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Oakland Metro Operahouse
- 630 3rd St., Oakland (map)
- 510-763-1146
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Oakland Metro Operahouse is generally used as a performance space (it's the home of the Oakland Opera Theater), but you'll also find the occasional live metal, indie rock, punk, underground hip-hop, or alt.folk show here, as well as the famed variety show Tourettes Without Regrets, which features slapstick comedy, meat hurling contests, formidable freestyle battles, spoken word poetry, and dirty haiku - usually to sold-out crowds.
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Starry Plough
- 3101 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-841-2082
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(based on 3 user reviews)
Same as it ever was, this Berkeley Irish bar has been around since the days when Ronald Reagan was California governor, and it hasn't changed much — although you can now order a cheeseburger as well as traditional Irish fare like corned beef and cabbage. There are lots of beers on tap, but why not just have a Guinness or a Harp while you're here? It's certainly appropriate, and the regulars won't look at you like you're from Mars. Entertainment includes Irish Dance and Ceili Mondays at 9 p.m. (dance instructions start at 7 p.m.); Open-mic Tuesdays at 8 p.m.; Berzerkley Poetry Slam on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. with house band Three Blind Mice accompanying; live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Check the web site or call for calendar info. Full bar and twenty drafts, dance floor, and stage. The kitchen serves food until 10 p.m.
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The Uptown
- 1928 Telegraph Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-451-8100
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(based on 4 user reviews)
Erected in the building that used to house the Oakland Box, this swank rock club is decked out with a classy mahogany bar inherited from the Old Spaghetti Factory, plus top-notch acoustics designed by the sound consultant at Yoshi’s. A lot of things have changed since the old Box days, most notably in terms of decor: Bushmama’s old boutique is now “The Green Room,” where performers kick back before going onstage; the club’s sign is now shaped like an electric guitar. The Uptown features local and touring acts in a variety of genres, including hip-hop, soul, rock, and ska. “Blue Mondays” feature the house blues band led by Paul Wood and special guests.
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Yoshi's Oakland $$$
- 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland (map)
- 510-238-9200
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(based on 4 user reviews)
This Jack London Square anchor tenant lives up to its claim of world-class jazz; everyone from McCoy Tyner to John Scofield comes by at least once a year, and you can also occasionally catch rising stars and school bands in addition to big-name national acts. The acoustics are marvelous, the sushi is fresh and good, and the grilled calamari is also recommended. Tickets range from $5 for a Sunday afternoon children's matinee (with paid adult admission) to upwards of $100 for a special event. Two shows nightly.
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Disco Volante $$
- 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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Rooster's Roadhouse
- 1700 Clement Ave., Alameda (map)
- 510-337-9190
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(based on 4 user reviews)
Rotating DJs spin punk, rock, new wave, indie, and glam at this Alameda club, which also features live metal, rock, cabaret, and occasional hip-hop acts. Rooster's amenities include an outdoor patio, pool tables, a large indoor stage, dance floors, and a full bar with seventeen microbrews on tap. Tavern food is served late. The club is located five minutes from downtown Oakland and the Park Street Bridge.
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Cafe Van Kleef
- 1621 Telegraph Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-763-7711
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(based on 1 user review)
If you’re into quirky, this is the place for you. It’s a slim, high-ceilinged bar with a wide assortment of kitschy knickknacks and furniture. It’ll take you a while to take in all the objects d’art scattered around this hipster hangout, and that’s what you’ll do while sipping your drink and watching indie, jazz, blues, or funk bands. Cafe Van Kleef is known for its strong drinks made with fresh-squeezed juice. There’s live music most nights and always room to dance.
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Stork Club
- 2330 Telegraph Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-444-6174
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Thrashing, crashing, vocal-cord straining, pounding your ears and obliterating your will power: rock. You know you love it. And the Stork Club is where live rock makes its home. Tuesday through Sunday starting around 9:30 p.m., cover is usually just $5. Happy hour DJs spin rock and punk tunes, and special event/BBQ nights feature East Bay Rats motorcycle club, plus showcases of local egghead comedians. The honky-tonk-style bar is decked out with red and yellow tinsel, Christmas lights, rubber-seated booths, a pool table, a jukebox, an extensive Barbie collection, and a tawdry, winter-wonderland atmosphere.
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Albatross Pub
- 1822 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-843-2473
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(based on 2 user reviews)
This North Berkeley pub is popular, particularly among students, for its wide selection of board games like Scrabble and Connect Four, not to mention darts, pool, and the Sunday night trivia quiz. Order a brew from the thirteen on tap or sample their serious selection of Scotch. Even man’s best friend is welcome. On alternating Wednesdays and Saturdays, this laid-back British-style bar hosts bluegrass, world music, or jazz bands.
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Cafe du Nord
- 2170 Market St., San Francisco (map)
- 415-861-5016
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(based on 1 user review)
Cafe du Nord is one of the more classier and sophisticated places to see live indie music in San Francisco, despite attracting the occasional young and heroin chic. Located on upper Market Street near the Castro and famous for difficult parking, this underground lounge downstairs from the Swedish American Hall features a nightly array of music from alt-country to folk, indie rock to the occasional hard rock. Its deep-red interior, Victorian-era styling, and large carved wood bar make it a perfect environment to sip cocktails and chat with your friends, much to the annoyance of whatever singer-songwriter is trying to belt it out onstage in the next room.
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Jupiter $$
- 2181 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-843-8277
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(based on 2 user reviews)
Enjoy tasty Mediterranean-style pizzas and a wide variety of house brews on tap in this Berkeley outpost’s beer garden, where live bands perform on a brick patio throughout the week. For no cover charge you get atmosphere -- heat lamps, foliage, lanterns, a huge brick fire pit -- and entertainment ranging from experimental laptop music to bluegrass and Americana. Inside, the restaurant is two stories, and there are tables large enough to accommodate groups.
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The Layover
- 1517 Franklin St., Oakland (map)
- 510-834-1517
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(based on 1 user review)
Emanating from the softly upholstered furniture, the richly colored linens, the modern-exotic lighting, and the casual seating, the vibe coaxes patrons to relax, to share, to open up — even with strangers. The drinks are neither low-brow nor high-brow; they exist to lubricate social interaction, not dominate it. Regular events include DJ nights, live music nights (featuring members of Rogue Wave, Crown City Rockers, and more), and Layover Comedy Night, where comedians of various stripes test their mettle before accommodating, though nonetheless real crowds. You'd never know — or maybe you would — from the blank street sign out front, featuring only a glowing neon cocktail glass: This place is the real deal.
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Petar's Restaurant
- 32 Lafayette Cir., Lafayette (map)
- 925-284-7117
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(based on 1 user review)
Located in a historic Lafayette building, Petar’s is a funky place decorated with a Knights-of-the-Round-Table-type English theme that seems to attract the white-hairs. The main draw here is Diamond Dave Hosley, who has been performing every Wednesday through Saturday since 1986. Equipped with his Roland keyboard and headset mic, Hosley sings everything from oldies to current hip-hop hits in Petar’s bar. In addition, Tuesday nights feature Irish songs from Snead Healy, and Sundays feature blues with the Rhythm Doctors.
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Yoshi's San Francisco
- 1330 Fillmore St., San Francisco (map)
- 415-655-5600
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(based on 1 user review)
Offers the same high caliber of talent in the genre of jazz as the Oakland original, but the state-of-the-art venue also books R&B, soul, and world-music acts.
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The Avenue
- 4822 Telegraph Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-654-1423
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(based on 1 user review)
Formerly known as Connolly's, this neighborhood bar straddles the line between dive bar and community melting pot. The clientele here reflects the surrounding neighborhood's diversity, from the tony streets of Temescal to the working-class neighborhood of Longfellow on the other side of Telegraph Ave. Owners and Oakland natives Curtis Howard and Davey Herrick, who bought the place from the previous owners, also tend bar here; they're more than happy to welcome you to the ’hood with a $8.75 pitcher of PBR or a delightfully stiff cocktail.
