Tiki Grove — Restaurant in Gili Trawangan

Tiki Grove has a great vibe - kind of Elvis Blue Hawaii with some fun interactions if you order particular cocktails. The food is fresh, basic Mexican with options to increase the spice with their signature sauce. There is plenty of attentive, friendly staff as well as the owners Tommy and Catherine. When you book, it is made clear that your booking is for 90 mins - which is fine, adequate and understandable in terms of multiple sittings and maximising throughput. What was unpleasant was the feeling that the owners wanted us out ASAP so they could split our table into smaller sitting arrangements for other diners waiting for a table. Tommy and Catherine checked their watches constantly, gestured toward our table, talked to each other and other staff about the time we started our sitting. My plate was taken from the table whilst I was chewing my last mouthful. I’m sorry, but we were very aware of the machinations happening in the background and didn’t appreciate it. We booked our table, arrived and left on time. It would have been far more enjoyable to feel relaxed and welcome to just enjoy our meal and time there.

Tommy's reply on Trip Advisor was: "In reality you showed up super late for your reservation and didn’t respect the agreed upon time. Im sorry you wanted special treatment. We don’t do that."

Tommy's reply is incorrect and disrespectful to us. We booked for 7pm, arrived at 7pm and left at 8.30. When we noticed that Tommy was agitating, we actually checked with our waitress who confirmed at 8.13pm that we were booked to remain at our table until 8.30 pm. We never asked for special treatment - nor would we. We simply expected to enjoy our meal without you hovering and agitating to get us out. We initially gave Tiki 3 stars, but your response is nasty and untrue so demoted to one star dedicated soley for the other staff there who do their best with a micro-managing boss.

ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS - read all the reviews - clearly Tommy loves good reviews (don't we all) but REALLY struggles to accept any constructive feedback whatsoever and even goes as far as threatening with...

We have been here several times and it’s our must go to place on every visit to Gili T and I send all my friends here too! The cocktails are freaking fantastic - the shark bite comes with an extra surprise so order one for the fun experience. The menu is curated perfection. Instead of trying to have everything in the world, it’s has a selection that is done right. The tacos are amazing and if you order the volcano chicken make sure you have an icy cocktail handy! The stuff is super sweet and attentive too. The owners Tommy and Cath have a great relationship with their staff and you can see this in the pep talks they give the crew. The biggest winner is the clientele who are treated like old missed mates. Tommy and Cath are often seen checking in on guests, giving advice on local hotspots and even offering home grown aloe Vera to sunburn victims! Like many businesses on the island they had to get through the earthquake of august 2018 and then the long season of covid. I’m so happy to see this tiki bar up and running and doing what they do so well once again! Bravo Tiki Grove! also it’s very popular now and not a massive place so be sure to book early to ensure you can get a table. I have read a few reviews of people,giving low reviews because they could not get in. If you don’t make a reservation or you show up late or have a huge group, it’s not the fault of the restaurant if they can’t accommodate you! Come early and book early and have the best night! You will not be...

Full ten out of ten. Tiki culture is going out of fashion these days, so it's nice to find a place doing it justice. This is a suprise little place that pops out of the jungle as you're walking along the main cross island road and ready for a libation. A friendly couple run this place and it's clear they care greatly about their business. Interacting with the customers and with their staff as if they've known them for years. It's clear they have a "happy employee = happy business" approach. It's very noticeable compared with the rest of the island and Laudable. Food was a full ten. I had the jerked fish tacos and they were unreal. Among top five I've had anywhere in the world... Including Caribbean Central America! Everything else coming out of the kitchen looked amazing as well. Drinks were amazing too. I had the dark and stormy, and the bloody Mary which were terrific, both were terrific, but the drink called the shark bite... Really sent my opinion of the place into the stratosphere. So delicious... With hints of mango. Would drink again.

Go for dinner and day drinking,. Although I would watch how many you have, the drinks are quite strong and sneak up on you. It's perfect for a couple and then hit up another pub on the beach.

10/10 - make the Tiki Grove a planned destination if...