A very generous neighbor of mine invited my husband and me to the Alameda Elks Lodge Annual Crab…read moreFeed, which was held yesterday evening. I'm giving the lodge a four star for my dining experience and an enjoyable evening. My husband has been here more than a few times to play games of pool with our friendly neighbor and one of his friends. I have been here before for another event almost three years ago. The interior is beautiful, but the walls are thin. One can actually hear people talking in the next room. Our meeting place was the Mahogany Room for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. I did not want to stuff myself with the appetizers and not have enough room in my stomach for the main entree - crab. Nor did I want any libation before the meal. After the cocktail hour, we were escorted to the Rathskeller (basement of the lodge) where the dinner was held. The gentlemen on the waitstaff were lined up in an orderly manner, serving us whatever we desired - be it the bowtie/penne pasta, dinner rolls/garlic bread, coffee, dessert. Presentation of the crab, the wines (red and white), Caesar salad and the antipasti plates was excellent...casual, yet classy. Dessert was a serving of raspberry sorbet. The only minor drawback was the bowtie/penne pasta served on the same plate as the salad plate. Even though I did not win any of the door prizes after making a donation of $20 for 20 raffle tickets, they had some nice ones, such as the $100 gift card from Scott's Seafood, $100 gift card for Yoshi's dinner and show, $50 gift cards from La Penca Azul, C'era Una Volta, 1400 Bar and Grill, Jim's Coffee Shop, Pier 29. From what I heard, the lodge raised about $1,500 in raffle ticket sales. I also have to give kudos to the waitstaff, many of whom were very tolerable and patient with this woman who sat at the next table behind my husband. She was in the wine (whine) mode. "I want penne pasta. I don't want this dinner roll with butter. I want some garlic bread. Don't you guys have any garlic bread?" On and on she went...egads...she had a sense of entitlement. Yes, there were two bottles of wine at each table, but her incessant whining almost had me do a "face palm" on her. Ooh, I wanted to offer her a piece of cheese, which would have complemented a glass of wine very well. (Now, quit your whining, lady...lol.)

I was there for a wedding and they did a great job. I also liked the environment. The service was…read moregood, but the food was average

Not a good experience. They security kept coming every…read moreother time to tell us to lower the volume. If you rent it for a special event like weddings or quinceaneras please specify what type of sound system you can bring in the hall. Is really disappointing to Not be able to enjoy the party when you can only Have the volume up to certain point other wise they will "call the cops"

We recently hosted our daughter's 14th birthday and we couldn't be happier with our experience!…read moreFrom start to finish. . The ballroom itself was beautifully maintained, spacious, and created the perfect ambiance for our celebration. Our guests had an amazing time, and we received so many compliments on the venue and service. I highly recommend Alameda Ballroom to anyone looking for a beautiful space with a fantastic team to support their event. Thank you, Amalia and staff, for making our daughter's birthday unforgettable!

We hosted my son's birthday and Master's degree celebration at The Phoenix last night, and it was…read moretruly an amazing experience. A special thank you to Saskia, who was excellent throughout the entire planning process--so helpful, responsive, and easy to work with. Levi, our host for the evening, was wonderful--kind, attentive, and made sure everything ran smoothly. And Sherill, the bartender, was fantastic--she made amazing drinks, and we loved that we were able to bring our own alcohol. The venue itself is beautiful, with plenty of space for guests to enjoy comfortably. The handmade wooden tables added such a unique and elegant touch. We also had a taco truck set up in the back, and everything flowed perfectly. Thank you to the entire Phoenix team for helping make my son's celebration so special and memorable. I highly recommend this venue--you won't be disappointed!

The venue itself is beautiful with a great layout -- it was the perfect setting for my wife's…read morebirthday party. Unfortunately, the experience was overshadowed by the staff. The bartender had a very dry attitude, and the on-site manager came across as rude and unprofessional throughout the night. We were even told to dispose of the last trunk of garbage ourselves because their bins were full. While several of us stayed late to help clean and move furniture back, the manager questioned one of our guests about a trash bag she had provided, as if he were doing something wrong -- when he was only trying to help. Overall, the space is great, but the people you're left to deal with could use more professionalism, appreciation, and customer service.

Completely new floor restoration and painting…read more Great place for any event you have to throw a great party.

Upstairs at Alameda Eagles Hall is the SF bay area mecca of zydeco music!…read moreEvery Friday night at 9, without fail, great bay area bands, as well as visiting bands from Louisiana & Texas. Beautiful hardwood dance floor, huge hall, & beer, wine & soft drinks. No shortage of good dancers either. And come early for the free dance lesson!

This place is crazy nostalgic, and I'm loving it. Playing the games I grew up with, along with the…read moresounds of kids having fun, the games are clean, and the area is fantastic. A nice park around the corner and plenty of restaurants a short walk away. I drove just shy of 100 miles to get there and try their games, and it was worth it. The town is like a cool getaway, especially if you live in an area that gets hot.

Good, wholesome nostalgic fun at a great price! I've taken my 22 year old nephew there when he was…read morea kid and a teen and now I take his younger brother who is 11 there to keep the tradition going.

Nice Saturday sipping wine, sitting by the water and spending a nice little DEI afternoon. Perfect…read moreplace to land your feet after a ferry ride over. Crowd was, thankfully, diverse. Wine selection (I''m a strictly Chardonnay and Prosecco person), was nice, nice selection of bites (the warm bread w/ the Brie ... perfect ... and wait service was fun and very attentive ... special treat is to be by the water and seeing the joy playing in the grass, walking along the harbor ... and just being! Def a "treat yo'self" good time experience, go on the weekends and enjoy live music

Decided to randomly stop here last weekend while in town…read more We sat outside and the view was stunning. It was such a nice day. We did a red and white flight of wine. The wine was so nice. Bottles are reasonably priced. We also had lunch here. Food was decent. Takes a minute to come out. Staff was friendly enough but not very attentive. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the Jack London area.

I'd especially like to give a shout out to the wonderful massage program at the HBC spa…read more Nonmembers, when booked for a massage, can also have access to use the locker room, women's private indoor hot tub, steam sauna, dry sauna, as well as the private women's sun deck after the massage. What an awesome spa treatment! I've been a member for two years and love the pool and the yoga classes. The staff are very helpful and friendly. Two years ago I booked an introductory tour and swim reservation, and I was immediately impressed and hooked! Parking is plentiful and the setting is very spacious and peaceful overlooking the water.

Rude staff that are clueless and never able to answer any questions…read more Their private swim lessons are taught by amateur high school graduates who dont have any teaching techniques. Thats $50 for half an hour. I would not pay for the membership here. There just arent better options nearby. Response to manager's comment: I have called and also asked the front desk various questions in the past and all seemed to have limited knowledge about the club / undertrained. However the main problem is they are also very unfriendly. Exception: The new gentleman who handles new member inquiries was very friendly and professional. To be fair. Regarding swimming "private lessons", at $100 / hour rate, please hire someone who is a professional or at least have some training at teaching swimming effectively. I could understand if its a $20 lesson at community center. For a club that charges premium rates, please provide services that are in line with the pricing.

Fun and enjoyable night. Great customer service and good food and drinks. Will definitely be back…read moresoon!

We celebrated a 15th birthday here recently. Initially, I tried to call and email them. I had a few…read morequestions that I needed answered which the website couldn't provide. That resulted with no response so I was a bit hesitant. In the end, we were pressed for time so I booked online. Booking for a party of 12 and choosing the food was pretty straightforward. A week later and it's time for the birthday party. Again, I never got a response back from them other than the usual email confirmation of my event time and type. We arrive 15mins before our event and check in. They introduce us to Imane (forgive me if I misspelled it) as our coordinator. She was so nice and so friendly that I totally forgot about the skeptism that I had. She explained to us what to expect as far as bowling time, food and beverages and the arcade. She also introduced us to Efrem (again, I apologize if I misspelled it), one of the managers. We had a great conversation with him about everything. He made sure that we have everything we needed. As for the presentation.. it was more than what I expected. Chicken tenders, pizza, fries and funnel cake fries were pretty standard fare.. and 4 choices of beverages too! But they were presented so well and kept warm in chafing dishes. They had our boy's name in lights and had a full size bowling pin (to be signed) as a present for him! Great touch. Imane checked on us regularly to make sure we're not running out of anything.. and we didn't. The only thing we added were chicken wings and they were excellent as well. Overall we had an excellent experience. My initial skeptism was replaced with satisfaction. I think that we had a good value for what we paid. We all had a great time bowling and the kids enjoyed the arcade. It was a successful 15th Birthday party with much thanks to Imane, Efrem, and all the staff who made it happen.

It was not a joyful occasion (repass after funeral) but the venue once you get inside was…read moreincredible. Meeting Rooms & work spaces surrounded by creativity & art. Parking was horrible so go early if you have an event there. Neighborhood is not great so I did not take the offer for overflow parking a few blocks away. I was shocked to see the "street activity" going on just 3 blocks over (impacted my rating) If this building could secure a parking structure it would be a perfect venue. It's a bit of a maize inside but you get to see a lot of beautiful artwork & creative spaces as you walk through. The weather was perfect for the rooftop venue space. Plenty of seating and lounge area. The bathrooms are located 1 floor down so make note of that. Check them out!

I lived in this studio for a year, and everything was fine until it was time to move out. When I…read morerequested my security deposit back, I was unexpectedly charged a $355 cleaning fee--even though the lease clearly stated a one-time cleaning fee of $100. I've been trying to get the overcharge refunded, but they've only given me excuses. Please be cautious and review your lease carefully if you decide to rent here.

I love this little house. Its beautiful but small. The owner who designed it did so to piss off…read morecity officials. Big houses are overrated. Big kitchens too. I usually split my time between two uncomfortably large homes - one an American Foursquare, the other a Victorian in the artist enclave of Jingletown. They are both large enough that I spend countless minutes every day wandering looking for where I left my coffee cup or Phillips head screwdriver. Modern American-style farm kitchens have the same design flaw of being needlessly large for no reason with function of being able to cook efficiently low on the priority list. Cabinets and counter space is on the perimeter and a big annoying table in the center that is a hindrance in every move you want to make. You dodge the table numerous times in order to do almost anything. I think I would love this little spite house. I imagine the interior to be cozy and intimate with thoughtful time appropriate details throughout. Tiny houses are all the rage these days - I think they had it right when they built this one.... plus I bet it wouldn't be so difficult to heat in the winter either.

At the turn of the 20th Century, the city of Alameda, CA took a large portion of Charles Froling's…read moreland to build a street. Froling had planned to build a house on this plot of land which he had inherited. To spite the city and an unsympathetic neighbor, he built his house 10 feet deep, 54 feet long and 20 feet high on the tiny strip of land left to him. This the name, The Spite House. This is a regular tourist stop to marvel at and a fun subject to photograph and talk about.