Devastated that this place might be closing down! It was my first time visiting in Oakland but this place had such a charm to it! I couldn't believe during happy hour they had $2 tacos! I was genuinely shook. The arcade games were a bit broken but I can't see them fixing this up cause it's closing down soon. All and all, it's a really nice space I hope it stays open! read more

Plank - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

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I came to this restaurant specifically to watch a World Cup match and decided to order food while enjoying the game. Unfortunately, the service experience was very disappointing. After placing my order, I waited quite a while and eventually noticed my food sitting next to the cash register. It had apparently been ready for about 25 minutes, yet nobody called my name, brought it to my table, or made any effort to let me know it was ready. By the time I realized it was my order, the food had been sitting there getting cold. What made the experience even more frustrating was that I later saw another review from a customer who described going through the exact same situation. This doesn't seem like an isolated mistake but rather an ongoing issue with how orders are handled. read more

I arrived on a Wednesday evening with some friends. Service was very good. Our waiter was nice and attentive and ensured we knew when our food arrived while we were at the arcade. The area we sat on was good. They have wooden tables and good comfortable chairs. No complaints. I got the Italian Hot Honey Pizza. I was very disappointed with it... I thought they were a lot going on with the pizza. The arugula was overwhelming with the pizza and the hot honey was quite small and not well distributed so it made each bite feel a bit different rather than a cohesive consistent taste that I prefer. Additionally, I personally did not like the capicola and thought the pepperoni was not as crispy as I would have liked. There was also a lot of toppings in regards to the base pizza itself which I additionally thought was overwhelming and did not allow me to enjoy the bread and cheese of the pizza as much as I would have liked. I tried some of my friend's food and did not like them for different reasons. Since I did not order those I won't talk on them. All in all, this place is a nice place to bowl and play arcade games but I would desist from getting any food here and just get food somewhere else. read more

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They have low reviews for such a good addition to oakland, come on. I've been here casually for sporting events and there are plenty of seating, tvs, and a full bar. Inside, there's a small arcade and bowling as well. There are plenty of happy hour options from food, drinks, bowling and arcade discounts. The food is just standard bar food. I left something here after closing and came back the next day, and they were able to help me locate it. Parking can be difficult on the street but there is garage parking below. Jack london is such a beautiful place but it can be sketch at night. read more

Not sure why this place has such a low rating. We came on a Sunday afternoon and we sat outside. They have so many tvs playing the game. You can order at the bar or at your table. The only thing is that there are some ruthless pigeons trying get your food, even when you're still at the table! Bartenders are super nice. read more

Plank - Avocado Salmon Toast - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

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Here for a fun kids birthday party. Fries are decent. Pizza is ok. Most of the arcade games are broken.

Went to watch a World Cup game today. It wasn't super busy yet we had to wait long for drinks and then food to arrive. The waitress didn't know what kind of flavor the margarita nor the daiquiri is in the nonalcoholic beverage category. We didn't get any water or were asked if we wanted to order something else. The worst was though having to wait nearly 30 minutes to get the check. We had walked over three times and were told each time they'd bring us the check. We really needed to leave. Though a nice location, I wouldn't come back again. Makes sense they're going out of business I guess. read more

My review is strictly for the bowling part of this place. I came here on Mother's Day Sunday with my boys to play a couple of games of bowling. I like the prices of the games on Sundays as its discounted 7.25 pp per game. Not bad. Shoes are like $5 pp. We came to the front desk and they aren't very friendly but they get their job done handing you the basket of shoes. No emotion or friendliness - just take payment, hand over basket. Okay I guess. We went over to our lane and i was surprised how empty it was in there. We were the only ones playing for awhile until maybe three more sets of groups came in. What I didn't understand was why they placed these other groups so close to us? There were so many empty lanes that they could have spread us out more. A couple of young ladies asked if we wanted to buy any food but because we just came back from breakfast we declined. I went over to the bar to ask for water and they looked at me funny when I asked for a pitcher of water. I am paying for bowling, is water that hard to come by? She reluctantly poured me 4 glasses of water. I guess. This place is just okay - the customer service needs help especially with D&B open down the street. The arcade is small and there were a few patrons in the other areas - maybe its busier on non-holidays? read more

Quality/Quantity - If you are following, you know I do not really frequent Planks any more, but my daughter is still a regular customer. I was a day one customer. The place was SO beautiful when it was built, but the prices at the time reflected it. I think it was like $15 for a beer?!?! Something crazy like that. After buying my first beer, the place did not look as beautiful, lol. Currently under remodel; see pictures. Other than that, not much changes. Atmosphere - Huge location, both indoor and outdoor. Love the outdoor space. Private spaces are also available; see their website. Open 7 days a week from 11am to 9pm, 11pm or midnight; see Google. Service - Good. Price - Much more affordable now. Very different than when they first opened. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 2014. I am so glad you are still making it. I believe you spent $2M on your original remodel... read more

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First of all it's open seating, so you seat yourself and pray a waiter or waitress notices. I read reviews before I came about people waiting 20 minutes before anyone helped them and that was only because they talked to a manager. I literally waited over 40 minutes before anyone asked me if I wanted a menu. I told them that and they said sorry the waiter in this area went on break. No excuse, sorry. They need a better system in place if they are going to have open seating. Secondly the food was decent. I got the beef ribs which I love the option for beef because I don't eat pork. There wasn't a terrible amount of meat on the ribs but they tasted good. I would obviously prefer more meat then what was there, obviously. The fish and chips was good but again the two pieces of fish was very small, maybe the smallest I've ever gotten. The coleslaw was trash, almost inedible. Thirdly not only did it take long to get service in the first place, it took long to finally get someone to let me pay so I could leave. I can say the waitress was nice there is bowling and games which I didn't partake in this trip. They don't validate parking which is directly under their building so not sure why they dont validate. It's a cool place to hang out with friends but it needs more organization on service. read more

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First time being at Plank, it is open seating but my friends & I asked before sitting down. We sat at a table that had menus on the table already so didn't have a problem with that. Our waiter was patient & sweet but looked like she was new to waitressing, when ordering my friend asked to upgrade regular fries to garlic fries with her order & the waitress didn't know how to answer that question, so my friend just went with regular fries. She did accommodate our lemonades to be virgin drinks since none of us were drinking. Overall the food was 7/10. I had the oven pepperoni pizza, cant go wrong with pizza. It was good! Both my friends had the Smoke Shack Cheesesteak & they said it wasn't bad, tasty! The lemonade was basic, lemonade with added flavored syrup. We definitely looked on Yelp before ordering so it gave us a heads up on what not to order. read more

Plank - Pepperoni Pizza - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

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Great place to grab a drink and watch sports there's tv's all over you will not have a bad spot. Fast service, friendly staff, they have a huge variety of drinks, food and beers on tap. read more

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Now I need to preface this review with the understanding that I'm not trying to be mean or over critical. This is based on my personal experience, taste and preferences. Upon walking up, the staff appeared Very very slow and confused. No refill on Iced tea. My drink never made it to the table. We ordered a side salad, this was fine. We decided to share a Ramen Birria We had to ask for an extra bowl, got only 1 pair of chopsticks and then after minutes of trying to track down a server, had to get up and retrieve 2 spoons for the broth. I'm not sure how you can create a broth with almost no flavor and too much heat, but it was done with this broth. We had heard about Plank and were excited to finally try it. I should have looked at the stars for this location, as we would have gone somewhere else to eat. Yuck. read more

Plank - Birria Ramen Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

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When I first came into this place, my brain almost exploded. But then I realized that the inside of this place and some parts of the outside are really geared for kids. This is a great place if your kid to come with you know kind of electric games and things that they can try and physical activity games and and then there's activities outside they can do. This was really an amazing place once I figured out it was for kids inside and I got outside. I had my adult time. And my adult time consisted of having something to eat and something to drink and the beer was awesome. I would recommend this place easily. If you're in the area in ALAMEDA and wanna sit by the water not far away from it at all, and just enjoy sitting at one of their outdoor picnic tables or just in one of their comfortable Adirondack chairs. But as I said, be prepared for incredible noise inside from all the machines and stuff playing, but it did not interfere with my outdoor visit. read more

Plank - Bayside inches away. Wonderful location and the arcade inside is perfect for kids. - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

Came here while in town for happy hour. Got blackberry mojito, very flavorful. Too much leaves still left for me. Ordered the turkey club sandwich with fries. Very yummy. Busy for friday , took a bit to be waited on. But server was friendly once ordered. read more

Plank - Blackberry mojito - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

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I am a fan of plank! Came several times. The last time was last Thursday. On thursdays, it is $5 for each bowling game! We played 4 games and it wasn't that busy. So it was great. Best part it is happy hour all day long. All the drinks were half off! Loved that for us. We got several cocktails and shots. We also ended up getting nachos which was good. Maybe because I was drunk. Lol. I don't really remember about the other foods I've gotten the other times I've been. I usually just go for the arcade games and the drinks. Always a fun time here. :) read more

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I visited on a rainy Sunday with my son, just hoping to get out of the house and do something fun together. I was honestly caught off guard by the Sunday pricing, which was much higher than expected, and was quietly trying to figure out how to make it work without disappointing him. The manager, Nick, noticed and went out of his way to help. He shared that they've been advocating internally for more accessible pricing (which is already changing soon), and then came over a few minutes later to offer us a free hour of bowling, including shoes. That gesture meant so much more than just a free game. It completely changed our day and allowed us to just enjoy time together without stress. Nick's kindness and awareness made a lasting impression. It's not often you come across that level of empathy and care. We'll definitely be back--and very grateful. read more

Came for a company holiday party. We were told lane reservations weren't possible, yet another group clearly had reserved lanes with a buffet. One of our two lanes didn't work, and after ordering food we were asked to split or move our group. Refunds were initially refused; only after asking for a manager was bowling refunded, not shoe rentals. Dinner service was poor--one person in our group of eight waited nearly an hour for food. We were also charged an undisclosed $16 credit card fee. Vegan options were minimal, and the cauliflower was overly oily and bland. I emailed the company afterward and never received a response. Very disappointing experience all around. read more

I loved their blistered Brussel sprouts and beer on draft!!! My sibling and I tried the prime rib sliders and the plank rolls. The blistered Brussel sprouts have a deliciously sweet glazed sauce and are topped with grated Parmesan. The prime rib slider came in a soft Hawaiian like roll and packed with arugula and finely shaven prime rib slices. So savory!!! The plank rolls remind me of the avocado rolls from Cheesecake Factory. Different but equally tasty!!! The only reason I don't give it 4 stars is the freshness of the ingredients and the service time but still a restaurant worth to try. I look forward to coming back for their beer and bowling!!! read more

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TL;DR Why does this place have such low rating?! I don't get it...we have a great time including our very judgmental pup ! Food & cocktails are tasty with decent values. Outdoor area is fun, lively and mosquito free! Service is attentive and friendly. Weather was perfect for dining outside so we brought our very well-behaved dog. We came on a Saturday night around 7pm. Parking was relatively easy. We were greeted warmly and seated quickly. Along with our water, our waiter brought our dog her own bowl. We ordered pizza and cocktails. Whiskey Sour leaned a bit too much into the sour. The Old Fashioned was nicely balanced. Pizzas mostly around $20 had good amount of toppings with a nice and chewy crust. We tried the Bread Pudding even though we were so full we could hardly breathe. Dessert wasn't the most memorable but still a sweet ending to a fun night. We ate and drank too much, talked for hours, and laughed too hard, so it's definitely a 5-star experience for us. read more

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The food is alright for bar food. However, the management of the space is...-off. You walk in and sit wherever, and because of that the waiters miss you. There's no clear signage in areas that are open or not inside of the building itself. It just makes more sense to go to the bar and order directly. In short, it's high-key chaotic and that plays a large part into your experience (or lack-there-of). It's gonna suck for them when Dave and Busters opens. read more

Phenomenal service I loved waiting 45 minutes in line for a crappy margarita. My 5 year old nephew could make a better one. I loved waiting for happy hour to end to finally get served. read more

Service was terrible but food was great. . Drinks were great! The kids area was awesome.

I'm back out of retirement with a review. I only do these if places are super good or super bad. So I've been playing in the Better Off Bowling league for the last 3 season, which is held here at Plank. That's about 7 months. It's rare that there are servers. The inside bar was closed until this season, which means you get faster service going to the outside bar and ordering drinks. Tonight someone, probably a busser, took my beer from my table while I was bowling. This is the second time it's happened with a beer that was at least half full. Both times I got a stupendous look from the servers without any compensation or replacement beers. I get how people try to scam them and likely all the time. But why is it that when you want to order food or drinks, there are no servers and you wait 30+ minutes but as soon as you turn your back on your drink it's gone? There are a few regular bartenders who also serve and they are awesome. But bowling in this league leaves you little time to wait at the bar when it's busy. OTOH the folks that work the counter aren't very friendly. Almost like they're annoyed that you're interrupting their free time. I'm sitting out the next season to take a break but come Spring, I'm my decision to play is heavily dependent on how I feel about Plank. read more

the reviews are not exaggerating - plank has a lot of promise but is very poorly managed. i brought visiting family to plank on a saturday night for the happy hour bowling special. we arrived a few minutes after 10 pm and tried to enter via the door closest to embarcadero. the door was locked with no sign redirecting us and the security guard inside just looked at us like we were stupid. i figured it out because i'd been there before, but what if we were tourists? please just post a sign telling us where to enter if you choose to lock a door, especially one of the closest to the street. we made it inside and all of the bowling lanes were full. i signed up for the waiting list and was told the wait would be 10-15 minutes. no problem, there were plenty of arcade games to keep us busy while we waited. i asked about the half off promo on arcade games for happy hour and was told that no such promo existed. after a brief argument, i had to show them where it was advertised on their own website. a manager was called and even they seemed surprised that the promo was there (even though i know it's not new). the promo is honored eventually, so again, not a big issue. after playing an arcade game, i checked the time and it was about 10:50, around 40 minutes after we checked in and way over the 10-15 minute wait we were quoted. they close at 12 so i grew concerned that we may not get to bowl. i asked the bowling staff about it and was told that they can't force anyone off of lanes (i wasn't asking them to...) and that if a lane doesn open up by 11, we won't be able to play because they close their registers at 11 and no purchases can be made after that time (???). so beware - that 10-12 happy hour on saturday nights is not really 10-12. and fyi - the $5 happy hour bowling game pricing is $5 per game, per person and the shoe fee ($5.75) is separate. we finally got a lane and the lane was malfunctioning. one of the pin sensors was not working correctly and the affected pin would show as knocked over when it wasn't. we aren't pro bowlers but it did mess up our game significantly and we were unable to keep score. as a side note - they play a lot of rap music and rap videos. not an issue for me, especially at such a late hour, but at one point, a couple of girls stood on a chair and table and started twerking in very short shorts and none of the staff really did anything. you may want to come earlier if that's not really your vibe. we ended up rushing through our games because i could tell from staff attitudes that we would be kicked out promptly at 12 (and that's exactly what happened). i tried going to the bathroom before i left and couldn't because the women's bathroom was flooded with toilet water. as we left, workers yelled at us and all of the other paying customers to leave. i have been coming to plank since they opened, and i really can't remember an era or time period where the experience was consistently average or above average. many of the workers have a way of making you feel like your presence annoys them and they're doing you a favor by talking to you. if my family wasn't visiting, i wouldn't have come back but i didn't think much could go wrong with just a couple of games of bowling. oh well. read more

Plank is such a cute place! I don't go to the East bay often but we had a team offsite there few months ago during the heat wave and this was such a cute place! The servers were super nice and made sure we took advantage of the happy hour menu and make sure we put in our orders before the cut off time. The food itself was surprisingly good, and although it was all small bites, we just kept ordering off the HH menu and got so full! We were going to bowl after eating but the lanes were all full so we called it a night at the end, but the vibes were there! It was hot and warm that night so it was very chill and relaxing to sit there, yap and just eat and drink the evening away. read more

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The place itself is great, the service from the shoe rental and the lady wiping the tables by the kitchen was atrocious, the rudeness and lack of customer service threw me off. As expensive as everything is you think they would be nice! Not friendly whatsoever. read more

It was a nice day out and I decided to meet friends over at The Plank. It's a good place to checkout sports games on one of many TVs either inside or outside on the covered patio. Plenty of seating and there are also video games and other activities for kids. Plenty of food options and two full bars (1 inside/ 1 patio) and the other on the They have your typical bar grub food options and several beers on tap. read more

Brewery (4.5/5 stars) with cocktails (3/5 stars), bocce ball/bowling (5/5 stars), and food (2/5 stars). Most of the cocktails, for example, the blackberry Mojito, are very sweet. My coworker with a sweet tooth asked to have it made without Sprite and really enjoyed it. The pizza (3.5/5 stars) is like a glorified frozen flat bread pizza. The cauliflower (4/5 stars) isn't bad. Service for large groups (10-35 people) is slow but waitstaff are always kind. All the drawbacks notwithstanding, my coworkers legitimately enjoy this place, and we come back most times that we gather in Oakland. read more

We visited our daughter from SD and wanted to enjoy the Chargers game but the female bartender outside refused to accommodate us. They prefer to show the infomercial. The only pleasant thing about this visit was our server Chris. read more

Plank - Infomercial at a sports bar. Why. - Bowling Near Me - Oakland, California

I know they are closing and my family is so sad as we loved this spot but I just wanted to give a shout out to Del who was so amazing! She really is the best and treated our family like we were her's. Whomever is looking for an amazing person to work at your restaurant, I would hire Del in a second as she was so great at her job and such a kind and great person and so on top of everything. read more

Tried Plank for the first time. Ordered a sampler. Beef ribs were mostly bone with barely any meat. Pork ribs were dry and tough as was the brisket. Bbq sauce was decent but the amount provided was tiny and not enough for the amount of meat ordered. Beans were ok but nothing special. The sweet potato fries were good as was the portion. Would not order again nor would I recommend. read more

I'm on the board of a nonprofit organization, and we arranged our annual party here at plank. Great space with the patio overlooking the harbor. Plenty of room for even a large group. Parking was convenient nearby. The food was simple and standard, but they provided an excellent range of veggie options, such as crudite and cheese boards. Service was above and beyond - the lead server saw to all our needs and questions, and even facilitated bar service speedily. Cost was very reasonable, compared to other halls and caterers we talked to. They also offered flexibility and customization in our arrangements. read more

First 2 times I came when it was slow in the early afternoon and the food/ drinks were good. The third time was on a Tuesday evening and I waited an hour before I was served my food and it was cold. The bartender sent it back with freshly cooked frys but the sandwich was obviously put in the microwave as the bread was soggy and pork was warm at best. Do not go here when it's busy. Otherwise the food is usually aceptional when it's slow. read more

The new (?) bbq menu was simple but excellent. Burgers were delicious. Everything fried was crunchy to perfection and not greasy. Service was on point! For a Saturday lunch, I was very pleased with the whole experience. $85 not incl. tip for the bbq sampler (with 2 sides), burger + side, kids item (includes side and a drink), and 2 beers is not bad at all for current prices! read more

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Went here to catch the Niners game after going on a totally awesome 80's boat cruise. Venue: excellent. Great space. Especially outside. Plenty of TVs to watch the game. Dog friendly! Food: have to say mid. Had a sampler and brisket. Ribs were tasty but not soft. Sausage was really good. Brisket was dry and had to be cut into (I'm used to soft, melt in your mouth brisket). Sweet potato fries were yummy. Dessert: Pretty good. Churros were pretty good and not too greasy. Bread pudding was also good tho it came out late and had a slight burnt taste to it (maybe on purpose). Drinks: really good. Nice and strong and tasted great. Although was wierd that the Moscow Mule was not in a copper cup. Service: really bad. I think because it is general seating and very spread out, the staff are not initiallu aware that you even sat down. Even when someone would come out to serve anoth table, we notice that they turn AWAY from the open area when they are done instead of at least looking outward to see if someone may at least need something. They were nice and apologetic once they realize you were waiting. Overall would still try again (this time with dogs) to catch the game and some drinks. Maybe seat yourself strategically so staff know right away you exist. read more

Came here on a Thursday afternoon and received quick service really good food. The wings were crispy, hot, and well seasoned. The patio area is really nice and has a bar, fire pits, many tables, and TVs. My Tennessee mule wasn't in the mule glass, which was disappointing and my water had something green floating in it, which is gross, but other than that food was great and it was an overall good experience. read more

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Place seriously needs a staff member that is familiar with Bay Area sports and that is informed about level of importance of current games being played. They never know what game is on or what time a game starts. They don't know what games need only one monitor or what games need most monitors. Unless it's the Warriors game, they are oblivious to the world of sports. Pathetic. read more

I was out w/my granddaughter and decided to goto Plank. We ended a fun filled day there. Crispy pork belly 4outta5 -full of flavor. The bed of slaw was unappealing (I don't like slaw tho) Pepperoni Pizza 4outta5 -Gbaby loved it! I could've used a little more meat Bruschetta 5outta5 -Absolutely delicious! Garlic Fries 3outta5 -Not enough garlic. They're garlic fries, you can never have too much garlic. Prime rib Sliders 1outta5 -I only took one bite. The slider buns were soft and sweet. The prime rib lacked flavor & was chewy. A jus on the side would go a long way. Arcade 4outta5 -Relatively nice selection of games... Overall we had a great time! read more

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My organization had a daylong offsite event at Plank and it was a great experience. We had a really cool private area with an outdoor patio and views of the Bay. The food was great and everyone had a lot of fun bowling in our own private lanes. The staff were super nice and helpful. In particular, the event coordinator, Angelica, was very easy to work with and patient as I had to get a bunch of approvals to book. And Melissa, our on-site support person, did a fantastic job making sure we had everything we needed. Would totally recommend and will definitely be back! read more