Kontiki

About this place Kontiki

Kontiki is set in San Salvario — Turin's multicultural neighbourhood south of the centro storico, traditionally working-class and now home to a mix of North African and South Asian communities, young professionals and a growing arts scene. The bar's retro tropical décor (tiki culture, vinyl banquettes, bamboo details) creates a deliberately kitsch atmosphere that contrasts pleasantly with Turin's otherwise rather severe neo-classical architecture. The ground floor is a bar with an eclectic international playlist; the basement level becomes a dance floor on Friday and Saturday nights. The crowd is predominantly gay men and lesbians aged 30–45 — the core of Turin's settled gay community rather than the younger student crowd at Blah Blah. Theme nights rotate monthly: 80s nights, Latin nights, leather-adjacent events in collaboration with the sauna circuit. San Salvario has a noticeably more relaxed atmosphere than the Quadrilatero Romano, and Kontiki's easy, unfussy vibe reflects the neighbourhood.