Pretty chill spot with a lot of regulars. Kava cocktails are tasty and effective. Plenty of board/table top games for you to play while you wait and enjoy. read more

Rootwater Kava Bar - Wide open seating with broken in couches. - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Let's start with saying that Mike was a pleasure to speak with. Having never tried Kava, he suggested my friend and I try the actual kava drink, which to me was strong in flavor but tolerable, much like a tea. I wanted the one that would make me sociable and my friend wanted the one that would relieve anxiety, etc. Kava is natural, and from what I've been told and looked up there are many in Arizona, but few here. I recently stopped drinking alcohol, but a few months prior when I was thinking about trying the non-alcohol route I spotted Root Water and made it my mission to come back soon enough. They're located right behind where Souley Vegan used to be, and right across the street from Buttercup Grill. So first thing is that Kava is from a root and is completely non-alcoholic so no worries there. It is meant to drink as a relaxing drink and while you will feel great inside, it is more like a relaxing drink than anything else. The actual Kava drink was strong in flavor but tolerable, and it comes with a small spoon to stir the drink whenever it settles. When I say tolerable, I mean I'd have it again and it tasted almost like an herbal tea that I'd make at home without agave syrup added, but stronger than what I could make at home. Does that make sense? If not, curiosity should lead you here just to give it a try. Rootwater appealed to me because when I order mocktails at bars, the juice ends up costing the same as if I had my regular margarita. It doesn't make sense to me to order $15 mixed juice, and I don't want to pay that much anyway. Who does? For 2 kava drinks & 2 mixers here our total tab was $40 for 4 drinks in total. "That Girl" is their mixer drink that I think was quite delightful as I have always favored the taste of blood orange in anything, but it was also nice because it balanced the taste of the OG Kava drink. It was also mildly sparkling. Overall, the vibe here was a 10/10. I love that Mike was forthright with giving us information on kava after I told him I was a first timer, though my friend wasn't. We had questions, he answered, and he was very hospitable. Kava Drink - 8/10. The taste will grow on me. That Girl - 9/10. read more

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This was my 1st time trying out Kava so I had some questions about it which was answered. It's an interesting and great alternative to alcohol for sure. I did enjoy the Japanese Jazz music they had playing in the background which added to the relaxed atmosphere. read more

Terrible service. The attendant in the evening on a Saturday in an almost empty bar couldn't be bothered to give any information without an attitude. We were excited to have an evening at home with Kava to-go, but apparently we had to know someone already in this "gatekeep-y" place. Kind of ruined the experience. read more

First time having Kava. Good place to try kava. Gay Friendly fun crowd. Flavored Java drinks available, but I recommend a shot and a regular Java drink. Earthy with a touch of pepper to the taste. Bar, tables and lounge couches available. I'll be back read more

They serve kava drinks--you can bring your own food. You can also buy kava in bulk--just bring your own growler. The kavatender was friendly. The servings were generous. Their prices were reasonable. It is a nice place to bring friends to hang out. The place looks industrial but clean. We went there last night and were back again today. My partner has used kava to stop drinking alcohol. It just made the process of not drinking alcohol very easy. It is a dog friendly establishment. Friendly dogs are welcome. read more

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Overcharged $17 and shown a false receipt :( I'm bummed to write this review because I want to support kava bars and small businesses.  I came to Rootwater with my mother to enjoy some kava. I ordered three kava sparklers and they were tasty but I didn't notice any effects. This was strange because I've had plenty of kava and usually feel at least a light buzz on two drinks, but I didn't think much of it. When I went to pay, the kavatender, Andrew, said he couldn't produce a receipt. This was odd. I expected to review the charges, sign, and leave a tip. I asked to please see the charges so Andrew took a few moments on the screen, asked for my phone, and took a picture of the terminal screen. It showed three kava drinks for a total of $24.09. The screen looked more like a checkout page than a receipt.  When I checked my credit card, I saw Rootwater actually charged me $41.28. This is an overcharge of $17. This makes me wonder whether our drinks had any kava given we didn't feel anything. Andrew, I'm confused. I was friendly and partly asked for a receipt so I could leave a tip. Why would you do this? Ty (Rootwater owner), can you please look into this?  I hate to leave a negative review because I want to support kava bars in the bay area. For me, kava is about bringing community together. It sucks to see a kava bar illegally overcharge a customer and not issue a receipt. I hope Rootwater management addresses this. read more

Rootwater Kava Bar - Actual credit card charge by Rootwater, an overcharge of $17 more than the kavatender showed - Dive Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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LOVE LOVE LOVE it here. My love and I were walking to our car when we saw the neon sign that read "Root Water" and that alone piqued our interest. To my delight, we discovered it was a kava bar! I've been a kava fan my whole life, and this was a pleasant surprise to discover. The service was awesome, Ty is super friendly and cool to talk to. And kava drinks were delicious! Ty also shared his knowledge of kava with my partner, leaving us with a deeper understanding of the kava world (which I always appreciate). The ambiance is relaxing, chill, intimate, and fun. Discovered one of our top 5 spots to visit in Oakland. read more

My girlfriend and I were visiting San Francisco for a little vacation. We're from Sacramento and love going to the kava lounges near us, so we decided to check out Rootwater while on our staycation. The kava was great quality and wasn't overpowering. The staff we spoke with was very welcoming and gave us phenomenal service. Rootwater has such a calm aura and good vibes. They are very welcoming and a very inclusive establishment to the queer community. We will definitely be making this a regular stop whenever we go to The Bay! read more

I haven't had Kava from a bar before always from family gatherings and the sort, but the service and the taste was very much similar. The music was good but there was a live DJ so I'm not to sure if if will be the same next time. My one thing is that the bowls are filled too much and it's slow to drink. It would need to be stirred frequently while drinking or smaller portions so the Kava powder doesn't sink to the bottom, and your last sip is grainy. read more

A belated review, but came here a short while back. It was my first introduction to kava. The guy at the bar was super helpful, friendly, knowledgeable, and explained it all to me. Inside, it's a chill vibe (more like a friend's basement hangout lol). It's a pleasure to support local businesses like these. read more

Reincarnation of the true Melo Melo experience with many of the same staff. Stronger Kava. In Jack London square. which has its good points and bad points. Good points is there is lots of places to eat.BD points is there is a professional ring of car burglars and they are expecting hitting your car, busting your window and grabbing stuff from your trunk in less than 3 mins. These are pros, not homeless people. Daytime should be ok. read more

Me and my friend had came all the way from Modesto to specifically try Kava drinks. She had been wanting me to try it since she really liked it in Hawaii. We got cute and ready to come to Rootwater and things were just going left for us already that day but hey at least we're finally grabbing some kava. We arrived, ordered 2 drinks and not even 10 minutes later got kicked out because our perfume was too strong ??? Mind you we were sitting about 6-10 feet from anybody. I ended up throwing my drink away. This was such a disappointment, me and my friend ended up just going to Nations around the corner. Which we could have just done back home in Modesto. read more

Very nice personal, good vibes, good quality kava! Will be back for their Halloween Party! read more

Walked in out of curiosity and felt immediately comfortable and chatted with friendly folks. The kava is served properly without sugary enhancements. I like that they serve it out of a cup/bowl as opposed to a shell that may or may not be hygienic. Briefly met the owners and they were very welcoming. I'll be back. read more

Friendly staff and good kava. The place feels pretty new but the ambiance is still good and the vibes are there!

The kava they serve here is exceptionally potent and relatively well-priced. Nice friendly bartender as well.

Everything at Rootwater makes you feel like you're family. The space is cozy (big enough to hang out at the bar or sit by yourself at s table,) The bartenders are knowledgeable and kind, and they make dang good (strong) kava for cheaper than I've found anywhere else in the Bay Area. I truly cannot recommend this place enough! read more