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 .

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.

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!

Ok, Starry Plough..I see you!…read more Recently one of my besties sent me a text and mentioned they were heading to the Starry Plough for an open mic night. Obvs, I attended! I hadn't been there in what seems like forever, and was pleasantly surprised to see such a cool presence of community show up. From stand up, to live music and spoken word, it was awesome to see such talented locals. There is also on the last Sunday of every month, Kid's Music. We recently attended this event and it was so fun. We ordered Cottage Pie, Homemade Chicken Strips with Fries/dipping sauces, and of course a Guinness. They had multi-color balloons to blow up, and two artists came and sang with instruments/passed out music shakers for the kiddos/and story time too. It was such a fun and interactive experience for the whole family to enjoy. Looks like they have programming everyday of the week too! From Irish dance, trivia, Grateful Dead Jam Sesh, and more..can't wait to come back again soon for their fresh taps, community vibes, and those yummy fries. Would love to try the House Mac & Cheese too.

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!

We hired Daniel to play for my late Father's Celebration of Life. He was extremely kind,…read moreresponsive, helpful and professional throughout the booking process. He arrived on time, setup quickly, and did a fantastic job. We worked together closely to figure out the appropriate set list given the sensitivity of the event. Daniel was flexible, and I asked him to play original songs he was familiar with and to read the room if we needed to adjust. We even ended up doing an impromptu song and guitar performance from some of my guests! . I would hire Daniel and his team again in a heartbeat! Thank you Daniel for making this important moment in our family's life one to remember.

Daniel is an excellent musician and was a wonderful person to work with! He responds in a timely…read moremanner and was a joy to have at the party. Also he is very talented.

D-e-a-a-o, Daylight come and me want go home...at 80, Belafonte is tireless in his humanitarian…read moreefforts as an activist and was the recipient of the first Berkeley Jazz Icon award. And yes, the man graced us with a verse of the song he will eternally be equated with. This tribute was a real treat in the midst of a concert that brought out many artists that we have scarcely seen since the seventies. It was as if time stood still as Randy Crawford belted out 'Street Life', accompanied by Joe Sample. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as Roy Ayers, Jean Carne, Lonnie Liston Smith, Wayne Hendersen and one of my favorite singers, Jon Lucien performed, and still has an amazing rich and deep voice. It seems like yesterday, when we would bring the rice balls, chicken, potato salad, and fruit salad, feasting while we drank in the rich sounds of Grover, Donald Byrd, Pieces of a Dream, Miles, Stanley Clarke, and countless other jazz greats over a 3 day lineup sitting high up on the hill overlooking the tower, the San Francisco bay in the background and feelin' the 420 buzz...yes, those were the days...excuse me while I get out my vinyl and reminisce. update: we lost another great artist...Jon Lucien passed just a few days after this concert...bless you for your gift to us all...RIP

Was attending a A Film Festival at La Peña Cultural center. We saw "We Love here" and "Black Joy"…read moreand several other short films. The venue was sold out.

What a cool place! I've been to La Pena a couple of times for a few community shows…read more Parking: it's located somewhat in a neighborhood so it's all street parking. We were able to easily find one just a couple of blocks down. Just be prepared to walk a little bit to the center. The theater/main space is intimate but can hold a crowd. There's no bad seats in the house though. I've sat in the back and in the front and have always had a great view. They're connected to Los Cilantros restaurant (or maybe it's their restaurant) that offers delicious Mexican food and drinks. We were able to take anything we ordered into the main/theater space as well so we could enjoy it during the show. Love their lineup of shows and support for local community efforts. Looking forward to supporting more and more shows here to come!