The sound of thunder booms through the air as sheets of rain fall down into a shimmering pool in what may be one of the fiercest San Francisco storms in recent memory. Above the cacophony, a confident voice greets the hundreds of people gathered here with a simple “aloha.”
The controlled chaos is par for the course in San Francisco’s Tonga Room, the iconic tiki bar and restaurant located inside the 119-year-old Fairmont Hotel.
The venue originally opened in 1945, taking over the space that formerly housed the hotel’s pool and repurposing it into the eye-catching centerpiece of the restaurant. The special effects of rainfall and thunder sounds give the space a sense of enchantment — San Francisco’s own little slice of Disneyland (which the bar predates by 10 years). A boat sits alongside on the edge of the pool, set up on a pulley system that sends it sailing out into the middle of the cavernous room. PA speakers are wedged in the roof, with power supplied via a heavy-duty extension cord connected to the dock. The voice booming from the speakers belongs to Island Groove bandleader CJ Simbre.
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The Tonga Room is located within the Fairmont Hotel and is accessible from a side entrance on California Street in San Francisco, as seen on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
From left, Larz Delago, CJ Simbre, Keith Madrid and Steve Landaker of the Island Groove band post up for a photo op between performances at San Francisco’s Tonga Room on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Larz Delago of the Island Groove band Rickrolls the Tonga Room crowd with “Never Gonna Give You Up” at the iconic bar in San Francisco’s Nob Hill on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Since 2007, Simbre has played aboard the Tonga Room’s tiki barge, originally performing alongside his father-in-law, who spent 20 years playing the venue before retiring shortly after the pandemic. Simbre is an animated performer, sometimes to the chagrin of his bandmates.
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“I’m normally dancing a lot, so the boat is rocking,” he said, sitting at a table at the Tonga Room and wearing an aloha shirt adorned with “Lilo & Stitch” characters. “At the beginning part of it, the guys were like, ‘Hey, stop moving, we’re getting seasick up here.’”
The group performs as a four-piece band, typically a lineup of guitar, drum, keyboard and lead vocalist. Simbre typically takes on lead vocals, but tonight he’s on backup and keyboards, joined by Steve Landaker on drums, Keith Madrid on guitar and Larz Delago on lead vocals. Simbre is also a skilled drummer, an art he’s passing down to his son. His daughter has been learning Tahitian dance and has performed at luaus at the restaurant.
The Tonga Room serves both cocktails and food within San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel, as seen on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Tonga Room bartender Josh Hernandez pours a Divine Dragon specialty cocktail at the storied bar within San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Born and raised in San Francisco, Simbre, 48, has played instruments all his life, but he learned to sing through years of vocal lessons he took from a co-worker while working as a San Francisco Chronicle customer support specialist in the early 2000s. Now, he lives in American Canyon, making the drive across two bridges to play the Tonga Room from 7 to 11 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. He cites the Tonga Room as the last restaurant in San Francisco that has a regular house band, with wages set by the local musicians’ union. Their hours have been cut back recently — they used to play four-and-a-half-hour sets, five nights a week. The good news, however, is they just signed a contract extension for another two years on the boat.
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“I’ve got one kid in nursing school, and two more right behind him, so it looks like I might be here a little longer,” Simbre joked.
CJ Simbre of the Island Groove band hangs out between sets at the Tonga Room in San Francisco on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
A simulated rain storm complete with sound effects comes down from above in San Francisco’s famed Tonga Room on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
From left, Tonga Room hosts Rebecca Hudelson, Carlo Francisco and Ashley Isidro at the legendary bar in San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Nostalgia has always been on the menu at Tonga Room, even back in the 1980s when the San Francisco Examiner remarked on a throwback Bobby Darin tune: “The other night the place was plump with people as the Alvarez Trio floated around a wide pool in the middle of the room, Hawaiian shirts ablaze and electric guitar plunk-a-plunking, playing ‘Oh the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear.’” Today’s selections follow suit, with the early set on Sunday featuring “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” “My Girl,” “Dancing in the Moonlight” and “Let’s Stay Together.” The band pulls songs from a repertoire of over 300 songs, which in the later hours veers toward newer fare from the likes of Olivia Dean, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
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When asked if there’s any genre of music that he’s particularly nerdy about, Simbre answers without hesitation.
“We love the yacht rock over here. It’s just a vibe,” he said, rattling off Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald and Jackson Browne as favorites.
The Island Groove performs in the Fairmont Hotel’s Tonga Room at the top of San Francisco’s Nob Hill on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Marcial Zaguirre of Nob Hill, right, and Katrina Torrijos of San Mateo bust moves to the music of the Island Groove band at San Francisco’s legendary Tonga Room on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
With 19 years under his belt as the captain of this musical vessel, Simbre naturally has a few stories. Tony Bennett used to be a regular, sipping cocktails while drawing at the bar. Steph Curry’s sister held a birthday party here after a Warriors game, and they rented out half the restaurant. He’s spotted celebrity crooners ranging from Anderson .Paak to David Hasselhoff. Then, of course, there was the time an entire wedding party jumped into the pool at once in what was potentially a very costly prank, given the $1,000 fine for diving. And there’s occasionally some unwelcome crowd interaction.
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“We’ve had people try to climb aboard — that’s how strong the drinks are here,” he said.
Larz Delago and the Island Groove bring it with a cowbell during a set at the Tonga Room in San Francisco on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
The Hand Shaken Colada tops the drink list menu at the Tonga Room tiki bar within San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
The crowd boogies to the music of the Island Groove band at the Tonga Room in San Francisco on May 30, 2026.
Kevin Kelleher & Emily Trinh/For SFGATE
Aside from the occasional trespasser on the tiki boat, it’s something of a dream gig for Simbre. Although the band does occasionally play at corporate events and weddings, it’s proud to call the Tonga Room its home base.
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“People are coming here to escape whatever they’re going through in their life. To celebrate something … The cherry on top is playing a song that connects with them,” he said.