This review is mostly because of the young female "bartender" (really, a Not-Bartender Bartender) we encountered this past weekend. The following took place after I was standing at the bar for a long while, and after she ignored me and my friend, instead deciding she needed to clean the bar with a towel rather than serve waiting customers who had been passed over for other customers she had already served. (She only deigned to serve us after the male bartender said something to her and nodded towards us.) Me: "Could I get a Kahlua and Cream, please." Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender: "No Kahlua. No cream." Me: "Okay. How about a Lemon Drop?" Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender: "What's in that?" Me: [Incredulous, because she's the f'in bartender] "I don't know, I'm not a bartender." Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender: [Rolls eyes and uses annoyed, lilting tone] "O-kayyy." Me: "No, really. I don't know what's in it. I do know that my wife likes them and wants one. I can look it up on my phone for you, I guess...." Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender: [Non-committal.] Me: [After looking up the recipe for a f'in Lemon Drop on my own phone] "It says lemon juice, triple sec, and simple syrup...." Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender finally makes a drink. In summary, to Ms. Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender please understand that you work in a service industry. You exhibited a disservice to all of the strong women and men who competently and admirably perform their bartending duties. I rarely give negative reviews, but you really deserve it. And unfortunately, now I have to give this review (two stars - because at least the ambiance was kind of neat and I don't totally want to dump on the establishment just because of the Millennial Not-Bartender Bartender) to the business at which you work, and an Oakland business, at that. Damn. read more

I am ending my 6 month yelp strike (though still not a yelp fan) to rave about Drexl Bar. I reserved the upstairs couches for my birthday. Drexl was beyond accommodating, offering to reserve the space at no charge. That meant sharing the upstairs with other guests which was a non-issue. My party, including myself, had a great time. Drinks were delicious and the service was outstanding. Kudos to the friendly bartenders for making everyone feel welcomed and for the Moscow Mules. I know I'll be back. read more

Came in about 3x. Really friendly staff and love the chill vibe this place gives me. The drinks are pretty good and come in neat cups. Can't wait to see what else Drexl has to offer. Btw Marguerite is awesome and makes everyone feel welcome! read more

This bar is truly an example of world class service. I am a tenured manager at a Forbes listed customer service based corporation and was floored by the detailed and genuine approach of these bartenders take to personalize their approach. This bar is simple but the quality of the drinks and personality of bartenders makes this location vibrant and memorable. read more

A decent place to grab a drink. Dimly lit and usually pretty good music. Prefer it to Bar 355 across the street. The bartenders are awesome. I've actually never been on a weekend so it might be a different experience then. Not my favorite bar, but by far not my least favorite. read more

Skee ball! I wish it wasn't a dollar a game. Wish there was some prize for high scores. Good selection of beers. Nice venue. Fast friendly bartenders. Not a super diverse crowd thou! read more

Cool little bar. Don't have the popular brands but, you will be surprised at what they do have. Will come back again for the games on the second floor. Could be a good spot for a date. read more

Great bar. Very clean and quaint. Located in a beautiful part of Oakland. The drinks are yummy. Once a month they have comedy shows. The dynamics are interesting. I wish they served food but there are a ton of cute restaurants nearby. read more

Bar tender was attentive and sweet. He explained drink content, gave us wine to taste and bar was cosy.

The staff was very accommodating while I was there. Good open spot, loved the interior. read more

Drexl Bar - Good staff. Took care of me. Awesome open spot. - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Cool neighborhood bar. Plus, upstairs.

Love the vibe in this place. I went out on a weekend night and it wasn't crowded compared to a lot of other sports in the área. Great whiskey and tequila selection also. read more

I really like this place, its got the class of a nice bar but not the pretentiousness. This place is located in a part of town that seems sleepy after dark. But there is great fun vibe at this place, the service is friendly and there are plenty of girls to talk to, which is a plus. Its two stories with entertainment on the top floor as well as couches. The mix drinks here are created for you, not just mixed, created with intention in fancy glasses which is why you should drink here, on special nights, or weeknights, or any night really. I am visiting and my friend lives a block away, so this a neighborhood kind of place. I came here on valentines day, which is another story in its self, I like to ask women about the books they read, don't do that on valentines instead order them the house special. The parking around here isn't to bad at night and it isn't that far from a late night pizza place also walking distance. read more

Drexl is one of my favorite bars in Oakland and part of the whole 19th street crawl that is becoming a staple in my nights out. They have excellent mixologists who will not steer you wrong, and a number of coll areas that allow groups to have their own space. Love love love the skee-ball upstairs, and really enjoy the DJs on the weekends. read more

One of my favorite bars great place to have a drink and chill with friends. Their old Fashion drink which is my favorite is on point.

Great place for drinks after work. They a good selection of beer, wine, and cocktails. Close to 19th street bart station making it a good stop before going home. Wish they had some food but there are other spots nearby if you're looking for a bite. read more

I love this place! Have been coming here for a couple years now and I think it's one of the best places to get a cocktail in Oakland. Bartenders are friendly and knowledgeable, and there's a good ambience here. I recently asked for a Bee's Knees, and even though they didn't have honey the bartender was able to substitute some ingredients and make a great drink that was to my taste. The Skee-Ball machine upstairs is also fun. read more

This place has a cool vibe on the weekends and is a great place to go with a group. The upstairs has Ski ball which is available to use when there is not a private party. This place has a great variety of beers and these on the fly cocktails which are really delicious- so you basically tell the bartender what kind of drinks your into and they whip something unique and different based on the flavor profile they provided...this drink is $12. This bar is a bit pricey but otherwise is a cool local hot-spot. read more

Drink menu looks great, but I wouldn't know if they're any good. Bartender served six of my white friends then refused to serve me (the only non-white). Then he gave his friend a free drink in front of me. Later said I was over the limit even though I hadn't had a single drink there. So sad this exists in Oakland. read more

This place is dope. Can I say I'm a regular? Yep. The staff is hella cool and so are the owners. The ceilings a high and the skee ball is fun. Getcho $1 ready! Also be sure to grab a signature drink. Or a get a grapefruit Heff or Shoferhoffer it's the sweetest beer, even non-beer drinkers like em. read more

This place is kinda sorta amazing, especially the upstairs room with its arcades and industrial chick decor. Love the drinks, good service. Minus one star for seating. Should be able to accommodate a few more folks with comfy chairs given the large space. read more

Had a Birthday gathering here on 7/13 and let's just say the manager and owner were more than accommodating. Thank you all so much for making my friend birthday one to remember. read more

This could be my favorite new spot in Downtown Oakland. It's a nice space - very high ceilings, a mezzanine floor with some sofas and a skee-ball machine and space invaders. The vibe is cool, andt not too hipster. The music when we were there was prominent but not too loud - kind of indie/industrial rock.There is a TV but with the sound down so if you want to keep your eye on the game that's a possibility. The cocktail list is decent and appropriately priced at $10. There were some good drafts on tap when we were there - including the Deschutes Freshly Squeezed IPA which is delicious. A nice touch is the FFasttrak option at the bar. What does this mean? Well, if you're 'just' ordering beer and wine you can jump the line by queuing at the far left of the bar if you're not in the market for a cocktail They appear to offer some kind of bar snacks.. we didn't try them. Service was friendly and welcoming. 4.5 stars - I will be back and may upgrade this review to a full 5 once.. it seemed to be missing something, but I can't put my finger on it just yet. read more

Drexl is an absolute gem and their bartenders are the truest treasures of this world. Their beer selection is constantly rotating and always diverse and usually local, and their mixed drinks are to die for. Ask for a "dealer's choice" with a base liquor and some tasting notes and they'll take care of you like the experts they are. I've been a loyal regular for over a year and will always keep coming back! read more

super chill on a sunday friendly bartenders so friendly they chime in on convos which i enjoyed ! not the most exquisite cocktails all were decent but the ambiance made up for it. high ceilings, cozy corners, good convos .. i was happy :) read more

The bartenders "bar" is cool and the pacman machine upstairs makes it all that much more fun.

Don't worry, Dan V. No one (especially of color) believes a word of what you say. Definitely not intoxicated, hadn't even had a drink. Your bar's reputation has been posted everywhere on social media. People of color, unite! read more

Came here with colleagues for after hour. Love that there's an upstairs/game room. I love the Drexel Daisy (its a little more on the sweet side) read more

I guess if you are not white you are not welcomed here.. took almost 40 mins to get a beer. A damn beer when the place was almost empty. But if you are white you are almost instantly served go figure. Seriously a sad and horrible establishment... feels like we regressed in time to a segregation era.... smh with establishments like these. read more

Went on a bike ride with my partner and decided to check out this place called DREXL for a refreshment. Walking up to the bar, I noticed one after another as each of the three guys working the bar did double takes at my admittedly Queer Seizo Ebisubashi tank top (a hot beefy dude in boxer briefs). They each laughed out loud looking bug eyed at me until realizing my partner and I were coming to sit at their bar. Two ginger beers, please. No tip for you, bozos. We'll definitely not be coming back here. This is how you lose business. read more

Chill spot. Staff is awesome, crowd is cool. Not much more you can ask for in a bar. They even have a Skiball table upstairs! thats always a blast from the past! read more

I wish I could give 0 stars. Extremely disappointing. My friends and I came for NYE. They had been the previous year and had a great time so we decided to give it a go. Walked in and loved the environment. Cute set up, cozy feel, but right away got attitude while ordering drinks from the blonde bartender. Very rude, seemed like she didn't want to serve me, and just stuck up. A little later my friend bought a drink and a shot and had asked for a coke back. The brunette bartender gave her such bad attitude about the coke back for the shot and brought her back a water back, yes a WATER BACK. Ridiculous. As we were getting ready to leave we decided to have just one more drink and I stood at the bar as they looked at me and kept walking by and helping everyone else around me (who just walked up to the bar). The brunette bartender came back from wherever she was and I asked her if she was able to help me. Rudely, she laughed and said what? I put in my order and she turned around, walked over to the blonde bartender and told her what I asked and they looked at me and laughed and the blonde said "of course" and rolled her eyes. I'm not sure if that's their personalities or they were just drunk (as they were taking shots with almost every drink they poured), but I have never felt so uncomfortable or disrespected being a paying customer at a bar before. I WOULD NOT recommend this bar to anybody. read more

This place is literally a box... Be prepared to have no where to go and to wait forever to be acknowledged by a bartender

Love this place most of the time.... Upside: Douche bag free customers mostly... Great Big Windows with plenty to look at... Large Tv's with no sound... Very close to BART and Bar 355... Decent indie alt music... Terrific Beer selection... Interesting cocktail combos, made with love and a desire to please ( good bartender). Downside.... I asked for a beer, my money's on the bar... She grabs the money... Returns with beer, goes down to register... Comes back, and ask me was it a 10 or 20...? There is no personal love or inspirational love for the pour, everything is measured, so were all treated equally to ounce and a half pour, of that tasty bourbon you like in a shot glass. Your awesomeness as a customer does not reflect from the bartendress eyes... Where you become an individual, are even a admired lovable customer - for a pour from a bottle of delicious Bourbon straight into a glass. For that bottle to hover over a rocks glass with a napkin - and just pour into your eyes, and into that glass. It has to first make a detour through a measuring device. In the world of a barman my friends, this is about LOVE... Love of the pour... Love doesn't happen all the time to most of us... But to everyone sitting at the bar? Also : Tips happen - Tip your Bartender - This is not about money - stop focusing on money - we love you - the money will happen. Cheers!! read more

Atmosphere is nice. But nothing really special in what they are offering. Had a gin and tonic that was $12. The drink ran quite small and watered down, so price was a bit steep. read more

There's this one bar tender who is the most delightful man on the planet. He seriously is so wonderful. I have no idea what his name is but he has a beard and is so chipper and wonderful! And he keeps this bar happy and cheerful and safe! Seriously, go here, have a drink, make friends with the bar tenders! And buy them a drink! They work super hard!!! They have a skeeball table too! read more

So We(Oakland high class of 08) had our class reunion here. The place is nice good space but I'm sure they knew this event was happening they should have been more prepared staff wise. The service was horrible the staff was rude. The drinks were nasty the alcohol was cheap we asked for shots of remy and was giving something cheap and nasty called out the bartender she stop serving my friends she knew she was wrong if u don't have it say it . Mind you they didn't have good stuff like Hennessy or patron. On top of that it took forever just to get a drink. Then refusing to serve someone because y'all was rude and wrong, my friend didn't like that the bartender kept touching him he asked for a large amount of shots for a group of ppl. The bartender kept touching him so he like swiped his hand away to let him know stop touching me wasn't aggressive about it wasn't rude so the bartender tried to act like my friend was drunk and refuse to serve him anymore. Nobody was drunk instead of just saying oh I'm sorry ur gonna make it seem like he was the problem and then ignored anybody that was on that side of the bar. like I said nice place horrible service not going back ever. read more

Dealers choice by John, always on point. The man is an artist. 13/10 would drink again.

Went here with the work crew last night and, after waiting my turn, the BT interrupted my question about the two IPAs on tap with "I wouldn't know, I don't drink IPA." That was rude and unnecessary. It's his job to sell me whatever I ask about. I chose one and left him a dollar. Had he been friendly and answered my question, I'd have left him $2 or $3. I recommend you go across the street to Bar 355 instead -- their BTs are hip, cute, friendly, and knowledgeable about the products they sell. And they'll bring them to you with a smile on their face! read more

It was okay, I like the bar across the street better. This one was filled with bunch of hipster. meh