Just recently got a piece done by Ben and he absolutely killed it! It was a more sentimental piece and he absolutely nailed the likeness in all the most important ways. The shop was super comfy and all the other artists brought such a comfortable and relaxed vibe, which is exactly what you want out of a tattoo experience. Will definitely be coming back for more work! read more

My partner and I got tattooed by Ben and Billy, they were recommended by a friend. They were very accommodating, we were able to get our work done on the same time to celebrate our anniversary. They were incredibly friendly and took our feedback on their drawings and we both ended up with beautiful pieces we love. Such a cool shop too, endless art on the walls. 10/10 will return read more

This is the second time I did a walk in and again, it was awesone :) This time Hordan Claire did my tattoi. He was so nice, gentle and did an awesome job. I got exactly what I imagined. Everyone in the shop was so nice and they made me feel comfortable. I highly recomned them. read more

Love this shop and me and my wife have both gotten pieces from here. Ben and Nate are who we've worked with but all the guys here are pretty cool and do some cool work. Great concepts and lots of cool stuff on the wall. I first came here last year and got a "get what you get" tattoo from the gumball machine from Ben and have since been back and had him do a couple more pieces on the same arm. Highly recommend coming here for your first, 10th or hundredth tattoo ! read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I've been getting tattooed by Billy Boston for many years now and it's always been a great experience. From the professionalism to the friendly atmosphere at the shop, I always look forward to coming back! They make you feel like family! Each and every artist is extremely talented, Pastime tattoo wins best traditional shop of the East Bay hands down! read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Ben was awesome! I enjoyed working with him on my latest tattoo. When I get my next one, I hope that he is available.

This was my first tattoo and I was scared but Zac was very professional and kind thank you so much the atmosphere was great as well

Ben was amazing during consultation, preparation, the design process and in his client/customer care. The vibe of all the artists in the shop was really comfortable and welcoming. Given that this was my first time getting a tattoo, Ben was really thorough in exploring the process and putting my concerns at ease while being very honest and transparent. I chose Ben because of his artistry, but more importantly because I sensed his trustworthiness and kindness. Here's to many more tattoos with a great artist! read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo - first time! - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Wow. Where do I start!? So grateful for my experience today. We were treated amazingly and felt so comfortable. I'm a tattoo newbie and Buddha made me feel so ok with the whole experience. From the occasional "You've got this, Queen!" To his well timed breaks, I felt encouraged and supported. I got a memorial tattoo for my dad. It was artfully designed, placed, and shaded. I am over the moon. I cried when I saw it. The crew were joking and shooting the shit which created a great vibe in the shop. Fun, welcoming, low key, real. Good vibes all around here. Will post a healed pic soon... read more

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Came here for my first tattoo had the privilege of being tattooed by Ben . Clean and professional workplace. Happy with the outcome of my tattoo excited to come back for more tattoos from Ben and the team . Highly recommend a first timer coming to this shop . read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo 1993 - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Local shop with several talented artists to choose from. If you're not sure what to get, they have a "get what you get" machine that gives a random image for a reasonable price. Appointments are always best, with walk-ins when time permits. Very clean shop and very professional. Quality work from custom designs to off the wall flash. Stop by and check it out! read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I've been to many tattoo shops and artists in my time as I have a lot of work on me, I recently got into American traditional and decided to get tattooed by Brandon "Buddha". In my opinion Brandon is one of those classic true to the game tattoo artists who are highly under rated! He has now done at least 7 tattoos on me and I plan to go back for more. The shop is also super chill and all the guys are always welcoming and friendly. When you get tattooed as much as I do, you deal with a lot of shit from artists, Brandon is one of the good ones! read more

Ben is such an amazing tattoo artist and I would love to get more work done by him. He's a great dude and fantastic at what he does! If you're on the fence about going to him, I'm here to tell you to do it! His artwork is incredible and you won't regret anything done by him or any of the other awesome artists at Pastime! Highly recommend Pastime to anyone interested in getting tattoos! read more

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I love this place. I have had several tattoos and most of them are from Pastime Tattoo. I've been to Ben and Billy. I am going to Nate soon and want to get a tattoo from everyone there eventually. The atmosphere is chill, fun and at ease. I highly recommend Pastime Tattoo! ​​​ read more

I have been going to this tattoo shop since they opened. I've gotten tattooed by Nate, Buddha and Ben and each time I've gone I've felt welcome, listened to and left with amazing work! The shop is right in downtown San Leandro and easy to find. All the artists are pretty active on social media so it's easy to see their work, ask questions and book an appointment with them. I am finishing up my back piece with Ben and I am so excited with how it's coming together!! He has been super nice, respectful and patient throughout the whole tattoo process which I'm grateful for since part of the tattoo goes in my butt which at first I was nervous about! Lol. I couldn't recommend going here to get tattooed any more! I come all the way from Walnut Creek to get tattooed here! If you're looking for a spot for your first tattoo, a big piece, just some flash, this is the place to be! I'll update this review with photos once my back piece is complete!!! read more

Pastime Tattoo - My back piece by Ben - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

I came here for my second tattoo and the whole experience was great. The shop is clean and there's a ton of flash/artwork to look at. Jin was very patient when consulting about the design and it truly felt like a collaborative process. The rest of the guys are also super chill and friendly. Will be back when I have more ideas :) read more

Pastime Tattoo - Haku piece done by Jin - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Been going to Nate for a couple years now and got a total of 4 tats done by him, with many more to come. Super chill and talented artist. All my visits have been nothing but good vibes. Can't wait to come back for the next round! read more

I came to Pastime Tattoo for a microblading appointment - Marlene works out of this shop. Parking is street parking, there is a lot of parking on the side street. It had been a few years (since before the pandemic) since I had my last touch-up (at a different shop). My usual spot is in San Jose and their available appointment times did not match my schedule. At first, I was not that happy with my touch-up since it was kind of uneven, Marlene fixed it for me. Overall, it was decent and way less expensive than other places I had been to for microblading. read more

My brother from another mother recommend Brandon aka Buddha. I followed him on IG; I thought his work was cleaned. We, my husband and two best friends booked an appointment with him for matching tattoos. Something custom. Each couple, gave him $100 ($50 deposit per person) . He was ok with each couple giving him $100. First appointment, early morning, the day of , Buddha cancelled because he forgot his shop was closed down on the day we originally made out appointment. So, we rescheduled. No biggie. My friend, reached out to Buddha asking for a draft of what he came up. THEN, he posts a meme and " when you have a reservation at a restaurant in 2 weeks and you call the restaurant to ask the chef if he started making his meal yet" (I wish screen shot it; shots fired!!! How immature!) WE ALREADY GAVE THIS MAN A DEPOSIT, WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE HIS DESIGN SOMEWHERE ELSE! I've been getting tattooed for a while now, I should be able to approve something that's going on my skin days before I get it done. A couple days before the appointment, I send an DM on IG and an email. NO RESPONSE! The dude is TAKING WALK-INs how busy could he be?!! A day before the appointment, my friend gets a message from Buddha saying he's going to send the draft AND STILL DOESN'T send the draft! WHAT THE HECK!?! The day of the appointment, I get a message ON MY WAY TO THE SHOP! 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT!?! And guess what!?!! There were things we didn't like about the design. So we tell him of course. Get to the shop, Buddha doesn't even show face. My husband and I are communicating with an apprentice?! Instead my artist asking how big I want it... I have this shop help communicating with him. I'm annoyed. (The more I write this review the less stars I give this man.) So, we figure out the size; my husband goes first. Buddha said, I'm going to use pretty much the same colors... Hmm ok?!! But NEVER ASKED IF WE HAD A COLOR PREFERENCE! (During the consultation, my husband did say he wanted a red disco balloon. Fine... no problem.) Buddha starts to shade his balloon and I see that's it's RED. Cool, my husband is happy because wanted red. I instantly texted the other couple, he was on their way to the shop for theirs. And they also DID NOT WANT A RED DISCO BALLOON!?! I looked at Buddha and I said I don't want a red balloon. HIS FACE SAID IT ALL! You should have asked your clients what color preference they were looking for. Don't just assume. Thankfully, my husband wanted red! So he's was happy with that. Do you see where I'm going here?!! Brandon, I'm going to stop calling him Buddha because he doesn't deserve that nickname! HIS COMMUNICATION SKILL SUCK! That's 1/2 your job, IS CUSTOMER SERVICE! POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE= NO CUSTOMERS I purposely believe he DUG INTO OUR SKIN because he could! That tattoo hurt as bad as getting tattooed on my finger. He posts out tattoo and I'm OFFENDED he posted that it was a "coke spoon"?!? WTF! Then a day later he post on his story in regards to why he doesn't send drafts out before the appointment; AGAIN, IMMATURE! Why don't you learn how to communicate with people?!? If you had a problem with it, open your mouth! SIMPLE! Instead of post on social media; WHO ARE YOU, TRUMP!?! I've been going to the same person in the Bay Area for the past 5 years and I'm upset I cheated on him. We wanted to get it done ASAP, Brandon had open availability and my guy is booked up 3 months out! Who's the better artists here?!? Granted, it's always nice to switch it up! I asked him about touch ups, not that I ever needed one. He's like "you shouldn't need one, that dug that color in real good!" I thought to myself, I bet you did! I could feel it. I wouldn't go back to him even if he offered free touch ups. I'd rather pay my guy to touch it up! I want to tell my artist about my experience with Brandon, but I'm so embarrassed... If you're looking dope energy, amazing artists, great music, check Current Tattooing in San Jose. It's worth the drive! TRUST! read more

Pastime Tattoo - If according to this post he canceled on us and should of had it drawn up that weekend because we paid our deposits and trusted him. - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

I went in for my first tattoo in a long time on my birthday, which I later found out me and the artist shared the same birthday. I messaged Nate Burrow (artist) a few days before and he was quick to respond and super helpful in picking out the right tattoo and best spot for it. The shop was clean and everyone was nice. I will be definitely come back and get another tattoo. Parking is easy too! I don't have any complaints about the shop. read more

Last weekend I went to Pastime Tattoo with my family. Nate and Ben gave us tattoos in memory of my daughter. I was nervous because this was my first tattoo but they quickly put me at ease. The guys in the shop made us feel so welcomed and the positive, fun energy was definitely contagious. Thank you Nate and Ben (and the whole crew) for being so wonderful. I will treasure my first tattoo for the rest of my life. Pastime Tattoo is a great shop filled with amazing and talented artists. I can't wait to visit again. read more

Nice.... professional... and great service they are very helpful and they give you great customer service they have many options and great ideas to help you with your experience here read more

I've been going to Ben for years and he's never disappointed. Anywhere I go I always get compliments on the artwork. Weather it's drawn on designs or stenciled he always comes thru with an awesome design. Atmosphere of the shop is great, as well as the experience. Would (and do) recommend this shop and Ben to anyone looking to get tattooed! read more

I walked into the shop and only Nate was there, I'm assuming Ben had the day off. It was the first time I had gone in and wanted to check out the designs. This isn't the style I usually go for, but I wanted to try something new. Cuz why the fuck not? I wanted a new tattoo. The guys there (Nate and Ben) offer water or soda; which was nice of them to do that. I had never been to a shop that had a fridge open to the clients if they wanted anything. Pros: - very bright colored blue walls. - TONS of flash on the walls and ceiling to choose from. - lots of light in the shop from the windows and overhead lights. - nice greeting when you walk in. - convenient location across from Los Perricos and Game Stop. - Parking in the back or side of the shop. Cons: - Smaller shop than most places. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, just hard to move around when there is a lot of people. read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo by @nate.burrow.ink - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

5 stars! Amazing work done by Ben over at Pastime. I love the vibe here & everyone is friendly! Go check out this place, they have a lot of flash all over the walls and ceiling. There's so many to choose from! I absolutely love my new tattoo & will definitely be coming back soon. read more

Pastime Tattoo - Sun and Moon from the Mr.FlashMachine ...done by Ben! - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

If you would have told me 2 days ago I would have a tattoo, I would have thought you were nuts, lol. Walking to my car, I stopped in and met Billy (I swear the universe was looking out for me). He is so nice and have a calming engery. I left my deposit and came in the next day. It was very important to him to make sure I was happy and had me send him pictures and he came up with my design. It was perfect, from the first time I seen it I wanted it on me. I was so happy with the results I wanted to cry (I actually did later, lol). Before leaving I made another appointment. I don't know how he pulled my vision out of my mind, but to be honest it was better than what I asked for. I'm excited for my next tattoo. Btw, everyone there was extremely nice, professional and helpful. I highly recommend them. read more

A solid shop run by amazing people! Ben helped me cover up some poor tattoos from my past. Things I hated looking at every day to the point where I would purposely wear long sleeves for the majority of the time. Ben worked with me to find what would best cover the old tattoos as well as picked colors that would hold over time. He's very dedicated to his craft and goes above and beyond to make sure that tattoo you're getting will last. Now I have tattoos that I'm proud to show off. He's super entertaining as well! I just recently had the pleasure of being tattooed by Nate, and he was great! He was patient, thorough, and made sure everything was perfect. The one he did is, hands down, one of my favorite tattoos now. Ben and Nate are both very prompt on responses, professional, and very welcoming. It's hard to find those qualities now, especially with how many tattooers are in the Bay Area. Great guys, great tattoos! read more

Pastime Tattoo - A before and after of the blastover Ben did on my hand. - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

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I've got 6 tattoos from BEN and I couldn't be happier!!! Ben is very professional, clean and efficient. I completely trust bens skills and ability and look forward to more pieces from him!!! read more

This is such a great shop. All the artists are super professional and talented. I have gotten 3 tattoos so far and definitely plan on getting more. If you're looking for a shop the specializes in traditional American tattoo art, this is the place. They also have some great merchandise to purchase. read more

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Ben is the man! He is an extremely talented and solid tattoo artist. I came to him with an idea for a sleeve and he nailed all the key focal points that I wanted. I am more than happy with how my sleeve came out. Ben is really easy to talk to and work with and makes the overall tattoo experience that much better. read more

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Just recently turned 21 so decided to get something off my bucket list, which was get a tattoo. Walked in there not knowing what to expect honestly just came in to get a quote and they said "if you want we can do this in about an hour" Nate, the artist, came in on his day off to get it done. Made the experience so comfortable explained everything he will do step by step and checked in with me throughout the process to ensure everything was good. Anyways loved the tattoo great people in there and definitely going back this year for another one. 5 Stars. read more

Pastime Tattoo - First tattoo of many done by Nate - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Bad ass joker tattoo! Ben was amazing super down to earth! Very talented artist! Super cool shop! Loved all of the artwork read more

Pastime Tattoo - Badass Joker tattoo! A memorial for my brother, a mix of jokers. Ben was amazing and down to earth. Super talented artist. - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Incredibly pleasant, positive environment. I've gotten tattooed by Anthony multiple times and will continue to go back. Everyone there is incredibly welcoming and nice, the space is clean, and the work is always phenomenal. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! read more

Ben is such an amazing tattoo artist and I would love to get more work done by him. He's a great dude and fantastic at what he does! If you're in the fence about going to him, I'm here to tell you to do it! His artwork is incredible and you won't regret anything done by him. read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

I've had multiple tattoos from nate. Always solid work that looks great healed. Always willing to do original work and work with your ideas. Check out his Instagram @nate.burrow:ink read more

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Had a full sleeve done by Ben that was completed in 2 sessions. I had buddies who had work done where the artist would take their time to run up the clock and charge more. Ben works fast but doesn't substitute quality for time. I couldn't be happier with the work he's done and I always get compliments. He's a true artist- I brought ideas to him and he drew up some badass art and knocked out some great looking ink. He's very versatile in his work but if you're looking for traditional style, definitely hit him up! He's given me no reason to go elsewhere for more ink. Definitely made me a return customer. Congrats on the new shop! read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

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Been getting tattooed by Ben for years and will still continue for the years to come. Real easy guy to be around for hours on end and got a good positive attitude. He's definitely passionate about his work and it shows. Just an incredible amount of attention to detail. read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

Nate is a great artist and an even better person. I trust every time that I'll leave with a nice piece of art. He would never tattoo something he wouldn't want his name on takes extreme pride in his work. I will continue to get tattooed by him time and time again. Flawless lines and vibrant colors all still look just like they did when fresh read more

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I've been going to Ben for about 6 years & I will definitely continue to go to him. He does amazing work & he's a pleasure to be around. He truly cares about his clients & making sure they get exactly what they want. He's extremely professional and always makes me feel confortable and welcome. I highly recommed. read more

Pastime Tattoo - Tattoo Near Me - San Leandro, California

I have been into a lot of tattoo shops over the years (sorry mom), but I never really felt like I found MY shop. Until now. Ben, Nate, and the rest of the Pastime family are not only talented artists, but incredible people. I've felt at home since I walked into the shop. They host regular flash events to raise money for the community, which is really important to me, and you can really tell that they appreciate their clients. I walked in for some beautiful ink and walked out with that and more. If you don't have the funds but have the urge to get tattooed, they have a fun Get What You Get machine that's $100 for a pre-drawn palm-sized flash piece (you get to pick between two). If you're looking for a place where you can get a killer piece of artwork, but also make some friends, look no further than Pastime Tattoo. You won't regret it. read more