Exploring the variety is all part of the fun, after all. This funky cocktail bar, which opened last November, takes a trip back to the golden era of mall arcades, moody neon lighting, plasma balls and classic beats. Cocktails are named after throwback music and movies and feature intriguing house-made shrubs and syrups.
Try The Next Episode β a nod to the Dr. Dre song β a dried rosemary-smoked mezcal drink with carrot shrub and a hint of orange. Housed in the old Blue Bottle warehouse, the Oakland brewery combines the best of its Mission pizzeria and Berkeley brewing operations.
Grab a seat on the patio and dig into Detroit-style pepperoni pie or polenta fries in-between barrel-aged stouts. Grand Avenue in Oakland was once a hub for piano bars, where patrons congregated around a piano player to belt out popular tunes after a drink or two. Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Merv Griffin all performed at The Alley, which opened in , making it the third oldest bar in Oakland and the last piano bar standing.
The Alley still flaunts a ramshackle roadhouse look and stools around the piano, and its walls are plastered with layers of business cards and old-timey memorabilia. Audiophiles, rejoice! With craft cocktails and sports on TV, the Double Standard may be the epitome of a neighborhood bar. But the big draw is the hidden patio in the back, built around a majestic redwood tree.
With the help of filmmaker John Waters, they revitalized Thee Stork Club in as the ultimate campy dive bar β think black light velvet paintings and an atrium with a gold disco ball. The venue once again books DJs and musical acts on its stage. Named after the West Oakland neighborhood where it was founded, this brewery was launched in by a metal band who also happened to be home brewers. Open at noon on Friday through Sunday and 3 p.
