Kava Bar

This is the feeder Kava Bar for the Bay Area. The kava that the other kava bars get is from this bar. The owner will also mail you kava if you prefer.

I guess it is the old style kava bar. It looks like a Tiki bar. There are kava roots hanging from the ceiling and also reasonable priced beach shirts and dresses.

For the best prices go here. Also, strong kava. I don't know about getting food there (we weren't hungry).

BTW, my hubby has used kava to "get off the wagon." It also helps him relax.

Such a special place. The Kava is homemade and pounded in house. The atmosphere is so great offering drinks, snacks, and service to lounge while you drink. Definitely bring your friends here and hangout!

This is a bar, named Kava Bar, which serves Kava.

If you like Kava, or have never heard of it, you should go to the bar that serves Kava named Kava Bar. If you dislike Kava, uh, I've got bad news for you about the Kava Bar...

Anyways, most people presumably fall in the latter category - Kava is a root tea from the Pacific Islands. The specific restaurant is Fijian, which you can tell from the smiling portrait of former general turned Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama (very interesting person, but sadly not relevant to Yelp reviewing).

Kava tastes like what you'd expect a root tea to taste like (bitter, earthy, etc.) However, it's a delightful drink. I can only describe it as having the positive effects of beer (relaxation) without all the negative impacts (of which there are innumerous). Also numbs your tongue. The actual Kava was fairly high quality, which means it's a great way to try out Kava, since Kava is apparently something that's pretty easy to mess up when you try to make it yourself (pretty jarring when it happens - I drank frat bro-brewed Kava once in college, which went as badly as you'd expect).

The ambience of the bar was great, much more of a comfortable lounge (very welcoming to an older clientele) than one of those uncomfortable, poorly lit, overly loud music hosting, American style bars where regrettable acts take place in. Service also great, the hosts were very nice and helpful.

Also, the prices are very affordable. You can get a small bowl for $15, a medium bowl for $20, or a large bowl for $25. They're all pretty large, because Kava drinking is clearly meant to be a communal act. Bring your friends!

Great place to hang out! Will definitely be back if I visit the Bay Area again.

I loved it. It was a great experience. Everyone should try it. The people were nice, I recommend it. Try something new. It was different, it was relaxing.

Came here late night on Saturday, around 9 PM. There were two groups of people sitting and relaxing. The store was pretty quiet and dark.
There is a lot of island decorations and snacks by the front counter. The Olympics were playing, and the ambiance was very calm.

The shop owner was super friendly and approachable. He gave us directions on how to drink and serve the kava. It was our first time trying it, so we got the small size for two people. Remember to swirl the liquid around!

I was nervous to try it because of the reviews of people saying it tasted like dirt, but it just kind of tasted like a powdery drink, neutral and herbal. I am a fan of Chinese herbal drinks, so this was a bit different but it wasn't too weird. My throat immediately went numb after my first cup.

We felt a little loopy and just sat around until a bit before closing. We saw the people next to us play cards, but I'm not sure if it's provided. I enjoyed my experience here and would come back with more people!

Wow the kindest owner and very cool experience. We came here with a big group for my husbands birthday after dinner since he didn't want alcohol and really enjoyed trying kava! Very relaxing and chill vibes. Definitely recommend trying it out, we definitely would love to return.

I'm absolutely never going back there again. I Brought my wife here one night around 9pm because the hours on Yelp lists that they're open till 1am or something crazy like that.

When we arrived, the only people at the Kava bar were some old dudes sitting in the corner, watching the game. My wife and I walked in, and everyone got quiet and stared at us. I stared right back until they no longer felt the need to stare at us. I'm not sure if they were intentionally trying to make us feel uncomfortable with their glare or not, but either way, it did. So nonetheless, we weren't pleased to start our kava experience off with an awkward staring match.

(I also noticed a few other reviews who recalled this same exact experience. Where the hours are wrong, and there's awkward men in the place when they arrive)

Also, the owner wasn't very friendly. When my wife and I arrived, we weren't even greeted like customers. We were met with irritability from the owner, who clearly did not want to be there. He didn't even walk up to us to take our orders until we asked "is someone able to help us". And then he sighed like he was tired or something, and finally got up.

He said "we're actually closed right now"

My wife: "really? Because your hours say you're open until 1am and it's only 9pm right now"

The owner: "no. We are closed. It's really hard to change the hours on Yelp. I can give you 30 mins."

So my wife and I ended up having to rush our kava experience, when Kava is supposed to be relaxing. And as you can see, the owner doesn't take accountability for his hours being wrong. If a customer is telling you that the hours are listed wrong. CHANGE IT!

But it's clear that Kava bar will not make the change, because there are reviews on here from YEARS AGO that say the same thing I'm writing about today. So apparently this has been an ongoing issue for years. I just feel like the owner is really lazy. He was too lazy to greet us. Too lazy to change the hours on Yelp. And too lazy to provide the same experience to the last customer of the day that the first customer of the day gets.

Avoid this Kava bar and go to the one in Berkeley instead for a more relaxed vibe and friendlier experience.

I have never been to a kava bar, as they don't have them in my home state. I didn't have any kava with me on my trip to SF, so I found the Kava Bar on Yelp, so I called and asked if they offered the powdered root for purchase, as well as the drinks. He did, so I headed that way.
Rakesh (I presume the owner?) Was very helpful and friendly. They had all the items needed to make kava at home, and have me a complimentary drink in the traditional coconut cup. I would be here all the time, if I lived here!
The kava was fresh and thickly condensed, which numbed my mouth and tongue quickly!
Will be ordering my kava from him in the future!

I had a wonderful experience here today! I'll soon be working on a ranch that grows Kava and the owner was delighted to hear that and gave me a ton of information about the root and how to prepare it myself. I came in stressed since I've been traveling and left feeling calm and at ease. I'll definitely be stopping by anytime I'm in San Bruno

Most awkward experience ever. I walked in with my group to see all these older men sitting in the back chatting and staring at us. Confused as no one came up to us to ask what we needed and half of the place just looked like a store. So we stood there for a moment then I finally asked if one of them could help us. I guess it is the hang out spot for the owner and their friends.

We were the only customers in there besides the 15 guys. The whole time they would just stare at us and no one would come ask if we needed anything. There was nothing else besides the Kava to order. So we drank a bowl and got out ASAP.

Never coming back.