I'm constantly searching for kiddo friendly spots throughout the East Bay/Bay Area. Just when I think I've gone to them all, I hear a recommendation for a new spot. This time around, a friend of mine mentioned Line 51 Brewing on a Sunday to watch the games. We gave it a try! They had the NFL Sunday Ticket and we had a few friends in our group wanting to watch two different games so it was great. Upon entry, they had the Super Bowl Shuffle playing through the speakers and the Bears just won. People were ecstatic and dancing, and beef sandwiches were on the food menu ~ love the Chicago vibes from ownership. There was a kiddo birthday that was being set up also as we arrived, and shortly after there were around 15 or so kiddos with their parents. So yes, I would say this is a kiddo-friendly spot! There are two old buses parked within the brewery that the kiddos thoroughly enjoyed climbing into and enjoying everything from the seats, steering wheel, and all the buttons. Who knew! There was a weekend pop-up (shoutout to Oh G Burger), and also a kiddo friendly menu including Chicago Vienna hot dogs, juice boxes, etc. There are also high chairs, and by the bathroom (yes to a changing table), you can find kiddo games to entertain your little. We ordered a couple of Korean smash burgers and enjoyed the beer flights the most. The Low Motion Mexican Lager was my jamn. All in all, such a fun and entertaining experience. What a cool spot tucked away near Jack London in Oakland with fair pricing, a super cool staff, and parking across the street. Spacious, community vibes. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Oh G Burger cheers - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

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Had a great time here with my family and my niece and nephew. Very family oriented and pet friendly. Came here to watch an Arsenal match with a group of fans who regularly meet. Great choices of beer on tap and non alcoholic drinks like sodas, juices, waters for the kids. They also have food made outside sometimes it's burgers or pizza, even tacos a burritos. I recommend getting there early for closer parking. Plenty of room just nice to be closer. You can also have a private event which can be arranged. read more

Did you know there is a Chicago Bear's (NFL football team) friendly beer bar in Oakland? I didn't know about Line 51's alligence to the Bears until last Sunday (10/19/2025). I was befuddled to see so many Bears fans during Sunday's game versus the New Orleans Saints. The one beer I had was tasty - Hazy IPA. The food was Chicago centric. Italian Beef sandwiches (solid giardiniera with kick) and two types of hotdog offers. That was a fun experience. Mid-westerners are fun to drink with! read more

Line 51 Brewing - 'Da bar. - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

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Line 51 brewing was giving out beer samples at the Rockridge indie food fest, and I added it to the must-go-soon list after learning that they had an Italian beef on the menu. Also, buses. The spot was very crowded - lots of families, I think for some regular event? Otherwise your standard big warehouse sort of brewery. But with BUSES. Ordered a flight and a pint for drinks, and a Chicago dog and an Italian beef for food. Italian beef was juicy and satisfying - maybe a little heavy on the giardiniera, but that's just a preference thing. My favorite beer was the doowutchyalike. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Italian beef, Chicago dog - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Friday afternoon and headed into the weekend, decided to check out Line 52. I pass it all the time but have never stopped in all the greats I've worked in Oakland. Have a buddy who is a former bus driver at SamTrans and geeks out on the buses, so in honor of him I stopped by for some beer and an Italian beef. Located the industrial area of West Oakland, just west of Jack London is a warehouse that doubles as the brewery and taproom. Indoor and outdoor seating is available, along with TVs to get your sports fix in. The centerpiece of the brewery, along with fermentation tanks lining the back wall is 965, which ran on Line 52 in downtown Oakland. The bus doubles as the back drop for the bar and taps that are keep cold onboard. Yes, you can access the front of the bus and drivers compartment. Very nostalgic. The beer offerings run the gamut from Pilsner and lager to hazy, West Coast and doubles with a porter on tap. Food offerings include Chicago style hotdogs and Italian beef sandwiches. The interior is concrete with brick walls and an open wood ceiling. Kegs line a side wall with a large walk in cold room. Very open, picnic table and high bar tables dot the interior, with high back chairs at the bar. Overall it's a very cool place to kick back in. Ordered the Italian beef, that was quite spicy, wet and flavorful. Dos two IPAs, Dubnation, which seemed to be the consensus favorite and One Inch Punch. Great to finally visit this brewery. Cheers! read more

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Thoroughly impressive. Line 51 has well crafted brews. The Mexican Lager and and Porter are both really good. Cool owner. And it's a full-on Bears bar. read more

Ok overall Michelada - definitely missing the chamoy, not well balanced was just like spicy clamato only Chicago dog - ok, just a hot dog with tomato, pickles and onions and mustard Busses were cool to look at, but Hella beat up inside my daughter didn't even want to sit in the dice seat cuz it looked eaten away and smelled like spoiled milk Service was ok, a little avoidance in the beginning but eventually came around Typical brewery Ambience, warehouse like Overall I may not return, but I'm glad I saw read more

Line 51 Brewing - Michelada - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

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Great beer and friendly folks. The vibe is old school industrial. Even Green Bay Packers fans are welcome at this Chicago Bears den. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Bears vs Packers - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Great place. Good I'd food, good beer, it's a great place to chill or first date. Not pretentious, real chill vibe.

Came here specifically because I had a craving for an Italian beef sandwich and this is the only place in the area that serves legit Chicago style beef's and hot dogs. I've only had line 51 beer a few times, and this was my first time visiting the actual brewery, primarily because it is not close to any other establishments. It's just inside the walking radius form Jack London, so we decided to catch the 3rd place Copa America match. The vibes inside were great though, really dig all the busses and there is plenty of seating, plus games and toys to keep kids occupied while you enjoy some fresh cold beer. Solid beer + food + vibes + service, would visit again. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Italian Beef + 1856 - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Amazing place. Amazing owner and staff. Great hospitality. If you are a Chicago sports fan, this is your spot! read more

Line 51 Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Fun brewing company and bar in the middle of a quiet block in Oakland. Good beers on tap and lots of space to spread out and sit down. They offer some food options, but a very limited menu - think sausages, popcorn, chips. In line with their theme, there are a number of parked buses Inside the brewery for kids (apparently) to run around and play! With parental supervision, of course. We went on a Sunday afternoon to watch the ball game with the entire family, including the kids and the grandkids, and it was a nice experience. Of note, they don't seem to heat the place, so it has the feel of a cold basement. Bring layers! read more

Cool and unassuming spot over by all the warehouses in Oakland past Jack London. Plenty of street parking and there was a corn hole tournament or practice happening when we arrived. It was pretty family friendly and despite the "adult only" signs on the pool table, we watched little children wipe their sticky hands and toss the billiard balls around. Great selection of beers - everything from lagers to IPAs to porters to Czech and German pilsners. They also have a kitchen serving hotdogs. Great fast, friendly and efficient service and lots of bench and round tables to fit your party. read more

"Bear down, Chicago BEARS" When the BEARS score a touch down, the crowd goes wild! Other teams play on the other screens, but the audio is Chicago BEARS. Clean bathrooms. Plenty of free street parking on Sundays. Real Chicago dogs with poppy seed buns. After Windy City in San Mateo closed, our family started watching the games here. Outdoor seating with a tv on the sidewalk. A block away, there is a church having services. They provide crossing gaurds and safety patrols. This is the place to be on Sundays if you are a BEAR fan. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Free street parking on Sundays during BEARS games - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

"Great Beer, Friendly People, Great Atmosphere" The owner of this brewery must be a genius. I have never seen a brewery with a theme of buses. And hardly ever Line 51. Where in the world do they get such fantastic ideas? The two bartenders today, Gabe and Tori, were especially helpful and friendly. They really made me felt welcome. They gave me a lot of history of this business and explained the operation. I really appreciate their help today. They also have kids birthday parties in this business. Today there were a million little kids having a fantastic time. Absolutely a wonderful place for a kid's party. So overall, this was a fantastic visit. Great people, great atmosphere, great beer. Don't forget to try out the kitchen here. It's right next to the tap room, so super convenient. Be sure to say hello to the Chef, Willie. Congratulations to the owner of this business. You have done a fantastic job. Wish your business great success. read more

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**strictly reviewing for peeps w kiddos ans shout out to the owner for having a day reserved for families ** I'm not a beer drinker but my husband is- regardless - I highly recommend this brewery for people with TODDLERS. They have themed days and FRIDAY is FAMILY FRIDAY. If you walk in you'll see NOTHING but families with kids ages 0-4ish. Here's what will make this your toddlers FAVE space : - 2 buses (AC transit and old shuttles) - multiple bins with action figurines available for play - pinball machine - pool - space to run and play Food wise - nothing but yummy polish dogs . You can bring food for your kids. There's a nice beer menu and other alcohol drinks includes a $15 mimosa (you get like a 12oz bottle of Prosecco and a bottle of OJ, a few wine options and a michelada This will become your kids' fave place. Ours was super hyped and tired his little butt out running back and forth on the buses read more

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I remember taking the AC Transit 51 line as a kid and it was never this memorable/fun. This brewery is a great combo of Chicago meets the Bay Area. Wonderful atmosphere to bring kids while you and the adults grab a tasty beverage or food. Also some nights are "Family Night" where they put out a bunch of toys, puzzles and crayons for the little ones. Keep in mind, wether it's family night or not, there's two real buses for the kids to play on or even for us adults who want to relive the days of having bus tickets, pulling the chord for your next stop and when bus faire was 50 cents. I really enjoyed their 1852 larger and for us light drinkers both of their pilsners. You can never go wrong w/ pairing your beers to one of their Chicago style dogs w/ mustard, onions, tomatoes, relish, pickles and sport peppers. Notice how I left Ketchup off the list! There is only street parking and they take both cash and credit cards. Even though it is a large brewery/tap room w/ plenary of seats I'd recommend parties of 10+ call ahead just to make sure you can reserve a table. read more

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Super cool low key location and a great place to watch the game and have a beer. Service was fantastic and so is the beer. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Watching the game at the bar - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Old bus depot with tall exposed beams and roof. Big greyhound buses and tankers inside surrounding the floor. Very hipster and open feel with family game night, karaoke Thursdays and a community feel. Beer was average but enjoyed the hazy. Would like to try more. I'd recommend coming back for trivia or something that might give the space more life. read more

I have been here a couple of times and it was great to get out of the sun and have delicious beer. I had their Mexican Lager and loved it. Service was friendly and the space is airy, there is food to order, lots of TVs and plenty of seating. read more

What sold me on this brewery was the fact that they have Chicago Dogs (my favorite) and multiple screens for all the games. I have to say, Line 51 did not disappoint. Here are the other great things about this place: 1) It's on the edge of Jack London and super easy to find parking. 2) One of the better brewery menus I've seen, especially compared to the breweries in Alameda. 3) This was a nice surprise but they are super kid-friendly. There was a kids birthday party next to us and plenty of space for strollers. 4) Service was friendly. I asked for the A's game to be played on the screens behind the bar and he was super nice about it. I've definitely had push back at some places because I guess not many people want to watch the A's games, ha. But with 5 screens, this is the main reason we came. Now there's always room for improvement so I'll just say that I wish there were other sides/snacks on the menu. I wanted nachos or fries so bad but all they have aside from a salad was a bag of chips. They were good but between that and the small dog, I left hungry. All in all, we really enjoyed our visit. Beers were great and we will definitely be back! read more

Line 51 Brewing - Chicago Dog - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Nice place to chill. Music is a bit too loud. You can't really talk without yelling but the musicians were really good. The food that we received was really bad. All the food was cold, and the bread to meat ratio was terrible. The hot dog was not cooked thoroughly and was cold. The drink options other than beer and the small selections of wine are not that great. I get that it's a brewery, but if you want to enjoy the music, it would be nice to have a nice selection of wine so that you can stay awhile. I came and went. I'm not sure I will be back. read more

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We rented some space and hosted my baby shower here and it was a FANTASTIC experience. The staff was friendly and helpful leading up to the event and the day of the event. We brought in our food and decorations and put a tab down for our guests to purchase drinks/other food at the bar. The space was perfect for our ~50 adults and ~15 toddlers. The staff set up a toy table for the kids and the kids LOVED playing on the bus. I highly recommend this place for events - my baby shower was smooth and stress free thanks to Line 51!! read more

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Line 51 terminal special event review I had not been to this location before, but it is a spacious and well designed warehouse with surprising old buses. My husband has been before for concerts. It was a rainy night and we were there for a triumph motorcycle event. A large truck was pulled up outside that had unloaded the motorcycles for Show in the warehouse. Because it was raining and we were there early, We squeezed into the little lobby area by the two restrooms with a bunch of other people. Parking was easy to find on the streets as it was after hours on a Tuesday. There is a long bar and we had a live musician in the corner. A projector was showing the newest motorcycle models on the TV. The Soundsystem was awful though, so we could barely hear the speaker. The food was set up along the back railing, but there was not enough for the amount of people that showed up. We heard that the Seattle event only turned up 75 people which is why there was a lack of food in this event, where probably everybody and More showed up! They are serving beer, wine and cider at the bar and had a special hotdog offering as well. You could pay with Apple Pay and there was a tip jar for cash. Great use of space and I would like to come here on a regular day next time! read more

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What a cool place! I actually read an article about this place when it opened and it has piqued my curiosity ever since. There's an AC transit bus in here! Food is available here, plus there are several TV screens so we were able to catch the tail end of an A's game where they won! For those who like to play foosball and pool, they have that too. We were here on a Sunday when it was quiet but the vibe was so chill. Definitely worth another visit. read more

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Beer was good. Hot dog chicago style was good. Bands were to the left of horrible. My god. Get some musical taste. I swear they were the worst three bands I have ever heard. read more

It was an adventure to walk from the city at night to this brewery which is surrounded by an industrial zone. The homeless encampments under the freeway were something out of an apocalyptic movie scene, so drive there instead of walking. The brewery is decorated with public busses and it's all inside a big warehouse. They have a pool table, kitchen, and those collectable brewery shirts. read more

Line 51 Brewing - Beer time 2023 - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Came here on a family night. Was too worried about my car getting broke into. Hard to enjoy your time with this stress. Glad we came once.

Food, service, beer co rocks. Chicago dog is the bomb. Sell and Stay IPA is my favorite

Not my favorite brewery in the area. We went during family night, and I thought that having child entertainment could be fun. They drew in a lot of kids in the area, and they served burgers and hot dogs with their beer. Beer options is basically all IPA, so if you like that, then that's good. I'm not the biggest fan of IPA so the beer was less good for me. The burger I order ended up being very dry unfortunately. So while the idea is good, it could've been better. read more

We held an event here and it was a blast. We rented out part of the space. Purchased all drinks there but brought in our own food (however we heard the food there is tasty was well). Working with Sarah on the planning was a breeze. We had 40ish adults ranging up in age through their 80s + and about 7 kids. Everyone enjoyed the space, it's fun and there are activities (darts, pool, hoping on the busses) and space to sit and have quality time to visit. Karlisle was kind, accommodating, welcoming and such a treat to meet- a fantastic bartender. The beers are great, with a wide selection so everyone had something they liked. Wine drinkers were happy with the selection as well. I highly recommend having an event here or just stopping by for good beer and tasty food. Thank you for such a wonderful experience. read more

LOVE this place! Great beer (try the Euphoria if you love a good hazy IPA) and vegan hot dogs! Plenty of space, you can park your bike inside, pool table, and foosball! Big screens with local games on, come chill, this place is great! read more

Line 51 Brewing - Euphoria beer and I was so hungry I ate my vegan dogs before I could get them in the picture! #sorrynotsorry - Breweries Near Me - Oakland, California

Have you spent anytime in Chicago? Are you a fan of Chicago dogs and Italian beef sandos like Al's? Closest you're gonna get in the bay is right here at Line 51. Awesome beers, cool venue and space and friendly, accommodating staff. read more

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What a great find! Was cruising around Jack London and had to stop to check this place out. Great vibe inside - I love the warehouse vibe and the buses inside are great. Line 51 is named after the bus line (51) the owner used to take home. We chatted with the owner and he was great. The staff was also friendly and offered us tasters to figure out what beer we wanted. They have big TVs inside that are always playing the current games - football, baseball, etc. and games such as foosball that are also available. To eat, they have Chicago Style hotdogs. DELISH! Looking for a place to relax and enjoy the game with great company and fresh beer? This is your place. read more

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We have chosen Line 51 as our Chicago Bears game watching place. The owner is a diehard Bears fan and you cannot beat the experience when the Bears score a touchdown and the whole place sings along with the Bear-Down song playing over the speakers. If you are from Chicago, you will likely appreciate the official Chicago-dog, on a poppyseed bun with bright green relish and peppers. So for us this is the place to go to for the Chicago Bears NFL season games. read more

As someone who has been looking for a piece of Midwestern joy in the Bay Area, I would selfishly like to gatekeep Line 51... but since I was turned onto this place by Reddit, I guess I need to pay it forward. The menu is focused on excellent Chicago classics, the atmosphere is feels like low-key house party with friends, and there are lots of Bulls caps. Looking forward to being back soon. read more

Popped in as they opened on a Friday and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. Patrick was a great host, able to explain all the beers, allowed me to checkout the inside and was just a great face of the brewery. Food was delicious - nailed the Chicago Beer, tender beef and the bread was out of this world. Beers? Oh yea! Nailed the Imperial Red while I was there and brought home some bottles for "local" enjoyment. If you are looking for a great location, good peeps, and better food, hit Line 51! read more

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Great place to drink and also bring your family. If you want to go out and not have to pay for a sitter then this is your speed. Great service, phenomenal drinks, and Friendly staff. What more can you ask for? read more

Maybe like 3.7 stars for this one. I used to take the 51 bus as a kid from Jr. High to home with a walk on each end of the bus ride. Did that make this place nostalgic at all? Not really, but the full size old school bus they have inside is pretty cool. This was just an in between stop on our day drinking adventure. Casual set up inside, with high top tables and an open air feel. We grabbed a pint and relaxed. The beer was good, wasn't cheap, but wasn't too expensive. There is plenty of street parking in an industrial area. The bathroom was clean. Line 51 served its purpose of being a new place to try and the second stop of our day drinking adventure. read more

Nice place to come alone or with friends. Got a real Chicago dog & it was really good, it had exactly what the real Chicago dog has. I sat in my car & ate or you can go inside & outside & hang out. They have a vending machine for sodas & juice. Quick service & pet friendly. I'll be back.. read more

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