Super chill, casual bar with great vibes! Came here on a Monday evening, and the place had a good amount of people hanging out. Loved that there were lots of seating-bar seating, high tops, and cushioned booths in the back. Good music (D'Angelo, Fugees, Tupac...) which was at a perfect volume, so nobody was yelling! The string lights made for a warm, very comfortable vibe. Our martinis were perfectly chilled and delicious. There's a self serve water dispenser next to the bar, which is always nice. No food, so don't come hungry. They have a cute DJ booth, and looks like they have occasional DJ sets that are posted on their IG-Might be fun to check out! Really glad that we stopped by this place, and will definitely be back. Great way to close off a 3 day weekend! read more

Room 389 - Interior - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Best bar in the area by far. Relaxed fun vibe. Friendly crowd. All the bartenders are great and pro mixologists.

It's been several years since I've visited this bar, and I'm happy to say it still has charming bartenders and satisfying drinks. I tried the Golden Lion, it was small but mighty with a lovely flavor profile. The dj was doing his big one with the records and there was a steady flow of people entering the bar. I think if not for the rain the place would have been packed, and that's crazy for a Sunday evening. read more

Room 389 - Golden Lion - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Friendly bartender, mellow crowd, nice to be able to sit outside on a warm summer evening.

Came for drinks with a friend after coming from another bar. Nice chill place. Friendly bartenders. read more

Room 389 - Bar - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Super fun bar find after dinner in Lake Merritt with great cocktails. Highlights: - Bartender: awesome younger hapa lady who was chill and very talented - Cocktails: blew my socks off--didn't expect to have such delicious, high quality drinks in a semi-dive bar. I love dive bars but usually they only excel in a stiff standard well drink. - Whiskey ginger smash: excellent version. Not too sweet and tasty. Perfection. 5 stars - Cool decor and character: dark long bar with a little lights hanging from the ceiling and a disco ball in the middle of the room Lowlights: - Was a Wednesday and had to drive a ways home, so we didn't get to stay for too long. - It's not my neighborhood bar or I would be here all of the time! Loved spending time here and would like to come back on a weekend night. read more

Decided to drop in on a Thursday afternoon. Johannes (hope I spelt it right) was tending the bar and welcomed us. Menus on the bar and grabbed one to scan it. I was torn between the greyhound and Paloma. Hubs opted for the spicy margarita which was a kick and flavorful. Spot is legit and they have a live dj spinning on Fri, Sat and even Sun. Def gotta slide thru especially with their food pop-ups. read more

Room 389 - What is left of a Paloma - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Full bar, craft drafts, and good service. What's not to like? No food, but we knew that going in.

I came here on a Tuesday. Wasn't too busy but there were enough people to know it's a well liked establishment. The ambiance was exceptional. Lots of different seating options. There were some new and interesting drinks on the menu I'd never heard of. I first ordered the jalapeno margarita. My friend ordered the boozy latte which came warm. The margarita was too spicy for my liking so we switched. I didn't hate the latte but I don't think I'd order it again. Very fun to try and glad we ordered it. Next I got an amaretto sour and my friend got a Paloma. We both liked these drinks better. I would definitely recommend coming here and would go again myself. read more

Room 389 - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Great drinks, always good service and price point is very good for the drinks provided.

Views are Great..... friendly service..... Drinks also gd.. Price also reasonable.. read more

Solid drink was had. Love the interior and the lighting. Place was solidly busy for a weeknight. Bartenders were helpful. Would visit again.

Fun bar with a lot of Halloween decor in October! We came on a Friday around 8:30pm and there were a few open tables with some standing room. We weren't sure if there was a set cocktail menu (it seems like there isn't), so we ended up getting some Long Island Iced Teas. The drinks were strong and smooth, and I got served pretty quickly at the bar. However, it wasn't ideal that the bartender didn't even ask if we wanted to keep a tab open. We had to pay and tip right away, so we actually left after one drink. Overall, this seems like a fun, neighborhood bar, but because there aren't any signature drinks, I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to come back. read more

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Room 389 a fantastic place to bring out-of-towners to experience what makes Oakland so great. The place always has a friendly vibe, great music, really skillful bartenders, and a menu of inventive and tasty house cocktails. Dog-friendly, too! We love it. read more

We were strolling around the city and came by this bar, so we popped in to get a margarita which the wife was craving. The heavy metal bartender was super cool and she was busy running back and forth preparing all the patrons drink orders. The special drink was the Mango Slushy margarita which was delicious. read more

Room 389 - Mango slushy margarita 2023 - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Fantastic Bar and ambiance. Definitely ask for the off the menu drinks. You will not be disappointed! read more

Room 389 - Paper Plane- Bourbon, Aperol, Amaro and Lemon. Delicious - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

Pretty good This is such a cute bar I stumbled upon on the way home. I definitely will be coming back to grab a drink with the girls. ** What I got: - matcha latte with oat milk: fairly regular matcha latte. Doesn't really have the real matcha kick. 3.5/5 stars $6.50 I would come back just to grab drinks with the girls and maybe skip on the coffee and lattes, lol. read more

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great cocktails, friendly service, small selection of games available to play. whenever im in the neighborhood i like to stop by.

So I have had this spot bookmarked for years. And I am so glad I finally made it! I love it here. The music was groovy, the drinks were great , service was excellent, crowd was cool. I had gin and grapefruit with real pink grapefruit. Such a fan of real grapefruit! Next time I want to try the warm apple cider. This is gonna be one of my go to spots now. The lighting inside makes it so cozy. Would love to come here with a group of friends and chill on the couch seating in the back. Plenty of parking when I was there. Bathroom was clean. Enjoy. read more

Room 389 - Inside - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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Lovely ambience and service was great! Came here on a Friday evening around d 9pm, to meet up with a friend for a catch up. Was able to talk without yelling over the really great music. read more

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I need help understanding some of the bad reviews I'm reading about Room 389. Room 389 is a local bar where you can meet up with friends, cut a rug on Friday/Sat nights, watch a Warriors game, read, bring your dog, or vibe out with a Paloma after work. I visited 389 a lot 2014+ to watch sports, during COVID to grab to-go cocktails and coffee, and today, love coming here to catch up with friends and visit the resident DJs. The staff is always friendly. The owners and managers are wonderful. Room 389 is also dog-friendly, a big plus, and the bartenders are very receptive if you kindly ask them to change the channel to the Dub's game. :) +1 to the art they have here, love seeing them support great artists. What Room 389 is not is an upscale, pretentious cocktail bar where you're ignored or treated poorly. It's a neighborhood favorite that welcomes the community. I hope everyone continues to visit and support this great bar. read more

The views are great and the service is perfect and on time. Chill vibes and nice drinks. read more

I used to often go here after work. I will never forget the relaxing noise, if there is such a thing. It's cocktails nirvana in there!

This place had a great artistic vibe to it, the drinks are made very well. I loved my Bloody Mary, and the price was very reasonable. read more

Room 389 - Martini and Bloody Mary - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

My friends and I came here on a Sunday around lunch time. We were looking forward to getting some drinks in to kick off our day in town, and were really excited but we walked into an empty bar with one bartender who didn't even bat an eye at us. The menus were void of any food or snacks that would be worth buying and when we finally got our drinks, we weren't very happy with them. My sangria, which I expected to be rather sweet, was the strongest sangria I've ever had. I couldn't finish it and had my friends help. One of my friends got a grapefruit drink that sounded delicious but when we tried it, we just tasted salt (and not just from the rim). Service is definitely lacking here and the bartender didn't seem to put much care into our drinks. The only thing she didn't mess up on is the rosé because it just comes from the bottle. If you plan on coming here, don't do it on a Sunday afternoon. I'm assuming it's better at night. read more

I'm not a big warriors fan.. actually let's be honest, I'm not a big sports person. However, yesterday I popped on over to meet friends at this cute bar in Oakland to watch the semi finals. The drinks were delicious but a tad overpriced. Even the chips were a little over priced ($6 for a small basket) but the habanero sauce they are served with was oooofff SO GOOD The crowd was so friendly too! We all cheered the warriors despite their loss and I really got into it despite not carrying about basketball. I took a star off mostly because the bouncer kept asking my group of friends to move even though there was no where to stand without clouding the view of the TVs for other patrons. We were standing in the corner near where I took this picture and 100% not interrupting the flow of traffic nor the entrance... so I don't know what the deal was there. Look forward to coming back! read more

Room 389 - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

The question is WHY has it taken me so long to write a simple review for my favorite Oakland neighborhood bar? I absolutely love Bar 389. For YEARS I have come here to study/write during the day (everyone needs their work space with a full bar) and kick it during the night. When I say years, I mean over 10 years. This is THE neighborhood bar, like Cheers "where everybody knows your name" Service is always great. No matter time of day or amount of crowd, I feel that the bar crew do their best to be attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. Courtney, Lalo, and Tyler stand out , but all have been super nice and make cute quality drinks. Feel free to ask them to make you something special, even a snazzy water. Although there is not an extensive food menu, the empanadas, chips, and salsa are delicious (the salsa is fire). They do not mind if you bring in outside food. May I suggest that good good Round Table across the street. Very cute atmosphere, a little hipster vibe. DJ some nights, good playlist the other nights. Plenty of board/card games to keep yourselves occupied in case conversations get slow. TVs for spots watching. Clean. Clean! bar and bathrooms, plenty of seating in and outdoors. Plenty of on-street parking. Overall just a chill vibe, chill clientele. Remember; cashless bar and, my favorite, drinks to gooooooo! read more

The staff are okay. Somehow EVERYtime (4x) I've come here my friends card is used for some transactions (e.g. an Uber to the city) and she has to dispute the transactions. Needless to say, use cash only at this place!!! One of my friends forgot her card there, went back the next day and they added an extra $30 fee for storage and retrieval? Count your change, I was shortchanged $9 once and had to call the bartender over! Ugh!!! The drinks are cheap and the atmosphere is great with art all over the walls! Went on trivia night, was fun!! Good place for 1 drink in cash! read more

Cute bar to say the least - it is most unique because they are open day and night and cater to an eclectic, diverse crowd. If you're hanging out at the lake or have just come from a walk or workout- it's great and super convenient to get refreshments here. I'm pretty much a regular here since there are so many venues/activities around the lake (and for some reason men love to meet here for drinks). I live in Millsmont and work in Emeryville, so I pass through this part of town between home and work - it makes such a good midway meeting place for happy hour/ after work drinking spot. read more

Very modern ambiance. A little quiet at times but can be a lovely atmosphere when it gets going. A good Friday night choice for sure.

What a cool spot near Lake Merritt! Great music vibes, dark and social interior, lots of couch seating , dog friendly and super bartenders! We stopped here for an after dinner at Grand Lake Kitchen. We enjoyed the Irish Coffees. Such a nice night in Oaktown! read more

Room 389 - Irish coffees! - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

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The vibes here are 10/10. Love that they're both a cafe and bar. Great place to chill both day and night.

I have been here a few times this winter, in the afternoon on weekdays or early evenings on the weekends, I've never really been there for the late evening crowd which I understand leans more into being a cocktail bar experience. In the world of cafés plus bar combinations it can be hard to find anywhere that strikes that balance, let alone one that executes it as well as Room 389. *Drinks* My experience there has been consistently positive because of the bartenders who can make or break a bar in my opinion - one bartender in particular who was running things alone seemed knowledgeable and professional on a couple visits. They have made great alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as well as offered rewarding suggestions when asked. One of the best lattes I've ever had, which I was a pleasantly surprised by since I wasn't really expecting coffee there at all there on my first visit just walking by. *Atmosphere* It seemed like quite a few people go there to work and I can see how it could be a productive environment in that it's generally pretty peaceful with reasonable distractions - it's the kind of place people might bring their dog inside but it's a pretty mindful atmosphere and doesn't get too loud. It's a really versatile space because not only could you come alone, meet with friends, go on a date, read or do some work but they also have TVs for you to watch sports for example I recently watched the 2022 World Cup there. read more

My go to bar in my neighborhood. Amazing staff, they're all like my family. Lighting and ambience is super clutch. If I need a drink not on the menu, they serve it right up. Really love they have people serving snacks and food on certain days. Love them, and always will:) read more

We went here for a quick coffee trip after a Korean lunch date. And I will never forget how good my mocha latte. The place is cute and the staff service is great. From then on when we are in the area I make sure to stop by and buy a cup of coffee. Note: I don't drink alcohol but surely am addicted to coffee! read more

Room 389 - The cream tastes like butter! - Bars Near Me - Oakland, California

It's the perfect bar. It's my local pub. It's an extension of home at this point. Some mornings I grab coffee there and stay long enough into the afternoon to get their sangria (arguably the best in Oakland). On weekend nights it's packed with friendly people, dogs, more dogs, and tasty food popups (think tacos, noodles, etc). Jamie and the crew are good people. The drinks are inexpensive and plentiful. The vibe is relaxed, friendly, and there's always good music. I can't ask for more. read more

Dropped by for Happy Hour to relax. This place has a great vibe. Something weird happened that I want to alert you about. I ordered a Brown Derby. The bartender asked me if I wanted the house bourbon, Evan Williams or another. I chose Buffalo Trace. I noticed while he made me drink with EW. So did another patron. I mentioned it to him. He said Eagle eyes. Then he bought my drink. Not sure if this was a management directive, a mistake or trying to trick me. Just want to say watch your drink being made. read more

If you're interested in a chill spot to sip a delicious Hot Tottie, this is the place. The board game section in the back makes an even better date spot. During the day, the location can be considered a low-key cafe for studying or causal meet-ups. It's a great spot for all things social. It does not have a dance floor but you can catch a Warriors game. read more

Listen....there are very few establishments that I will throw my whole weight behind, but room 389 is the one. She is that girl. I've been living in Oakland for 10 years now and drinking in this bar for just as long. The bartenders are incredible, the ambiance is immaculate, and the drinks never ever ever miss! I can't rave about this bar more. It's a neighborhood bar with a whole vibe. Kindest humans ever...oh did I mention they do to-go drinks?!? Literal perfection for grabbing a Bev and chilling at the lake read more

It's the ex's territory, so unfortunately I don't drop by 389 as often as I used to. But when I do, I go in head first and look both ways to make sure the scene is clear! I'm not trying to run into any mess! But once the scene is clear, I step my foot in that door and "IT'S A PARTY, IT'S A PARTY, IT'S A PARTAAAAY!" I genuinely enjoy Room 389! This is your typical neighborhood divey lounge with dim lights and bumpin' music! It's located off of Grand Ave and is super close to Lake Merritt. I've only come here during the night time, but during the day they function as a café serving brunch and coffee. I've never actually eaten here during the day, but I've heard that the food is pretty good. I will definitely need to check that out sometime in the near future. They serve up some very yummy cocktails and the atmosphere is very mellow and chill. The bartenders are generally friendly and they have a pretty good happy hour. The drinks here are decently priced compared to other bars in the area, and you can grab a nice cocktail for about $7-$8. The bar is long and beautiful! There are a few tables in the back to accommodate larger groups and this place is super dog friendly! I love coming here and seeing all of the cute pups roaming around! The crowd is very diverse and the people here are really friendly as well. It gets packed in here on Friday and Saturdays nights, and since it's small, it can get really warm. The bartenders here are pretty quick when preparing drinks though, so you won't have to wait a lifetime to start drankin'. This is a great place to come out and chill with friends and your doggies. Come to Room 389 if you are looking for a mellow bar in the Lake Merritt and Grand Ave area! read more

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