Underground structures usually experience uplift displacement during soil liquefaction. In this study, a 1-g shaking table test was carried out to investigate the role of structural surface roughness on the uplift behavior of shallowly buried tunnels, which has been rarely analyzed previously. The soil specimen was provided with non-reflexive boundary conditions using a novel laminar shear box. Meanwhile, its homogeneity and saturation were ensured through a standardized sample preparation procedure. Three input motions with different loading amplitudes and durations were applied. The test results indicate that the structural surface roughness is an extremely important factor influencing the structural displacement, in which the smooth surface appeared to foster the structural uplift significantly. Additionally, the different tunnel uplifts due to varied structural surface roughness were especially pronounced when the field was fully liquefied under the input motions with higher loading amplitudes and longer loading durations. It was also found that the uplift behavior of the tunnels showed notable differences depending on whether the ground was partially or fully liquefied. Overall, the most important finding in this study is the indispensable role the structural surface roughness plays in the structural uplift, indicating the necessity of incorporating such an effect into future numerical or experimental investigations.