The place is a big dive bar with a lot of TVs for sports watching!!! Love the bartenders! They're attentive and nice!!! Cleaner and larger than the other dive bars around the neighborhood!!! Best selection of beer, wine and liquor! I am an avid football watcher, so every game night here is awesome because all the TVs and locals go to watch many games at once!!! There isn't food except some chips, but it's kewl! Street parking! Clean and large restrooms read more

Bar tender/owners kid thought he had one up on me. Thought he could add $10 to my tab thinkin I wouldn't notice. When I confronted him about it 2 days later, he tried to tell me I bought drinks for other people. This bar has no integrity what so ever. Do not recommend showin up here if you got status in other bars. read more

Sunday was my sister's birthday and she really wanted to play pool. We (10 Black women from the Bay Area) walked into parkway lounge around 11:00 pm and there was about 8 customers inside. Us walking into that bar brought a new layer of life and love. We were in great moods and the customers inside also responded warmly. A few of us do not drink including myself, but we left it up to the drinkers and the birthday girl! 1. The Asian woman (the same one everyone is complaining about) walked up to three of my sober friends and told them they were running off customers becuase they weren't buying drinks (how does that work?) 2. After being inside for about 10-15 minutes she had a black man,( who seemed like a regular and was already drunk) come to us and ask for IDs. He was nice but couldn't answer why he was suddenly checking our IDs. Obviously she doesn't check IDs all the time this was her way of marking her territory. 3. She had a mean ass look on her face the entire time. She also told us that if we weren't all going to buy a drink then we needed to leave. Meanwhile she was overserving this drunk ass white man who got kicked out of Lakeside Lounge for being ridiculously intoxicated. 4. My girls played doubles on the pool with other clients, who were also really confused on why this Asian woman was being rude as hell to us. 4. At one point one of my girls just couldn't stomach her prejudice ass attitude and let her know that she was alienating all of us. 5. A white woman in the bar overheard the Asian woman talking to us and even tried to step in to let her know her behavior was out of control. 6. When a few of us tried to order more drinks she purposely kept avoiding us and finding little things to do to take her time. (This is some narcissistic ass bullshit) 7. Only been there twice and I WILL NEVER GO BACK!!! I hope you are reading this because you seriously need to get your shit together before you are called out on being a racist establishment. read more

Gangster Stiff drinks, eclectic crowd, good loud music, pool tables, easy parking & chalk art. You cannot possibly ask for anything else Fyi - cash only joint but they do have a working ATM machine read more

Parkway Lounge - #chalkart - Sports Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

I was skeptical about this place, especially when I first entered and saw scantily-clad women grinding up against one another and grooving to some mediocre hip-hop jams. But I figured that since Brian G. and I rode our bikes from across town to check the place out, we should give it a fair shot. I'm glad we stuck around. Although the crowd was rambunctious, everyone was also totally nice and the crew dancing by the pool table didn't act super annoyed every time I'd have to ask them to move so I could make a shot. Also, drinks were good, bartenders were nice and there were two pool tables. Win. Weird thing: around midnight, the whole place seemed to clear out. Our new billiard buddies told us that it was a pretty standard occurrence; post 12:30, the only people still around are either A) alcoholics or B) those playing pool, because everyone else comes on Friday nights to see DJ What's-His-Bucket. In short, I had way more fun here than I have at maybe any other bar in Oakland. That's not saying much, considering I haven't checked out more than a handful, but it's a start. read more

I was a little skeptical at first about coming here after celebrating a friends birthday who lived only a block away. But this place was pretty awesome! It's pretty spacious with a few TVs to watch games, fights, etc. I liked how the walls was a few sectioned chalkboard you can freely write/draw on! There are pool tables, jukeboxes, and plenty of seating! I wished the bartender was a bit more happy...or at least LOOKED a bit happy to be there but oh well. Perhaps there are other bartenders on other nights? Maybe I"ll go back a different night :] read more

I was taken here by my friend who comes all the time, and she mentioned it was dog friendly. Well, I went in there and as soon as we entered, this petite Asian lady told us to leave because I had my support animal. I told her he was my support companion and she said she didnt care. This is so discriminating! She was so rude about it too. read more

This is the most lit place I've been to in California. I brought my sister here on vacation and this shit is killing me. The staff is 100!!! The crowed is 99!!! The drinks are proper. Real shit I fucks with this place. The rest of California can **** my ****. read more

They have a special drink that has the word "pussy" in it. Enough said. Well, not really enough, as they have pool table(s) (I can't remember), a good selection of booze and beer on tap, a back wall covered in chalkboards, and there was a bunch of hot ladies and one hot dude who met me there. As it is insanely close to my casa, I will be back. Damn you for being cash only, though. And I don't care about your stupid overcharging ATM. read more

I have never been so humiliated and angered by a bartender in my life. A couple of friends and I decided to go play pool and I suggested the Parkway Lounge.. I will never make that mistake again. The bartender (middle aged asian woman) was the rudest woman I have ever encountered.. and I worked in service. After refusing to let us use the restroom until we 'ordered something' she proceeded to take all our ID's (she didnt even say 'may I see your id' she just held her hand out.. wtf?), studied them for a good five minutes before throwing them onto the bar (2 of them landed on the ground) and ignoring us for the remainder of our visit. No 'good evening' or even 'want a drink?' Just glares from across the bar. The angry part of me wanted to break her nose but cooler heads prevailed. At the urging of my guests I said nothing to the rude & haggard bar wench. After the embarassing incident I wanted to immediately leave the bar but since we had travelled all the way to the bar my guests decided to make the best of it and play some pool (I was disgusted and ready to go) but even that was difficult when we're receiving glares from the bartender and listening to her crude remarks about myself and my companions. All and all I have never in my life been treated with such hostility, rudeness and malice by a complete stranger. That bartender is everything that is wrong with the service industry. If you hate your job do us all a favor and quit. Don't subject innocent people to your evil. She never has to worry about seeing my face (or money) in that bar again. I even called management to complain and of course the only thing they could offer me was some bartenders half-assed apology. No thanks. I would rather die of thirst than drink at the Parkway Lounge again. read more

I'm a bit saddened that I have to write this... but real is real. And that's how I'm going to keep it. This past weekend in the mood to try a new place in the city I have called home for over 25 years. Maybe it was because I was black with a caucasian date, or maybe it was just because she was having a terrible day, but the lady bartender was a complete ASSHOLE!! And I never go out of my way to belittle anyone. From the attitude I got the moment I sat down, to the seemingly non-chalant attitude about serving her patrons, to out right lying about what was available on the menu...it was pretty bad...I mean my date and I litterally sat at a bar that had all of 6 people on Friday night and was NEVER ASKED if she could get us another drink...While my tab was open mind you. Between the patrons, her attitude, the lack of respect, I had to litterally ask myself which part of Oakland is this!!! It's safe to say that I won't be coming here anymore...I'm sure the ownership would probably prefer it that way, as the demographic in there was hardly indicative of the diversity or the respect fellow Oaklander's have for one another in general. Bad experience overall. Just sad. read more

Not bad, not bad at all. It's your friendly neighborhood dive bar. Good for pre or post loading for the Parkway Theatre. Good jukebox, decent priced well-drinks (that are pretty strong) and bar stools that conform to your ass. Many an ass have seen this bar, from what I can tell. I'm sure many an ass have been kicked out as well. My ass just played it cool. It's the type of place that you could walk in and either hear Arlo Guthrie...or freaking "Iron Man" by Sabbath. Word up. read more

One night, my wife, then gf, told me she loved me here and then immediately whispered in my ear and said, "I take it back". Memories of a beautiful crazy courtship. Strong drinks, one pool table, semi-clean bathrooms, a jukebox with english/chinese/korean songs, a place to get a drink before and after a night at the parkway. Yup, that about sums it up. I probably won't come here as much due to the closing of the Parkway. Too sad. read more

Went to see a friend's band play on Saturday night. As it was my maiden trip to the Parkway I was quite impressed, and will definitely make a trip back. It was everything I desire in a dive bar. Many beers on tap, full bar, pool tables, and a jukebox. read more

Seeing as the Parkway is apparently like Mecca on Wednesday nights, my friend and I got to the theater about and hour & 15 minutes early to ensure we got a decent seat (side note: SOOO glad I lobbied for the couch, even if we did have nachos on the way.). So to kill time we went next door to this lovely place. This is what I call a TRUE dive. And I don't mean the Mission bars that may have once been a dive but now are too trendy to actually qualify or have more of a lounge feel. This place reminded me of the Dirty Bird in Santa Rosa http://www.yelp.com/biz/round-robin-santa-rosa#hrid:VVNW67XClqOhF7AWAUDY1g. Except the air didn't make me want to vomit and instead of punk or whatever else they play on the Bird's jukebox, we walked in and were immediately transported to a time where girls stood on one side of the Gym & boys on the other. Yes, we walked into something that sounded like Boyz II Men but definitely WAS NOT. Anyway, this place is unimpressive except for the fact that they have Blue Moon and it was quiet once the 1990's R&B stopped. So clearly a place to kill time while you wait for the theater to be cleared out. But hey, as long as you can sling beer, I'll come back. read more

Everything a decent dive bar requires: 1. Strong drinks. 2. Crazy random jukebox. 3. Pool tables. 4. Disgusting bathrooms. 5. At least one patron passed out at the bar. 6. At least one female patron packing a mouthful of chew. 7. Promotional displays dating back at least 2 decades. 8. At least one salty bartender. 9. Dusty horizontal blinds or bars on at least one window. 10. I didn't see a cigarette machine, but I'm betting this place has one. I will return for a second encounter with the Parkway Lounge. read more

This place was so fricking cool! It is most definitely a dive bar and mostly locals in here, with a few UC Berkeley or Silicon Valley yuppies drifted in. When I asked for a SWEET drink the bartender was like UMMMM I can add simple syrup to whatever you get. So, that is what the missing star is for - it would be nice if the bartender knew what to make or at least gave me a few drink suggestions when I wanted something sweet. (hint: use google) Otherwise, the staff was very nice, two pool tables and a jukebox (so the music was as eclectic as the crowd). I will probably go back. read more

My First Negative Yelp Review Even after a cool off period this still bothers me; so here I go. I've been to this spot before; I guess I was lucky and just avoided this bartenders vibe. STORY1: Went there to meet some people and watch Dubz game.! I sat with friends bartender comes up asks what i wanted. Friends had already bought a pitcher I figured I'd get the next. "Just glasses please" the lady kinda mean mugged me but brought glasses over. I went on to buy a pitcher for the group. Later I hear the same bartender spelling a word to two white patrons at the bar. I overheard and I made a mental note. Later after our group buys another pitcher I ask if she has WiFi she says no and walks away. I look on phone and see that the bar obviously has WiFi I try the word I overheard and nothing. A few minutes later I'm like "are you sure no WiFi?" She says no again with the same mean mug. I rethink what I overheard her spell and bam I get in. I don't think it's cool the other folks were given the code; we were both paying. The only difference was that I'm black and they were white. I really wanted to say something smart talk a little shit but I didn't. I figure I know the code now I even tipped her $3 on a $17 pitcher (I know kinda tight) I should have gave nothing. I wish it ended there. STORY2: (All takes place in under 6 minutes) My friend and I go in 2 days later to watch another Dubz game (playoffs) We sit away from bar as we were waiting for the 3rd member of our party. Within two minutes she's barking at us to buy drinks. And we can't watch tv without buying. I respond we are waiting, give us a sec etc.. Two minutes later she's back there giving us the drink signal (?) I kinda can't believe she is being so rude. I turn to my friend in shock. She then goes and turns the two TVs nearest us away from the game... Wow. We get up and leave. Now this story is very similar to the other 1 star stories for this bar. As the manager I guess this lady has a right to be a racist ass. But all who patronize this place should know she is a racist ass too. read more

This place is a little depressing. I'm not so fond of depressing bars because that just makes it more depressing. Drinking should be HAPPY! On top of that, we were being served by a pregnant woman. That seems all kinds of morally wrong to me. On a good note, $1 pool table. SCORE! read more

17 beers on tap! Including Racer 5. What more can you ask for? This bar seems to be getting better each time I go in. The bartenders are friendly and pour stiff drinks. read more

Parkway Lounge - Beers o plenty! - Sports Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

This place gets major props for turning the corner.. this place was pretty much run by some sort of asian mob for a while... it was scary going in, and anyone that lives around the area could tell you the same.. Now, now this place is classic, the riff raffs are cleaned out, they got rid of all the crappy jukebox selections and got playable music, they have two pool tables, a chalkboard wall to doodle on and a damn friendly bartender. This is a classic compliment to a night at the parkway theater... read more

Yeah, This is a dive-y bar, but It does not feel creepy or dangerous. The dutch door lets air circulate and you can actually see out the window. The bartenders are always really nice. Each time I've gone in there's been a lady holdin' the place down, and they've chatted me up! I love that! I usually come in here when I'm doing laundry at Woody's across the street. Oh Yes. read more

So I went to this bar cause I "tried" to go the soldout Parkway Theater before it closed on it's last weekend. Well, I was unsuccessful. So I ended up at the Parkway Lounge. But I didn't mind. I saw Gremlins at the Parkway back in the day as a kid. So I slipped into the parkway lounge with a friend and we starting chatting it up with some of the girls there. I mean they asked us to play pool with them. It seems there's some friendly girls over there in Oakland.... Plus I was really interested in seeing the bar where I got really loaded for the first time. This was a long time ago in the town. My friends lived over on China Hill and they knew the bartenders at the Parkway. I sat down at this very bar and had my first cocktail experience. I even had a whisky sour, white russians, etc.. Plus shots of whisky. Well, I know I had like, 10 drinks or more, and after leaving the bar I burst in a sprint for the park where I relived myself of my last meal. With my friends laughing around me. Good times. Ah, the sweet memories were coming back to me in a flash as I walked through this old Oakland bar. I was happy to see the place still thriving with two pool tables, a cool bartender girl and some upbeat clientele. I may even start coming back here. Didn't even know my old stomping grounds were still in effect. read more

No cover - check Cheap drinks - check Minimal lighting - check Pool tables - check Hot jukebox - check Movie theater next door that serves food and even more booze - check Slightly seedy atmosphere that makes u wanna make out in the bathroom with a stranger - check I'd say the Parkway Lounge qualifies to be my new local dive bar. Who's down for Happy Hour? read more

After avoiding this place for the past nine years, we finally went back on Friday. It still sucks. The jukebox is way too loud so it makes the booths right next to it uninhabitable. The bartender is short and kind of rude. The patrons are sketchy to the max and the place is chock full of every piece of promotional crap anyone ever gave them. The only thing I liked were the giant chalkboards surrounding the pool tables. 1 star for chalkboards! read more

It's a neighborhood dive bar within walking distance of Baggy's. It's beer selection isn't as thoughtful but otherwise it has the typical full bar menu of hard liquor. It does have 2 pool tables without the drama which is always nice. Patrons are chill. read more

Parkway has to be my favorite bar!! It is always chill, and i believe that i have not had a colder beer any where else. Yvonne and Sarah are incredible women and always make sure that their customers are well taken care of. I love that they now take card, but even when they didn't, you could get $2 off your bill if you showed them the receipt from the atm located in the bar. The ambience is more Divey, but thats part of why i love it. There is a jukebox with great tunes, occasional live bands, and pool tables for $1 a game. Another fun fact - chalk board walls!!! Leave your "I was here" statement before you leave. All in all... Great bar! read more

Super chill dive bar and friendly neighborhood vibe. Check out Courtney when she works, great bartender!

Down Periscope Dive, Dive, Dive listens for beep sonar beep.... beep.... beep.... crewman sneezes 0-))) ahhh choow BEEP BEEEP BEEEEEEP oh crap - depth charges KABOOOM KABOOM KABOOM then silence Beep, beep, b e e p, b e e p SURFACE whoosh Up Periscope looks around... ship at 5 o'clock Torpedo tube ready SIR on my MARK FIRE!!!!! WOOOSH time seems eternity KA BOOOOO MMMMMMM Direct hit!!!! read more

Disclaimer: From a dude with probably the softest soft spot for sports bar, mainly since they pretty much combine two of my favorite pasttimes, watching sports and drinking, this place was almost guaranteed to get a positive review, though; in my review's defense, Parkway has definitely earned every star - here's why: Drinks: (3/5) - So the selection is lacking but the prices are relatively cheap to fair, the pours are hearty and stiff yet somehow "delicious", and the variety of most of the Go-Tos (whiskey, vodka, tequila) is pretty much on par. Sports Viewing Experience: (4/5) - 5 mounted TVs about/at least 40", and a projector waay bigger than that. Considering the size of the place, I'd say there really isn't a bad a seat in the house though, in my opinion, bigger and more is always better. Food: (4/5) - Negative on the serving food-front but they embrace the BYOF way of life and there's a chinese food restaurant next door, not to mention a bunch of other food joints within a mile, that's pretty good. Beats serving pretty crappy bar food for me. Location: (3/5) - Right by the southside of Lake Merritt, the place is not far from all that the waterfront has to offer; which, actually, isn't much. There's a couple of other bars nearby to go along with a Lucky's down the street but really the biggest pro here is that it offers easy access to bus lines running up and down E 18th St. Ambiance: (4/5) - The bartenders are generally pretty cool, the divey feel, 2 pool tables, and karoake machine are nice touches, and the crowd has been nothing but super chill (like super Bay Area chill) in my experience. Seriously, the amount of awesome conversations and new friends I've made here is a little trippy. Overall: (4/5) - I've officially dubbed Parkway "My Neighborhood Sports Bar". Not sure how much this means to anyone else but, as mentioned: I like my sports, I like my bars, and I like to think I know my sports bars. So yea, if that's what you're looking for, let Parkway Lounge guide the way. read more

I was hoping that this would end up my neighborhood bar, but I don't see it happening. Beers were $4. Not a big deal if there was some ambiance to speak of. Instead, I sat through a bunch of bad Chinese pop ballads, a few booty songs, the Scorpions, a couple Latin dance numbers, and about as random an assortment as I've ever heard on a jukebox. I give the place 3 stars for diversity of clientele. All broad range of ethnicity and sexual orientations represented in the few hours I spent there last Friday. Never got too full, but had a steady stream of folks coming through. You can spot the people coming to or from the Parkway Theater from a mile away. Damn, after a good dive bar night with cheap drinks and a pleasant atmosphere, it was a little bit of a let down. I love dive bars, but if you're going that route, then have cheap beers at least. I don't do mixed drinks so I can't tell you if they're good and strong for the price. read more

I would give zero stars if I could. From the lousy staff, to the constant swarm of flies, to the wack selection of tunes on the jukebox, this bar needs a face lift. I have frequented this bar for years, and the price for my usual drink varies depending on the bartender. I pride myself on tipping the staff so they will give prompt and friendly service, but there is one bartender in particular who works Thursday and Friday nights who is extremely bipolar. She is nice some days and ridiculously rude on others. She also gave a customer the wrong credit card slip today, and frequently forgets to give receipts, so you don't know what you are being charged per drink until you're intoxicated. I think this is done purposefully because it is not the first time I've seen inebriated folks argue about being charged too much. Go to Baggy's or somewhere downtown where you get better drinks and a better class of bartender to serve you. read more

Good local place place to watch a game, grab a beer, and play a game of pool.. mixed drinks are barely o.k. mostly a beer bar.. read more

Parkway Lounge - With the parkway vet!... Sky - Sports Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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it was a wild partying crowd under the previous owner. the new owner has seen a more sedated scene. maybe's it the spillover from the theatre. read more

From the outside it looks crappy as hell but the inside isn't too bad. Very much a dive bar but we didn't stay long; there were some sports on tv and we played a game of pool. The Asian lady bartender didn't seem too bad but she seemed that type be rude if you got on her bad side. Didn't speak to us much which was 'okay' but we'd rather have a social bartender being it a SOCIALIZING place. Also, I couldn't tell you about the late night crowd since we were not there late enough. read more

Divey Oakland bar. Great place to play pool and toss a few back. Nice and dark and dingey. Make sure you leave here with someone if you're a gal, not the safest of areas. Bartenders are efficient. I frequent as it's a local bar. read more

I love this joint. This is by far the best dive bar I've been to in Oakland. Come every weekend and a couple times during the week to shoot some pool and drink a few brewskies. The bar is cold (literally) but the people are incredibly warm. The bartenders are laid back and really friendly. Easy to strike up a conversation with them. Along with the cool bartenders are some awesome locals and regulars. It's pretty common to run into the same people every week, which ain't too bad since many of them are incredibly friendly. It's really easy to to engage in conversation with people here, whether you're playing pool with them or just chilling by the bar. This is also a great space to watch games on their four tvs as well as play some tunes on their jukebox (Purple Rain anyone?!) Won't stop coming to this place anytime soon! read more

I have nothing against dive bars. Really I don't. I just do not like the bitchy owner of this one, and the way she treats her customers or her employees. I have also seen cockroaches walking on the bar. ewwww. I know it is in the middle of the city, but to me that implies less than sanitary conditions. read more

Yvette (did I spell it right?) will treat you right the second you walk into this awesome neighborhood bar. Always a drink special, GREAT jukebox, two pool tables, excellent mix of folks... no pendejos please...just good, chill folks need to know about this place OK?!!!!! read more

Aight first off lemme i see a lot of neg comments on this place and im like really?? Look we all know it ain't no Kimball's Carnival but i mean what did you think it was gonna be ? It's a dive bar ppl!! that's what dive bars are like!! If you ain't a dive bar type of person you may not like this place, but for those that are stop complaining and enjoy yourself. On the Positive side it has pool tables which is a plus for a dive bar, gd drinks, gd location. On the neg side there aren't too many females there that are my type ..hell even my friends's type...again it is a dive bar..we wud go there to get drunk and play pool when i lived by it..thats it...but for the ppl in that neighborhood its a bar, a coo lil bar.. read more