I was heading to BART when I heard some pretty funky music so I stopped in LUX Oakland. The band…read morewas great with a unique but very easy sound that started with a story and moved into an irresistible groove. Bar service was polite and beer selection was minimal but cold.

I never write reviews, but I had to, to let people know about this hidden gem and to thank Richard!…read more My boyfriend and I had just touched down and were staying around the corner. It was a long azzz day, and we were just looking for a place to chill and have a drink downtown. We came across this newish place right next to our hotel. Loved that there were big, open sliding doors and air flow. The TVs were playing the game for my boyfriend, drinks were good and Richard was so nice and cool to talk to. He just made us feel so welcome after such a long travel day back to the bay. It was happy hour, so all cocktails, beer and cider were only $7! It was a great deal and a great location. No food that night, but he said they're working on a new menu and bringing it back. From the pics he showed me, looks like it's gonna be a hit. Apparently they have parties/shows upstairs, so I checked it out and I love the space, they even have hookah! I'll be coming back when I'm in the area again. Thanks Richard!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the music on both floors. It was lively and I had a great time. This seems…read morelike a good spot to go dancing.

Had a great time at Zanzi celebrating Oakland Diwali this past Friday…read more First of all, the place is nice with pretty purple lighting. There's a ton of open space downstairs with some booth seating at the end, and upstairs there's a second bar with additional seating. Over the course of the event, I had two drinks here. Both were good. My first was an amaretto sour for $14, and later on my friend and I got a beer and margarita for $22. It looks like most cocktails are in the mid $10s range, which is pretty standard for the area. I'll be back to check out the space on a normal night when there's no event. Curious if there's dancing here, since there's so much floor space.

You should check out The Ruby Room if you like drinking. This might get crowded and close be…read moreprepared for that. Occasionally there are DJ's playing music here. Right next to The Main Library on 14th!

whack and got sick here last weekend…read more Why is it still open? the drinks suck and its not fun.

Finally got to check out Crybaby this past weekend! It was…read more$22 at the door at around 10:30PM. The crowd here is very young but it's a nice little spot to grab some drinks and enjoy some music. Drinks were priced pretty good and they also have a nice little outside area if you want to smoke or grab some air.

Keak the Sneak brought me out. A Town Legend who took part in creating The Hyphy Movement over 15…read moreyears ago. I had so much fun at the foot of the stage, we danced all night. The crowd had motion as we sang along!

Hello Stranger is THAT spot in Oakland. The DJ? Fire. The music? Had me forgetting I had bills due…read more The vibe? Safe, fun, and full of people who just wanna have a good time. Drinks are on point whether you're into cocktails, mocktails, or just pretending your Sprite is fancy champagne, they've got you. The staff is hella nice too like the kind of people you don't mind bumping into when you're three songs deep on the dance floor. Plus, the brick walls and whole setup make it feel like you stepped into a cool hidden gem instead of just another bar. Honestly, it's the kind of place you show up "just for one" and end up shutting down the night. 10/10 would lose my voice here again.

Hello Stranger has a convenient location with a small but decent-sized bar and dance floor. The DJ…read morewas okay, nothing special, but fine for a casual night out. Unfortunately, that's all I can really comment on because three of us sat at the bar for about 15 minutes and, even though there was no one else there, the bartender never approached us. We ended up leaving without ordering anything. It was disappointing, especially given how empty the place was. Based on this experience, I don't plan to return. The lack of attention and service made it clear why the bar wasn't busy.

Vintage and modern ballroom dances, costuming and performance…read more Re-creations of historical works of dance, music and theater with an emphasis on audience interaction. Research into the performing arts of the past, and their role in history and literature. PEERS features a live, mostly acoustic band, friendly people who love to dance, a beginning dance lesson, light refreshments and performances. Attire in the specific theme of the ball is encouraged but not mandatory.

I hosted my husband's 40th here May 2, 2026. Melanie was a…read morepleasure to work with and ironing out details. We had a Casino Royale theme with casino tables upstairs, caterer and photographer downstairs. It was nice because this venue comes with a DJ, security and bar. There is a parking lot across the street that only charges $10. It doesn't need decorations so it's a one stop shop. While we did have some hiccups day of, they were resolved and the owner was very receptive to the feedback. I would recommend this place and absolutely book here again if I were to host an event.

I went to a 75th birthday party for a barber at Parliament on Friday, March 27. This happens to be…read morea great venue. The first thing I had when I arrived with a glass of water and a Cuba libre, basically a rum and Coke with a twist of lime. Our drinks came up quick and they were delicious. The service was great. This is a nice spot. I hadn't been here since they had changed his name. It used to be a different club here, but I have to say the place is very nice. They have big giant TV screens and it looks very festive in there. It's very clean. The restrooms are clean and it just happens that it's accessible if you happen to need an accessible location.. They had a food truck outside that served delicious food and there was plenty of space in a DJ. I have to say I'd be happy to go here again. There was parking right across the street. It was free and there was a security guard there at the lot. here again anytime and I'd highly recommend it. If you want to give an event there they would accommodate you.

It is NOT permanently closed. Not sure why another reviewer says it is but whatever the case it is…read morevery much open now.

En route to parts South, well towards home, GF and stopped in Brix. My longtime home girl,…read moreStephanie, is the proprietor and sometimes bartender. She also owns 3411 on MacArthur. It's early and she's on her way on. Found street parking right in front. Not too worried about leaving the Whip. There's security right outside doing his thing. Nothing fancy here, but really quiet cozy. We found two seats at the end of the bar. Thank you to the fellas already there to make room for us. GF had a Moscow Mule, that was pretty strong. Me, bitters and soda. Good music. Dark and romantic, if you want to be that way. Another round and we thought we were headed home. Not.

Great ambiance. Very good jazz and blues on Saturday night with the open mike. The bartenders are…read morevery nice and aim to please.

I came for the so called open mic blues jam but found that at best it was only a semi open mic…read more I have been to many blues jams before and at every one I've gone to at least four drummers showed up to play. At this fake open mic they only wanted their personal friend to play drums for the entire night most likely because they didn't want her to be upstaged by other drummers. On another point they seemed to have an unusual lack of backing singers. The poser on the bass who was in charge of who could play pretended to be a backing singer by not using a microphone. The other two singers who were being totally overemphasized were allowed to sing way more songs than they should have. I heard nothing from either of them to make me believe they should be featured so heavily. I have been a featured big band singer before and I know a good singer when I hear one and these two were not that. I was told their star drummer was a great blues drummer but I heard nothing spectacular from her playing and it seems she could not sing a single note. In the first place if your going to feature original songs then you may as well open the music up to other styles of music since random people that show up are not going to be welcome to play songs that they never heard before. To sum it up the musicians were petty and the music was rather boring and besides if they are going to give karaoke the better time slot it goes to show they are not taking the music seriously anyway. Incidentally I noticed this was listed as a dance club but that is false since there is no dance floor. I don't know why these people have to be such liars.

Pricey but great at food. Worth it. I got the half smoked chicken, but it looked like everybody…read moreelse got the crab and shrimp. And yet, I regret nothing.