3.5 Wine bar located in downtown Oakland with great happy hour pricing. Happy hour is everyday until 6pm. Small food menu that consist of charcuterie and cheese. There is not actually hot food items here on the menu. Everything seems pre-made/ canned. The little snacks does go well with wine options. They offer selected wine flights and have a cute game/ challenge for it. They have you guess the wine to win a flight. Definitely a game to take a risk on if you are wine connoisseur. read more

The Punchdown - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Can't say that I loved it, but maybe it's just one of those new bars that will grow on me over time?! I came here and met up with a group for happy hour a few months back. It was my first time trying it out and I was excited to hear that they opened a new wine bar in Oakland! Me looooves dat wine, ye! The red wine gal is who I be! But this red wine wasn't all of that to me unfortunately. I'll admit, the place has a bit of swagger. That wine cave is very enticing and I love the intimate setting and the unique sliding doors to the restroom... yes those sliding doors! Hey, they caught my eye... don't judge me! I love when places have unique elements to them, and that was just one that I observed. The ambiance though is a little off putting. The place is small and it felt very cramped inside. The bartender who took my order didn't try to engage me at all. I'll give her some credit due to how busy it was, but she seemed really preoccupied and I felt very rushed. The pours here... well, let's just say that they weren't as "generous" as I was hoping for. Maybe it was just that night, but I ordered three glasses of the house red wine during happy hour and it seemed like the amount of wine that I was given shrunk each time. Speaking of their wine... I really didn't enjoy their red blend too much. Granted it was happy hour, however, there are few other nice wine bars in the area that serve up some excellent house wines! So, I feel that it being "house wine" or "happy hour" really isn't much of an excuse. I will say that their happy hour deals are pretty nice though. Who doesn't love paying $5 for a glass of wine instead of $9! I think I will definitely give it another chance soon. It seems like a place that I would love to come to after work to "wine down" at. We'll see if they work out some of the kinks... until then, I think I'll be sticking with my old and faithful Barrel Room and District in the meantime. read more

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Always have fantastically funky and fun flights. Hard to find the wines they have anywhere else. Love to stop here for a glass or three or a few bottles read more

My husband and I were going to a Gala at OakStop. We wanted to grab a quick bite and a glass of wine before. We saw this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try. Upon arrival we walk in and we noticed there are about five wine barrels blocking the initial entrance however there are people eating and dining behind the wine barrels. We look around kind of confused no one approaches us finally a young woman comes and said hi that was it. I said hi we would love to have a table for two preferably inside. She goes do you want me to look or something? I reply with yes. We end up getting seating as we meander our way through the wine barrels. We grabbed two appetizers the burrata and the lobster with butter. I had a sparkling wine my husband had a Pinot noir. We asked for a glass. For reference The menu says taste glass or bottle. The glass on average is about $15. When both of our glasses arrived they were easily poured for a flight. Barely any wine. We get the burrata with warm bread that was decent but I could've gotten it at Trader Joe's. Then we get our lobster my husband and I are excited about this. We dunk our bread generously only to find the lobster was cold. Ice cold lobster in freezing ass cold butter. Freaking nasty! It was legit like old cat food. $120 later we will not be going back. If I could give zero stars I would give -1. But would not recommend. Ever. read more

For some reason the patronage here is like 70% ladies! The wines are mostly (or all?) environmentally friendly and some are free of sulfates and other chemicals found commonly in store bought wine. I had a great experience with the pop up food. I don't like potato salad because of the mayo, but I had the best potato salad ever here. I wonder if this might have been authentic French potato salad. But I don't know. read more

The Punchdown - Delicate Potato salad (best I ever had) - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

AVOID AT ALL COST!!! One of the worst experiences I have had at a bar ever. Apologies for the wall of text. Bartender (tall, non-white, male presenting) was one of the rudest individuals ever encountered; completely ignored the interracial couple multiple instances, served the white people who came after, rudely stated the times it would take to prepare a wine flight and a burrata plate (at a wine bar...hmm), and when inquired as to why he's being a d*** (verbatim) stated imagined snide comments that I was making behind his back and how busy he is. I kid-you-not, at one point he literally pointed to the kitchen and told me to ask the kitchen staff how long it'll take to make the food (sorry, what?). read more

So glad we have this place near our office in Uptown! A small intimate spot with a bit more upscale feeling than the other bars (which are also good for some occasions, but we really need this place to stay in the neighborhood too!) read more

Great wine by the glass - $5 - at happy hour. Tasty snacks - the white bean dip with bread is excellent.

So glad The Punchdown is back! Great vibes, very generous pours, reasonable prices, and a huge selection of natural wines. Service is non-pretentious but knowledgeable, and the bartenders can help you navigate the deep menu and wine cave. They have lots of pre-defined flights that you can pick from, so it's a great place to try out new wine styles. The blind tasting is fun if you want to challenge your palate (and I believe you get it comped if you guess correctly!). Would definitely recommend for a date or group hangs. read more

The Punchdown - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Quaint little natural wine spot conveniently located right outside the 19th street Bart exit! Great for happy hour get togethers or date night. We tried two flights, one glou glou light reds and another rose flight and got a range of funky to traditional flavors. Bartenders can recommend based on your likes. Some friends and I got ham and cheese sandwiches to pair, making a tasty adult "lunchable" dinner date. read more

The Punchdown - Ham and cheese sando - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Here at 4:30pm on a Saturday. Not super crowded. Been here about 30 minutes. Ordered wine, haven't received it yet. Tried to order food only to find that they're out of almost everything due to a kitchen emergency - would have been nice to have been given warning when they sat us down. The party seated near us arrived 10 minutes after we got here and they've already been fully served. The staff seems nice enough, but we feel completely forgotten. 3 stars because I had a good first experience here a couple months ago. I don't know what happened today. read more

Great spot in Uptown to try wines you wouldn't typically see. Super comfy setting with different spaces to choose from. We decided on the large natural slab table in the front. Even when another small party shared the space with us, it was still big enough to create separation. Love the Square payment. Super easy to split the bill for our group. No stink eye here. Straightforward and individualized transactions at your perch of choice. And the flights? So many to choose from. Pours are generous. Wish the menu could provide more detail on the notes of the wine, instead of just the grape. Food is prepared with care here. Even a very simple cheese board had compote and the epi baguette was toasted. Lately, I noticed more sensitivity to wine and afterwards I actually had zero headache. I attribute it to the free filtered water and sulfite free selections. Fun spot, gets busy around 5PM. Returning soon. read more

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Came here after wandering about Jack London square. This place is focused on natural wines, which I quite enjoyed. Service was really nice and there is a blind tasting flight of here wines that you can try to guess. If you get it correctly then tastings is free. We were only able to guess one out of the three, but felt really good we managed at least that. Charcuterie plate was awesome with Acme bread and home made chicken liver mousse and a wonderful pickled slices of apple. read more

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Went back to the Punchdown and had the most AMAZING light red wine the owners set aside for me. Sooo yummy!!! read more

The Punchdown - Light red, yum!!! - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Reopened June 15, once again the best place to drink natural wine. Expanded selection of fancy tinned fish.

Came here with my gf for happy hour. No line , plenty of seats. We ordered some house wine , charcuterie platter and bone marrow each. Everything was delish! Truly enjoyed our happy hour. Service was on point. Bathroom was clean. Happy hour starts at noon every day. Will definitely come back to try other wines. Parking is a little difficult. Trust!!!! read more

I saw pretty good reviews on this place on yelp and decided to check it out yesterday. I went 30 mins before closing hoping to still be served, but when I entered the server just looked at me and refused to serve me. She went on to mention that the bar was closed and that there was no room for me. I was a little confused as to why she would say the bar was closed when there was still a good amount of people still drinking and enjoying themselves at the restaurant. I am not the one to be bias or judge but as a black women, the way I was addressed and serviced was very unpleasant and if refusing to serve people based on their representation is what this business stands for. I will not be coming here again. It's quite shocking that this would happen at a bar in Oakland being that the demographic in this city is quite diverse. What happened was very sad and I hope the customer service at this bar improves because this is 2020 and no one should be treated the way I was. read more

I didn't love this place and I'm not sure I'm going to go back. I felt like the server barked at me when I attempted to approach him with my ID and vaccination status, as opposed to waiting for him at the front. I put in my order for food and after seeing everyone else around me get theirs first, I asked about mine, to which he responded he didn't hear me when I initially asked. Maybe you should turn down the music then--also so I can hear my friend better too. When I asked for the check he began to show me the tablet, then said "wait, hold on", turned away, made a couple changes, then presented me with the bill despite there not be a itemized list of everything we ordered; felt a little suspicious and just added on to the not-so-great experience I was already having. #notimpressed read more

My favorite go to place in the bay! The absolute best little wine bar with an excellent food menu that never fails! I literally crave this place all the time. Especially because of their amazing burrata, olives, and bone marrow. Can't get enough! And the bread is always baked fresh. So delicious i can cry! This place has a wonderful rustic vibe with cool music and an great selection of bottled wines to choose from. My friend and love getting the blind flight and are determined to one day guess all 3 right! The best part is that this place has a variety of different people from all ages and social groups. You dont have to worry about that pretentious bs a lot of wine bars have. read more

Barely interacted with staff. Didn't pay attention to us at all, but they really busy & I was enjoying my intellectual conversation with my fiend, so I let that slide. BUT, then a waiter -who mind you, had met him for the first time while he took our tab- had the audacity to ask us why we didn't leave tip and I clearly told him kindly that I did not leave a tip because I barely interacted with any of staff members. I had 4 different staff simply drop off drinks& bread to the table. They did not talk to us at all and they only took our orders upon us chasing them down. The staff did not put any effort into us and I honestly didn't care much UNTIL this same guy THEN THEY HAD THE AUDACITY TO CHASE MY FRIEND DOWN while we was waiting for his Uber, complain about why we didn't leave tip again and told us never to come back if we aren't leaving tip. Build a bridge over your gentrified asses and get over yourselves. How dare you chase customers down & demand a tip for doing a mediocre job. You didn't do anything special, none of your staff asked us how anything was throughout our stay or cared to even check on how we were doing or if we needed any more wine. We had to get up our seats EVERY time. Tips are not mandatory, they ware earned & clearly your entitled actions demonstrate why we didn't leave you a tip in the first place. Do not waste your time coming here. Pro Tip: Disregard the condensing apology & the scapegoating these Susan's will leave below. God bless! read more

I love everything about this wine bar! It's so good that I actually considered considering to maybe possibly move to Oakland ;) but seriously, I'm happy in SF but the PD is a few steps from a BART entrance so I'll allow it (I don't typically go to the east bay on weekdays but I made an exception for amazing company and I'm so glad I did!). The Punchdown is cute and has amazing ambiance without being pretentious or snooty. Wine pours are generous, prices are fair, and the menu is extensive without being overwhelming. I love that they offer so many flights. The wines are accessible and nothing is too out there for a curious palette. Happy hour ends at 6pm and they had a house rosé for $5 that was great! I also had a glass of the house white which was also perfect. The burrata was heavenly and the epi baguette (Acme) was the perfect vessel for it. Sadly, one of their employees had a family emergency so their food menu was limited but everything coming out of the kitchen looked great! Service was kind and the crowd was diverse (another advantage over SF wine bars). I haven't been this smitten with a wine bar since Resolute on Geary in the City. Even the bathroom with its sliding reclaimed wooden door and subway tile was delightful. Highly recommend! read more

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What a great place to come and hangout!! The happy hour here is such a steal. Great wine choices as well as snacks. Came on a Saturday evening around 5 and it was not busy at all, but as the night went on the place got packed and I definitely understand why! The wine and food are so delicious. We got the burrata plate and it was perfect to split! The house Rosé is super yummy and so is the sangria! This is the perfect place for a date night and I can't wait to come back! read more

Natural wine is the way to go! Definitely on the rise and I am so thankful that it is. Great spot to try something new, grab a fresh baguette and burrata and chill at the bar. Friendly and very knowledgeable staff is such a plus when it comes to a spot like this. read more

Walking in, the doors/windows were not incredibly clean. Props for checking vac card. Service was not impressive. They didn't seem to know that much about the wine. The wine, which is all natural with no sulphates, tasted ok. Wouldn't recommend it unless you like effervescent, grapefruity wine. The $10 corkage fee for buying a bottle of wine (which all the good wine bars do, staff said a little haughtily) and drinking it there seemed absurd. read more

Walked in at 9:15 for a quick post dinner wine and snack but when we walked in the two girls behind the bar were counting their money and said they were closed. Hours say they are open until 10pm. Please update the hours. read more

I love it here! The happy hour is awesome (everyday until 6pm)and the small bites pair well with their list of wines. They have a small outdoor area in the front but their inside is lovely. The only downside to my experience was the service, it took a while for someone to come help us and it seemed that the bar was the only place for prompt service. read more

Have been coming here more often, been making its way into the rotation. Wine and food (esp happy hour specials) are great and more reasonably priced than other local natty wine bars. Service is usually just OK, but yesterday had someone who was straight up rude / off putting. 4/4.5 stars usually. read more

As others have noted, the service is sorely lacking in professionalism and friendliness. There seemed to be a cliquey group that the staff remained unduly preoccupied with, to the neglect of mere customers like my party. We got grudging service as if we were interfering with their conversations. One guy who seemed like the owner or manager just played liar's dice with someone across from him at the bar and shot us snooty glances, never engaged us. The wines were abysmal: we each got a "flight" of organic reds that were distinguishable from each other only by variations in cloudiness; all were weak and some had a vinegar taste. The bread that came with the $13 tin of fish was good, so our time and money were not completely wasted. We won't be back. read more

We asked once on a Saturday afternoon. "Is our charcuterie ordered?" "Well if you ordered it then it's coming!!" 6 people at the bar. Never likes it when it was first opened, still shitty and prejudice attitude 3 years later. read more

Went in while in Oakland last night as I live close to their sister location in Sonoma County. To say the staff were dismissive would be an understatement. We sat at the bar and it was almost comical how much they went out of their way to ignore us. Took forever to get someone to even acknowledge us, and they literally didn't say one word as they dropped off our drinks and food. We ordered two flights and a cheese plate (which was tasty). The white wines were decent but the reds were borderline undrinkable; horrible smell and aftertaste. I was very grateful to be leaving a wine bar that had THE WORST vibes. I'm super disappointed as I work in the industry and have been looking forward to checking out the second location in Sebastopol, but probably won't bother to avoid a repeat of last night. read more

Wines are not good and one of the staff was particularly rude and pretentious. Given a cloudy wine that tasted like vinegar, she poured herself a taste (from a different bottle) and said it's the natural flavor of these natural wines. read more

REVIEWER # 45 The Punchdown is another one of those hidden gems in Oakland! The building that blends in and looks like a random office buildings, the small sign outside that says "The Punchdown". Yea, this place is not easily noticeable. The only way I was able to find it was because the address numbers that is displayed on the top of the door. A big pro about this bar is that it is directly located next to the 19th Street Bart station! Totally convenient! After trying most of the wines on the menu, I wouldn't dare drive home! I'm just saying. My first experience of Punchdown was on 1/26/17 for a Happy Hour Meetup Group! D.C and Lisa (the owners) welcomed our big group and even extended the happy hour till 7PM! Little history of The Punchdown: It first opened in Oakland in 2010 and in 2013 they lost their lease however, 16 months later the reopened. Yes, people! That's right; they made a big comeback by opening back up last year to a bigger location! YES! The owners really take pride in natural wines. Reds, White, Orange, even flight wines! Punchdown has a daily happy hour and light appetizers (prices are very decent). I didn't inquire about the wine club but I hear they have a wine club which may be worth signing up for! Walking into Punchdown you will instantly notice the dim lights and the high ceilings as well as the "Bottle Shop" full of wines that they have inside. I love the vibe that my group and I received from here! What I also enjoyed about Punchdown was the flights of wine! Why just taste one when you can taste three different types. My favorite flight was the Bubbly but they also offer unique flights, such as, "Broke ass" and "Adventurous Orange wine" and it's supposed to taste like orange wine (literally). This place is perfect for date nights! I can definitely recommend this for all the men that is trying to take a beautiful woman to a low key spot away from all the loud noise. Just walk into the Punchdown and grab a table in the back or the wine bar and enjoy yourself! Punchdown! I am truly crushing on you! I love me some wine and to know that I can have a decent flight of wine close to a Bart station! I am truly sold! Big shout out to D.C and Lisa for opening up this new location! Finally, I can have all my local bar and wine spots close to each other! read more

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During this lock down due to Covid-19, I realize I miss our daily meet spot. A business partner and I come here around 3:45 at least once/twice a week. Great wine and bites. I miss the house rosé and canned sardines. The staff is much better from when I first started coming here. Also, some of the best wine from around the world. Can't wait to sit outside and have a bottle. -- just to people watch after everyone returns to their respectful 9-5. Also feel free to get educated by the owners regarding their wine. Great friendly couple. read more

Not really much of a wine drinker but coworkers wanted to try a different spot for hh. They have a decent beer selection and some of the beers and sangria for $5 for hh. The sangria wasn't too strong but was refreshing. Service wasn't too bad as the bartender was busy with keeping up with the bar/tables. Great location as it's right next to 10th street bart. They do have food but it's a bit pricey for what they serve. read more

Super sweet little wine bar with charcuterie. Good selection of wine and cheese platters. Got two house wines and the burrata plate. About $40. Outdoor seating is limited but intimate for a date - good for a sunny afternoon. Plenty of indoor seating. Good for dates. Parking is not bad. Came here 6:30pm on a Saturday. read more

I had a 1st date at this location and was apprehensive due to the reviews. But, my experience was very positive! The customer service was great, the sparkling wine flight was good & the servers were very knowledgeable. Nice experience overall. read more

Argh, there's just something so enchanting about a dimly lit, cozy, modern wine bar. The Punchdown was a random stop as part of our unplanned Halloween adventures. The place was next to empty while we were there so we had plenty of attention from the nice bartender of the evening. The selection here was interesting, and the flights were fun. Our bartender of the evening was passionate about the wine they have to offer and was ready and eager to answer any and all of our questions. Although our stay was short (we had to go to another Halloween party), we had a wonderful time at the Punchdown and would come back to taste some of the other wines and food selection that they have to offer. read more

The Punchdown - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

I know absolutely nothing about wine, which is why I love unpretentious wine bars where the staff is happy to make recommendations and give tastes without rolling their eyes when they realize you know nothing. The Punchdown was one of the first times I'd tried orange wine but it definitely sold me to it and I keep my eye open for the option at all other wine bars I go to now! It was perfect paired with their cheeseboard which was a perfect size to share and featured a perfectly fresh baguette :) While most wine bars are dark and 'sexy,' this new location is much brighter and more approachable than I'm used to. You wouldn't feel weird hanging at the bar and having a glass by yourself with a book after work if you wanted! read more

The Punchdown - Orange wine! - Wine Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

The Punchdown was a delightful fallback after a underwhelming experience at Miranda next door. not a fan of cocktails. perfer to drink hard spirits by the half bottle, er glass straight, hold the ice. unable to decipher the European wines, i asked Lisa for advice regarding a Merlot style wine. lst one was Italian/sangiovese(16), sample pour had too much tannin, passed. 2nd was french (10), smooth, liked it a lot HH: house wine (7) goes for 5 -not a lot of body/character, smoothness a plus! eats: chicken liver mousse(10) -freshly warmed baquette with tub of chicken liver mousse, dijon mustard condiment, garnish. soo deliz! not a fan of cheeses/dried meats (caloric/fat wise). drips: -speciality is sourcing "natural wines" (no sulfites used). made in small batches. -didn't try Punchdown when they were next to Plum. -club members get price breaks. -Lisa and staff very knowledgable about wines they're selling... -got great service considering it was my lst time there. will definitely return.... read more

The wine bar is comfortable and unfussy, and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable about their wines. They carry a really unique wine selection as they specialize in natural wines. Sometimes I find natural wines to be really funky but the wines showcased here are pretty good. They even have a bunch of orange wines which you don't typically see. They have a flight that will cater to every interest. I tried the Big Red wine flight, and the pours are perfectly generous - nearly a full glass per pour! With 3 glasses of wine in the flight for around $20-25, I'm not complaining about that. They even have a flight for $10 if your wallet is looking a bit slim. The snacks are outstanding - the chicken liver mousse and burrata plate were amazing, the bone marrow was very tasty, the cheese and charcuterie board is so good, and they have every kind of tinned fish (conservas) you can imagine. Everything is served with perfectly bien cuit Acme bread. And happy hour is every day til 6pm! read more