Oakland
This Blue Bottle cafe is inside the beautiful WC Morse Building, a 1920s truck showroom. Communal tables, lofty ceilings and minimalist white decor invite…
Must-see nightlife in East Bay
Oakland
Order a greyhound (with freshly squeezed grapefruit juice) and take a gander at the profusion of antique musical instruments, fake taxidermy heads,…
Oakland
Java gourmands queue at Blue Bottle's original warehouse location for single-origin espressos and what some consider the Bay Area's best coffee. Single…
Oakland
One of the Bay Area's most (in)famous tiki bars, Forbidden Island is a time capsule from the days before the tech boom. This locals' haunt, with its…
Oakland
This dive lives up to the promise of its website – if it's not the darkest bar ever, it's in the running. What lighting does exist is red and moody, which…
Berkeley
At this industrial brewery taproom you can sit down on the outdoor patio with a tasting flight of IPAs or a glass of rich Mexican hot-chocolate stout. It…
Oakland
East Bay craft brewer Drake's Brewing Company has transformed a humdrum Dodge dealership into a lively restaurant, bar and outdoor beer garden with fire…
Oakland
Walk into this dive bar (skulls) and you may notice a certain decorative flair (skulls); it's a presence you'll feel as you order a drink (more skulls),…
Heinold's First & Last Chance Saloon
Oakland
At this 1883 bar constructed from wood scavenged from an old whaling ship, you really have to hold on to your beer. Keeled to a severe slant during the…
Berkeley
This place has really nailed down a few hipster business conventions: the 'X & Y' name (which, to be fair, is the historic title of the building), and…
Oakland
On weekends, people pack this Uptown hot spot, named for a Jack London short story, for its indoor bocce courts and eclectic cocktails. Toss back a …
Oakland
The drab exterior of the Kona Club only underlines how gloriously kitschy this spot is. Walk inside and it looks like a tiki-themed souvenir shop exploded…
Oakland
Busting out of its original brick-and-wood-paneled shoe box into a second storefront and outdoor back patio, this place specialises in Belgian ales. Two…
Oakland
Highwire is well known across Oakland and the East Bay for its well regarded, exhaustively sourced coffee, as well as a commitment to sustainability …
Berkeley
Craft cocktails and Indian-inspired bar food is the name of the game at East Bay Spice Company. Try a Gold of Harrapa – gin, Campari, potato liqueur and…
Oakland
A hip, tattooed young crowd hobnobs inside this red-brick-walled bar on a busy corner of Uptown. Order a creative house cocktail or classic concoction…
Berkeley
Ever notice how the weather is nicer in the East Bay? You'll feel that truth at the Moxy, a beer garden well beloved by Berkeley residents from students…
Berkeley
Find your bliss in this industrial-modern tea shop, where acrylic prints of verdant tea plantations overhang the bar. Handcrafted Indian chai, Japanese…
Berkeley
At this popular hangout with an inviting shaded patio, try the strong espressos or a sweet white-chocolate mocha. With a clientele of almost all Cal…
Berkeley
Berkeley’s oldest pub is one of the most inviting and friendly in the city. Some serious darts are played here and board games get played around many of…
Berkeley
Sample a flight of tasting pours or order a pint from the 16 rotating drafts (including some rare small-batch beers) on tap at Sierra Nevada brewery's…
Berkeley
This downtown pub has loads of regional microbrews, a beer garden, decent pizza and live bands most nights. Sit upstairs for a bird’s-eye view of bustling…
Oakland
With 50 beers on tap and hundreds more in bottles, there’s a lifetime of discovery ahead, so kick back on the sunny deck or park yourself at that barrel…
Oakland
No wireless internet, no artful decor, no hipster baristas. This is a barebones spot for local Vietnamese who come to play the lottery, gossip their ears…
Oakland
Go Uptown to get down. At this long-running restaurant and lounge, DJs spin a soulful mix of hip-hop, R&B and Latin grooves Thursday to Sunday nights …
Triple Rock Brewery & Ale House
Berkeley
Opened in 1986, Triple Rock was one of the Bay Area's original microbreweries. The house beers and pub grub are okay, but the antique wooden bar and…
Berkeley
Open late, Au Coquelet is a popular stop downtown for coffee, pastries and late-night studying.
