Came to Oakland for a wedding and stayed for the weekend to explore a bit…read more Drakes was a place I wanted to check out and I'm glad I did. The beers on tap were really good and their pizzas where equally as good. The vibe was really cool and I love how much seating there was. The outside is massive and they also have a cool smaller inside which can still sit a fair amount of people. Staff was super friendly as well. Would I come back.. if I was in the area yes for sure. Good drinks and food and if you want to catch a game they have TV's for that as well.

Food was good. Service was friendly. It's one of those places that if you order from the QR code,…read morethey bring out your goodies, but then they don't come back unless you order again. That kind of sucks if you like to have water. Every time you order, you close out and tip. I don't know if that makes much sense. My favorite was the Drake's Press. You pick your fruit and it's served with fresh lime juice. I picked strawberry and it was like a perfect virgin strawberry margarita. I added some soda water to dilute it a little and is was still delicious and refreshing. The summer toast was good. The today was perfect and crunchy. The labneh was cool and creamy and topped with basil, bacon, peaches, mint, and hot honey. Maybe it was too many flavors because the peach didn't come through, but it was tasty. My fella got the fries and he wasn't very impressed. I think he said the sauce over powered everything. We also got the picked vegetables. They were okay. A little more on the sweet side, but went well with the toast! I loved the backyard setting vibe. It was lovely and the weather was incredible.

We celebrated our mom's birthday at Wood Tavern. The food and drink were delicious and service was…read moregreat. Five stars. For details, keep reading. Wood Tavern met the criteria for a relatively nice American restaurant in North Oakland. We visited for lunch and wanted to make this special for our mom, so we were perhaps a bit overdressed in business casual, but this is Oakland after all. On an ordinary Thursday, there were multiple groups waiting outside for the restaurant to open at 11:30 AM. That in itself should tell you how popular this place is. My wife and I dined at sister restaurant Southie next door a few years ago and really enjoyed it (I also rated it five stars on Yelp), so I was confident Wood Tavern would not disappoint. I initially booked our reservation using OpenTable to link it to my account and get 100 points. Since the max party size for Wood Tavern on OpenTable is four, I had to call to get it changed to eight. Due to the large party size, the restaurant also required me to give them my credit card info and be subject to a $25 per person no-show fee. Upon arrival, our tables were ready for us in the back corner near the open kitchen. The restaurant is true to its name with a shared bar and dining room space that evoke the feel of a wood tavern. Here's what we had: Wine of the Day * Rosé (100% Zweigelt), Stefan Pratsch, Niederösterreich, Austria, 2024 ($16) "N/A Libations" and other drinks * Cherry Bomb! non-alcoholic cocktail ($13) - Tilden Lacewing, Amarena cherry, lime, ginger beer, tall glass * Shirley Temple ($5) * Diet Coke ($5) * Iced Tea ($4) Soup & Salad * Red & Golden Beet Salad x2 ($16 each, one with fish added for $8) - frisee, castelfranco, pistachios, orange segments, Laura Chenel goat cheese, Cara Cara orange vinaigrette Sandwiches * The Hot Pastrami x2 ($25 each) - Emmentaler cheese, Dijon-horseradish dressing, La Farine baguette Old Reliables * Seafood Stew ($32) - rock cod, Manila clams, PEI mussels, calamari, butter beans, fennel, leeks, chili flakes, garlic toast * Pork Ragu Casarecce ($30) - Castelvetrano olives, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, chili flakes, parsley * Tavern Burger with French Fries on Acme Soft Bun with All the Fixins x3 ($25 each, two with cheddar added for $2 each) Everything was excellent. As for what to order, I recommend all of the dishes we got. It really just depends on what you like and/or what you're in the mood for. Everyone loved the food. The beet salad was fresh and flavorful, the pastrami was one of the best I've had anywhere, my mom raved about the seafood stew, my brother-in-law gobbled up all of the casarecce, and the burger was outstanding. Service was polite and speedy. Our server Sophia C was awesome. We split one of the salads and the stew, so they came out plated and served in half portions which was nice of the kitchen staff to do.

Those who know me, know that I'm not a fancy guy. Which is why I always get the reliable pastrami…read moresandwich at this place. It's good and a solid meal for the price point. The pastrami sandwich comes on a baguette, which I love. It's nice to sharpen my teeth on that crunch. The pastrami itself is made in house, and it's delicious. They cut it fresh. It also comes with a small side of coleslaw. They use a Dijon dressing that is absolutely fantastic. Be sure to ask for extra dressing.

I visited Horn Barbecue and I NEED management and ownership to read this carefully--because what I…read moreexperienced deserves to be recognized on a higher level. First of all, my order was TO-GO. And let me tell you... when I got home and opened that bag, I was honestly blown away. My food was packaged with so much care, precision, and pride--it was neat, organized, and handled like it actually mattered. That alone told me everything about the level of service in that building. Candalen--YOU DID THAT. The attention to detail on my plate did not go unnoticed. You treated my food like it was being served in-house, and that speaks volumes about your work ethic and pride in what you do. Aaron--listen... that peach lemon drop??? BABY. That was my first time trying one and it was EVERYTHING. Smooth, flavorful, perfectly balanced--you made that drink an experience all by itself. I will be back JUST for that. And let's talk about the vibe--the music, the energy, the atmosphere--it all came together in a way that made the entire visit feel GOOD. Not just food... a whole experience. But what really stands out is this: It has been a LONG time since I've experienced service this genuine, this intentional, and this excellent. Not rushed, not careless--EXCEPTIONAL. Management, if you are reading this--please understand--you have some powerful people on your team. Candalen and Aaron are the kind of employees that elevate a brand. They are the reason people come back. They are the reason I will be telling others. This wasn't just a good experience. This was the kind of experience that turns customers into loyal supporters. I will absolutely be back--and I will be bringing people with me. Until next time, WUHAPN NATION

I have been telling my friend about how satisfying and delicious the food at Horn BBQ is, but every…read moretime we came by the restaurant was closed. Finally, we were so excited to see it was open on a Saturday an we came in for lunch. To order you need to scan the QR code and pay plus tip before a single person spoke to us or offered us service. From the menu we saw they were out of beef ribs, smoked chicken, rib tips, no peach cobbler, no banana pudding and no kool aid. I come for their brisket and my friend loves ribs so we went ahead and ordered combo plates to share. Mine was the brisket with a side of collard greens, she had the pork ribs, a hotlink with a side of Mac-n-cheese, & cornbread. For drinks we had lemonade and an Arnold Palmer. I'm not sure what has happened over the last few months but the quality of the food, the service and the expectation to pay and tip up front were very disappointing. The greens, Mac cheese, brisket and ribs were cold. The hotlink wasn't BBQ'ed it was pan fried. Everything tasted like warmed up leftovers and we will not return. For 2 of us to eat it came to $100 and we were not satisfied. The dining room is an attractive space, it was completely empty. The staff was unclear about what we ordered, had to be told to bring our drinks, bartender is also working as server and apologized for his uncertainty. I suggest this restaurant hire and train more staff if they intend to keep their doors open.

Darrian (I hope I spelled her name right) was amazing) from her warm greeting when I walked in to…read moreher attentiveness while we ate and making sure we didn't lack anything. Food was great: we had a burger, sandwich and wings! The drinks were hella good, too. I got the thirst trap. Overall experience was great and we will definitely be back.

My wife and I visited this spot yesterday to enjoy their Happy Hour. The place is small, but…read moreperfect. They have outside seating as well. We sat at the bar. We were immediately greeted warmly. We ordered the Summer drink and the Peach one (Both found on the menu). We ordered the Original burger with fried egg and avocado. It was delicious. The burger was big, flavorful and everything was cooked how I needed it to be (We shared the burger and small fries. It was enough for 2). We ordered more drinks: Chocolate martini (Not on the menu, but ask for it...so delicious), we had tequila shots and my wife had a Mezcal drink prepared by the bartender (Not on the menu, but it was tasty). The bartender was funny, accomodating and amazing. So amazing that I did not even know he was the owner!! Lol.. his name is Mike. He such a cool down to earth dude. Like very personable.

Was kind of lost riding through Berkeley and saw this spot. Great find…read more I order the Hyphy chicken sandwich Came with shaw, their Hyphy sauce and Jalapeno,and a order of fries for 20 bucks. I loved it. I loved it so much I took the time to add it to my Yelp reviews.. When I the Berkeley area I will be stopping by to experience something else off the menu..

Nice set up. Safe neighborhood. Staff is very kind which I appreciated. Love them…read more Been here twice. Burger was amazing the first time and so so the following time. The sauces are great, everything the burger has going on works. Will try again. Haven't tried the chicken sandwich bc it's dark meat. Fries...so crisp and flavored!!!! Mango lemonade is amazing. This place is definitely worth visiting multiple times.

Homeroom is a popular Mac and Cheese spot. It was indeed, yummy as anticipated. They have a few…read moreoptions on the menu that elevate the classic food. It was filling. Thank you to our server, Anthony.

TLDR: 50 minute wait between sitting down to getting your food. Don't visit thinking this is a…read morequick drop by kind of place. While this visit was in between the lunch and dinner rush, unfortunately I think they are understaffed because at the time we sat down there was only 1 person who was busing tables and taking orders. As a result, it took a while for them to be able to stop by our table and provide water, take our order, etc. There was quite a long wait between sitting down to ordering to actually receiving our food. By the time we had actually received our food, almost an hour had passed. While we were waiting, a few other servers eventually joined, but service was still pretty bare for us and we never received refills on water or plates to eat off of when we received our food. I understand that staffing and a backup in the kitchen are out of the staff's control, but it would've definitely helped for us to know in advance how long to expect to wait to align our expectations and arrange our plans for the day. Would advise giving customers a quick heads up/warning because that on its own would've made a big difference. As for the actual food, we ordered the mac trio with elote mac, chicken pot pie mac, and kogi short rib mac (for an extra fee). The elote mac was the best and most flavorful, the short rib mac was okay but not amazing or worth the extra money, and the chicken pot pie mac was very bland/flavorless and didn't have much chicken in it. The food didn't feel like it warranted the wait time and because of that I would not return.

My only question is....WHY haven't I been here sooner?! I…read morewas craving pastrami, so I looked on yelp for pastrami in the area. My mom and I came in around 2pm on Monday (8/11). It's a cute delicatessen/restaurant. You order at the counter and they bring your food to you. Immediately the staff was so friendly and welcoming. The woman at the register was very nice and asked if we had any questions. My mom and I shared a pastrami sandwich, Brussels sprouts, fries, and slaw. It was reasonably priced for the Bay Area. When they brought the food to the table I was shocked. Everything looked amazing and very appetizing, and the portions were much bigger than expected. Before she brought the sandwich over, she asked if we were sharing it and was so nice to split it into 2 plates for us. That was very kind for her to do. Let's start with the French fries. Omg they were perfectly crisp but still fluffy on the inside. They had so much flavor probably because of the beef tallow and had just the right amount of salt on them. There was a side of mayonnaise with the fries, and it tasted homemade. I meant to ask them if it was. It was very good lol I couldn't get enough. The poppyseed slaw was very refreshing and it was tangy and sweet. We loved that the cabbage remained crispy and it was great for a warm day. The fried Brussels sprouts were full of flavor. They were a nice balance of sweet and salty. I loved the bacon on them. The hot pastrami sandwich definitely satisfied my pastrami craving! There was just the right ratio of meat-cheese-sauerkraut-mustard-dressing. The bread tasted freshly baked as well. It was full of flavor. And the side salad that came with the sandwich was excellent. We loved the tanginess of the dressing. We were shocked that there wasn't more people inside, but also for 2pm on a Monday, it probably was just an off hour. We had so many leftovers as we both don't eat very much, but lol as soon as I got home I started eating some more of the slaw and salad. Can't wait to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow. We are already planning on coming back to try the meatballs next time and definitely trying their Indian cuisine! I'll have to bring my husband here next. Thank you guys for an amazing lunch!

I'm sure there are other good things here but I keep just getting the cheese steak. The picture…read moredoesn't do it justice. It's a warm, crunchy roll, the chopped steak and cheese are perfect, and there's a salad next to it so you can take a bite of that while you're waiting for the next bit of your sandwich to cool down. Do yourself a favor and order this in instead of carrying it out. The roll is warm and crunchy and I think too much time in a bag would make everything less delicious. (I'm sure it's still good, it's just *better* if you can eat it when it's fresh.) I swear one of these days I'll try something else on the menu.

The food has an almost addictive flavor that seeps into every dish and bite…read more If your nearby and hungry please go

Food was tasty, but I completely forgot to take pictures…read more First time at Lovely's. We sat outside, and the atmosphere was great. This is the perfect spot for large groups hanging out with friends, but it also works well for a casual date night. Service is legit here. I don't eat beef, so I decided to try the Impossible Burger. I highly recommend ordering the Westerner Burger with an Impossible patty. They grill the patty thin and crispy, and it's probably the best Impossible burger I've had in a long time. The fries were solid too and paired well with the burger. The overall vibe was relaxed, the outdoor seating was comfortable, and the food came out fresh and flavorful. Vibes: 10/10 Flavors: 9/10 Cleanliness: 8/10 Portion: 9/10 Coming back? Yes