Guidebook for Oakland

Zachary
Guidebook for Oakland

Drinks & Nightlife

A famous bar with dozens of rare beers on tap and bottle, including limited releases you won't find anywhere else. Also sell tasty high-end bar food.
86 locals recommend
The Trappist
460 8th St
86 locals recommend
A famous bar with dozens of rare beers on tap and bottle, including limited releases you won't find anywhere else. Also sell tasty high-end bar food.
50 beers on rotating taps. Outdoor seating. A dive bar, if dive bars had beers available no where else.
42 locals recommend
Beer Revolution: pick-up & curbside ❤️
464 3rd St
42 locals recommend
50 beers on rotating taps. Outdoor seating. A dive bar, if dive bars had beers available no where else.
Cozy cocktail bar with a great drink menu. Serves inexpensive snack food, including a really good grilled cheese sandwich.
44 locals recommend
Dogwood
1644 Telegraph Ave
44 locals recommend
Cozy cocktail bar with a great drink menu. Serves inexpensive snack food, including a really good grilled cheese sandwich.
Large brewery with tons of of seating, some outdoors, and a wonderful beer list.
165 locals recommend
Drake's Dealership
2325 Broadway
165 locals recommend
Large brewery with tons of of seating, some outdoors, and a wonderful beer list.
They often have live music, they make their own interesting beers, they have some outdoor seating.
12 locals recommend
Woods Bar & Brewery
1701 Telegraph Ave
12 locals recommend
They often have live music, they make their own interesting beers, they have some outdoor seating.

Food Scene

A wonderful farmer's market, just a couple of blocks from our house, open Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM every week.
21 locals recommend
Old Oakland Farmer's Market
485 9th Street
21 locals recommend
A wonderful farmer's market, just a couple of blocks from our house, open Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM every week.
Hand-pulled Chinese Noodles -- very different from "regular" Chinese and amazing.
71 locals recommend
Shandong Restaurant
328 10th St
71 locals recommend
Hand-pulled Chinese Noodles -- very different from "regular" Chinese and amazing.
Upscale Oaxacan style Mexican food.
25 locals recommend
Cosecha
907 Washington St
25 locals recommend
Upscale Oaxacan style Mexican food.
Huge beer list; dozen of different sausages. Great trivia Wednesday night.
155 locals recommend
Rosamunde Sausage Grill
2832 Mission St
155 locals recommend
Huge beer list; dozen of different sausages. Great trivia Wednesday night.
High end restaurants and shopping right on the waterfront. Includes a ferry to San Francisco. Try renting a kayak for paddling around the harbor.
213 locals recommend
Jack London Square
472 Water St
213 locals recommend
High end restaurants and shopping right on the waterfront. Includes a ferry to San Francisco. Try renting a kayak for paddling around the harbor.
Delicious and authentic Cambodia food.
7 locals recommend
Battambang Restaurant
850 Broadway
7 locals recommend
Delicious and authentic Cambodia food.
Amazing California-style pizza with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
42 locals recommend
Forge Pizza Oakland
66 Franklin St
42 locals recommend
Amazing California-style pizza with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
Amazing Burmese food. They can sometimes have a wait, but the tea-leaf salad is worth it!
459 locals recommend
Burma Superstar
309 Clement St
459 locals recommend
Amazing Burmese food. They can sometimes have a wait, but the tea-leaf salad is worth it!
Authentic Szechuan food; if you've never had food from this part of China, you're in for a spicy treat. Cash only.
17 locals recommend
Spices 3 Restaurants
370-372 12th St
17 locals recommend
Authentic Szechuan food; if you've never had food from this part of China, you're in for a spicy treat. Cash only.
Wonderful coffee and pastries, free wifi.
12 locals recommend
modern coffee
411 13th St
12 locals recommend
Wonderful coffee and pastries, free wifi.
A great local restaurant -- California Italian with wood-fired thin crust pizzas and all local ingredients.
197 locals recommend
Sister
3308 Grand Ave
197 locals recommend
A great local restaurant -- California Italian with wood-fired thin crust pizzas and all local ingredients.
A great local year-round farmers market with live music and lots of street food. Open Saturday 9 AM - 2 PM.
197 locals recommend
Grand Lake Farmers Market
746 Grand Ave
197 locals recommend
A great local year-round farmers market with live music and lots of street food. Open Saturday 9 AM - 2 PM.
A comfortable corner cafe goes upscale, complete with awesome brunch/breakfast food. Has free wifi and great coffee.
22 locals recommend
Caffe 817
817 Washington St
22 locals recommend
A comfortable corner cafe goes upscale, complete with awesome brunch/breakfast food. Has free wifi and great coffee.
A bar, a restaurant, a live jazz venue bringing in world-famous acts. Go for the amazing music; the food's overpriced and bar's nothing special.
136 locals recommend
Yoshi's Oakland
510 Embarcadero West
136 locals recommend
A bar, a restaurant, a live jazz venue bringing in world-famous acts. Go for the amazing music; the food's overpriced and bar's nothing special.
Amazing ice cream shop, great ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies, also sells coffee drinks.
9 locals recommend
Cookiebar Creamery
517 8th St
9 locals recommend
Amazing ice cream shop, great ice cream sandwiches with homemade cookies, also sells coffee drinks.
Both a great bakery and a great coffee shop, rolled into one. Everything they make is worth eating.
25 locals recommend
Firebrand Artisan Breads
2343 Broadway
25 locals recommend
Both a great bakery and a great coffee shop, rolled into one. Everything they make is worth eating.
It's a Blue Bottle Coffee. There's a reason they're famous for their coffee. It's really good.
Blue Bottle Coffee (HQ)
480 9th Street
It's a Blue Bottle Coffee. There's a reason they're famous for their coffee. It's really good.
It's amazing Ethopian food. If you haven't had Ethopian food before, try it. If you have, well it's amazing.
76 locals recommend
Enssaro Ethiopian Restaurant
357-A Grand Ave
76 locals recommend
It's amazing Ethopian food. If you haven't had Ethopian food before, try it. If you have, well it's amazing.

Shopping

This unique shop specializes in Japanese barware and other imported high end items from Japan.
11 locals recommend
Umami Mart
4027 Broadway
11 locals recommend
This unique shop specializes in Japanese barware and other imported high end items from Japan.

Arts & Culture

Museum focused on the history of California through interactive exhibits. Open late Friday evenings with food trucks!
547 locals recommend
Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak St
547 locals recommend
Museum focused on the history of California through interactive exhibits. Open late Friday evenings with food trucks!
Eat dinner and drink a beer while watching a movie.
156 locals recommend
The New Parkway Theater
474 24th St
156 locals recommend
Eat dinner and drink a beer while watching a movie.
A venue that features both local live bands and burlesque shows. It always has a special show for Oakland's Art Murmur on the first Friday of each month.
12 locals recommend
The Uptown Nightclub!
1928 Telegraph Ave
12 locals recommend
A venue that features both local live bands and burlesque shows. It always has a special show for Oakland's Art Murmur on the first Friday of each month.
Fun, casual, local comedy club. Don't expect the best show in the world, but cheap good fun.
Pan Theater
120 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Fun, casual, local comedy club. Don't expect the best show in the world, but cheap good fun.
Only if you have a child with you -- a classic fun adventure area for kids and their parents.
140 locals recommend
Children's Fairyland
699 Bellevue Ave
140 locals recommend
Only if you have a child with you -- a classic fun adventure area for kids and their parents.
It's a bar, it's a restaurant, it's a jazz club. Good quality live music most nights, decent food.
120 locals recommend
Cafe Van Kleef
1621 Telegraph Ave
120 locals recommend
It's a bar, it's a restaurant, it's a jazz club. Good quality live music most nights, decent food.

Parks & Nature

Very large lake, great for a run or a walk.
751 locals recommend
Lake Merritt Amphitheater
Lake Merritt Boulevard
751 locals recommend
Very large lake, great for a run or a walk.
One of the best hiking trails in terms of pure bang for your buck, only a 15 minute drive from home; this whole park (Redwood Regional Park) is great.
East Ridge Trail
East Ridge Trail
One of the best hiking trails in terms of pure bang for your buck, only a 15 minute drive from home; this whole park (Redwood Regional Park) is great.

Everything Else

Not really a "thing to see" but if you're going here for an event or conference, our house is just two blocks away.
Oakland Convention Center
550 10th Street
Not really a "thing to see" but if you're going here for an event or conference, our house is just two blocks away.

Sightseeing

Oakland Chinatown is much less touristy and much more authentic than San Francisco's. Go for great food and shopping; try some rare Chinese herbs or groceries. Most stores close by 6:00 PM.
551 locals recommend
Chinatown
551 locals recommend
Oakland Chinatown is much less touristy and much more authentic than San Francisco's. Go for great food and shopping; try some rare Chinese herbs or groceries. Most stores close by 6:00 PM.