The Kon-Tiki is a tiki bar and restaurant in downtown Oakland. The Kon Tiki was born from Chris Aivaliotis and Matthew Reagan's longstanding need to stop commuting to San Francisco, but still wear a Hawaiian shirt to work every single day. After hunting for a location for three years, they started the bar and restaurant in 2022 through their shared passion of for and drink. The Kon-Tiki serves classic tiki drinks from the canon established by Donn Beach and Oakland's own Victor Bergeron, in addition to original tropical libations. Their chef Manuel Bonilla did in certain of the best restaurants in Oakland and creates local, seasonal, dishes in a casual setting that does not break the bank.
The restaurant uses unapologetic amounts of fake foliage and tiki-style art from local artists. “We're not pretending to transport you to some 'Oriental' tropical escape. That's shaky ground,” said Aivaliotis. “We desired to have a tiki bar that was really something in the past and was referencing Oakland. It's all California.”
Their tiki drinks use the finest ingredients, and freshest juices and syrups. They provide a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks in order to serve families and kids locally. The bar continues to be getting great reviews since opening. As The East Bay Express wrote, “Despite the over-the-top silliness, The Kon-Tiki team is totally serious when it comes to the bar’s food and drink. Aivaliotis’ bartending résumé includes Oakland’s Flora, San Francisco’s Hawker Fare, and Hawker Fare’s upstairs neighbor, Holy Mountain, that they helped open. Chef Manuel Bonilla was chef de cuisine at Hawker Fare Oakland and polished his skills during stints at Clove & Hoof and Homestead.”
Despite all of the local press and 2 many years of success, these were turned down by traditional banks once they needed capital to grow the bar. They at PCV was pleased to say yes. The Kon-Tiki partners with local company and nonprofit organization and contributes over $500,000/year to the local economy through employee wages and B2B partnerships. We're excited to help them grow and make good local jobs.
