Great intimate music venue, with a variety of different styles of music…read more Bring your own drinks and food, nothing is available.

What a lovely find! The BackRoom is an intimate performance space just outside of downtown…read moreBerkeley. The space is lovely, sound is good, and the sofas very comfortable. And the owner is welcoming, chatty. We ene back.

We saw Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono recently. It was our first visit to the Freight since they…read moremoved ever so long ago. This is truly a nice venue to see music. The staff is friendly; parking is convenient next door in the garage; plenty of restaurants nearby. There were also a few snack items and drinks available for sale. I was bummed that perhaps customer service and management aren't completely in synch with their own policies. I had written and asked if photography would be allowed since this was a Hawaiian show. I wanted to bring in one camera with an attached lens, no flash to take photos for personal use only. I was told that the policy was no photography was allowed. On the night of the show, the last announcement before the show started, was that non-flash photography was welcome. Oh well.

A St Patty s day show with the famous Black brothers. I've never seen them or been to the Freight…read moreso I decided to check them out . There was no food maybe a bag of chips or the like. The other offers were wine and beer or a bottled pellegrini or a soda . The show was amazing and definitely a surprise and certainly worth the trip . Their Irish music was lovely fun they had sing a longs if you know the words . It was a nice evening an a lovely introduction to this venue .

A musician's dream!…read more Per the recommendation of our wedding planner, we worked with Hella Fitzgerald for our wedding in Big Sur, CA in August 2023. One of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I am a musician myself and had a lot of specifications for what I wanted throughout our ceremony, first dance, and dancing portions of the evening. And I mean a LOT of specifications! Music is something I am very particular about. Lilan worked closely with me on everything from which 2nd singer to hire to match the feel we wanted (the band works with various singers) to learning new songs that we had requested to adjusting songs to specific BPMs!!! She never seemed to lose her patience with me and would text me randomly with ideas or singer leads. One time she even texted me a couple vocal riffs she sang into her phone to see what I would prefer. We wanted a fun, sexy, big band feel and a talented group of musicians who could perform soul, Latin, swing, R&B, and everything in between. That is exactly what we got. We never left the dance floor. Thank you HF!

Hella Fitzgerald was a huge hit at our son's Bar Mitzvah. We wanted live music as opposed to a DJ…read moreand we couldn't have been happier with their performance! Every musician in the band was outstanding. They accommodated all of our requests, including an extra long hora. :) All of our guests loved them and it was so refreshing to have 'real' music at our daytime event. Their price was extremely reasonable to boot! We highly recommend Hella Fitzgerald - they were fantastic!

Old school in the best possible way. No gimmicks or technology; just great music, beer and good…read morevibes.

Grungy venue with vegan food options - what's not to love?! Staple of Oakland - hope it never…read morechanges.

Cafe Van Kleef is just the right amount of funky and eclectic mixed with a splash of dive-bar charm…read moreand a garnish of chaos and art. I love places with personality, and this one totally delivered. Go just to enjoy the little Ali Baba cavern of curiosities that it is, you won't regret it. Also, if you're citrus-obsessed like me, they serve fresh grapefruit juice in all its forms and variations and the drinks are delicious!

Cheap grapefruit flavored drinks with a good amount of alcohol, a huge slice of grapefruit, and…read morepermission to be as loud as I want? sign me up the only thing that could be better about this bar is that I wish it was bigger LOL it can get really crowded on weekend nights. Also kind of a harder spot to get an uber pick up from. Lots of personality and maybe one step up from a divey vibe! great for citrus fans

Starry Plough....Oh wow! This is really a cool scene…read more There's a different event seven nights a week. Today the day after July 4 celebration is sort of an Irish music session in the place is packed at 5:45 PM! Great musicians and a fun atmosphere, but it seems like the same continuous song plays between breaks with a slight adjustment of the melody. Sort of a hypnotic repetitive groove, not so unlike "ON THE CORNER" by Miles Davis but not really, ha ha! OK kids, please plug that into your little machine and have a listen. Feel that groove in "BLACK SATIN" The Starry Plough is a full service restaurant, pub and nightclub that has been a staple of the East Bay scene since 1973. With deep roots as an Irish Revolutionary watering hole, the history of protest runs as deep today as it did when they opened five decades ago. And they have really good food and a great tap beer list. Also, the very best bartenders and staff throughout! I just had a half order of the handcut french fries and they really are top-notch man, they're served with different condiments that you can help yourself to. I chose the Sriracha sauce and ketchup. I couldn't find the horseradish tonight. I've been coming in here for several years and I really dig it. Very special people hang out here, kind of a hippie Berkeley vibe. I've had great long conversations and met very groovy folks. It's a great watering hole.

I've always been eyeing this place whenever I pass by and finally got the chance to come in for my…read morefriend's show! A super cool Irish pub that offers lots of draft beers on tap as well as food to pair it with. Unfortunately we weren't able to try their food however the food we saw pass by us from other people looked amazing and smelled equally as great so we will definitely come back for some grubs. Keep in mind, the kitchen does close early (around 10pm-11pm) and does NOT stay open until 2AM, only the bar does. In terms of service, the bartenders were super sweet and quick on their feet. Good job ladies! The inside of the pub was pretty much filled to the brim with people and I can only assume it's because of UC Berkeley's finals week. This spot as well as the surrounding area caters to a lot of students so expect a pretty poppin bar during the weekends!

I am so glad to write this review for WGB. They played the reception of our recent wedding and I…read morecannot stop thinking about how great the night was. We've had so many of our guests tell us what a great time they had out on the dance floor listening to WGB. They had people of all ages out there whole time! They played a great mix of songs and even learned a new one for our first dance. You could tell that everyone in the band really loves their craft and were happy to be there. They had excellent energy and did a great job emceeing. Anna and the band were responsive and super easy to work with leading up to the event. We booked this band even before we secured the venue - now that says something!

I hired WGB to play in my backyard for my father and his twin's 70th birthday party. Not to be…read moreimmodest but it was the greatest party I've ever thrown. The band was friendly, personable and played their heart out! They were so talented I couldn't believe we had them all to ourselves. Excellent Motown music perfect for a family party with young kids all the way through great-grandparents. Everyone who came to the party wants to hire them now! Excellent, professional, accommodating. A perfect choice!

Fast service. Fresh ingredients. Always satisfied. The pizza of the day changes daily and can be…read morefound on their website. A few steps from Downtown Berkeley Bart station is Sliver Pizzeria. With two slices, you usually get a free half of a slice (sliver). Perfect for brunch, lunch, dinner or breakfast leftovers. Crust is thin with an airy crispness. Toppings are abundant, fresh and so incredibly satisfying. The green sauce puts it over the top, elevating the toppings flavor that much more. I have never gone wrong stopping in and enjoying a slice or two, unlikely you will either. You can stay and eat or take it to go. Either way you have it you will most certainly enjoy!

This was my first time here. At the same time, quite a few choices and ways that you could order…read morePizza. I didn't really see any of the old school, regular kinds like pepperoni or combination. The pizza hustle selections were very creative. I ordered the Mushroom Pizza -2 slices. It came with 2 slices and what they call a sliver. It was a pretty good amount of food for $8. My Pizza was pretty tasty. I would definitely go again and try something else off of the menu.