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This used bike shop is so crammed to the gills with random bicycles and parts that it looks like the victim of a simultaneous tremor and tornado disaster. It's a good thing that the owner displays some of his bikes on a rack out front, because it might actually be impossible to walk inside.

Mum and da drink and play darts while the bairns mess about with toys provided by the management — just as they do at pubs in England. The owners are British and so is most of the menu, for better or worse, with faithful renderings of shepherd's pie, sausage dishes, and fish ’n chips; patrons whose Anglophilia ends at the placemat make merry with burgers, pastas, and salads. The staff's willingness to prepare child-size portions has given this place a reputation as the Chuck E. Cheese of the bar world. Ten taps spout American microbrews and English favorites.

The dive-y Piedmont Avenue bar recently saw a change in ownership, and with that change of hands came some renovations. The upstairs smoking room may be no more, but the bar retained its pool table, jukebox, and TVs. And patrons can still order from Raj India Cuisine next door and snack on chicken tikki masala while drinking at the bar.

This Jack London Square club used to be a hot spot for salsa, but these days it attracts a well-heeled, mature African-American crowd. The huge, open-aired, barnlike venue has two sides: one is a sports bar and billiards hall; the other is a nightclub, karaoke, and comedy club. In both cases, be prepared to adhere to the club's dress-code policy of hard-soled shoes and no T-shirts or sportswear for men, and "sexy attire" for ladies. DJs spin hip-hop and R&B on Friday nights, while Saturday night specifically caters to an older clientele.

An office park/Japanime temple offering imported figures, models, masks, and other collectible versions of massive robots and short-skirted schoolgirls.

Kim's is your classic dive bar — complete with several TVS, kitschy decor, and an outdoor smoker's patio — except for its namesake owner, the 69-year-old Korean woman who still tends bar and who's become something of a folk hero among regulars.

A classic, lovable dive dating back to 1922, complete with cheap drinks, a convivial atmosphere, and head-bumpingly low ceilings — plus shuffleboard, free popcorn, and one of the best jukeboxes in the East Bay.

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