Came here for trivia night and it was so much fun! The owners are really sweet and kind, and make…read moreyou feel welcomed. The space is pretty big and is great for events. Their prices are extremely affordable, and if you pay cash there's a cash discount! I love it! Looking forward to more events here!

After our Valentine's Day dinner date, my new boyfriend brought me to The Sound Room to enjoy live…read morejazz music. I've never heard of this place and wasn't aware it was in Oakland. The front serves as a small cafe, and the backroom is the performance room. It's a small, intimate venue, and we watched Oakland-based soul & jazz singer Lilan Kane perform. It was a very enjoyable performance, and the acoustics were lovely. The staff were also very friendly and accommodating. A sweet, romantic spot to enjoy an evening out. Thanks Sound Room!

First time visiting for a concern this past weekend. The space is intimate and has great acoustics…read more I liked how the sofas and other furniture were all mismatched - adds to the esthetic! Our event was 2 hours long, and it was BYOB. Towards the back there are high chairs with seating so if you come early could grab those and settle down with your drinks. It did get a little warm in the afternoon as they turn the fans off during the performance, which makes total sense, but overall enjoyed our time here and would come back for another performance. It's also close to a ton of restaurants and cafe's, and the BART station is just a few blocks away. There is a parking lot around the corner if you're driving.

Extremely rude manager, his name is sam. Saying at the beginning of the show "...you may dislike…read moresome of these songs... this show is not for famous people... I mean there's nobody here in the audience, but hey it's intimate" finding out he then SHAMED the artists before hand for only selling a handle of tickets. In the MIDDLE of a set he then interrupts up when two artists are about to sing into a mic together. I cannot believe that someone who runs a small business space for indie/small music artist to treat musicians with such disrespect

Love it! I've seen some amazing concerts here and been seated right by the musicians I joined the…read morefreight singers and really enjoy everything about this place!

We saw Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono recently. It was our first visit to the Freight since they…read moremoved ever so long ago. This is truly a nice venue to see music. The staff is friendly; parking is convenient next door in the garage; plenty of restaurants nearby. There were also a few snack items and drinks available for sale. I was bummed that perhaps customer service and management aren't completely in synch with their own policies. I had written and asked if photography would be allowed since this was a Hawaiian show. I wanted to bring in one camera with an attached lens, no flash to take photos for personal use only. I was told that the policy was no photography was allowed. On the night of the show, the last announcement before the show started, was that non-flash photography was welcome. Oh well.

Hella Fitzgerald was a huge hit at our son's Bar Mitzvah. We wanted live music as opposed to a DJ…read moreand we couldn't have been happier with their performance! Every musician in the band was outstanding. They accommodated all of our requests, including an extra long hora. :) All of our guests loved them and it was so refreshing to have 'real' music at our daytime event. Their price was extremely reasonable to boot! We highly recommend Hella Fitzgerald - they were fantastic!

A musician's dream!…read more Per the recommendation of our wedding planner, we worked with Hella Fitzgerald for our wedding in Big Sur, CA in August 2023. One of the best decisions we made for our wedding. I am a musician myself and had a lot of specifications for what I wanted throughout our ceremony, first dance, and dancing portions of the evening. And I mean a LOT of specifications! Music is something I am very particular about. Lilan worked closely with me on everything from which 2nd singer to hire to match the feel we wanted (the band works with various singers) to learning new songs that we had requested to adjusting songs to specific BPMs!!! She never seemed to lose her patience with me and would text me randomly with ideas or singer leads. One time she even texted me a couple vocal riffs she sang into her phone to see what I would prefer. We wanted a fun, sexy, big band feel and a talented group of musicians who could perform soul, Latin, swing, R&B, and everything in between. That is exactly what we got. We never left the dance floor. Thank you HF!

I have to start this review with a caveat that I went to a private event and haven't been there…read moreduring their regular working hours. That being said the vibes were great along with the staff so I look forward to going more often! Fern was so helpful, gracious, calm, and knowledgeable when helping to problem solve. She had another staff member, A.J. walk me to my car as they were closing up shop. To cap it all off they found my friend's purse and cellphone as they were closing and called me quickly so I can turn around and pick it up. They even prepped a to go provisions kit, just above and beyond thoughtfulness and care. Fern also suggested the most delicious N.A. pilsner that tastes just like a really nice regularly alcoholic pilsner. Try it while you're there!

Grungy venue with vegan food options - what's not to love?! Staple of Oakland - hope it never…read morechanges.

Fun funky silly place to hang. The cartoonishly large grapefruit slide was actually very welcomed…read moreand I don't usually like grapefruit. Had it w vodka and tequila and both were great, the classic is a great drink.

Delicious drinks, funky atmosphere, friendly bartenders, and a great longstanding Oakland…read moretradition. Five stars if you like grapefruit and dark dive vibes.

Ok, Starry Plough..I see you!…read more Recently one of my besties sent me a text and mentioned they were heading to the Starry Plough for an open mic night. Obvs, I attended! I hadn't been there in what seems like forever, and was pleasantly surprised to see such a cool presence of community show up. From stand up, to live music and spoken word, it was awesome to see such talented locals. There is also on the last Sunday of every month, Kid's Music. We recently attended this event and it was so fun. We ordered Cottage Pie, Homemade Chicken Strips with Fries/dipping sauces, and of course a Guinness. They had multi-color balloons to blow up, and two artists came and sang with instruments/passed out music shakers for the kiddos/and story time too. It was such a fun and interactive experience for the whole family to enjoy. Looks like they have programming everyday of the week too! From Irish dance, trivia, Grateful Dead Jam Sesh, and more..can't wait to come back again soon for their fresh taps, community vibes, and those yummy fries. Would love to try the House Mac & Cheese too.

I was looking for an excuse to patronize this Irish pub and thought I found one when I started…read moredeveloping a wintertime hankering for Irish coffee. Alas, when Jamie W and I popped over after our gym routine, we asked for one only to discover they don't have a full liquor license by choice. The owners want to keep the peace with their mostly residential neighbors. I get it, but I did miss my whiskey. Instead we got our $11 pints of Guinness and we most certainly weren't disappointed (Photo 6). In fact, it got us in such a Gaelic mood that we decided to have lunch here and ordered the $18 plate of Corned Beef & Cabbage. It was a welcome sight when it arrived, but I have to share that the four thick slices were on the tough side. The cabbage and braised carrots were gratefully better. The standout though was probably the mashed potatoes topped with green onions (Photo 8). That was because it reminded me of comfort food from the days of yore since my yore is further back than most. The vibe was certainly convivial enough, though we were here just after they opened on Saturday. I imagine it must get quite festive when there's live music and the community gathers. FOOD / DRINK - 3 stars...corned beef kinda tough, whiskey was missing AMBIANCE - 3 stars...definitely a pub but too early to enjoy SERVICE - 3.5 stars...the guys are nice here TOTAL - 3 stars...well check them out when musicians are in the house RELATED - Exploring Berkeley? Here's my collection of places l've patronized and reviewed: https://yelp.to/45MBYEe_XO

I am so glad to write this review for WGB. They played the reception of our recent wedding and I…read morecannot stop thinking about how great the night was. We've had so many of our guests tell us what a great time they had out on the dance floor listening to WGB. They had people of all ages out there whole time! They played a great mix of songs and even learned a new one for our first dance. You could tell that everyone in the band really loves their craft and were happy to be there. They had excellent energy and did a great job emceeing. Anna and the band were responsive and super easy to work with leading up to the event. We booked this band even before we secured the venue - now that says something!

I hired WGB to play in my backyard for my father and his twin's 70th birthday party. Not to be…read moreimmodest but it was the greatest party I've ever thrown. The band was friendly, personable and played their heart out! They were so talented I couldn't believe we had them all to ourselves. Excellent Motown music perfect for a family party with young kids all the way through great-grandparents. Everyone who came to the party wants to hire them now! Excellent, professional, accommodating. A perfect choice!

We visit Sliver whenever we come to Berkeley and it never disappoints. The pizza is always hot and…read morefresh and the flavors are great! Previously I wouldn't have liked that you only have one pizza flavor to choose from, but they've all been great and with the green sauce, even better! The service is always fast and friendly, though I will say we tend to pop in during odd hours of the day (like mid afternoon) so it's never crowded when we go. The interior is clean enough and pretty spacious. A good place to hang out with friends and enjoy some pizza.

I am going to be honest here, and I am not a fan. I don't usually like pizza, but my standards are…read morehigh. The pizza is THIN and greasy, the flavor is completely overshadowed by the grease, you can't even taste the flavors of the pizza and toppings because of the sheer layer of GREASE on each slice. It is disappointing to say the least. The sauce they give you for their white pizza has random hints of spice but is, for the most part, flavorless. The pizza took a while to be ready (3 pizzas), and every drink option I attempted to order was out of stock. There are many seating options and the space is well decorated, but that cannot make up for the dish they served.

After seeing the Raiders and the 49ers win .-Just Win Baby . It was time for ROA . I jumped in the…read moreWeekend Whip cranked some Black Eyed Peas and rolled to Rockridge . I was able to park on a side street 2 blocks away from the Festival. I street Hiked to ROA and started Wandering the Festival. I was Pleased to see Plenty of People , Plenty of Food Trucks and Booths , Beer Tents and Live Entertainment. I was entranced by Paul's Paella Booth and Got a Seafood Paella from them that was quite Yummy. I then found the Beer tent and got a Adams Black Lager Ale. The Festival is quite Big . Well worth attending . I really like the 57th Street Gallery Stage with the Live Jazz Band . I noticed a lot of Restaurants I haven't been to . Ill remedy that over time LOL. The ROA is a great way to feature the Rockridge Area and Local businesses.

2nd yr to Rockridge Out & About Sun 10/9/11. From Union City Bart on Sundays gotta transfer at…read more19th St & take Pittsburg/Bay Point train. Got there kinda late. Spin the Wheel at Market Hall. Got a Grab Bag w/ Ancho Chicken Rub. Another ticket got a Magnet. Stood in line again the Market Hall Red Bag. Wanted the Gift Certificate but it's too hard to win. Wood Tavern - bought a $7 pastrami sandwich. Very good & filling. With a beer it's $10. Cash only. Window only, restaurant wasn't open. Southie's next door was packed. Food demo - tried a Spinach quiche & some chocolates from Bittersweet Cafe. Trader Joe's had samples of soda drank, peanut butter pretzels, & Jo-Jos Halloween cookie. Lots of food vendors & some food trucks. Worth going every yr!