pretty good american/pub place just outside the UC Berkeley/Haas campus. eclectic clientele, from blue-haired "ladies who lunch" to professorial-looking academics to students. service was super friendly and nice. interior is very comfortable and pub-like with dark wood. decent selection of beers on tap and a pool table (but not a dive-bar vibe) good sandwiches. will definitely stop in again when I'm close by and cravinga beer and sandwich read more

First time trying this place. Great burger. Ordered it Medium, got it Medium. The Blue and Gold has a great balance of Blue Cheese and Balsamic Onions which does not overpower the flavorful beef. Will definitely try this place again... And just a 5 minute walk from my office. read more

I just wanna give a shout-out to my server I don't drink alcohol and I asked her for a seltzer she clarified a alcohol free and she brought me a perfect drink. That was so sweet and kind. She was Asian and working this Tuesday night ! THANK YOU and I hope this review gets you a raise! read more

The bartender with the black beard and I think an accent?... I love free house, but this bartender ruins my experience every time. First time I came, he was extremely rude to my mother. And threw her ID at her when he ID'd us. I let it go. Now, coming to get a beer with my friends. I order a beer, and he does not make eye contact with me, and sighs when I order one drink. Then, after I pay, he throws my ID at me! And doesn't say anything! Not coming back to this place, I will go to a restaurant who treats their customers respectfully. It is not like this place is super cheap, I will go to a place worth my money. read more

This place has been changing management a lot. But look, it's the only spot you can get a drink in this part of town, and they have a decent lineup of beers. Foor used to be not great, but recently I ordered a burger and fries, and it was pretty good, so things have changed in that department Well earned 4/5. read more

Good atmosphere, TVs above the bar were a bit small but made it work to watch the game. Service sucked. I ordered a drink, bartender looked me up and down and said that's a $16 drink, opened my mouth to reply and they cut me off saying "it's a yes or no question" before walking off. Thought it was maybe in my head until they came over at the end and said it's been really busy- not quite an apology. Drinks were what you expect at a pub. Wish I could give more stars but won't be coming back cause of the experience. read more

The quality has gone done since the days of Adagia... but Freehouse is one of the closest sit down restaurants on the upper end of campus. The food is honestly not that great IMO. Usually I love fries and you can't really go wrong with fries, but even their fries are dry and have little flavor. Not a very big menu selection either... Usually just go with their burger. What I found odd was when I ordered their turkey burger, it was deep fried. It wasn't bad.. but it was just different. So beware if you are not expecting a fried turkey burger. read more

Freehouse - Turkey burger and garlic fries - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Really like this place a lot more after their recent renovations! The change is reflected in their friendly service as well! I stopped by Friday night at 8pm and it was only half full. We sat outside in the back, which has fire pits and a great atmosphere. We got 2 beers ($6 each I believe) and their mac n' cheese ($8), which was really delicious. Service was really efficient. read more

Freehouse - Mac n cheese ($8) was delicious - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

I stopped by here after a stressful day of grad school with a large group of classmates. The indoor decor and outdoor ambiance are really nice in a classy-I'm-not-in-a-college-town kind of way. HOWEVER.....the HORRID service I received today has completely turned me off from coming here again. A classmate of mine forgot her ID at home so a friend of ours got her a beer at the bar. The rest of us didn't think it was a big deal - we're all WELL over 21 and we thought it was more out of convenience rather than us "sneaking around the law". It's laughable to think about any of us having to steal an ID for alcohol anymore. We had chosen to all sit down at a table when a waiter came and asked us all for our IDs. When she admitted that she didn't have her ID, he IMMEDIATELY grabbed her beer, THREW down the rest of the IDs and walked away in a huff. I kid you not, the IDs bounced back up when they hit the table. Are you serious bro? Our table of 10+ was completely turned off by this interaction and we stayed only to finish our beers. We felt all of the waiters eyeing our table the rest of the night, as if we committed some heinous crime and needed to be scrutinized. I understand that this place is right across from the Berkeley campus. I get that there are laws and you need to cover your asses as an establishment. What I DON'T understand is needing to be COMPLETE JERKS about these laws to your patrons. It just makes no sense whatsoever. I'm seeing a lot of similar reviews on the service and a fellow Yelper had almost the exact same story as mine. Save yourself the aggravation and go somewhere else....I definitely will NOT be back. read more

Not really sure if they're trying or if they care. Plates have been empty on table for 15 minutes now. Place isn't that busy. coke refill...well took 10 minutes for him to notice empty glass at edge of table. We would have better luck to throw it on the floor and smash it. That way we could have got some service. Pretty sure our server bounced half way through our meal. Well, good for you. If management is reflected through staff, and staff is reflected through customers...then booooo! Wouldn't mind knowing flavor of bread pudding either...been waiting for that for a while now. Henry's it is. At least drinks are better there. read more

Freehouse - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Appetizers are so yummy! Great place to sit down with friends and chat. Service is very friendly. read more

Freehouse - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Free house, to me, is a classier version of Kips and Pappys. It has a huge selection of beers and interesting cocktails. The interior is nice and homey, with a large outdoor patio. I'd definitely come here for the drinks. However, the food and service is another story. Service is pretty poor, as the waiter will probably ignore you until you try to actively get their attention. My friend and I ordered the Buttermilk Fried Wings (it was "Wing Wednesday" are every where else ran out of wings). However, one of our wings was pretty raw. When we told the waiter, he said, "It's a bit undercooked, so what?" To me, it seemed pretty rude of him to say that. Drinks: Yes. Food and Service: No. read more

Freehouse - My "a bit undercooked" chicken. - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

3 hours of waiting for the worst food of our lives. Manager was a complete a**. Would not come back even if a zombie apocalypse happened and this was the only place open for food. Stay away at all costs. read more

So fun, delicious food, beautiful architecture and interior details. It was super busy because we went before a Van Morrison show at the Greek, so the quality of service was profoundly stunted (NOT the server's fault, just a mad crowd) but we didn't care. We loved it! read more

Freehouse - Fried chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries, and the Cobb salad. YUMMMM!!! - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

FINALLY a place that actually knows how to cook a burger medium-rare!!! My friend Mars and I came to Free House after a LONG time of saying that we ought to give it a try. The experience wasn't anything to write home about, but it was pretty darn good nonetheless. It was smaller than I expected. I actually live in the same building at the Berk and have never been inside the actual restaurant. I imagine it would get pretty crowded on gamedays and weekend nights though! Something that flustered us at the start was the lack of initial attention from the waitress who was meant to be serving us. It wasn't busy at all and I didn't appreciate having to wait over 5 minutes for water as I was very thirsty. I think water is the most important thing at a restaurant. You should immediately be given a glass and it should never go empty. It's easier said than done, I know. I've worked in restaurants too, but I definitely think Free House could have done better considering there were only two other parties sitting down to dine at that time. On to the beer. I ordered the celebration lager by Sierra Nevada. It was ok. It was a little strong for my liking, which I wasn't expecting. Good quality though, Mars tried it and really liked it; just not my cup of tea. I ordered the cheeseburger and it was AMAZING. So moist and perfectly cooked. The truffle butter mayonnaise was also a nice touch. It made the burger perfectly moist. The fries were also delicious too. They were very salty, which is EXACTLY how I like my french fries. There could have been more though. If I'm paying $12 for a hamburger, I don't think more than ten fries is too much to ask. They were so good though so maybe I'm just sad I couldn't eat every single fry in the restaurant. The downside of the meal was Mars' food. It was a very small platter. She ordered the blackened tuna salad (also $12). There were only four little pieces of tuna and some noodles of some sort. She said it tasted very good, but it was no more than a side dish as it was very small. I felt bad because I think she left hungry. It was slightly pricey, but overall good quality. I definitely would come back, but since I'm a broke b***h on a budget, I won't be able to that often :/ Just remember to refill the waters and maybe up the portions a tad. read more

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I liked the rustic feel of this restaurant, with its high ceilings and large wooden tables. Judgment Day beer was good and a steal given its $5 cost and 10+% alcohol content. Chicken sandwich + salad was hearty and satisfying. I could see myself spending many nights here and meeting with friends. read more

Free House is an okay option for catching up with friends over beers when you're too lazy to get to DT. Otherwise, I've always felt there were better options. Pros: atmosphere, beers; Cons: avg food, prices. Food/Drinks: We mostly came for the beers -- there's a selection of about 20+ beers on the menu. We tried the chocolate jesus porter, mango IPA, and a bitter. The porter, despite it's awesome name, wasn't as heavenly as it sounds, but we were happy with the brews overall. We also ordered a Cobb Salad and a Veggie Burger. The Veggie burger patty had a good texture but zero flavor. Even a bit of ketchup would have helped -- disappointing. Atmosphere: Cozy with large outdoor area good for when the weather warms. Couches and billiard table too. It's literally 20 feet from campus, but it's not usually packed with students (probably because students usually overlook it). Value: Beers were good value at $6 a pint. Food prices relative to rest of Berkeley are on higher end, and I personally wasn't impressed enough to pay again. Service: Nice enough -- waitress was helpful in choosing beers! read more

Freehouse - Veggie Burger - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

No complaints about this place. I visit Berkeley for work and I always look forward to going to this place because of the awesome beer selection. I got the Mac n cheese and chicken wings and both were really good! This is a great place for drinks and pub type food. read more

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This place has an outdoor area that fits about 76 people and about 80 people. I would say this place fits about 160 people. On a Wednesday, there was about 30 people with at least 3 servers. My first impression of the service was great, our host promptly seated my family and I and offered menu and water. (5/5) for that. The server, "Manny A", promptly came to the table and asked whether he could offer us drinks and food. Without hesitation, I ordered a steak and a Merlot to go with the steak. My family ordered two steaks and one chicken pot pie. The food came to our table about 10 minutes. It's relatively fast and I was satisfied with the speed of the service. (5/5) However, everything well wrong after the steaks were brought out to us. Firstly, my merlot was nowhere in sight. I was DONE with my steak, sweet potato fries, and my mixed green. Unfortunately, my wine was still not there, so i cancelled the wine. When i mentioned this to the server, he was unapologetic and simply walked away without saying anything. (0/5) Why was the wine not there? Glad you asked, he was too busy checking in with the table right next to us, which consisted of two girls. I thought he would check in with us regarding of our experience, but he walked away instead. As was shown in the picture that I posted, the water was never filled at any given point of time. (0/5) I could not blame the food because I truly enjoyed my steak (5/5), but the service that was received on this night was (0/5) I gave three stars because the service wasn't like this all the time. There were time when I received great service from this place and tipped 25% due to the great service and the food. I'll give this place another chance and adjust my rating accordingly. My recommendation to you is to give this place a try, but if a server treated you like this one did to my family and me, then you should have the right to voice your experience on here and let others know about it. PS: you can get your server's name on the bill. Hope this helps a bit to you. Happy November. read more

Freehouse - Empty glasses. - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

Four of us went to Free House to check it out, as we had never been. We ordered our food and drinks fairly quickly. BUT this is where things took a turn for the worse: about 30 minutes go by without any word from our server. Mind you, it was not a busy evening at Free House. Eventually, our food came out (before our drinks, at that!) and EVERYTHING WAS COLD. The drinks also had melted ice in them, so clearly they forgot about our food, left it in the kitchen, and didn't even bother to reheat it before serving us. Again, it was not at all busy at this place. The cherry on top is that it took another million years to get the check. Save yourself the frustration and go get food/drinks at one of the many competent restaurants in Berkeley. read more

I came here for lunch a few days ago. We were cheerfully greeted when we came in, and I felt at home right away. It was a cold day, so we got the option to sit near the fire. It was perfect! I really enjoyed the ambiance at Free House. Now onto the food. SO YUMMY!! I ordered the cheeseburger and house fries with truffle sauce on the side. Definitely the right choice. I finished both my burger and the fries without feeling stuffed, but comfortably full. I didn't realize that a gem was so close to the school. I will be back for more! (Their macaroni and cheese looked delicious...) read more

Freehouse - Cheeseburger with fries! - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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4 stars for being the closest bar to the law school. I mean really that's all I need. Other than that, the beer selection isn't bad and the prices are pretty average. I'll probably end up eating there soon since it's so close. read more

Pros: - skillet cookie with vanilla gelato - lots of seating (including outdoors) - solid sweet potato fries Cons: - noisy - difficult to get service during busy hours Bottom line: If you go, remember that Free House is located in a college town. The service, ambiance, and food will not blow your mind. read more

Freehouse - Hawaiian pizza - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Solid dinner experience and promising bar scene! The Free House building is a jazzed up former frat house, so the ambiance was reminiscent of a classy ski home on a cold Tuesday night. It never got loud or cluttered inside, and most of the crowd on our night was dressed business casual, perhaps coming after work or migrating over from the Law School across the street. Indoor and patio seating filled up pretty quickly even as early as 5:30pm on Tuesday, with big groups that tended to linger, so reservations are highly recommended. Our server was very attentive and friendly throughout the night. Food was also tasty, if on the heavy/fried side. Delicious, but the fried, fried, and salty combination definitely necessitated something to drink (not a bad business strategy). Some highlights: - Their "side" fries portion is huge! And so perfectly fried with liberal salt/pepper/spicy powder that gives it enormous kick. - Black bean burger, particularly the acme bread bun, was delicious. - THE SAUCES were great. Spiced ketchup that came with the fries was def superior to your typical ketchup, and we went through the aioli sauce pretty quickly. - Their blue cheese sauce has huge chunks of blue cheese on the bottom, of which I am personally a fan, but might be daunting for most Overall I had a solid experience. I would definitely recommend the unique ambiance of this restaurant/bar. read more

Freehouse - Black Bean burger - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This place is a must-go if you are a Berkeley student! The exterior looks like a house and the atmosphere is really unique, almost old-fashioned. If the weather is nice, I recommend sitting outside on the patio but if not, inside in one of the wooden tables or even on the small couches. The drinks are a tad bit on the pricer side but worth it for atmosphere. It's located right across campus so sometimes if you're tired from classes/work it's nice to come and chill with your friends here for a couple hours. The only downside is that they don't open till very late. read more

TIP: As the weather warms up, enjoy the sunny, beautiful patio! It's clean and open until 11pm (with heat lamps, too). Technically, that's tip number four. Since the last time I've been here, a couple things have changed. The patio is awesome. There are still a few benches that can't be used yet, but it's really nice out there. The circular tables can be pulled apart and lengthened to accommodate larger parties. The service is still not as good as I think it can be. I understand that I was with a large group of rowdy students celebrating the end of a project, but considering the fact that they're located across the street from campus, wouldn't they kind of welcome these large groups? Instead, we get a waitress who doesn't seem like she really wants to serve us, forgets two drink orders, and tells me she doesn't think I ordered what I ordered... oh well. It all ended up okay though--no big issues. And stick to the beer (and admire their ever-expanding whiskey collection!). I got a nice glass of the Denogginizer from Drake's Brewing Co. in San Leandro. It's just one of the many IPAs they have on tap for $5. We ordered some fries, but it's really not worth the money. read more

Posted hours are not reliable. We were turned away at 10:30 on a Saturday night, when posted hours said midnight. We took our group of 8 to another business. Call first if you're traveling any distance. read more

Yummy artisan drinks! The pretzel wasn't soft enough and was a bit dry. However, the Cobb salad with iceberg lettuce was yummy and cool plating. read more

Freehouse - Pretzel with Pilsner beer dip - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Food is average, don't expect something really tasty. Most of their staff are friendly but we got one that missed the order. Sticky tables. The good: very cozy place, nice decoration and good beer. read more

Freehouse - Free house burger, average. - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Nice little restaurant not too busy around 12:30, sat outside because it was a nice day. Ordered a side of fries-a little greasy for my liking and a lot were burnt at the tips. Got 3 different dipping sauces. Overall good experience! read more

I went back to free house today. It still sucks. The cheese in my "grilled" pastrami sandwich wasn't melted and my fries were all stubs, no longer than an inch in most cases. read more

Freehouse - Cheese not melted on my "grilled" pastrami and checkout the stubby fries... - Bars Near Me - Berkeley, California

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When near UC Berkeley go here, Food special was great. Well priced and great service. The building is a castle and lovely to dine in. Highly recommended. read more

What a positive surprise! From the outside Free House seemed like more of a private club or a slightly more upscale dinner. But this place is pretty casual, yet with a really cozy atmosphere. I can't wait to go back and check out the outdoor seating, even though I'm a fan of the tudor style indoor. My burger and sweet potato fries were good and had just the right prize point. Would give the place a five star if my bacon had been fresh. Don't mess around with bacon! read more

I have mixed feelings about this place. The fish in the fish and chips was good, as were the fries. The tuna sandwich was pretty decent, although it did have a pretty unique flavor. However, the slaw that came with the fish and chips was disgusting - a dry-looking pile of cabbage plopped in a small puddle of what looked like dingy water. The chips (not fries, American chips) that came with the tuna sandwich seemed to have been left out for days or weeks - beyond stale and having long sense given up any hope of maintaining crispness. read more

4 stars for the beer, 1 star for everything else, so a 2 overall. 1. Service takes FOREVER. Order everything at once (drinks / food) and still wait 45 min. 2. There were 4 of us and 3 of us ordered a meal with fries. 2 of the fries were refrigerator cold. There are only a half dozen things on the menu, and fries come with all. How hard is it to serve fries hot? 3. Order a glass of wine, but literally got a half/glass serving. Server argued with us saying he filled it himself. We've been there before, and his pour was poor. We went to the manager and he gave us a free "full" glass of wine. 4. The beer is good and cold (like the fries). Great location, otherwise it would be out of business. Drink beer there but avoid everything else. read more

I love the food here, but the kind staff is overworked. It can lead to cold food, slow checks, etc. The prices are fair and the food is fresh an delicious. read more

Bartenders are terrrrrrrrible. Of all Berkeley bars, which I drink often and frequent trips to, the service was non attentive and couldn't even pay the bar tab when things got the slight bit busy. Recognize when someone is trying to flag you down to order more drinks or pay the bill. This happens, but no place this poor during daylight. Good beer selection, 2 stars for that. read more

Free House is our Thursday night staple. As part time MBA students, we work hard, study hard, and attempt to play hard. But after long days of work and classes, we default to the closest bar, which is Free House. When Free House was closed temporarily earlier this semester, many of my classmates were in shock and panic. When it reopened, there was a huge celebration. I've been there more times than I can count and it is a-ok. But let's be honest, if it wasn't so convenient, I doubt we'd keep going there over and over again. My drink of choice at all bars is the Moscow Mule and Free House's version is pretty terrible. It's extremely sour and comes in a glass instead of a copper mug. After the Big Game a few weeks ago, I consumed more of those bad Moscow Mules than I can count. I think it was because I was already quite intoxicated before I got there. When I tried to drink one completely sober, I could barely finish a quarter of a glass. Anyway, the firepit is nice and the prices are fair. I like it more than Henry's and I guess it's nicer than Tap Haus in terms of drink selection. read more

I went here with coworkers. The food was okay. The atmosphere was fun. The beer selection was fine. I wouldn't have had any complaints... But then they undercharged me on the bill. About $75 instead of $175, so pretty significant. After they ran my credit card, I looked at the amount for tipping purposes. Although I was in a hurry to leave, I did the honest thing and told them about the undercharge. They then made me wait for about 20 minutes while fixing the problem (which involved a swap with another's table's charge). They re-ran my card for the $175, apologized, and assured me that the $75 would be immediately refunded. Inconvenient, yes, but altogether not a big deal. So...that was about three months ago...and they still haven't refunded the $75. I found this so annoying that I even wrote an email to the manager. No response.... Apparently, that's the price they charge for honesty these days. Do the right thing, and in reward you can wait 20 extra minutes, pay a $75 fee, and then waste your time writing emails and yelp rants...argh. On that basis alone, I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Thank goodness for Freehouse. After spending my first few weeks in Berkeley fighting throes of undergraduate students to get a beer, I was pleased by the prompt service, booze selection and ambiance of Freehouse. Frankly, I certainly can't hate on a place that has a huge patio with heat lamps, fireplaces, comfy furniture, a nice beer selection and a SUPREME whiskey selection (ooh, lawwdy!). My boyfriend and I stumbled in for supper on a Wednesday and really enjoyed ourselves. The service was good, drink selection was great, and our food was nice. Granted, we had the pizza of the day and split a wedge salad which aren't terribly difficult dishes; I've never met a pizza I didn't like and I would consider drinking bleu cheese. Still, we were pleased. My only complaint is their very limited wine choices but seeing as cooler temperatures are on the way, I'll happily stick to beer and whiskey! Good on ya, Freehouse! read more