that have managed to mess up a hamburger).
The best food items are the appetizers, specifically the zucchini fries, onion rings and the crab balls. While their food menu is expensive, the appetizers are a safe bet. They also come in large portions so it's plenty for 4-6 people to snack on.
After my first and second visits, I decided to give up on any and all entrees. The only food I order are the appetizers.
As for the drinks - can you say "salad bowl sized cocktail"? For $20, you can have any drink on their menu made into a Bahooka bowl - a salad bowl filled with chopped ice, a ton of heavy liquor, and a flaming glass in the middle. It's a great place to go and hang out with friends and have a few bowls. The tables are big, so large groups are easy to accommodate. On top of that, each bowl comes equipped with a ton of extra large straws so you don't even have to lean forward to take a drink.
With that said, I must warn any potential patron of Bahooka's:
1) Do not drink an entire Zombie bowl by yourself. You will get very, very, very drunk.
2) Do not have a bowl chugging competition with friends. You will get very, very, very drunk.
3) Be prepared to shell out some serious cash. Bowls start at $20, and go up to $28.
If you and a friend have 1 order of frings and 1 bowl, your bill will be at least $30. The average appetizer is $10. it's not cheap. After all, there are a lot of fish to be fed and a lot of tanks to be cleaned.
Try it out - Skip the entree and go straight to the appetizers and drinks. The Bahooka bowls are definitely worth having at least once.
TIKI TIME WARP!!....One of my Favorite places for group drinking activities..grab a Bahooka bowl and let the fun begin!!..But there is a few things u should before entering..
1.don't eat the food..I have an iron cast trucker gut so I can digest the food but many have died trying..I suggest a liquid diet while your there..
2.Get there early it closes at 9..if you and your friends are tossing back gung ho's and star treks on a fri or sat they might let ya stay a lil later like 10..they'll just vacuum up around you..
3.Feed Rufus..if you are or are with an attractive female they usually will let you feed the 30 yr old gigantor dino fishy
4.don't eat the flaming crutons..
5.dont eat the birthday valcano..
6.If you start feeling like a true sailor and want to kick it up a notch..get a bowl of greeno's grenade..make sure and tell them to pull the pin..;)
Have fun and as the Hawaiian's say "A hui hou"
This place just looks incredible. Fish tanks are everywhere and there are tons of old nautical decorations. The bar is one big long fish tank. There were lots of restaurants like this in the 70s, so it will be nostalgic generation Xers or older... and possibly a curiosity to younger folks.
The drinks are good, and quite strong-- they're tiki drinks. My favorite is the Zombie.... "become one of the walking dead" yes... yum.
The food is good for what it is, but it is a somewhat 70s menu. Don't expect any sushi or Asian fusion cusine here. Expect fried fish, ribs, french fries and thousand island dressing on your salad. That said, the food is good if you like that kind of food. Look at the menu on their web site. I think a lot of people who don't think the food is good, don't like that kind of food.
The portions are HUGE and most entrees are enough for two people, and they're not icky about letting you share.
There is plenty of parking, as this is in an out-of-the-way location. It is easy to get to, and not hard to find. I hope this place doesn't close anytime soon, it is the last of it's kind here in Southern Cal.
Plus two stars for the decor and that really, really odd feeling I've actually been there before but can't for the life of me remember when.
My friend took me here the other day on the chance she could remember where it was. She didn't disappoint and I was shocked, nay flabbergasted to see a real, live Tiki Bar still here in Southern California. I was really happy she ended up taking me.
The food is just ok. Basically don't go for the food, go for the atmosphere and the goofy, gorpy decoration and have some fun with friends. I didn't order any drinks, so I can't comment on the bar, but I would go there to slam a few back as well.
In the end, I recommend it. Why? Because not long from now the only reference anyone will have for Tiki Bars, and the 1950's/60's in Southern California will be photographs, and that's just sad.
Bahooka is definitley all about the visual pleasure of 150 fish tanks throughout the restaurant and all things nautical. Lots of neat stuff to see if you just walk around the restaurant....tikis...flowers...boats...surfboards ...ship parts...fish nets...etc.!
The cocktails are pretty delicious...tropical delights infused with vodka or rum or whatever else...
The food is nothing great at all...I had a tuna salad, which was okay. The finger foods looked straight out of the market's frozen aisle.
WEIRD: they dont have many side condiments ie. BBQ sauce, hot sauce, ranch dressing!
Here is my star rating breakdown:
1 star - all the cool aquariums that make you feel like you're eating inside of a sunken ship.
1 star - the fact that this fear and loathing had a scene here with Johnny Depp (*sigh*) in front of the oscar tank.
1star - the big fishbowl drinks that you share with friends (or by yourself, you alchie!).
1 star - the drinks that get lit on fire!
and MINUS 1 star because the food is on the wack side of awesome. I love me some fried everything, but even I have to draw the line somewhere.
Fruit Striped Gum bell bottom pants!! Yes this is what my parents use to make me wear when going to Bahooka's. We would at this place on a regular basis. That was probably in 1976 when the joint first opened. It has been decades since I have been here. My old high school bud and I decided to revisit the past and have one drink. Wow!! a flashback into the past.
Fish tanks all over the place with this one fish just as old as I am. I guess there are more than 100 fish tanks in this place. I was told this was ranked the top 6th Tiki Bar in LA or something like that. All I can say is that the decor is unbelievable. It is not like your tiki bar that is all neat and organized, No it is all "Hemajang". Look this word up in one Hawaiian dictionary. The restaurant is like a maze of booths. Some have these huge chains that hold up the tables. Some areas are dark and well hidden. A good place to "get it on" if you know what I mean.
Now lets move onto the drinks. I sat at the bar and noticed that the bar is a very long fish tank with some big-ass gold fish and a turtle. I order a very manly drink (Blue Hawaiian) and chug it down. There is a very strong taste of alcohol in that drink. Next I order a Bacardi and Diet Coke. Wow, this diet coke looks very very light in color. I order some more of this toxic beverage and notice my drunk indicator starts to flash. (My arms get these blotchy red marks and it gets difficult to breath) yeah yeah yeah, I know it sounds weird. Now I need some food in my stomach. The order of fries were hot and crispy with Thousand Island dressing on the side. The fries were cooked to perfection and had to be one of the best fries I ever had. (Or maybe I was drunk and horny...... ooops hungry). Yeah, it was not very busy in there, but what the hell? It was a Monday. I plan on returning and trying out the main dishes on the menu and will update my rating. As of now, 4 Stars for the nicely poured drinks, atmosphere and friendly staff.
I dont have much to say about this place. I was forced into trying this place. I live about 2 miles away from here and have never had a desire to even walk inside. Even the outside is disgusting.
I have heard their drinks are groovy. I decided to get a rum bowl, which the waitress did make strong (she better for $20.00). The atmosphere was awful. Good place for a funeral though, because it was dead inside!!!
Bahooka- loosely translated from the tropical language of Tiki Talk means giant flaming salad bowl full of booze. And oh lordy, what a glorious flaming bowl of booze!
Oh Bahooka, how I love your kitschy tiki/nautical atmosphere! I love your genuinely warm and friendly staff! I love Rufus, the giant carrot chomping fish! I love the freaky turtle that lives in the aquarium bar. I love the giant salad bowls of fruit juice and booze, served with flaming croutons and 2 foot long straws. I truly love everything about you...except your food.
Yes, sadly, I hate the food at Bahooka. I have tried...really, really, tried to like the food. I have suffered through plates upon plates of every deep fried "delicacy" offered on the menu. I have eaten many a sub-par steak, an odd pastrami dip sandwich, and rib upon rib only to be disappointed. And oh, please do not get me started about the "world famous" Bahooka salad dressing...yuck. Now, I understand that people drive from far and wide to experience the Bahooka salad dressing, I just don't understand how they can actually like it.
OK, so why does Bahooka get 5 stars if I hate the food? Well, part of it is really about the decor and overall vibe of Bahooka. It is a tiki lover's dream...and I love me some tiki.
More importantly, Bahooka gets a solid 5 stars for the amazing tiki drinks. The menu is filled with a fantastic array of alcoholic tiki treasures. You can order them by the glass, but the fabulous bartenders at Bahooka will make any drink on the menu into a flaming salad bowl of pleasure for two...and that is really the way to go (even if you are by yourself). And by "go" I mean get shit-faced drunk. Seriously, a couple of these deceptively strong drinks will lay you out flat. But you know, that place looks just as cool when you are laying on the floor...but that is another story.
Unfortunately, not even the multiple bowls of boozy heaven can make the food taste better. So, my advice is...eat elsewhere first, and then enter the fabulous flaming alcoholic tiki wonderland that is Bahooka!
Alright so most people have been giving this either 5 stars or 1 which neither is fair.
I will keep it short and sweet.
This place is not really known for there food so dont expect much. I always get the sampler platter because they give you so much its simple and its one of the few things I know for sure really taste good everytime.
It has jalapeno poppers (I love them from here), cheese sticks, fried zuchinni, and really tasty chicken strips along with BBQ sauce and there house sauce which are also both really good. Way more than enough for two people perfect for 3 not comletely full for 4.
As for the drinks, they are the best hands down. Bahooka bowl, Captain Cookes, are a couple of my favorites would like to try the mai tai because I hear those are awesome as well. You can get them in bowl with a flaming center which is cool. This place is really known for these so you cant really go wrong.
As for the rest, great atmosphere, nice people, really calm and the fish tanks are fun to watch. Like I was saying this place is not perfect but if you want to relax have some drinks and maybe some good appetizers to hold you over this is the place to go. Awesome for a date or hang out with some friends.
My review was longer than anticipated I know but everyone should at least try this place. As recommended Sampler and Drinks you will not go wrong promise.
I didn't read the reviews before I came here, but I guess I should have. I live around Bahooka for 10+ years but never stepped in, never bothered to look up the place. Finally, I actually planned to come check it out. Having my trips to Hawaii in mind, I was expecting Hawaiian food like luau luau and the like.
That was SO not what I got.
Instead, it was just any other restuarant serving mediocre food ie cole slaw drenched in mayo, meat dripping in oil. While I have to admit that the rib sandwich I got was pretty good (tender, flavorful meat), it was just very disappointing. They have an extensive drink menu, but it was so expensive.
While the festive atmosphere helped, I don't think I would have wanted to come here had I read the reviews beforehand. Now I know.
The aquariums alone are worth the visit. There's an otherworldly quality to drinking flaming bowls of booze around so many fish and tikki decorations that its an experience I'd recommend.
The food? Eh. Who cares about food at a place like this. That's like going to see Transformers for the script. Stick to drinks and if you're hungry, grab a sandwich, fried shrimp, soup, salad or something, as long as it's simple. This place doesn't have the subtlety it takes to master the steak or ribs they boast.
In conclusion, this is the kind of place a 12 year-old-boy says is his favorite restaurant which is perfect for the young and the young at heart (who drink booze).
If I was to give a restaurant no stars... this place will get that... This place is the worst place I have ever gone to.
This was the first time I came here and never heard anyone ever talk about this place before. So I was looking forward to it since its been around for a long time. But OMG... I would never come back. The service was sooo slow for a place that was not busy at all... We waited basically 2 hours for our food. No waiters came to check on us.
The food was the worst I have ever eaten. The food was either dry or mushy... we all took like a few bites and was done with it. The salad was limp... the chicken tasted like it was cooked days in advance and just microwaved to lukewarm. and the ribs were super dry.
Also the table that was next to us was never cleaned after the people left 10 minutes before we were seated. It was sitting there the whole time we were there. NASTY!
I've eaten here only once but that's enough to know the real stars of the Bahooka show are the Tiki drinks themselves, which go down oh-so nicely and get you oh- so wasted. They're not quite Tiki-Ti level in complexity or alcohol content, but good none-the-less. The restaurant itself is a trip, spread out like a wonky wooden labyrinth. It's large, lived-in, and filled with tons of fish tanks. (A word of warning, the management doesn't like when you put your Tiki straw in the fish tanks and try to suck up tiny fish.) I'll go back at some point, but for drinks only.
Bahooka is a rite of passage for all tikiphiles. Once you get inside this place you will be glad you did. The atmosphere is great, and I would be hard pressed to come up with anything similar. There are aquariums everywhere! The bar has portholes with fish swimming about. It's worth it just to walk around and sight see. The drink menu is great, and they have some secret cocktails (grenade "with the pin pulled") and some flaming ones as well. Although I have not seen one on fire myself, I read a particular bartender needs to be there and you have to request it.
I wish the food were as good as the decor. But sadly this is where Bahooka falls short. It's just your run of the mill eating. Come for the atmosphere and have a cocktail or two...if you appreciate tiki stuff I think it will win you over. I struggled with 4 stars, but its just such a unique and special place even if you don't stay for the main course.
Cheers!
Okay, so I am thinking that I may get shot or attacked for this review, but Bahooka really is an overpriced Denny's. Yes, the atmosphere is fun and exotic and drinking booze out of a flaming bowl with a foot long straw cant be beat! But the food is wayyyy over rated AND over priced!
There is nothing really special about the dishes at all. We got the appetizer sampler platter (moz cheese, chix tenders, jalapeno poppers and onions rings). Then the dinner come with your choice of soup or salad. Being the salad freak that I am, I surprisingly did not get the salad, because you have only one option of dressing (its a thousand island with out the relish) and so I got the soup (it obviously came from a can).
Now, my husband and I have a rule that we do not order the same entrees, this way we can try each others food and explore the menu. He got their "World Famous" ribs with stuffed shrimp and I got the teriyaki chicken. The chicken, fell right off the bone, but I had not appetite to eat it when it arrive to my table. The stuffed shrimp were just plain gross. And the ribs? Nothing special about them at all. I could not see how everyone in the area talks about the ribs!
So anyways, like I said before, I will probably be shot for this review, but the next time I want to eat a whole lot of fried food, I am going to Applebees or Dennys.
To love Bahooka, you have to understand it, sort of the way they did in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, in a "did you see what Goooooooood did to me?" sort of way.
Let's get it straight, you don't go to Bahooka for fine dining, no you don't. You go there to be drunk on tiki drinks with your friends, buy really tacky tiki mugs with faces on them and hope that Vincent Prince doesn't jump out at you from the cave in the Brady Bunch Hawaii episode with that tiki totem necklace and make that special sound. Doooo dooo dooooo dooooo doooooooooo, or maybe I do hope for that.
Bahooka is about the tacky. You don't like the tacky? Me either, but if you go here expecting Koi....see, you just don't get it. Bahooka is supposed to be a dive bar restaurant. With big fish looking at you, after a few rum drinks on fire in huge fake conch shells you won't know if you came there to eat them or they came there to eat you.
I am going to give it 3 stars because our friend had his coming out party there over tiki drinks and fried food and he's the awesome. And afterward everyone climbed up in the boat in the parking lot on stilts and had their picture taken and the Bahooka staff did not even arrest us.
Bless You Bahooka Tiki People.
I went here when I was little but I was an ahead of my time child and most people just have rotten children, so if the Bahooka bans children I will come back and give it 4 stars because I don't need children giving me cooties, family restaurants frighten me. I don't want to be in your family. And if all the waitresses are magically transformed into Drag Queen servers, I will come back and give it 5.
The Tacky? Awesome.
The Kids Screaming? Sell them to the Romanian black market please.
On Bahooka. You're tacky, overpriced and the food isn't that good.
Dammit, I can't get enough of you.
i find it almost impossible not to love this place. Walking in is like entering a dream. I was at the aquarium the other day and this place can hang with it. I like the clam chowder and the tiki drinks are pricey but how can you not resist a flaming bowl for 2? Other menu items or hit or miss, but nothing is really bad, just okay.
Still, I can't imagine a better place than the Bahooka to go on a fun date or a place to take someone from out of town.
The BF took me out to Rosemead for a field trip - namely to have strong tropical drinks in a bar/restaurant featured in the film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas for less than 2 minutes of screen time. Because we do these kinds of things.
We skipped food after reading the Yelp reviews, and ate at Taco Nazo in El Monte first. With a solid layer of tasty tacos in me stomach, I was able to drop 2 tropical drinks down the hatch. Well, I did, the BF supervised. I had two vodka based drinks . Coconut, pineapple, banana flavors abounded as we soaked in the tiki ambience - which has a very downbeat old school charm (some may call it "a little dumpy"). But damn, these places don't exist anymore, people! We must keep them alive, while the IHOPs and Sizzlers pop up like zits on a sweaty teenager's back. Think of the industries you're supporting! The tiki statue industry! Factories that make small umbrellas for drinks! If you do not patronize places like this you are harming America's economy! At least I convinced myself of this theory while pretty darn buzzed on wackily named cocktails.
We have been living in Rosemead for 3 years and finally decided to have dinner at Bahooka Family Restaurant. The restaurant was nicely decorated with over sized fishes in a medium size tanks (talk about being claustrophobic). My wife and I ordered the Bahooka ribs and fried shrimps. The shrimps were ok but let me tell you about their jerky style ribs. Those ribs were so dry and hard that i think i might have broken a tooth. We than decided to order a chocolate cake. Wow.......i love it when the cake is frozen...........
We went to Bahookas for a birthday party. Dave said it was a fun place and that is where he wanted his party. So all his friends from the Valley and Mid-Wilshire drove out to Rosemead in honor of his birthday.
Walking in was like traveling to the city of Bikini Bottom, (where SpongeBob SquarePants lives.) There are fish tanks everywhere and beautiful, enormous fish. Most of the seating are long banquettes with one way out. So if the sixth person on the very inside of the table needs to get up, everyone has to scoot out for them.
Our party was pretty big, about 12-13 people. I ordered the grilled chicken and fries. It was missing the basic salt and pepper. I wasn't expecting the best grilled chicken & fries, (as most of the menu is seafood,) but I did expect to be able to eat the food. Even dipping in mustard could not save it. My boyfriend ordered the fried fish & french fries. He said he got something later that evening called fish stomach. Eww. Everyone at my table barely touched their food.
This seems like a fun place to have drinks, but the food was not good. I can't stand wasting anything, but I couldn't even take my leftovers to go. I didn't want them in the house with me.
Ok folks - the golden rule is you come to Bahooka for the atmosphere NOT the food. This is another place I've been going to for decades. This place is old school tikki/polynesian and its amazing. ESPECIALLY fun if you have kiddies like we do because it is very much a SpongeBob experience - wall to wall aquariums with a variety of cool-looking fish, and all sorts of vintage nautical memorabilia.
Order the kids the tropical punch - its set aflame and served in a bowl with 2 extra long straws.
The food - well, just dont expect much and you might be pleased. You wont be delighted by authentic polynesian cuisine, but at least your dreams wont be completely dashed if you keep your expectations reasonably low. On our most recent visit, I had the house special ribs - tasted reheated. Looked nice on the plate - perfectly rectangular and glistening with sauce, but very fatty - edible but just not that great. The clam chowder - from the can. Tasted exactly like what I have in my cupboard. Hubby had a combination plate of various fried foods. I warned him but he went ahead and ordered it. Definately not one of the healthier selections. They have a kids menu, but I dont remember what the kids got. I dont even think they remember, as they spent most of their time walking around the restaurant looking at the aquariums. Our tab was 65.00.
Despite the food, Bahooka is still a great experience and I'm glad they're still around. Go and order a hamburger or something they cant fuck up too much - it's a place everyone should try at least once.
I went here while my honey while visiting some of his friends in Southern California. I haven't tried the food here. I didn't really have any desire to. We ordered Bahooka bowls. These bowls were a genius idea. They have about 849 different bowls to choose from. (I may be exaggerating.) The only things you know about the bowl are its fun, irrelevant name and what type of booze it contains. The descriptions give you absolutely no other information about the ingredients. I bet it doesn't really matter which one you order. All the ones under a specific type of booze category are probably just the same mix of random fruit juices. After sharing one, you won't really be able to taste the difference between the ones that follow. Communal beverages are interesting because people drink at different speeds so you end up with a mix of drunk and not-so-drunk people. Fun!
This is the first place that I have ever been to that has a piranha in a tank up front. If you ask, they will feed it carrots and you can watch it eat the carrots. This probably seems more exciting after a few Bahooka bowls.
I've been to Bahooka too many times to count -- and it never gets old.
If you are a tiki-phile, this is the Mecca of the east side. Fish tanks everywhere, mood lighting, anchor chains holding up the tables, a shark cage -- and the drinks are large, gaudy and fabulous.
They recently changed the menu to include the ingredients of the drinks (which is kind of a bummer since now the mystery is gone.) You can order any drink you want flaming -- just ask -- and there is a drink that is not on the menu: ask for the Hand Grenade, and if you are ready, ask for it "with the pin pulled."
The food is not great -- but who goes for the food?
The family that owns the place is really nice and will sometimes chat with you when you arrive. Do yourself a favor and buy a Bahooka T-Shirt.
Pros:
Good Place for Happy Hour
Special Decor and Ambiance
Special Huge Drinks
Cons:
Average Food
Average Pricing
Average Service
It ain't for the food, that's good, but nothing to write home about.
It's all about the Tiki kitsch that makes this place a faux Polynesian delight.
Want to take a trip some island paradise that only exists in the mind of a Disney like animator? Then take a trip over to Rosemead and sip a nice sized and strong foo-foo drink with a slice of pineapple and a little umbrella, at Bahooka.
This place is crazy! It feels like you're in an aquarium/submarine. The metal tables hang from chains from the ceiling and the booths are walled off by fish tanks.
Drink list is long, $7 for a strong fruity tall one with paper umbrellas. Kitchen closes by 9 pm and the restaurant shuts tight by 10 pm, so plan accordingly.
First of all yes Rufus' tank is too darn small. He cant even turn around in it. How hard is it to put him in a bigger tank? really.
I suppose the tropical drinks are the highlight in a place like this. We all ordered drinks but mine was the worst colored (diarrhea brown) alcoholic thing i have ever seen. And it tasted like the salt water at the bottom of a fisherman's boots.
The absolute worst part was that they serve cheesecake. I saw it at the bottom of the menu... it was a friends birthday so i was completely and utterly amazed that instead of giving a piece of cheesecake with a candle stuck in it, they came out with a bowl full of shaved ice and croutons soaked in alcohol and lit on fire. The ice wasnt even flavored it was just doused with food coloring. How cheap is that? they cant even serve a dessert on their menu so they just shovel extra ice into an allpurpouse bowl ,splash some color on it, throw leftover pineapple on it, soak bread in alcohol, throw that ontop, and light the whole mess on fire?
well at least they got the last part right.
The fish tanks in here are out of control - very cool. Walking to your table is more of an adventure than a typical follow-your-waiter. On the menu I recommend the grilled chicken down under the perfect portions part of the menu - it's the only way to get the chicken boneless, and you can get it with teriyaki dipping sauce, which is absolutely delicious.
Ask them to feed the giant fish a carrot on your way out, or while you wait for a table - he's so massive you can HEAR him chomping through the glass!
OH, the alcohol!
I regret not going to this fine SGV institution sooner. I once was blind, but now I see the pure AWESOMENESS of this place. Seriously get your butt to Bahooka.
Enchanted Tiki Room say hello to Captain Jacques Cousteau.
Dazzling tropical fish everywhere! Under the bar counter, in the darkest corners, in the walls, fish fish fish!!
Food? Who eats at Bahooka? No need my friends, the flaming rum bowls served in wooden salad bowls circa 1970 with giant three foot straws will sustain you.
AND a 35 year old fish that eats carrots. Carrots, people, carrots!! It's like a built-in freak magic show.
To miss this gem will anger the Tiki Gods, I wouldn't risk it.
Fucking fantastic!!! I went with a dude and I think our intention was to get dinner, but instead we just ended up drinking our dinner from a bowl with a flaming crouton centerpiece. We still can't figure out what those things on fire were.
The ambiance is totally ridiculous and over the top. Many of the fish look like some deep sea monstrosities. Do not forget to read the drink descriptions. I chose my drink, the Sadie Thompson, purely based on the fact that it was described as the "hustler's delight".
Perhaps it was just that I was in great company and full of booze, but this place definitely impressed me!
like what most yelpers have yelped about... not for food. go for the drinks with a group of people, even a date. I swear the flaming bowl has probably 4 drinks. Its huge. My husband and I were talking after drinking their bahooka bowl and thought that this place must have been created by someone who had some really good weed.
a fruity drink for two in a bowl.. with a flame in the middle.. cool. and let's call the place Bahooka... oh and lets get a huge fish and call him Rufus and feed him carrots....
that must have been some good shit he/she was smokin....
I've been hearing about this place for years and I finally got a chance to go. My boyfriend and I went for dinner and upon arrival it looked very dark and mysterious. And once we entered it felt like a maze. It looked so disorganized but in a funky and fun way. So many fish tanks everywhere you look! The decor is also outrageous. I felt like I was a castaway on Gilligan's Island or something.
The hostess was super friendly and super sweet. In fact, our waitress was also super fast and super friendly too! We had good service all night long! We also had a private seating area and it felt like our own little corner area to eat and talk. It was quite lovely!
The food itself is very plentiful. For $15 I got 4 pieces of teriyaki chicken and rice. I also got salad with their special Bahooka sauce. My boyfriend says it seems like the same sauce in a Big Mac. haha They also gave us bread which is like the sweet dinner rolls. But in my words they are "Pan De Sal" bread. =P
Overall, great eating experience. I might have to invite a group of friends to try this place out. It's a fun and quirky atmosphere with great food and great service.
Bahooka, I love you. I love you because you make me Hand Grenades with the pin pulled. You put little umbrellas in the drinks, which become hair accessories after three or four glasses of various alcoholic beverage. I love the fish tanks, which become totally enchanting after enough Hand Grenades with the pins pulled. Did I mention I love your drinks? I do.
On to more serious business. This place has mediocre food. If you go, prepare to eat lackluster diner/polynesian-wannabe/bar snacks and BE OKAY WITH IT. You're not there for a quality dinner, you're there to drink too many tiki beverages and wear mini umbrellas in your hair. If you tell me any different, I will swat you in the back of the head.
Eat & Play Combo Only $15.99
Arcadia, CA
50% Off All Drinks-Sunday &…
Neighborhood: Alhambra
Temple City, CA
Category: Bars
Rosemead, CA
Category: French
Neighborhood: Alhambra
Category: Hawaiian
San Gabriel, CA
Category: Sandwiches
Arcadia, CA
Category: Karaoke
Here are the places we really enjoy going to: for…
If you're looking to get your kitsch on and want…
Great places to eat in San Gabriel Valley…
