I have been a member for nearly two years. Have attended about half a dozen events. Never been…read moredisappointed with Jason's hospitality! The club holds only about 24 guests, so doesn't feel crowded. Friendly relaxed crowd. Some of them even have their bottles on display there! Last week was Maker's Mark private casks tasting. Great stuff. Had to bring a bottle home! Highly recommend.

My friend is a member at Oakland Whiskey Library, a "private club" which is on off Telegraph and…read moreGrand on the second floor of Legionnaires. I don't know how much my friend pass for membership, what I do know is that the area has a nice comfy loungy decor and overall they have a wide and diverse range of whiskeys (bourbons, scotch, Irish, Japanese, American blends, other world whiskeys) including stuff you don't find at various liquor stores and bars. There have a wide range of price ranges for a taste (half oz), 1 oz and 2 oz. They also have a cocktail menu, but my friends and I didn't just had ounces from different Japanese and bourbons. When we went a lot of people were there watching the 49ers game, but server/bartenders was pretty responsive to our needs. I'm not sure if I'd do a membership myself but as a whiskey fan it was a fun experience.

Hello Stranger is THAT spot in Oakland. The DJ? Fire. The music? Had me forgetting I had bills due…read more The vibe? Safe, fun, and full of people who just wanna have a good time. Drinks are on point whether you're into cocktails, mocktails, or just pretending your Sprite is fancy champagne, they've got you. The staff is hella nice too like the kind of people you don't mind bumping into when you're three songs deep on the dance floor. Plus, the brick walls and whole setup make it feel like you stepped into a cool hidden gem instead of just another bar. Honestly, it's the kind of place you show up "just for one" and end up shutting down the night. 10/10 would lose my voice here again.

Hello Stranger has a convenient location with a small but decent-sized bar and dance floor. The DJ…read morewas okay, nothing special, but fine for a casual night out. Unfortunately, that's all I can really comment on because three of us sat at the bar for about 15 minutes and, even though there was no one else there, the bartender never approached us. We ended up leaving without ordering anything. It was disappointing, especially given how empty the place was. Based on this experience, I don't plan to return. The lack of attention and service made it clear why the bar wasn't busy.

Something unfortunate has happened here. I convinced my date to stop in for a drink and snack,…read morerecalling the delicious cocktails I had here years ago. We were stoked once we realized we had made it in 15 minutes before happy hour ended. But service was sooo slow. I understand there was one bartended working at the time but they really took their time, not meticulously crafting drinks, but rather talking to a friend. We contemplated going somewhere else when the bartender finally came to take our order, just before happy hour ended..sigh of relief! We made the cut off! We opted against the empanadas as we could see the cutting board in the kitchen area had a jacket on top of it. Well..the bartender slowly made our drinks, while still talking, then rung us up..just a few minutes past 6 and charged us full price. Lackluster customer service. Then, the drinks themselves were just bad..not balanced - one too sweet and syrupy in consistency; the other too bitter. This place used to be great but maybe they changed ownership. Used to see the owner here frequently working the bar. Now, I'd recommend Bocanova in the area instead - their happy hour also goes til 6, their drinks are top notch, service is pretty good, and you can get good food from the kitchen.

I had a good expectation of this bar because it would be pretty packed during the evenings even if…read moreit's a weekday. Unfortunately when I visited, those expectations were not met. It was roughly around 7 pm on a weekend, so there were not that many people yet. My friend and I took a good minute to see which drinks we wanted, and finally decided on the NSFW. To our surprise, it was already sold out. So we just chose our second option, and that too was sold out. There weren't anything else that intrigued us so I just went with the Penelope. That could be good right? Seems like their signature drink but the drink was just okay - nothing too spectacular or any defining factor to it. On top of that, it took forever for our drinks to be made. I appreciate the friendliness of the staff, but man were they chatty with the other customer. I don't mind it, but to stop making the drink to chat every 15 seconds kind of hit my nerve a bit. This is probably why my drink tasted a bit watery because the ice has already melted from the constant pauses to make the drink. I believe this is just an unfortunate one-off experience since this bar gets a lot of customers on most days.

Save water, drink tequila…read more We tried finding a nearby cafe to kill time but every one of them was busy with no seating. So here I am, sipping on Fortaleza Blanco ($19).... *Cheers* to the Sunday scaries and Monday hangxiety! O T H E R I N F O * HH Specials: Tuesday - Friday, 4 pm - 6 pm and all day Sunday. * Bring your own food. They also have chips and tamales for purchase. * They have a bottle shop next door where you can find small-batch, hard to find spirits. * Hip, industrial vibes with indoor seating and a covered patio. * Well-behaved, leashed dogs allowed in the patio. * There's a spacious lounge area inside that's perfect for large parties and available to reserve. * Plentiful of street parking.

Came here for the first time during my friend's bachelor party, and I have to say -- the vibes were…read moreimmaculate. The crowd was friendly, the atmosphere was welcoming, and as a minority, I still felt comfortable here. Security at the front was super chill and made a great first impression for someone visiting for the first time. I decided to try the espresso martini, and unfortunately it just wasn't for me. It tasted very vodka-forward, and I was expecting a smoother balance with more coffee flavor. Definitely not my favorite drink of the night, so I probably wouldn't order it again. Expresso martini- 1/5 That being said, I'd still come back for the energy and overall experience alone. Stars are based on overall experience.

Came in on a mission for a good Manhattan and walked out impressed. I asked for one built on…read moreRittenhouse Bottled-in-Bond rye, and Sevan behind the bar knew exactly where to go with it. Fantastic drink. My friend tasted mine and ordered the same. The selection is the draw here. Whiskey lines the entire back wall, the rarer bottles sit behind wire-mesh locked cabinets, and there is a deep bench of tequila, beer on tap, and wine to round things out. One look at the shelves tells you they have the base for any drink you want. We split the Margherita flatbread, pesto, fresh mozzarella, and blistered cherry tomatoes, and it hit the spot as a drinking snack. The menu goes deeper than expected for a bar, with sliders, naan tacos, and charcuterie if you show up hungry. Service was good considering the staff-to-crowd ratio. Sevan stayed attentive the whole time and clearly knows his stuff. The vibe is chill and conversation-friendly, not too loud for the size of the room, with a bank of TVs toward the back if you want to catch a game. Logistics are easy. The bar sits a short walk from Pleasant Hill BART and parking in the area was no trouble. I've been a few times before and this visit confirmed why I keep coming back. For a high quality cocktail in the East Bay, this is the spot.

For beverage choices, H&S gets 5 stars. For food, one star. And while the servers are nice and good…read moreat their jobs, if there is only one covering the whole restaurant, the service is sssllloooowwww. I blame ownership for being cheap and not wanting to pay for enough servers. Lastly - DON'T ORDER THE KETTLE CHIPS! They used to make their own, but now they charge $4 for a bag of kettle brand chips tossed on a plate. Eew.

Blossom & Bourbon is one of our favorite places to go, and we've been back many times. The French…read moredip sandwich is definitely one of our favorites, but honestly, everything we've tried has been really good. The steaks are great, the pizzas are delicious, and they also have a great selection of appetizers that are perfect for sharing. We've never had a bad meal or anything to complain about. We've also celebrated several birthdays and milestone events here, and it's always been a great place for a group. Both the indoor and outdoor spaces have a wonderful atmosphere, whether you're coming for a casual dinner or celebrating something special. The desserts are always worth saving room for, and the staff has consistently been friendly and attentive. The only drawback is that they don't take reservations. You can call ahead, but on busy nights we usually still end up waiting for a table. That said, it's always worth the wait. Great food, great atmosphere, and a place we continue to come back to.

Heard a lot about B&B and was excited to try it out. We put our name using Google toast and was…read morewaitlisted for 45-60 mins. We left the house closer to that time as we could track our place in line. When we arrived there we got to know that there is a wait-list for walk-ins as well which is not factored in the Google wait-list, hence they asked us to wait a bit longer in their outdoor lounge area which was fabulous btw. We waited for about 15-20 mins which was too bad.. then we got taken to our table. The place was packed on a Friday evening. We ordered the salmon tartare, burratta, lobster bisque, mushroom pizza. We really liked the salmon and burratta. Lobster bisque was ok - it was bit salty and wasn't as creamy as we would like it to be. The mushroom pizza didn't really have the flavors we would have liked it to - it was loaded with a lot of cheese and the flavors of mushroom and basil were subdued and we couldn't taste much of the truffle either. Overall we were 50-50% content with the food. We loved the ambience though. There are lots of parking space so always a good option for that. I would love to give it another shot

Heading out of town for a short trip. Stop in for a light bite…read more District Oakland Airport Server - Reberto, he was great and fast. He had his soccer shirt on cheering for you country. Avacado Toast Coffee - Black Mimosa - Orange The deco was nicely setup with lots of table seating. Place is very clean. A must stop in when traveling.

Great place to come if you get too much attention and demand at home /work…read more It's like you have become an invisible spirit when you're here. 2star cuz music aigggghtt Updated: staff apologized about wait which I would have added two stars back instead of just one. But not first instance of delayed service. Thanks. I'll try one more time.

We had been hearing about the karaoke competition since last year and finally got the chance to…read morecheck it out tonight for the f i n a l s. We drove in on an extremely rainy day because we couldn't miss witnessing this event and the place was packed to the brim with just enough room to still move around. We grabbed some delicious beer and watched all the teams perform for three rounds. We enjoyed the enthusiasm, the energy, the talented singing, dance moves and chemistry the teams were giving as they belted each songs. Confetti poppers and sashes were utilized and made the night all the more snazzy. The stage is a bit small and snug. Overall, a fun time and perhaps we will join in on the next season~

I always loved going to the karaoke shows here. The karaoke league competition tonight (Monday,…read moreMarch 30, 2026) was amazing! And the talent was topnotch! The bartenders were also amazing. For as busy as it was tonight, they did an outstanding job! What made this potentially 5-star review downgraded to a 3-star review was because of my interaction with the KJ here tonight, right after the karaoke league competition. When the karaoke queue was finally open to the public after the competition, I signed up for just one song, and I looked at the KaraFun queue and saw my song at 8th (#8) in the rotation. I looked at the queue again a minute later, and my song was suddenly at #10. I looked again a few seconds later, and my song was suddenly at #14. And then, a few seconds later, it was at #16. I went up to the KJ to ask him what was going on, and he said that he's just making a living, and if people tip him, they get moved up on the queue. Being a KJ myself and being part of a KJ team in the Bay Area, we do accept tips at our shows, but we don't move people up even after getting tipped. We get tipped by merit, by giving our singers their rockstar moment. Tips just come with the show and everyone's hard work. So, at this Legionnaire Saloon tonight, I felt disrespected. Before I found out I was being moved down from the queue, I was planning on tipping the KJ between $10 to $20 just for one song... just because KJs gotta support each other. I would have even waited my turn (at #8 on the queue), because it's just the right thing to do. But after this disrespect, and after the KJ even offered to move me up to #3, I just told him I was leaving, and I walk out. The damage has been done, and I wanted nothing to do with this show. I'll still come back here for drinks, but I will not come back when this KJ is working. 3 Stars. From a potential 5 stars. My two centavos.

First time at Gold Bar Distillery, we took the cocktail class and it was amazing! Johnny was the…read morebest teacher and we had so much fun!

I came to Gold Bar Distillery on Treasure Island for a cocktail-making class and left with…read moresignificantly more confidence in my bartending abilities than my wife probably wanted me to have. The class was genuinely awesome. Great drinks, great atmosphere, and an instructor who somehow managed to make cocktail-making feel both impressive and completely doable. He was knowledgeable, entertaining, and had the patience of a saint, especially considering some of the questions coming from our group. The cocktails were fantastic, the experience was genuinely fun, and I learned enough to now be dangerous behind my own home bar. My only complaint is that the instructor, Nick, was a little too charming and charismatic. I'm not entirely sure I feel comfortable bringing my wife around him again. 10/10 experience. Would absolutely recommend. Just maybe keep an eye on your spouse.

So been living in Oakland for going on 15 years now. I'm not what you would call a "bar" person. I…read moretend to enjoy my cocktails, wine, and beer in the cozy confines of my own home. That said I'm occasionally inspired to go check out the local watering holes for a good pour, some food if possible, and just to be in the presence of the human pulsation. Walking into Tallboy on a Thursday afternoon was a bit like Nirvana for me. There is a comforting vibe of neighborhood and after work people shedding responsibility and "toe the lineness" and transitioning to pondering true meaning and the other side of the elliptical bend over nicely crafted cocktails and HOTDOGS! I am a hotdog fiend, and Tallboy has a very creative range on the menu that does not disappoint. From a basic onions/mustard, an Elote Dog, an a Coney Islandesque (it has chili) version. Some folk go to bar and line up shots (or craft cocktails). At Tallboy you can do that AND line up their hotdogs which I intend on doing in the very near future. The pleasantries don't stop at the food (there are other delicious snack items on their menu to choose from too). Tallboy has a fully stocked bar, and the menu has a list of really unique and delicious signature craft cocktails. I'm not a Mezcal drinker, but I ended up dubiously ordering their Guava Martini which to my smokey surprise is made with Mezcal. I stayed with the smokey fruitiness of this Guava Martini as it was my mistake that I did not read in the description it is made with Mezcal, and ended up chasing it with their Tamarindo Cocktail which also has Mezcal. To those who really enjoy Mezcal the Tallboy Guava Martini and the Tamarindo Cocktail do not disappoint. Both have that deep Smokey Mezcal essence, but cut with the fruit sweetness. I personally think the Tamarindo balances well with the Mezcal. The Guava Martini the Mezcal comes through stronger, but both are just the tonic to release any existential pinging going on in your head. If you really want to kick in the hyperdrive pair either of these with an Elote Dog. I had their Deli Dog which sufficed. I think the Deli Dog would pair better with their standard Martini, but hey let's us not bring that snobbiness into Tallboy. Tallboy has an element of cloak and dagger or secret treehouse club about it. What I mean here is there is no signage on the outside (please keep it that way!). When you walk past all you see is this quaint beigeish/yellow brick façade of an establishment which begs you to press your face to the glass and scan what in the blazes is going on in here! Before you know it you are caught in the Tallboy tractor beam, and you find yourself sitting at the bar with some kind of craft drank and hotdog pondering the space and the very nice old fashioned wainscoting painted a shade of green circa 1930 (my description of winning in life). The cadre of bartenders are all really pleasant folk, very attentive (checking in with you to see if you need another round, hotdog, or snack), have tight shaker skills, and they know their craft and the menu. Tallboy also has SLUSHIES, and I did not do a deep dive on them, but I'm positive they may/do put spirits in them; or not. Also I noticed other patrons with a beautiful enticing thing that looked like an ice cream sundae milkshake hybrid (it had what looked like whipped cream on top) in on old timey soda fountain ice cream goblet. This could be a craft cocktail they make with the slushie, but major props for serving it in that goblet. I will investigate on my next visit which I intend to be very soon. Tallboy is the kind of bar establishment I could easily adopt as my after work living room for a couple of hours everyday.

Had an amazing experience at Tallboy!…read more Sat at the bar on a sunny weekend and immediately loved the vibes. Bartenders were friendly and seemed to know a lot of the regulars. Can't quite describe it but it didn't feel like an SF bar, felt more open and like a community watering whole. On to the food and drinks. I'm vegetarian so was so excited to try the dogs - which are vegan. And I may be biased but you cannot tell that you're missing out on anything with all the flavor packed combos. The bun was fluffy and soft and you have multiple fun themed options to choose from. My partner and I ended up getting the deli dog and truffle meltdown. Deli was perfect - classic mix of spice and crunch with the spicy brown mustard and giardiniera peppers. And the truffle meltdown was so savory and decadent - totally different flavor profiles from each dog! We were only going to grab one drink but the menu was so inventive we ended up getting two. I ordered the banana hammock (which comes with a fire show) and espresso martini slushee which was is up there with the frozen Irish coffees I've had in New Orleans. Man writing this has my mouth watering... definitely coming back for more dogs, drinks, and vibes!