Perhaps the best dive bar of all time. Merchants is tucked away in the produce district of old Jack London ("J Lo") square. The bartenders are appropriately dismissive and contemptuous of you, even when there's only 3 other people in the joint; then they'll mix you a drink that'll straighten your pubes. There are cozy booths, a classic bar, and a dark back room that's like an inverted Narnia. But at Merchant's, Mr. Tumnus is an East Bay Rat, playing pool with the White Queen, who just finished stripping copper wiring out of foreclosed homes in East Oakland. And don't count on the Jesus Lion to save you: He came in at 8am, and left at noon to deliver produce to the South Bay. read more

Went here after watching Ladies' Roller Derby...YAY!!! Go Richmond Wrecking Belles!!! It was a hot game. Man, the girls were vicious. Anyways.....this is where the after party was, and damn I had a great time. This place was happening....and better yet..co cover charge and cheap booze!!!! read more

Can here after a rousing show at Tourette's without regrets to have a few drinks with the artists. The bartenders were fast and friendly and know how to pour a good drink. The lay out of the bar is pretty cool and it has pool tables, a stripper pole, and a little room for dancing if you feel inclined. The bathrooms were a bit on the disgusting side, but I suppose that's to be expected of a dive bar that is unusually busy. Perhaps on slower nights the restrooms are cleaned regularly? The atmosphere and lay out of the bar, combined with good company and quick, proficient bartenders, definitely made up for the dirty bathrooms in my eyes, though. Although it looks kind of gross on the outside and it's in the middle of nowhere, don't judge a book by its cover, if you enjoy dive bars, you'll love this little gem! read more

I judge a place by cheap drinks and how nice they are to my dog. Further down the line, a little, how nice they are to me. This place scores high on all counts if you are not the snot type. It's comfortable. A couple pool tables and Blondie on the juke box. It's a good place to lighten up. read more

Stop 4 on the birthday pub crawl and man I was feeling good. More cheap drinks, and billiards (?!) AND a stripper pole !?! Hell yes. read more

Still a great place, though they recently 'redecorated' by knocking out the wall behind the bar that adjoins the back room. Now they have a bar that you can get at from both sides. This place still has atmosphere and urban attitude to spare. read more

This place rules. The staff are all Super rad. The Booze is decent. read more

This is a neat little punk rock dive bar. My friend took us here on a random night. A band was about to start so we got out of the $5 cover because we promised to have one drink and then leave. My drink was sweeter than usual but the staff here are really nice and down to earth. The lounge area is small but cozy. They have a killer jukebox as well with a lot of variety. I saw everything from The Cult to Lady Gaga and just about anything in between. The stage is pretty small but the band were pretty rocking from what we heard. I would definitely go back to this gem in a heartbeat. read more

2 stars for ambiance and extra star for drinks. This truely is the model for all other dive bars. You definetly have to have a couple drinks to feel comfortable there, and luckly a couple drinks will cost you under $10, inclusive of tip. I appreciate the bar for the kitchiness of it all - it's punk, it's divey, it's against the grain - and I'm sure that made some fans cringe. I would go back. I like the place, I think you just have to be in THAT kind of mood or THAT kind of mind set...a divey, scary bar kind of mind set. read more

Divey ambiance and fair selection of drinks, what is to be expected of a dive bar. Make sure you have a Cali State ID. If you don't the front door guy will go full geek on you which is seems weird to me because it is located so close to a military base but Whatever. read more

Get the bloody Marry sure! They light the bacon on fire and make it with some sort of cucumber mix- very spicy and refreshing! It's a very local-ish spot with all kinds of things/writings to look at on the walls. read more

Merchant's Saloon - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

I love this bar. It's seedy, has history, and never seems too crowded. Oh, and it has the old urinal trough on the floor (under the bar). I don't think you're supposed to use it anymore.. but it is there.... I can't even imagine how they did that back in the day. I mean you're gonna splash someone's shoes or legs... how do you apologize for that? (Oh shit..sorry about peeing all over your leg.. can I buy you a drink?) Bonus! They sell pork rinds. Who doesn't some deep fried pork skin to go with their afternoon cocktails? read more

Wanted to catch up with a friend after a tasty and filling dinner at Souley Vegan. This place had great acoustics for that. Don't let the old photos fool you; the bathroom was really clean, not under construction, and smelled good. Yeah, a bathroom smelled good. Drinks were awesome. Bartender was friendly and non-condescending.. and very attractive. Artwork was... conversation starting. Music was.... shuffled? I don't know how to describe the music. Radio friendly rock, then hardcore punk, then 90s rap, then an old school love jam, then Metal. Shuffled. I have no idea what was going on until the jukebox broke and what sounded like someone's iPod filled the secondary speakers. Can't complain. I was chatting with my girl for more than 4 hours. Ran into other friends there who verified that this was a cool spot. Then again, we popped in on a Thursday night. Can't vouch for other nights of the week or weekend, but I had a great time. read more

I like Merchants. Plain & simple, review over. But for my tens of readers that will actually check this out I'll do my best to elaborate. See, I like dirty bars. Not the kind of bar you find in a strip mall in Fresno that only plays Toby Kieth, but rather the sort of place that only portends to be the place it is. A place where I can forget about the infiniteness of my day and simply.... slip away. I want a place that doesn't look like my cubicle. I want a place that doesn't have menu's and that doesn't require too much thought of me. I want a place where I can order a neat scotch (points if you realized I didn't mean nifty) or a high life and affect the same reaction from the bartender. I want a place where I can play pool and no one bothers me. Don't get me wrong, an overpriced beer at RN79 or a worldly beer from Trappist is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. That said, when it's not, when solitude is on the menu then Merchants has the best blue plate special in my neighborhood. read more

I love this place. It reminds me of a smaller East Bay version of my favorite SF bar, Zeitgeist. People are pretty friendly for having so many facial tattoos and piercings, the atmosphere is grungy and somewhat ironic, the drinks are cheap and the men look like they might be cheap, too. (That's a compliment, BTW.) The TV is off when the jukebox is playing and when it is playing, it's way too loud (my only complaint and I didn't ask for it to be turned down, so my bad). A male friend says he gets in fights when he goes there, but I've never seen a fight and not really gotten any bad attitude. There was however, a chihuahua who was walking back and forth on the bar some of the time that I was there, and she was a little cranky. ;-) read more

One of my absolute favorite places to stop into! Love the band's that play here. They have pool tables, karaoke, and a girl that is obsessed with playing mudvayne and marilyn manson (me!). I had so much fun saturday night..we had the whole place dancing to the jukebox before the metal band came out! Looking forward to the next time we go back! Prices are right here. Service is great. read more

Merchant's Saloon - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Most awesome dive bar, EVER. Look up "dive bar" in a dictionary. If there isn't a reference to Merchant's -- throw your dictionary away. This place absolutely is the essence of dive-bar-iness. I've spent many a night here teaching my liver who is boss... and my liver loses every time. SF *thinks* it's got dive bars (Phone Booth, et al)... but if you're willing to do a reverse bridge-and-tunnel maneuver... you'll discover what a REAL dive bar is all about. read more

Took a cab here from my hotel, told the cabbie the street and he tells me, "oh, you must be going to the Merchant's Saloon, you look like the type". Uh, ok. thanks, I think. Here is the scene when I arrived: An older lady is playing pool, for some reason there is a brand new tube of neosporin ointment on the table. She takes her shot, puts her cue down and proceeds to apply the ointment to a sore on her arm. She then remembers that she has another sore on her thigh and rubs some on that boo-boo as well. What the fuck is going on here? I love it! Went to a huge party here and did not get thrown out even after beer bottles were thrown on the ground and tables were overturned. My kinda place! read more

The word "dive bar" gets tossed around alot in these yelp parts. It seems to me that any bar that is not a plush ultra lounge, club or have some theme is called a dive bar. Even bars that would be just neighborhood bars are called dives. What gives yelp crowd? However the Merchant's saloon is a true dive. PBR tall cans? yes. Inebriated bartender? yes. Pool? yes. Tats/piercings? yes. Strange Music on radio? yes. It does all this in a totally awesome way. The crowd looks a little rough around the edges but overall not un-friendly. I loved the graffiti all over the walls as well. We downed our PBR tall cans, talked bs with some of the local patrons and went home happy. good times were had by all read more

I know that someone said that this is a 'love it or hate it' kinda place. And while I agree I still don't know for myself if I love it or hate it. How is that for an opinion? read more

Two demonic swordfish battle for dominance as the bartender queues up The Grand Conjuration by Opeth. Maybe you get a little too into Opeth and start gently elbowing the guy behind you by accident as you drink some of the excellent booze to choose from. That guy's friend has to politely ask you to stop before the guy punches you in the face. You oblige. This is my kind of bar read more

If you are looking for a very diverse bar that feels at home. This is the place. Met a lot of cool people here that I consider close friends now. Good place to shoot pool and drink cheap booze. read more

Unless someone plays every Johnny Cash song on the juke, this place is great. I won't admit how underage I was the first time I came here to play pool while I was supposed to be at school, but it was a while back. Celebrated my 21st birthday here (also a while back...) and until two years ago or so the shit I wrote on the wall was still there. I always have a good time when I go to Merchants. And I never feel like I'm not cool enough to be in there. Only one problem: I don't go enough because I get dragged to Radio or Lost Weekend or some such place... Merchants is also a great place to take your camera and get some amazing shots. read more

Well well well, where do I begin? If I had gone with a group of friends, I'd be like bros, where's the ho's? Luckily I arrived with a cutie and they had an open section just for us, sticky floor, janky tables, black lights, glowing high school art from a stoner hippy guys bedroom on the ceiling and yes a stripper poll. That's right an elevated section with black lights and a stripper poll! So why is it the place lacks females? I mean come on it's klassy! So maybe it was just a down night but it wasn't that busy here at all. Big space and all with some pool tables and what not. lots of crazy writing on walls and a shitty bathroom. Yup sounds like most places around here right? Well it's not you gotta check it out. The music was rockin, Ozzy, ACDC, even Easy mutha fuckin E and who all knows what else. It was a little too loud though for sure making it hard to talk. OHHHHHH and fucking get this, TALL cans of PBR!!!! YES. read more

Diveyrst dive bar in town. Fuckin love this place. If you don't like it, fuck off and go somewhere else. I'm sure you will find something (hipster fuck.) read more

Excellent dive bar with appropriate atmosphere and decor. One of my new favorite bars. The crowd was friendlier than some of the hipster bars or dive bars I've been into in Oakland. (I hope positive reviews don't bring in too many hipsters because it'll just get louder and darker without as much charm or friendliness). I seem to recall a decent jukebox selection and pinball - both pluses in my book. If you hate indoor smoking, slightly dingy or dirty surroundings, or a random cast of downtown Oakland's denizens, then this is obviously not the place for you. Update: As I sat down randomly, I notice that the label in front of me on the bar says, "Chief Eli" - this bar was meant to be my favorite in Oakland. Now that's worth 5 stars! read more

As far as your traditional 'Dive Bars' are concerned, 'Merchants' does it with some style. In particular; a two-sided bar, pool table, a jukebox, and a few booths for getting cozy with your friends. Yeah, I'm pretty easy when it comes to being impressed by these 'simple', yet inexplicably rare amenities. My two visits here thus far have been quite rewarding as far as sating what I was looking for: - Good conversation - Good brew - Good people-watching opportunities. As I mentioned, it doesn't take much to satisfy me as a customer. As long as you have Racer5 on tap and patrons to interact with, I'd say you're doing pretty well (for me). Merchants delivers all of this and you will probably see me there on a dull Thursday night. See you there! read more

This is definitely my main bar in Oakland, they have have a great location, drinks that are cheap in price but strong in alcohol content, and an atmosphere that suits all people (Bikers to Hipsters). I love that they open early and close late everyday of the week, it makes it easy to catch an early morning drink before heading to the city. The beer selection here is kinda small, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. Also, be sure to have Sammy make you a drink, he is one hella good bartender, his drinks are strong but still taste smooth enough to sip. read more

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God bless a dive bar. Olympia beer in a can: one dollar. Tall cans of PBR: I don't know how much, but they have them. They also offer shots of fun whiskey for not many dollars. We had been meaning to try this place out for a while and it lived up to whatever expectation you put on "a great dive bar." It is not fancy. It makes your wallet happy. Woke up with lights on, jeans on, and funny bar napkin messages from some of the cool peeps we met along our magical dive bar journey. Can't wait to go back...on a bike. read more

Hoards of workers unloading semis full of packages to warehouses outside. Little unassuming door. Jukebox full of great music. Dark, red-lit caged booths in the back with a stripper pole. Rambling drunken middle aged overweight guys trying to hit on your girl. What's not to love about this place? Definitely will be revisiting. read more

Not our cup of tea. Much older crowd (30s through 40s) and despite the amazingly cheap drinks, the place is super grimey...

A fun place to come to. It's kind of punk-rockish and the drinks are reasonably priced. My only complaint would have to be that sometimes, it's so damn hard to get your song to play on the jukebox lol A lot of people have already picked their songs before you have and you'd be lucky to hear yours while you're there. Oh well :) read more

This place is excellent. I have recently moved here and I miss some of my bars back east, but Merchant's helps to fill the gaping hole in my heart. Or maybe that hole is in my liver. Yeah, probably in the liver. Extra stars for indoor bike parking. Sweet! And yes, they now have wireless internet. Pics attached. Plus they take credit cards...this place has some surprising amenities even beyond the oft-mentioned pee trough. Excellent bartenders. Open early, with Price is Right viewing. read more

Merchant's Saloon - Drink and Surf, Dork! - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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The 5 stars are mostly for nostalgia. Many moons ago my father took a newly 21 year old to Merchants for a birthday celebration. Back then, it was a SUPER dive and I immediately fell in love. If I remember correctly it was just me, my dad, and a toothless old man at the bar.... (Okay that part might not be true...) 3 rum and cokes (I didn't know what to order) and it's been our bar ever since. I just moved back and was in the area last night and thought, why not grab one a merchants! Much to my surprise place was full and much cleaner then I remember it! The bartender was very nice and put up with my annoying questions about beer. And instead of the shot I ordered they poured me about 1/4 of the bottle in a glass! It was huge. Obviously I'm looking forward to cashing in the many "good for 1 drink a Merchants" coupons my dad's been giving me ever since the first time. read more

You'll either like this place or you won't (by-the-way, if you search it in google, it'll come under the link of "Merchants' Lunch", don't let the name fool you. You definately don't want to grab lunch at this place. If its not pre-wrapped, don't even think about it.) If you want divey and grungy then this is the spot. Its over in the produce district of Jack London Square right on the corner of 2nd and Franklin because you'll probably pass right by it if I didn't tell you. The atmosphere is laid back and dingy and for some yelpers (but not this one) maybe even scary. The walls are covered in tags, there's a pool table in another room and even one of those old fashioned troughs at the foot of the bar stools just in case someone pukes. Fortunately I haven't seen that yet. I'm actually one of the few folks who likes this place. UPDATE: 2/9/07: They've gotten a little make-over...A new coat of paint and music videos playing on a wall by way of projection. Tray-shi-shi. ;-) read more

Yeah this is a dive! A good one. My wife and I stopped in for a beer after watching a movie a couple blocks away. There were about ten people in the bar (to be fair, we came at 7pm on a rainy Saturday). It's a dive - dark, cheap booze, and you occasionally wonder if the whole bar's gonna fall apart. The tap covers the basic, there are cheap beer and shot specials. The bartender and patrons were friendly. Interior's huge. Loved the black light fish on the wall above the entrance. I'd be back if I was in the neighborhood. read more

I'm going ballsout on this one. It's only for the NOT faint of heart. Not to put too fine a point on it, but, it's not a "dive bar" as most reviews say. It's an old bar for aged hippies. Estab. 1917, it has a fascinating history. The current owner is trying to get landmark status so no "upscale gentrification developer" can take the wrecking ball to it. It's in an old produce neighborhood. Rotting veggies in crates line the curbs. But--there are signs that upwind from all that stench are some sharp-eyed investors ready to pounce and buy cheap, rehab, and flip at a huge profit. Hopefully the Landmark Commission of Oakland won't let that happen. What a loss it would be. As soon as you walk in and the atmosphere immediately envelopes you like a cloud of opium smoke, you look around and expect to see biker dudes with 'tudes. It just has that clubby, chummy, no lookie-lous allowed vibe. But couldn't be more opposite. No chips on bared shoulders here. Just friendly smiles, open conversation to anyone who wants to jump right in. The drinks are almost too generous, and the bartender is generous with the freebies, too, if you engage him in conversation and ask him about the history and how the bar got its name-- because if anything doesn't look like a "merchant's bar", it would be this. Yes, as stated elsewhere, the 'latrine' smells of urine even before you go in. The proper name for such a cubicle would be "pishkatoon", broken Italian for stinking piss hole. We played one game of pool. But when I had to stand in the left corner to jockey for my best shot--I found that the ceiling was slanted low (like an attic ceiling wall) and blocked full extension of the cue stick. What a joke! But, it only added to the charm, since we're lousy pool players, anyway. The bartender told us to make sure we come on a Sunday when the owner makes an appearance to whip up his personal creation--the Brunch Bloody Mary--not to be confused with a Bloody Mary Brunch--another important fine point. It takes him ten minutes to make each one so the bartender will encourage you to have a drink while you're waiting. There's a long line of fans waiting for them. I haven't had one yet, but I hear it has something to do with bacon soaked in grain alcohol and lit on fire, burnt well, and then served in the glass along with other brunch-type accouterments. If you're not a Miss Priss or a Mr. Fastidious, it's worth popping in for a drink and the closest thing you'll find to a come-down from a bad trip you'll find anywhere since 1972. read more

I stopped here first before going further into JLS, I said let's check this bar see if they can make a chocolate cake shooter.....DING DING DING!! We have a WINNER!!! read more

Merchant's Saloon - Chocolate cake shooter & vodka cranberry!!... Its a CELEBRATION!!! - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Holly crap.....cheap ass drinks. Well is $3 pbr $2 on a saturday. Shots of jameson is $5. read more

Merchant's Saloon - Hella scary shit.... - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Great little dive bar with the best priced booze in the area. Happy hour is the best at any time of day. Some friendly bar tenders and patrons depends on whose there... read more

Merchant's Saloon - For the fisherman among us. We will catch that fish...no matter what. - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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