Wahi Hana Tiki Bar — Restaurant in Vancouver

My wife and I had a reservation. We arrived 10 minutes early for this reservation. The hostess immediately informed us that there was a party of four ahead of us. This of course generated confusion. We had a reservation.

Be warned; there is no difference between making a reservation or walking in.

I then asked if we could wait at the bar for our table to be ready. This was immediately met with a change in attitude and obvious annoyance on the hostess' part.

So far, a little bumpy, but OK. We've had a late reservation before, not an issue. My wife ordered a Rum Runner, and I ordered one of their signature cocktails, a "Tiki Illusion".

At about 15 minutes into our reservation time, we watched the hostess finally seat the party of four that was "ahead" of us. We settled up our drinks and prepared to be seated.

About 30 minutes into our reservation time now, we see wait staff start clearing a 2-top and begin preparing to get our table.

We then watch the hostess seat another couple, clearly someone she is connected to in some way, at the 2-top. After she seats them, she comes by us and says (with major attitude) "I haven't forgotten you, I just had to seat these people first."

Finally, after an HOUR past our reservation, we are seated at a table. Not even so much as the manager stopping by to apologize.

We order a couple more cocktails to start. My wife ordered one of the Valentine's Day special cocktails (the name escapes me), and I ordered another Tiki Illusion. The Tiki Illusion? The second one of this cocktail was mixed completely different than the first. Same ingredients - but they were mixed in entirely different proportions. No mistakes, no misunderstanding, no no...

We opted for one of the Valentine's Day special dinners for 2. We selected the Hurricane Fries appetizer, we each chose the Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos entree, and Bananas Foster for dessert.

The Hurricane Fries were okay.

The Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos. It's difficult to tell what it actually was for a couple of reasons, but it was definitely NOT Mahi Mahi. The fish was overcooked to the point of being like chewing an art gum eraser. However, being able to taste the fish at all first requires the removal of the pickled onions coating said fish. Absolutely disgusting beyond belief. The tortillas were over warmed (microwaved?) with dry, impossible to chew edges. Like a teenager slapped these together with whatever he could find in the refrigerator after school and dumped a jar of Gefilte fish on months outdated store-bought tortillas, plus some concoction of vinegar and onions. Neither my wife nor I could eat them.

Then there's the mac salad... The macaroni was so BEYOND overcooked it was akin to trying to chew an old shoe, and the medium in which it was bathed was (much like the "fish" tacos) so overpowering with onions and some strange spice it was completely inedible.

The entire meal was inedible. Only the appetizer was edible.

Then (we're still starving at this point - it's, nearly 9:30pm and we had a 7:00pm reservation mind you, and none of the food was palatable) the final blow comes when the Bananas Foster arrives at the table. A more appropriate name for it would be Bananas Fester (not a typo) Soup. It consisted of VERY under-ripe bananas, not cooked even for 5 seconds, no rum, enough cinnamon that I can now tell my millennial kids that I (unwittingly) took the "Cinnamon Challenge", all laid to rest in a bowl of completely melted ice cream. Literally Ice Cream Soup. I couldn't have picked up a single small chunk of ice cream with a fork if my life had depended on it. I'd have more luck nailing Jell-O to a tree.

Avoid this restaurant at all costs. The atmosphere is a great tiki bar, but this is obviously someone that has no idea how to operate a restaurant or prepare food. They know how to design one, but it might as well be that old chestnut - they're putting lipstick on a pig. I'm out $150.00 on inedible garbage.

EDIT: We were in no way rude or condescending. Frankly, your staff were both toward us...

Despite being wedged into the corner of basically a strip mall, the folks behind Wahi Hana have really done wonders with this place. From the faux-grass and bamboo facade out front, to the immediately arresting lighting and color scheme within, you are instantly transported away from the (admittedly improving) drudgery of downtown Vancouver into a proxy Polynesian paradise!

Although Wahi Hana has been on my list for some time, it was some friends of ours that suggested coming here this past weekend, for drinks and dinner. I booked the table a week in advance. Reservations are recommended, folks. You could probably score a walk-in on occasion, but I wouldn't risk it, especially during peak times.

The drink menu is larger than the food menu, with several classic tiki bar standards, as well as a few more adventurous ones. The menu doesn't specify this, the little torch icons next to each cocktail indicate its relative alcoholic potency. All around, we ordered the Missionary's Downfall, the Zombie, the Test Pilot, a Royal Hawaiian, and a Kanaloa. Each of the drinks was fantastic in its own way, but I did note that at least one of the cocktails was so loaded with ice, there was hardly anything in it: a pretty weak pour for a $15+ beverage.

Two orders of Mahi Mahi tacos, some spam musubi, and Kalua pork graced our table shortly thereafter. Flavor-wise, everything was enjoyable, although each dish had one flaw or another that seemed easily addressed: the tacos were too dry (not enough salt), the musubi too salty (too much seasoning), the Kalua pork a little cold, the Hawaiian mac a little bland. Still good, just...not great. There's room for improvement here.

Throughout the course of our experience, our server was fantastic, although by the end, we all got the feeling that we should probably vacate our table sooner than later, as we were likely holding things up. And there's only so many volcanic eruptions (possibly triggered by the ordering of certain flaming cocktails?) you can bear interrupting your conversation before it's time to evacuate the island.

All of us really enjoyed our time at Wahi Hana, despite a few minor nitpicks. Be warned though: a night out here is an expensive endeavor, as even a couple of drinks and an entrée per person will set you back over $100, easily, not counting gratuity. Your patronage here may appease Pele and the Polynesian gods, at the cost of sacrificing the contents of your wallet into the flaming heart of...

I understand the strong intention of being a traditional tiki bar. But they have taken it to the extent of being very by the numbers, limiting themselves in unnecessary ways. As a person passionate about tiki and rum myself, I can't really recommend Wahi Hana in the current state it's being run. I will no longer be supporting their business despite being a somewhat regular patron before this point.

Don't get me wrong, I like exotica music as much as the tiki person, but if every time I come in, I hear the same exact songs you desperately need to lengthen or update your playlist, or god forbid, let the staff recommend some songs or contribute their own playlists.

The cocktails are mostly all decent to really good. My favorites there are the Caribbean Punch, Swizzle Me Timbers, and they make great versions of a Navy Grog and a traditional Vic Mai Tai. Although the Hurricane is all wrong. There is also a lack of spirits being represented with an emphasis almost entirely on rum based drinks.

My issues aren't with their stagnate yet decently good cocktail menu. Beyond not having much healthy or plant based options on their food menu, my real issue is how they treat their staff. With exception to maybe the servers who are on the top of tip scale. I have seen time and time again how they lose talented bartenders with great personalities and skills. Not joking or exaggerating, I would say the number is close to a dozen at this point. They have a revolving door of staff and are regularly losing great people to turnover.

I'm aware they dealt with an incident early on where they had staff caught stealing merchandise. And that this more than likely set a precedent of mistrust between them and their staff. But they clearly have created a toxic work environment, where they don't respect or trust their employees or allow for much creativity or input.

Wahi Hana needs to change. Needs to evolve. Needs to respect and recognize the talents, opinions, and skills of their staff. What they are doing is not working. It's a dumbed-down, bland version of tiki in its current form. In Vancouver alone, there is a much better option for anyone seeking a bar that represents the true...