Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in Oakland for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Oakland for grown-ups.
15 places
Drink Whiskey neat
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon in Oakland has poured since 1883 at Jack London Square. The building leans from the 1906 quake; original gas lighting.
Drink Greyhound with fresh grapefruit
Cafe Van Kleef on Telegraph in Uptown Oakland is the famously eccentric cocktail dive that helped revive the corridor in the 2000s. Greyhound is the call.
Drink Bavarian pilsner from the keg
Brotzeit Lokal on the Brooklyn Basin waterfront pours German lagers under string lights, with estuary views. Pretzels, wurst and schnitzel on the menu.
Drink Cheap shot and a beer
Eli's Mile High Club on MLK Way has been a Bay Area blues bar since the 1970s. Now a dive, a music venue, and a kitchen with daytime fried chicken too.
Drink Drake's IPA
Drake's Dealership in Uptown Oakland runs a sprawling beer garden in a converted Dodge dealership. Thirty-two taps, fire pits and wood-fired pizza to match.
Drink Natural wine by the glass
Ordinaire on Grand Avenue near Lake Merritt has poured natural wine since Bradford Taylor opened it in 2013. Bistro plates, daily until 21:00.
Drink Twenty-five rotating natural by-the-glass pours
The Punchdown on Broadway is Uptown Oakland's natural wine room. Twenty-five glasses rotating weekly, plus a bottle shop for takeaway from the back.
Drink Dominican-rum cocktails
Sobre Mesa on Franklin in Uptown Oakland is Top Chef Nelson German's Afro-Latin cocktail lounge. Dominican rum and Latin cocktails alongside up-tempo music.
Drink Yuzu Gold Rush
Ramen Shop's College Avenue cocktail bar runs original cocktails and highballs with the East Bay's tightest spirit selection from St. George Distillery.
A sample of Oakland hotels from our booking partner, who list 343 here. Live prices and availability open on their site.
Bay Breeze Inn
Located in Oakland, Bay Breeze Inn is in the entertainment district, within a 5-minute drive of Oakland Mus...
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Harris Motel
Located in Oakland, Harris Motel is a 2-minute drive from Oakland Zoo and 7 minutes from Oracle Arena. Feat...
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Rice Hill Inn
Located in Oakland, Rice Hill Inn is in a regional park, within a 15-minute drive of MarshAnne Landing and ...
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Civic Center Lodge
With a stay at Civic Center Lodge in Oakland (Chinatown), you'll be within a 10-minute walk of Oakland Muse...
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Compare for next weekend: Holidu in Oakland from USD 106/night · Expedia in Oakland
Stays are listed by our booking partners, not editor picks. We earn a commission if you book, at no cost to you.
Drink Pan-Asian cocktail program
Viridian on Broadway in Uptown Oakland is a cocktail bar with Pan-Asian small plates. The room replaced Daniel Patterson's Plum Bar in 2020.
Drink Ghost Town IPA
Ghost Town's Adeline taproom in West Oakland is one of the best craft beer rooms in the East Bay. Hop-forward beers, dog-friendly, with rotating food trucks.
Drink Classic cocktails and whiskey
Mua on Webster Street in Uptown Oakland is the long-running First Friday cocktail and supper room. Industrial warehouse lounge, steak frites, late drink.
Drink Helles lager from the cellar
Temescal Brewing's beer garden on Telegraph runs a sun-filled patio and a rotating tap list of crisp lagers and IPAs. Kid and dog friendly daily.
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