I visited this bar three times over the holidays. I love the fact that it can be way more casual than it's vibe suggests. With a lot of people out of town for the holidays, you could tell that this was a local fave, where the bartenders know a lot of the customers and regulars hang outside together to smoke. I tried five different drinks over my visits, and they were all good, but hands down my favorite was the Business Time. Booze, acidic fruit and spicy bitters which elevated this drink to star status. At each visit, I was with different friends who had different drinks than I did, and they all loved the Business Time the best as well. I was sad to see the last time I went that they had rotated the drink menu and it was no longer an option. Hopefully they bring it back; it would be the perfect Oakland summer night drink. This place is also known for its bartenders being able to come up with a new drink based off of a vague request. My friend tried this and she got an amazing drink made with whiskey and gin that was truly delicious as well. Maybe only slightly less of a star than the Business Time. Those spicy bitters man..... read more

Ambiance of the place was nice albeit a bit loud for a dimly lit bar on the 19th block of downtown Oakland. It was also a Friday night. My only complaint was that either probably bartender gave me the wrong drink or something was off with it. Rye of the Tiger sounded good- but what I got tasted more negroni like and was terribly unbalanced. read more

Loved the vibe here. From the outside you can't tell what the inside would look like, but it was super trendy inside. Two levels, couch and bar seatings. There was a DJ there. Bar tenders are friendly. I would definitely go back. I asked if they did private parties for the second level, and she said yes, but you must reach a certain dollar amount on the tab. Check this place out, it's a nice place to hang after dinner for a few drinks. read more

The drink menu changes constantly. There is ski ball and pack man. The sexy bartenders gave me chez mix to snack on. There is space to dance, but I have not seen anyone dance yet but me. read more

Drexl Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

My daughter had her wedding reception at Drexl. The bartenders were helpful and hospitable. The cocktails at this bar were amazing! Watching them make the cocktails was entertaining as well. Great minds think alike so the variety of people attending was fun! Will definitely return. Drexl would be my "watering hole" if I lived in the Bay Area. Great place! read more

Went to bar for company party on a Sunday night. Not many people at the bar, but customers seemed happy enough. Took a long time for my cocktail. Same with others. Also weak drinks. We all agreed. Still, bartenders were working hard and that was good I guess. Place was very dark, and upstairs it was almost completely black. Great for a first date with an ugly person. We found the dimmer switch and turned it up a little. Skee Ball and PACman upstairs but a little expensive. I would definitely try it again, but maybe stick to beer. read more

$77 for three lousy vodkas with diet coke? Wtf? Straight up thieves. Their shot / pour sizes / portions are absolutely mediocre and a straight rip off - I say this because I've been to thousands of bars in the US and abroad. Wanna get a double shot drink and be charged double the already crazy price for the equivalent of a single shot elsewhere? This might be just the place for you. The vibe is super bougie and extra hipster and that's just not my thang. Bartenders are rude as heck. read more

Came here with a friend, because he suggested it. Never been there. We entered. It was dark. Had no lighting. Hard to see. Difficult to move around. Some lighting was needed. If it was not for their light issue, it would be a nice place. Had good furniture. Good layout. Nice bar area. But the downfall, for me, it was too hipster. Rating Drinks: 3 Ambience: 3 Service: na Price: 3 Overall: 3 Not coming back. read more

Great place to gather for fun night. Tasty cocktails and friendly staff. I love the games for when conversations need a breather

Probably the worst bar experience I've ever had. Some of the rudest people I've come by. The bar seemed to prefer to not serve patrons an hour before closing. Then upon closing they referred to patrons as annoyances and screamed at everyone to get out even though it was 1:40. Then they removed paid drinks from our hands before closing. Beyond disgusted that any establishment would treat people that way. read more

Best mixed drinks I've had in a while on top of some creative shots when you need 'em! Always a solid go to in Oakland. read more

I dig this place. Really good service and a nice space to boot. Only complains: no bloody marys and sometimes the music is CRAZY loud. But i still would def recommend it. Great neighborhood bar. read more

Well, this is a straight up cocktail bar that serves from sophisticated adult beverages. Can't give more than 3 stars though because service is SLOW and it's as if they purposefully ignore you and take long to make their drinks just to psychologically make you think Drexl is highly desirably. Alas, NOPE. Only come here if the other places you're looking to go to are too full. Sorry Drexl, you're trying too hard. read more

Dealer's Choice! Sometimes I like to let other people decide the fate of my night. JK. But sometimes, I'm just super indecisive and want someone to figure it out for me and this place has the right idea. We came to this place for drinks and chose the Dealer's choice. All I know is that I like sweet, fruity and something like a mojito and given that description, the bartender made me something and I liked it. I have no idea what's in it, but all it matted was that it was good. I love the speakeasy type cocktails and the hipster-ish ambiance. Overall, it's a chill place to grab a finely crafted cocktail. read more

Kudos to the bartender working that night I came here. I gave the bartender a $50 bill but didn't realize he only gave me back $14 for a $6 drink. Later as my friends and I were leaving, I looked through my cash and thought, wait I gave him a $50 bill?! I returned to the bar and told the bartender what happened and he looked through the register and returned my additional missing dollars. It was awesome that he did that. I know if I was the bartender, I would have been skeptical. But I am sure people don't carry $50 bills much these days. I love the service here so much, my friends and I were planning to have more happy hours here in the future. read more

If I lived nearby, I feel pretty confident that I would be a regular at this bar. Drexl felt spacious yet welcoming at the same time. We visited around 8PM last Saturday and it wasn't busy, so we didn't have a problem finding a seat. The drink selection was sophisticated and the two drinks I imbibed had many layers to them. The music selection was part of the reason I want to come back- super fun with some good throwbacks. The bartender we had was charismatic and friendly and made you feel like sticking around. I hope to return sometime soon! read more

Drinks are good and interesting, though 355 across the street exhibits a higher level of creative cocktail mastery. Took a bunch of employees here for a happy hour and Warriors game. Yummy stuff, good viewing, nice crowd. Only negative came when it came time to pay the bill. Me: "Hey so why does the bill have so many small discounts of $1 or $2, one after each drink? Was that you guys counting the tips as payment or something"? Owner: "No, those are happy hour discounts." Me: "Oh, cool!" Owner: "And I guarantee you nobody in your party paid tips on their drinks." The mood darkens. Me: "Yeah? I personally bought half these drinks, and paid a tip on each one. And you have three other bartenders working there so how do you know?" We lock eyes for a moment. Owner: "Yeah, well, it's your decision." And we walks away. You can bet my decision was not to leave any big tip. And I may or may not decide to come back and hobnob with the San Franscisco-to-Oakland set. As a small business owner myself I know how hard it can be to hold it all together, and I'm forgiving of single mistakes. So, three stars. But behavior noted. read more

Unsafe. Never in my 20+ years of living in the Bay Area have I experienced such terrible disrespect by the staff of an establishment. The music was good, and the place had a good vibe, but the bouncer has a superiority complex. Unfortunately by the end of the night, the staff became aggressive, staff were taking drinks that we had just ordered right out of our hands with no warning. As paying customers we expected to at least be treated with common human dignity. Avoid this place if you want to have a good time. p.s. The bouncer threatened to put a rufi in my drink. read more

Suuuper cute spot in Oakland. We nearly passed it by as my friend had another place in mind for night caps, but when I saw those Edison bulbs, it was a done deal. Then when we walked in and the new Vampire Weekend album was playing, I was absolutely sold. The bar was really dead, but it was a Tuesday evening so I'm not really surprised. I had an Old Fashioned and it was just great. I normally don't order OFs if the place is especially busy, so it worked out for me that it was slower than a hurd of turtles. Ski ball upstairs, lots of cool, different, and classy alcohol choices. It seems like a good place to go and drink a brew and work on your laptop (if you're one of *those* people), or a nice place to top off the evening. read more

I have been twice and both times I had a bad experience. The drinks are way over-priced and watered-down and customer service is just bad. The last time I was there the bartender didn't return my credit card after I closed out the tab. When I told her she didn't give it back to me she simply looked at me and said "Yes I did " and walked away. After finally getting her attention again she looked around for a couple of minutes and found it on the floor behind the bar. Then she tossed it to me on the counter and just walked away. Just plain out rude! The atmosphere is nice, but it is too expensive and the people are just way too rude. read more

All you need to know about this bar: - Good drinks - Free Wi-Fi - Nice owner - Hot bartenders - Dog friendly - Close to Bart - Skeeball - Clean bathroom - Chill vibes Done. read more

I would have given them a 4.5 from the introduction at the beginning. However, they were extremely unprofessional and rude when handling customer service. The drinks they serve were not worth the price they have listed, I expected better read more

The cocktails here are EFFING DELICIOUS. I always want more than 2 when I'm there, and they happily oblige. I wish it was less expensive ($13 for a drink!), but that's the going rate for a cocktail in San Francisco. OH WAIT - I'm not in San Francisco. Take a few bucks off the drinks (we are in Oakland, after all) and I'll be there twice as much! read more

Interesting place. From the outside, it looked like a super nice place - dim lighting, popping music. But inside, not that it wasn't nice, just they had tvs and they were showing the olympics which is slightly strange. I enjoyed it as I love the games and watching them, but having it on at a bar seemed weird. He ordered the eye of the tiger #2. He enjoyed it, but like normal, his drinks are just too much whiskey tasting for me. I ended up getting the dealers choice - which is something I actually prefer to do normally. I can give a bartender my likes (fruity/citrusy, sparkly, vodka or tequila) and they make something delicious. This time I got a drink with grapefruit, vodka, and sparkling wine. All things I enjoy. Pro tip: dealers choice so they can make something to your likes and dislikes. read more

This is a cool bar with good vibes. It's very casual and chill, but not grungy. I especially liked the lounge area upstairs where the skee ball machine also is. You can play it for $5. The type of music they played was R&B, 90's R&B and today's past and current hits from 95.7 and 94.9 radio station type of music. I loved it! I had a great time here and would love to come back and try some drinks they are known for making. read more

I stumbled upon this place on my way to Bar 355 a few weeks ago. They had a nice looking cocktail menu but I'm still a tried and true vodka girl and wasn't in the mood for it but I liked the ambiance and they had skee ball! upstairs and a video game too. There weren't many people in but it seems like a place that would get crowded quickly. All in all a nice addition to the area. I'll be back! read more

Love this bar! When I was there, the bartender made me a custom drink. I told him what I liked and he invented something really nice on the spot. Great experience. They were playing Lee Fields when I was there. I'd never heard of him. So glad to be turned on to his music. read more

Lovely bar, love the exposed ancient wallpaper, bartender is delightfully animated and makes a solid cocktail. Could use a little soundproofing but everything else is +++. read more

Drexl Bar - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

I really wanted to like this place. But for real, the WORST service at the bar, no check in. No acknowledgement. Took 10min plus just to get someone's attention. The man next to me had no problem. Hmmm. read more

In response to Tarik S: Unfortunately, other members of the community have expressed similar, negative experiences with the arrogant/rude bartenders here. I, too, will no longer be patronizing this establishment. Or Fort Greene, for that matter. My money, time, and effort can be better spent on businesses that truly embody the spirit and culture of Oakland. read more

Great for a low key date. If you order wine they seem to be very generous with the pours

Great beers on tap, and not too crowded of a place when I went on a Saturday night. I like the in house DJ that they have upstairs. The place overall is a bit on the loud side, but definitely head upstairs for space that's more talkable. If you don't like strong beers, I would highly recommend their grapefruit hefeweizen as it basically tastes like a non-alcoholic drink and is very sweet. On the other hand, if you're looking for a very strong beer, they do have some double-IPAs on tap as well. I would definitely come back if I'm in the area. read more

Love the vibe of this bar. I dig the high ceiling, classy ambiance and good music. Not crowded. Spacious and clean bathrooms. No cover charge which was nice. Parking was easy enough for a Saturday night. read more

This review is dedicated to the hot guy I met at this bar. This is why drinking and dating don't mix. Somehow, I got charged twice (but I still need to investigate whether I got charged twice or if I literally drank the same two drinks twice in two separate transactions but the former sounds more accurate). Other than getting charged twice, the drinks were on point. So on point that I managed to lose the number of said hot guy. Was it on a napkin? Did I even get the number in the first place? Did this really happen? But back to the bar...it's a great scene! Sit down comfy tables downstairs and then there is an upstairs section with more tables. Now, the bar lost a star because I got charged twice, but they gained a star for having....SKEEBALL! Yes, that's right, SKEEBALL. Sooooo if you see a random Indian girl drinking whiskey and ginger and playing skeeball upstairs, holla back! Also remember that there are stairs involved so I would suggest doing most of your drinking downstairs. read more

This place is good for a nice happy hour and it's pretty hip. Very modernized and good for big groups who want to unwind after work. Nice selection of craft drinks including this one cranberry tasting number they had a couple of weeks ago. Wasn't feeling the jerk of a male bartender with the red hair, beard, glasses and NIN t-shirt. I was trying to point out the beer I wanted for my coworker that was sitting in the fridge. I admit I didn't know the name of the beer because I didn't recognize the logo of the can. The guy lost patience and gave me some attitude before walking away. Props to the gray haired female bartender who was nice enough to help me get the drink. read more

Beautiful spot with a nice selection. Love the mezcals here. I have enjoyed coming here several times. My one complaint is the bartenders are not knowledgable & are very rude for no discernable reason. read more

Very cool new place in Uptown. A big group of us met their for a more upscale vibe. I was pleasantly surprise by the music playing and the mixed drinks were pretty yummy. Not inexpensive, but definitely good. They also have ski ball which was a fun competitive activity for our group. Lastly, they have PAC MAN and I definitely beat my fiancé at a game. I would definitely go back to this place or meet others there for a good time. read more

Cool bar. Located in an up and coming area that's good for bar hopping. My favorite drink here is the Schofferhofer Grapefruit, which is a beer mixed with grapefruit. I ordered a dealer's choice that I thought was ok, you basically tell the bartender what your favorite liquor is and he'll make you something. I liked the bar seats, they have grooves for you butt, that actually make it more comfortable then most bar seats. There's an upstairs area, no bar upstairs though, but they do have a skeeball machine. Happy hour is until 6pm I believe. Only negative about this place was that there were no seat covers in the ladies' room. read more

I like this bar a lot. I've been in a few times. The bar tenders are really nice and the ambience is cool. The bar is clean. I will definitely be back many times. read more

Drexl Bar - They followed my friends request - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Came here with a girlfriend to get classy cocktail drunk on a Saturday night! The space is cool without being pretentious, and the drinks were well balanced and veerrrry easy to drink. Standout to me was the rick something or other?? Refreshing and tangy I think because there was ginger or something- OKAY I can't remember and their menu isn't up to date but just take my word for it. Can't wait to come back! read more