Beta Lounge on Durant Ave Berkeley, been around since 2009 and just relaunched as 3.0 in 2025 with a new tapas menu, wine flights, spirit flights, and fresh herb cocktails. Happy hour runs 3 to 5:30 with $8 wine and cocktails which is genuinely hard to beat in Berkeley. Wednesday wine night is 50% off bottles including reserve, so that one is worth planning around. Spring rolls and hummus plate are the go-to snacks, light menu that works well with the drinks. Comfortable couches, good music, dog friendly, bartenders that actually remember you. 5 stars, solid neighborhood spot that keeps getting better, Wednesday wine night alone earns it read more

I had no idea Beta Lounge existed off of Durant Ave. and what a cool space and place off-the-beaten path! We heard this building has been many different iterations over the years, but happy to have found this spot in Berkeley for a fun happy hour with friends. We enjoyed the wine flight (choice of 4 wines), each with a nice pour, and shared the spinach dip with chips. We also enjoyed an espresso martini to cap off the evening. The staff were super friendly, and the lounge was filled with what seemed like regulars. The lounge couches were super comfy and it was an overall very relaxing yet intimate experience. I would definitely come back again with a group, or even stop by for a date night. Parking is a bit tough in this area, but there is street parking (if lucky enough to find it) and garages nearby. read more

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Yelp lead me here as I was looking for a happy hour spot to go to This is a nice bar/lounge area that has a good happy hour menu . Most items on the happy hour menu are $9 each Inside is nicely decorated with indoor/outdoor seating available and pet friendly Bartender and server were friendly, atmosphere is chill, zero drama Parking is street parking only read more

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Tried some recommended tapas items here. Everything was solid but definitely not mind blowingly good. I'd say to definitely order the dizzy dinosaur tapas, which was rich, buttery, and so flavorful with the braised brisket juices. Good casual & cozy spot to come to for light bites, drinks, and when it's dark they sometimes play a silent movie! Free popcorn too! Our server Rafa was really nice and attentive, which is always appreciated. read more

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I came here with my brother, and we both loved the spot! Parking was not too bad to find if you're not going out a very busy hour. We came on a weekday a little before 6 PM and had free parking almost 2 spots down from the location. We love the popcorn machine here that was definitely a hit. I don't think I've been to a lot of places that offer a popcorn machine so we absolutely loved it and went multiple times. Staff was very nice and very friendly, especially the manager! The drinks are really good and you can also do flight tastings which we highly recommend! My brother did a whiskey flight tasting and loved every single one of them. The bone marrow was also a hit as well as a variety of the appetizers and food that they have to offer. The food itself is very elevated high-quality and taste delicious. Prices are very decent and you'll find both locals at the spot as well as as trendy millennials haha. Highly recommend to check this place out if you're in the area. read more

The food offering is underrated. Kudos to Rafa - keep him happy. The brussel sprouts are refreshing, short ribs sando has a welcome kick of jalapeño, and the tofu spring rolls keep me healthy. The service is dope. Although Jesse is gone, at least there are familiar faces (Zury and Dre are amazing). Keep them - they are great! read more

Now under new management with some fresh menu items, this spot has a super chill, laid-back vibe that's perfect for a first date--I've brought several here myself. And if you're into kink, don't miss the Berkeley FetLife munch every second Monday of the month--it's a unique experience worth checking out. read more

Cute little lounge! Open seating and they kept our wine bottle on ice at our table. Loved the gyro tacos. It's order at the bar which is not my fave, but staff were really kind! read more

I'm really digging the locals vibe! Beta Lounge is an excellent place to kick it while enjoying a nice cocktail and some light bites. I was in the area and saw this spot in the distance. It's kind of randomly located off of Durant Ave but can be easily missed if you're not looking for it. Beta is truly a loungey little spot. I plopped myself on one of their cozy sofas in the back and didn't move from that spot for almost the entire time that I was there. Just low key and super relaxed vibes. The drinks are really tasty and the bartenders are all really chill. Nothing too fancy about the drinks here, but they're decently priced and made with love. Had a spicy marg and a Moscow mule and both were delicious sippers. They also serve food here if you have an appetite. Their food menu is mostly light bites but still pretty versatile as far as options go. Their flatbread pizza seems to be all the rave, so I decided to try one while I was there. Had the pepperoni mushroom flatbread pizza and it was good for what it was. Don't come looking for anything restaurant style; it's definitely bar food quality but still yummy nonetheless. Many of the people that were at the bar seemed to be regulars as everyone knew each other and the bartenders knew most people by name. I chatted up a couple of the regulars and they were quite friendly. Sometimes when I've popped into locals joints, I don't seem to get the friendliest reception. But I didn't get that feeling here at all. It was like everyone knew that I wasn't a regular but they were quick to say hello and embrace my presence. It made me feel instantly comfortable. I also love that this lounge serves a multitude of purpose for the people. I witnessed someone studying, another person reading, a few people watching a football game, a casual meeting amongst friends, and what looked to be a first meeting and/or date. There's no blueprint here and I love that. You come for whatever reason that suits you and there's no judgement for it. Beta also has a great looking happy hour that I need to come back for. It's just an all around laid back place for some drinks and a chill atmosphere. Glad that I came upon this spot and excited to come back again. read more

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Outstanding service. Tapas plates were amazing. Cute atmosphere. We'll be back with other friends. Stuffed dates are a must, big charcuterie board. Go during happy hour for some real savings. read more

We went here to celebrate a birthday for a friend! Was very cute and comfortable place! Great meal menu! Big enough to fill you up, but small enough to not make you feel stuffed! The service was awesomeness! They even gave my friend a birthday drink at no cost!!! Indoor and outdoor seating! Street parking! Clean restrooms! read more

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The service is real cool. It doesn't usually get crowded. Also it's close to some other nice shops.

The food and ambiance was amazing. I met Rafa the chef and he was so warm and created delicious food. I came alone and was warmly welcomed by the delightful Zury. The wine and cocktail list was extensive and I highly recommend the Roasted Garlic Burrata. Check it out! read more

Beta Lounge is an approximate name for a generic bar, generic food at generic pricing. offerings: happy hour, beers, cocktails, falafel wrap, burrito, gyro, focaccia pizza/panini. eats: greek gyro (7) with chips & salsa. -good size lavash pita with fresh tasting meats, veggies, white sauce -chips & salsa the commercial kind. -all food preps probably came from a wholesale warehouse 3.5 stars for reasonable pricing. great for students...... read more

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Searched Yelp for happy hour spot and Beta Lounge popped up. Great ambiance, amazing music, great conversation. read more

Beta Lounge - Cadillac margarita, Hennessy Side car, flat bread pizza, and charcuterie board - Lounges Near Me - Berkeley, California

Beta is such an industry classic. I love everything about it from the ambiance, location, drinks, food and of course the amazing service. Jesse, Sam and Dre are the epitome of amazing, accommodating bartenders. If they're not too busy you might just get lucky enough and ask them to make you something special. I'm annoying so I definitely tend to do that. Whether the drink is on or off menu, its always delicious. Super fairly priced. Before the pandemic, this was the first place i'd ever had a gin gimlet- bomb. This is a great place for a first date because its casual but also cute with low lighting and couches. They have outside seating if you're more comfortable with that! Sometimes they are playing sports, other times they are playing music. Let's not forget about the food! The kitchen stays open until 10 and they have a lovely menu which is also very affordable. I tried the chipotle chicken tacos and have definitely gotten them a few times since then. They are the perfect menu item for me to balance out my tequila and mescal indulging. Highly recommend. read more

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With a party of 10 and received very poor service. We were put on the back burner and took 2 and a half hours for them to still not be done with 2 more items of food that we had to simply just ask for a refund. Staff was rude when we asked about the wait although the food was alright. read more

food was great but took wayy too long to get the food unfortunately. We've been here for two hours and still haven't gotten our complete food :( read more

Food was simple but good, service was just okay, and hard surfaces and too loud music made dinner less pleasant than it should have been. Quite acceptable for a fast bite before the show at Zellerbach, but not a destination place. read more

This is a great local place when you're looking for a more chill vibe. Good drinks food and the staff is cool.

Great spot to check out if you are looking for a wine/cocktail bar in the Berkley area. There weren't many options that were open / to choose from as we were in the area while most of the kids were out on Christmas break so the neighborhood was dead. We enjoyed this place, they had great options whichever your liquor of choice is. read more

Beta Lounge - Lounges Near Me - Berkeley, California

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beta lounge is an excellent place in Berkeley for drink and food. I have been in their place several times with my friends after school. Every time we have tried their drinks with few items on their menu. Since the stay-at-home order, food is our stress reliever and one way of supporting businesses. We ordered four pizzas and a falafel kale salad from beta lounge. The orders came with four extra salads, tortilla chips, and hummus. Food handling and pick up were satisfactory as most people are concerned due to coronavirus. I can say the taste for all the pizzas were unique and delicious. My favorite one was the "Southern Chicken Seoul". It was very tasty with an exclusive taste. I loved the Jalapeno taste! read more

Beta Lounge - Southern Seoul Chicken - Lounges Near Me - Berkeley, California

Love the food and drinks here! The music selection is always a vibe as well. Staff is very friendly. Beta Lounge is definitely a go-to bar for me and my friends! 10 STARS! read more

Small bites are delicious, high recommended. They lost 2 stars from giving me the worst Mojito ever. I paid for it, but didn't want to ruin my night by drinking soda water. Normally when I send Mojito back, eventually bar tender will get it right (at least try). Don't think the bar tenders here have a clue what a classic Mojito tastes like. They don't even think they know how to muddle mints (I can tell from glass without taking a sip). Even my light weight drinker gf thought it's bad. I hold the same high Mojito standards like Hemmingway (La Bodeguita del Medio is my fav too). No Mojito from this lounge sadly. Best to remove it off drink menu. Spicy margarita is decent. read more

I found this place on yelp, my wife and I decided to go. The place is cozy, the food average, wine a bit expensive, the bartender was nice and attentive. I'll give a 4 out 5. I can recommend this place but they have to improve a few things on the menu. read more

Lived down the street from this place for three years and have never stepped foot into it until this past weekend--my biggest regret is not stepping in sooner. It was a rainy day, so it was a slow night there; about less than 10 people. Because of this, everyone seemed to get the full attention of the staff. They were constantly checking in for any updates and making small talk. The bartenders on duty were some of the nicest folks I've ever met handling drinks and orders. We had some small chitchat about beers and cocktails and that made me and my drinking buddy really comfortable with the place. We got complimentary samples of great drinks on the menu and we also got complimentary food since the kitchen was closing and they were closed the next day--definitely made me happy I went in when I did. Go to this place when you can. It's small and intimate with great staff that make you want to come back. Definitely passing up on a few other choices in exchange for this gem. read more

Oh jeez...just really an abysmal excuse for a bar. After searching around after dinner for a place with a full bar, a small group of us stopped into Beta for a few drinks to finish the night. Two grabbed a beer, one grabbed 2 shots of vodka (yeeeap), and I settled in with what I hoped would be a sweet, yummy, girly cocktail: a White Gummy Bear. It was made immediately clear that while pretty, the spread of "Beta Original" cocktails were all designed by someone with zero mixology experience, and perhaps zero drinking experience. They were all tart, dry, or acidic beyond reason, and virtually untouchable. I drank the Gummy Bear (which was mostly Brut), sampled the Raspberry cocktail (bitter, way too much club soda, and overly-tart raspberry segments...and lemon juice, because why not at that point), and then ordered the Cloud 9, which I thought would be my savior... I'm not even kidding, I Googled "How to drink something really gross" on my phone after getting this drink (FYI: http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Something-That%27s-Really-Gross). It was the *worst* drink I've ever paid for in my life - it was passed around the table and elicited grimaces before Mr. Vodka-Two-Shots chugged it and put us out of our misery. After that, they started a DVD of Avatar on the screens around the bar. We promptly left. Only one toilet in the joint & lackluster service sealed the deal on this one. Next time I'm looking for the *Alpha* Lounge. read more

Beta Lounge - White Gummy Bear ($8 - Vodka, flavored sake, lemon, and Brut) - Lounges Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Came here in February for a going away party. There was an assortment of food provided by the bar including a hummus and baba ganoush platter, and a variety of square pizzas. Great food and cozy setting. Good location too, very conveniently located in Downtown Berkeley. read more

Visited beta lounge this afternoon at opening time, we were the second couple there. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon. We enjoyed the the lounge not to big and I'm sure later in the evening it gets full. The flat bread pizza I truly enjoyed and the bartender Andre a guy as cool as ice was great and helpful! We are sure to revisit later in the evening to truly experience the lounge vibe! read more

Love this place! Perfect for fun hangouts, date nights or solo times. Good food, good drinks and awesome service. Been a favorite spot for about 10 years :) read more

If you're looking for a casual spot to drink with friends and enjoy rather great bar food..def try this spot. Really enjoyed the food here! The pizza came on a French bread square cut into quarters. It was crispy tasty and was surprised how much I liked it. The 3-cheese panini was also surprisingly good. The goat cheese in the panini actually made it very interestingly fun and tasty. Loved the size and crunchiness as well. Drinks were good there..the sale flight was good to try. read more

During these days when we are stuck at home, nothing is better than a good food. The most amazing pizza and salad experience you can get. Good Price, High quality, delicious and fast... Definitely recommended and will order again soon read more

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If you're looking for a laid back lounge with unique drinks, this is your place! We've ordered several drinks in this place, can't say I remember all of them, but my favorite has been the lychee drink. It comes in a martini glass with a lychee in it- def my favorite part. At first it can taste too much like alcohol but then once you get used to it (...or get more tipsy) it is an awesome drink. The bartenders are sweet however can become passive and non attentive when they get busy. This is located a little walk off of the Cal campus. Drinks are decently priced and competitive in the area. I like ending nights here because its very relaxed and not super loud. There are high tables and couches that you can sit at with some friends. read more

Beta Lounge - Decor~ - Lounges Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here for some pre-dinner drinks, and it's a cool space! I haven't been here since I was an undergrad at Berkeley, and we'd initially come here because I remembered this being a sake bar. I asked the bartender what sake they had, and he proceeded to tell me that this bar was a sake bar 6 years ago, now they don't carry sake... lol way to make me feel old. We ended up each getting beers, which they have a nice list of local beers and some of the bigger names. The space is dark and trendy, not large but they do have a nice outdoor space too. Cool spot to get a drink in Berkeley! read more

The bartender Jesse makes the best drinks . I'd highly suggest the Angry Mule. Perfect spot to bring a date to relax and talk

I recently came here and ordered a mocktail as I am unable to drink alcohol. The bartender said they were out of one ingredient and asked what other things I liked so he could make me something different. After a few sips I started noticing that I felt light headed and my chest was warm. Asked the bartender and he confirmed that it did indeed have alcohol in it. He mumbled that he was sorry and walked away. We had to go to the bar and demand a refund, the very least that could be done. It's one thing to get a drink mixed up and a very different thing to dose someone with a drug that makes them very sick. To not even show a little compassion or effort to make amends is even worse. Will definitely never return. read more

This place is small and cute with a nice couch seating area. The bartender was a cutie and friendly. He did, however, card my friend and I, but when a group of college aged white girls came in, they did not get carded. And I know they looked way younger than my friend n I. Not sure if it was racial, ageism, or what but it rubbed me the wrong way. I did order a double shot n only charged me for one which was dope! All and all I wouldn't mind stopping back here for a drink if I was in the area. The drink I got was $14 but it did have top shelf alcohol in it. read more

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This place was pretty disappointing. The service was soo slow and low key rude, and the food was mediocre and overpriced (except the tofu tacos, which I enjoyed!). We came here bc the happy hour goes until 7. The place is fairly small, there's some high tops, couches and a bar. The bar was full so we were sitting at the couch and I went to the bar to order. I said "hi, i'd like to place an order," to which the bartender said sarcastically, "well, you are at the bar." Umm...what's with the attitude? Then we waited suuuper long for two beers, and when they came he apologized and said it would be free (cool), although they apparently ran out of my drink on tap so it was like half a drink. Eventually our food came (no napkins or utensils until we asked for them) and we managed to order another round. No one takes orders except at the bar, apparently. We ended up with a $60 bill for three small plates and 1 1/2 rounds of beer. Meaning, we got charged for what was promised as on the house. By this point I said whatever and just left without getting it taken off my bill. Overall v unimpressed, felt like I wasted my money and didn't enjoy the experience...I wouldn't return read more

Price: B+ Instagram worthy: C Food: B- Drinks: B+ Service: B+ Visited: Friday 6:00pm Beta lounge is a pretty cool bar, it's not fancy by any means but for a bar it's pretty clean. The staff is super friendly, so that's always a plus! They also have Saturday Happy Hours, sooo i mean that's huge right there! The food is okay, not a huge selection, but if you want a snack while drinking the selection isn't too bad. I would recommend Beta Lounge for after hour drinks with coworkers (that's what i do at least!). Also a big plus is if you link your credit card with yelp you get 7% cash back! Not too shabby! read more

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I went to Beta Lounge for a relaxing drink. The drinks were strong but delicious. Service was great as well!