After taking a long stroll at Lake Merritt, my wife and I were more than ready to eat. We like Old Oakland and naturally came to one of the establishments here. The set up of District Oakland is modish. The lounge area is on one side, the dining tables on the other and the bar in between. They have an extensive whiskey list and offer flights of bourbons and scotches or mixed. Our server, Joline, was personable and cheerful. She might have been training someone so there were a few hiccups with the service but nothing major. They were pretty good at checking on us. The oysters on the half shell arrived quickly but they were so small. I enjoyed the Arugula salad in vinaigrette. The Braised oxtail bocaditos was nicely seasoned but there were only three small bites on the plate. My wife really liked the rich cream sauce in her scallops (and mushrooms) en cocotte. But there wasn't much in that small bowl and half was croutons. She ate it up in no time. My Hanger steak was lean and tender but also small. The flavor and texture would have been much better if there weren't so many charred bits. The Chocolate pot de creme was served in a classic Kilner jar. I liked how smooth the whipped butterscotch was and the toasted marshmallow was smart. The common theme we received was "small portion." We came hungry. Unfortunately, we left only half full. District Oakland provides a trendy bar and lounge scene. It's a nice place to unwind and mingle but not for a proper sit-down dinner imho. read more

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What fabulous spot! *I went here for drinks on a Saturday night and brunch on a Sunday morning* DECOR: Very cute, sheek, classy and modern. Total Oakland vibe. I love the inside and outside seating. You can tell this is a hip place to be. FOOD: Both at night and at brunch my drinks were good. They brought out guava mimosa's at brunch, which were really tasty. Brunch is set up buffet style. I typically hate buffets...like why would i want food a bunch of people have hovered over..no thanks! BUT. The food at this buffet looked so good i could not resist. They had a wide range of foods to choose from...waffles...ceviche...bacon...etc. Everything was amazing. SERVICE: We had the same server (mixed gal with red hair-I forgot her name) Saturday night and Sunday for brunch. She was so nice we just adored her. She is very personable and made our experience at districts even more wonderful. Overall, I am already trying to figure out when I can get back to Oakland to come here. I was very impressed with this place. This is yet another reason why I say that Oakland is such a hidden gem. read more

District - Oakland - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Bottomless Brunch - Saturday & Sunday - $18/person +Baby green salad +Ceviche mixta +Oatmeal with bourbon brown sugar +Scrambled eggs with cheese +Cheddar grits +Buttermilk pancakes with banana-rum syrup +Bacon & house made spicy sausage +Biscuits and gravy +Chipotle-garlic breakfast potatoes +Braised collard greens +Fried sweet plantains with house salsa +Chocolate chip bread pudding with bourbon caramel I love brunch. I love options. I love big portions. Win win win! The food is set on one side of the restaurant. You just get up and grab as much food as you please. The staff was very good at keeping everything filled. The food wasn't mind-blowing. It was good and satisfying. You get what you pay for. I really enjoyed the ceviche, buttermilk pancakes, breakfast potatoes, and plantains. The ceviche was fresh and loaded with lime juice. The pancakes were dollar-size and fluffy with rum-licious syrup. The breakfast potatoes and plantains were flavorful and nicely cooked. $10 more for bottomless mimosa. 3 stars for food. 1 star for price & service. read more

District - Oakland - bottomless brunch - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Hanging out after a long 10 day work week. Glad to hang it up at a chill spot like this..I had the munchies cuz of the California Greens... this place hit the spot. read more

District - Oakland - El Cubano - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

District has a cool/chill vibe. The bartenders were friendly and they had the Green Bay game on. I gave this place 4 stars because I ordered the margharita pizza and it was not all that impressive. Also, the pizza was expensive. Next time, I'm going to order something else that the bartenders recommend. read more

District - Oakland - Margherita Pizza - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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I've been here for happy hour a couple times now and have enjoyed myself each time. They have a good selection of happy hour bites and drinks. My favorite drink is the grapefruit beer! The $1 oysters are the best. They don't give you the crappy large oysters that are chewy and gross. These oysters are actually sweet and good. Also I really enjoy their fries. Each time I've been here, the service has been great. read more

This place is super fun and has a great happy hour. It became one of our go to spots during the pandemic because of their wonderful outdoor seating that could accommodate larger parties without being too close together. However, be aware that they sometimes include gratuity l, and it is not obvious on the final check. We had this happen with a fairly large bill and had to ask multiple people to confirm that it had already been added. read more

My son and I had an early dinner here a couple months ago. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The pizza was excellent and tasted like it was baked in a brick oven. We came during happy hour and they have special pricing during that time for pizza and drinks. The place is very quiet and chill. The staff was very courteous, friendly and professional. They serve water in wine bottles with a cork which I thought was a very nice touch. We didn't have to wait long for our pizza. This spot is located near 12th street downtown Oakland bart. I recommend this place for those looking for for great pizza and drinks at a great price in a great neighborhood. It's a ten minute walk from bart. read more

District - Oakland - Pizza at happy hour - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

This place has been my solitude during lockdown. One of the few places that quickly adapted to outdoor dining from the beginning, District's food is all very tasty! There isn't anything on the menu that I do not love. Plus, the ambiance is unmatched. I always look forward to eating here. There service is a little slow for my liking, but the food definitely makes up for it. read more

I came here for their happy hours on Friday. They only opened outdoor seating with heaters during that time. My friend and I got seated right the way. They have oysters happy hour which was the reason we were there for. The oysters were as fresh as we expected but acceptable. The server could be more attentive; I had to come to our server to ask for the check, she never came to check on us. I like the atmosphere here and would try them again. Hopefully we will have better experience next time. read more

District - Oakland - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Friendly service. HH menu full of selections for $6. Great atmosphere, well visited and not too loud. Spacious with varied seating. Pilsner was substantial and great tasting. Ceviche was tasty. BTW, a big tv is present to watch the game. Good place for HH. read more

District - Oakland - HH menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

The guy out front is a complete jerk. He just turned all of us away with snarky remarks and acted like we were the problem. I'm not exaggerating. He said we "look" young. We're 36 year old black women celebrating a birthday. and he was Black too.. the light skin guy. He's ALWAYS a jerk. read more

I came here to other night that really good customer service They were going out their way for me and my guest I tried out their pizza and it was really good read more

Meh. Very Small oysters, should not have been harvested. Soggy French fries from frozen. Bar service was so-so, a disappointment from prior 3 visits. I'll put the place on hold for the balance of the year. read more

I can't remember if ever in my life, I have written an online review and it infuriates me that I have to spend 10min of my time doing this. I grew up in Oakland. I was born here in 1983 and I have lived here most of my life. This new Oakland is not the business. I don't know if it's caused from out-of-town people moving to Oakland or if the people that have lived here have gone mad and became bougie since everyone's property is worth over a million dollars, but I don't like any of the changes. For this particular establishment, I am severely disappointed. After all the years I have spent my hard earned money at this bar and made great friendships with the people working at this bar, I can't believe the treatment I received. They financially take advantage of people at this bar. They think they are slick by opening your tab at the bar as well as the lounge area and then charging you double for your food and drinks. This is not the first time they have done this to me over the years. They are not consistent with their charges (different servers or bar tenders charge different amounts). The people that work here are rude and disrespectful, from the security guards, to the bar tenders, to the managers. This last time I was at this bar, a few days ago, watching the Warriors game, I was with a large group comprised of several small groups of friends, with separate tabs. Each group paid their portion, signed for the bill and left the bar. My small group of friends walked across the street to Fort Green , another bar, to meet with some other friends and grab some food. A person who worked at District approached us, with an attitude, and claimed we left without paying our bill. They never approached the other small groups we were sitting with at District, just simply singled our group out and approached us with disrespect. When we walked back across the street to address this matter, security would not let me back in to the bar and put his forearm on my neck to stop me from entering. When I preceded to tell the security guard to not put his hands on me, he continued to force me, physically, to stay outside while my fiancé discusses the mistakes on the bill. They gave my fiancé a bill for $200. When he asked for an itemized receipt he noticed there was food and drinks he didn't recognize on the bill. After some convincing, they removed the food and a few drinks from the bill. Then they came back with a bill for ~$170. Once again, my fiancé explained that he paid his bill and he didn't recognize the charges. They took back the bill a second time and reduced the amount. The fact that they went back several times and reduced the bill is strange in itself. We ended up paying over $100 for drinks that were not our own, so we could leave without any strings attached to this place. They literally double charged us illegally. Then after the credit card charges showed up on our statement, they added an additional $30. I am too old for this drama, when all I want to do is relax and meet with friends after work to have some drinks. It's not about the money, it's about taking advantage of people from Oakland who have been kind, tolerated your rudeness and supported your business. NEVER AGAIN. This new Oakland with the trash ass customer service is exhausting and disconcerting. Places like this are bougie and I am not sure why people associated with these places feel like this is Hollywood. WE ARE IN OAKLAND. OAKLAND REPRESENTS EQUALITY AND INCLUSION. Establishments such as District, Oeste, Parliament, Hello Stranger and Zanzibar have all disappointed me with their rude security guards, their terrible customer service, and taking advantage of people financially and physically. Let's be clear to all of those who work at these places, if this was the old Oakland and you treated people this way, you would be scared for your safety, but to take advantage of people because of their kindness. I am appalled and DONE!!! I work too hard to spend my money here anymore and I will be going to San Francisco establishments moving forward. I have put my real name and picture attached to this review, so feel free to find my contact info online and contact me to further discuss this monstrosity. read more

Great food and atmosphere in old town Oakland. Service was fine and will go back again.

Small lunch take-out spot around the corner from District. Hot sandwiches (like fried chicken, cubano), bocaditos (like fried oyster & braised oxtail sliders), salads, soup, pizzettas (9" personal pizzas). In good weather you can eat on District's patio. I arrived at noon with just one person in line and barely beat the lunch rush. Still, it did take 10-15 minutes for my Cubano (slow roasted pork, country ham & gruyere, chipotle aioli and pickles) to come out as some sneaky folks had called in orders that kept popping out of the kitchen ahead of mine (mental note: call orders in ahead of time). The sandwiches come with a mixed green salad (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-carriage-house-oakland?select=CjFW-de37kglAP13_IjYGA#q9y06l49JX1TcAbMDPSrIg) and there was an option for fried plantain chips on the side for $2 (full order $5). The pork was nice and juicy. The pickles were chopped like relish and sparsely populated which I didn't like (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-carriage-house-oakland?select=CjFW-de37kglAP13_IjYGA#pKxf6kuMvUmaVD3uRY_AVw). The juiciness of the fillings made the roll under the sandwich soggy. Maybe toasting would help? The chipotle aioli was a nice change from the typical mustard condiment. The greens were pretty limp, and I didn't finish them. Not sure if it was the time back to my desk with the warm sandwich or if they'd been pre-dressed in a big batch before lunch service started. Either way, I wished I'd chosen the plantain option. Cubano: 4 stars Salad: 2 stars read more

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Fine for drinks after work, even though their cocktail menu is limited. I don't recommend the brunch AT ALL. I ended up ordering a cocktail that wasn't even on the menu and luckily the bartender knew out to make it. I'm a vegetarian and they had a few options, but not many. I thought about ordering the chilaquiles but my friend had those previously and said they were so dry she would not recommend them. I ended up just ordering fries to be on the safe side because District isn't really known for their food. They were actually delicious but not what I wanted for breakfast. There were a few other people in our party who ordered food and everyone said their meal was just okay, I'm glad I didn't waste my money. I'd been for brunch twice before when they did buffet and it wasn't anything to write home about. Service was terrible. I arrived early for our reservation so I figured I could just order a drink at the bar. Mind you, there was NO ONE at the front to check in with when I got here. Just as I was about to order a cocktail a man came up yelling that I can't order at the bar, I need to talk to someone first. People were turning and looking to see what the commotion was. There wasn't a need for him to get loud with me, and he was nowhere to be found when I arrived. I mentioned it to my friend later and she said that he's notorious for being rude and aggressive with customers. I'm sure there are some instances that warrant that in a bar but this definitely was not one of them. Once we were seated and ordered with our server he kept disappearing. He also forgot to put in the order for my friends meal so she was left with no food. When she asked if he could still put it in he said the kitchen was closed! It was obviously his fault, some accommodation should have been made. She ended up leaving and going somewhere else. We were there for a friend's birthday so I just wanted to go with the flow and not make a commotion about the poor service, but I won't be back again. There are much better brunch spots in the East Bay (and bars too). read more

This is a good place to hang out with friends over food and drinks. The sliders and oysters are a must have. The atmosphere is fun and not overly loud so you can talk with your friends. Staff is super friendly and accommodating. read more

Full disclosure, I've only been here once. So my hope is that if I ever returned, my service would be even better. I was staying at the Marriot nearby for work, and wanted a happy hour spot. About a 3 block walk from the hotel, this place wasnt quite full when I arrived at 4:30. This would change at 5:30, so I was glad I got there when I did. The layout in the front is a little awkward, as my party of 5 was sitting on two couches and people who wanted to sit along the window would have to walk between us and the tables to get by. While there was a small space right by the entrance they could have used, only 1 person did. Our server was initially somewhat attentive. This changed as the place got busier. However, I was so impressed with the house white (a Chardonnay which had to be unoaked from the taste), the cheese plate, and the music that I'll forgive that design flaw. The music sounded like one of my favorite Pandora stations, which places a lot of classic hip hop.and R&B. So think Common, Lauryn Hill, etc. Definitely not Cardi B! When my food arrived, it was everything! A full basket of different slices bread and some accoutrement that I wasnt expecting. It had everything from smoked almonds, honey, pickled beets, purple cauliflower, strawberries, apples, and more. I could not believe all of that came with my food. I ordered the cheddar and the smoked duck breast. This cheese and charcuterie plate was epic, and only cost me $11. I'm knocking a star off for the service. It was hard to find our server once we placed our order. I wanted another glass of wine, and had to go to the bar to find her and ask for our check. read more

District - Oakland - Cheese and charcuterie - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

The farmer's market cocktail is different every week. This week: whiskey sour, with egg whites and orange marmalade: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-oakland-oakland?select=YFSe_MXCOZbGrC2y6ioMMg#YFSe_MXCOZbGrC2y6ioMMg Very good. The $5 happy hour truffle fries are awesome: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-oakland-oakland?select=YFSe_MXCOZbGrC2y6ioMMg#rKpeU-qxdaesfe9Tyymv9w It comes with a parmesan dipping sauce that is like crack. I tried the Guinness ice cream float: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-oakland-oakland?select=YFSe_MXCOZbGrC2y6ioMMg#ytLPJPBZVnwvEBRQRjmnZA It's OK. But not as good as the Shakin' Jesse at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe, and not nearly as good as the Guinness float at Ice Cream Bar in San Francisco. They have $1 oysters during happy hour: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/district-oakland-oakland?select=YFSe_MXCOZbGrC2y6ioMMg#lFlFSbzWvEEOdZJmYkow7w but I don't recommend them: too small. Service was super fast, despite the fact that it was crowded. read more

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On October 10th a group of us, about 10-12 people went to The District to celebrate my boyfriends birthday. I called in advance to make arrangements and also made 2 table reservations online. So i expected it to be a breeze when I arrived. Received a bit of an attitude when I arrived but I wont get into that because ultimately they turned it around! Nice location. The tables are spacious and social distancing is great. The wait staff were amazing- funny, engaging and eager to please. The food was pretty tasty too. I highly recommend the margharita pizza...that shit was bomb! Ordered 1 and then 2 more lol. I didn't drink but my guests did and kept ordering so Id say a win! My guests also enjoyed the burger, wings and tempura avocado. Overall a nice spot! Will try again! 1 star deduction for the issue upon arrival but otherwise will return. read more

Staff member was insanely rude. It was 2 am and the outside benches were out so I took a seat on top of the bench with a friend. A staff member with a thick beard started to put the benches on top of the table as he got to the bench I was sitting at I expected him to tell me the area was closed or if I could please move. Instead he condescendingly and aggressively told me get off of the top bench bc that's not the way to sit on it. I didn't say anything and just sat onto the lower bench because I didn't want to start a whole thing. I understand I was sitting on it incorrectly and think the way he went about asking and his tone was just rude. Maybe he was having a bad night or something but there's no need to take it out on people, especially when you're in the service industry. read more

Very intimate, chill place to wind down after a long work week. We missed their happy hour, which ended at 6 PM on weekdays. But, their menu offered a variety of foods, especially finger foods. We got their French fries, arugula & fennel salad, and a cheese pizza. The salad was amazing! It had a great tangy vinaigrette, prosciutto & Parmesan cheese slices, and pomegranate sprinkled all over- loads of flavor!! Pizza was great, the dough wasn't soggy at all, cooked to perfection. And the French fries were great! No complaints at all! I will definitely come back! Too bad there is only street parking and a 10$ lot across the street. read more

District - Oakland - Shrimp & albacore ceviche 6$ on HH menu - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Great place for happy hours and food and the drinks and food were so great, best place to hang around for happy hours

This is a new favorite happy hour spot! Delicious $1 oysters, great wings and fries, wonderful ambience, and two big screen TVs with the As's game playing. The rest of the menu and drinks menu looked great as well, I guess I'll have to try some of those options next time. To top it off our server Mary made our dining experience exceptional! Will definitely be back soon, maybe with a group of friends for a big game! read more

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Be sure to double check your bill here. The tip suggested includes the addition of tax and the Oakland mandate fee, not just what you may have ordered. Paid $18 for a flat tasting white wine during happy hour only to realize when the bill came that this mediocre wine was not part of the Happy Hour menu even though that is what we had asked. read more

The seating process seemed to take a bit longer than it should have but maybe the timing was off for them, Nobody else was waiting and I was ignored for about 3-4 minutes. I asked to be sat inside as outside was mostly large tables and I was just a party of one. I have had better service in previous visits. They had drinks a little heavy on the ice. But the cocktails were great in flavor I expected half as much ice. I don't think ice to the top is the right way to pour a drink. The Napoli pizza with sausage and olives, I bit into 2 pits that could have been a broken tooth but flavor of pizza was amazing. You have other choices like mushrooms pepperoni and a few others. I ordered a beer off the menu, Delirium tremens, the server said they didn't have it and that it was non alcoholic, that is a lie. I asked for the Belgium tremens and they brought me something not on the menu and said it was Belgium. I just said okay to not be difficult. I was there for about an hour they could have asked if I was finished, or brought me the bill asking if I needed anything else. But it was good drinks and food great atmosphere, But not 5 star deserving service. I worry at 50% capacity they have service issues how will survive at full capacity they would have to hire 2 more servers. Maybe they had that many before Covid. I recommend it for the atmosphere and food just have patience as this is a new way to operate food places, I am willing to be patient and give them another chance. read more

District - Oakland - Wine and booze - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Happy hour oysters are the ones to get here!! Top it off with a few drinks and you're good to go. We also got a mushroom pizza and some fries. Will be coming back! read more

District - Oakland - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Nice grown vibe (30 plus for the most part) when you'd rather a lounge vibe but want to dance. Their ample tables and bar stools paired with a small dance floor makes this place the perfect choice. The drinks are strong and they have small bites. I've been on Friday/Saturday evening and for a day party on Sunday. Update! This is the first time I've eaten here. I ordered the tempura avocado upon recommendation from a friend. I love avocado but BLAH it was lacking in taste, the tempura batter needs to be seasoned in order to make this a good dish, the aoili helped add some flavor but I wouldn't order it again. I grabbed a few of my friends truffle fries and I wish I would have ordered those, they were delish! read more

The food here was pretty good. We ordered a dozen oysters, the mushroom pizza, french fries, and deviled eggs. All were tasty. The star deduction is more so for the service. When we entered, I asked if I could throw my banana peel away before being seated and one of the male staff told me that they didn't have trash cans for it and "to go find a trash can outside for that." The female waitress kindly let me place mine in one of the bins inside the restaurant. The female waitresses were so kind and helpful. But at the end of our experience, we tried flagging another waiter down for the bill, to which he stopped walking, stared at us for a few seconds, and then continued walking without saying anything. I walked back to the female waitress for the bill and was helped shortly thereafter. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the male waiters constantly brushing us off. read more

This place sure gets packed during brunch! $35 for brunch buffet + bottomless mimosas - I'm happy with drinking $35 worth of mimosas. The brunch buffet's layout definitely needs improvement - it gets awkwardly crowded with the bar next to it, and you have to squeeze through people to exit. It gets a little messy with the little crock pot containers for the oatmeal and grits. The presentation wasn't great, but the food is surprisingly tasty. The biscuits were good! Mmm, biscuits and gravy. The best part: BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS for Sunday brunch! They come in cranberry, pineapple, peach, grapefruit, and guava flavors. If you come in a big group, they'll just bring carafes of every flavor to your table. This place is great for groups (reservations recommended). read more

District - Oakland - Sunday brunch buffet - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Fantastic food and service. We ate here on a weeknight and the place was packed. Our group of four was early for our 7pm reservations so we chilled on the stools and ordered a drink. When a table outside opened up, the server said to grab it! It was very pleasant sitting outside but eventually we asked them to turn on the heat lamp. Every single dish that came out was awesomely delicious. We ordered a lot of foods too! The Charcuterie, Beef Tartare, Tuna Poke, Meatballs, and Ceviche were very good though there wasn't a bad dish. The Fried Avocado was surprisingly delicious and new for us. read more

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This place is horrible. The service is awful and racist!!!! If you're not black, they are rude and dismissive! I have never been treated so horrible as the staff at District treated us. read more

I have no problem here :-) close to my job and 12 st Bart wish the weekday happy hour lasted until 7pm Recommendations: 1. Bread pudding : I really would eat this for dinner 2. Bellinis (happy hour option) 3. Fries 4. Fried Chicken The okay: 1. The pizza - wasn't bad wasn't good it was blah read more

Oysters were spawning, too milky. But the winner of being the loser is the ceviche. Probably the worst ceviche I've ever had. It's more like a bowl of vegetable soup. We did find one shrimp, and two shrimps after we sent it back the first time. read more

District - Oakland - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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This place has such great potential but the bar is a boys club, bartender was too busy "bromancing" the male patrons while all the couples waited to put their orders in. Cocktails were mediocre, food was good, a little better than average. Seriously get rid of the bartender who ignores the guests and only seems interested in chumming it up with the dudes and his co workers. The place is a nice location, great ambience and it could be so amazing. Also, the bar itself had a smell, they need to clean a bit more thoroughly so it's doesn't have the old alcohol smell. But who knows maybe I got them on an off night. read more

District hasn't let me down since the day they opened! A nice after work lounge to grab quick bites and strong drinks. This place gets packed fast! So I suggest people to make reservations. You can still just walk in and take a risk of having a seat. But you can always mingle around the bar (which is an oval shape, so there's plenty of room). There have TV's for those that may want to watch sports. Parking... well it's downtown Oakland so plan to make a few laps looking for an open metered parking spot. read more

This is probably my favorite brunch place in Oakland! Why?? Because it has amazing music, great food, an urban atmosphere, bottomless mimosas and all you can eat soul food brunch! What more can you ask for while chowing down on cheesy grits, greens, pancakes, homemade biscuits, eggs, in house made sausage, bacon and more! Downtown Oakland is an up and coming area and this place definitely fits the new vibe. You can either choose to sit outside on a sunny day or inside at tables or on couches. Yes you get to sit on couches and eat on dinner trays! The bottomless mimosas are great as they offer a variety of flavors like pineapple, peach and orange juice. The food is bomb the service is amazing you literally cant go wrong with this place. Brunch is only offered on Sundays so make sure you put in a reservation prior to going! read more

District - Oakland - Brunch buffet - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Light, insanely fresh, delicate oysters that slide past your taste buds...so amazing here! Delicious Happy Hour Chardonnay added the tang I wanted as I sampled everything from salami to Brussel Sprouts to deviled eggs to lamb meatballs to Washington state oysters. Loved the vibe - casual, comfortable, interesting. Get the oysters. Go. Now. read more

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