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The Alley $$
- 3325 Grand Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-444-8505
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Rod Dibble plays piano nightly at this Lake Merritt bar, often with vocal accompaniment from local amateur cabaret crooners. Designed like an old saloon with relatively private diner-style booths (where you can order a burger, steak, or fries to go with your drinks), the Alley is characterized by its vintage clotheslines, pink and baby-blue restroom stalls (much cleaner than your average East Bay haunt), and the thousands of marquees and business cards stapled to its walls. In contrast to the swankier Kingman’s Lucky Lounge across the street, the Alley stays true to its namesake, and the cluttered decor makes it seem homey.
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Au Coquelet Cafe $
- 2000 University Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-845-0433
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(based on 1 user review)
Ahh... Au Coquelet, the welcoming Berkeley cafe where you can get a cup of coffee at the crack of dawn and come back after midnight for another cup with an Irish kick, indulge in a fresh fruit torte or any of the spot's homemade desserts. No matter what time of day you opt to sit for a spell in the brick-walled Berkeley institution, there tables are sure to be dotted with people typing at laptops, thumbing through books, or just shooting the breeze.
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Beta Lounge $$
- 2129 Durant Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-845-3200
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This sleek, loungey little wine/sake bar boasts an interesting menu of nigori cocktails, a dozen or so largely satisfying noshes, and an ambient conviviality that belies its proto-IKEA design scheme.
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Bistro 1491 $$
- 1491 Solano Ave, Albany (map)
- 510-526-9601
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Bureau 510 $$
- 5800 Hollis St., Emeryville (map)
- 510-595-1000
- (based on 1 user review)
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Café Clem $
- 2020 Kittredge St., Berkeley (map)
- 510-280-3881
- (based on 1 user review)
Operated by the owner of La Note, the cafe features salads, sandwiches, organic coffees, and sweet and savory pastries, served in a traditional French ambiance with a modern twist.
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Disco Volante $$
- 347 14th St., Oakland (map)
- 510-663-0271
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(based on 4 user reviews)
The latest addition to Oakland's blossoming nightlife scene has set up shop in a turquoise-tiled Art Deco building at 14th and Webster streets. Disco Volante, set to open in late October, is a bar, music venue, and restaurant run by a trio of Oakland arts and entertainment vets, with chef Douglas Bernstein of Bacar, Eccolo, and Farallon fame serving up local and seasonal California cuisine. Musical offerings will range from bluegrass to Afrobeat, with shows at least three nights a week.
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HomeRoom Racing Cafe $-$$
- 1305/1307 Park St., Alameda (map)
- 510-865-6257
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Lake Chalet $$$$
- 1520 Lakeside Dr., Oakland (map)
- 510-208-5253
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The Local Butcher Shop $
- 1600 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-845-6328
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The shop sells sustainably raised, local meat, prepares a meat-based sandwich of the day, and hosts a variety of meat-themed classes and workshops.
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Plum Bar $$
- 2216 Broadway, Oakland (map)
- 510-444-7586
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With big-name chefs and a serious foodie following, Plum the restaurant is a fine dining establishment, and with average drink prices scraping $11 and containing ingredients such as tea foam, Plum Bar, its lower-fi appendage, is most definitely a fine drinking establishment — but it's a fineness that speaks less to pretension than to premium attention to detail, the kind you have to pay a little extra for: marigold flowers in your drink; beef-tendon chicarrones just seconds out of the fryer; a bar staff that'll slide an ice-cold glass of water to you from across the bar when they hear you clearing your throat, without you having to ask — or even noticing.
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Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe $$
- 1805 Telegraph Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-251-9400
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(based on 1 user review)
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Stag’s Lunchette $-$$
- 362 17th St., Oakland (map)
- 510-835-7824
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Up & Under $$$
- 2 West Richmond Ave., Point Richmond (map)
- 510-778-1313
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Venus $-$$$
- 2327 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-540-5950
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