Pa'ina Lounge & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (902) • $$

"Review #002 - 2025I haven't written too many reviews lately since I feel like--unless a business really warrants a great review or a really poor review then I'm kind of wasting my time.I used to write reviews because I enjoyed the interaction with other Yelpers; but lately, Yelp just doesn't have that same community feel from when I first started.However, that shouldn't stop me from writing an honest review when a business deserves to be commended on their food/service.My two sisters and I showed up with our 3 daughters on Friday, February 21, around 5 PM.We were greeted and seated immediately.The place was pretty slow since it was still early for dinner so we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.Our waitress was very sweet and accommodating. I didn't ask her name, but she's a cute young Asian girl, who always had a smile on her face.We ordered quite a few items to share.My older sister and two nieces each ordered the wagyu burger, which they all said was made to their liking.We had the pa'ina wings which were really tasty.The salt and pepper wings were a little salty for my preference, but the kids seemed to enjoy them.We had an order of regular fries and garlic fries, which we all enjoyed a little too much, considering we're all suppose to be eating "healthy".We ordered the garlic noodz with seafood and that was pretty tasty as well.The garlic butter shrimps were our least favorite because the shrimp had a weird smell, like it was drenched in lighter fluid, but the kitchen tried to make us a new order and it still came out smelling the same so they were kind enough to just remove it from our bill.The poke nachos arrived late, but we still enjoyed it. My sister ended up taking the rest home for her husband.The manager was very sweet! She brought the kids some complimentary pineapple Dole whip as an apology for the shrimp fiasco and sang "happy birthday" to our 16th year old niece.The whole experience was very memorable! We'll try to return should we ever happen to be in the area.Our waitress took some photos for us with their Instagram-worthy wall :)"

Barebottle Brewing Company

★★★★☆ 4.4 (615) • $$

"Barebottle Brewing Company is a fantastic spot for beer lovers! With a wide selection of seasonal beers, there's something to suit every palate. We sampled a variety of their offerings and were impressed by the diversity and quality.Parking:Parking can be a bit tricky as it's limited to street parking, so be prepared to hunt for a spot, especially on weekends.Ambiance:The outdoor seating area is vibrant and welcoming, with colorful umbrellas and a relaxed atmosphere. It's the perfect place to enjoy a sunny day with good company and great drinks.Pastries from Neighbor Bakehouse:We also picked up some delightful pastries from Neighbor Bakehouse nearby. The desserts were fresh, delicious, and paired wonderfully with our beers.Tacos from El Fuego Food Truck:For a more savory option, we ordered fish tacos, and El Fuego tacos with beef and chicken from the El Fuego Food Truck. The tacos were flavorful and generously portioned, making for a great complement to the beers.Overall, Barebottle Brewing Company is a must-visit for beer enthusiasts and anyone looking for a fun and tasty experience in the area. Highly recommended!"

Chaplin’s Sports Bistro

★★★★☆ 4.1 (688) • $$

"I can't believe I've never written a review for Chaplin's before. I went on a Friday night just to grab some drinks with friends. They had a DJ to my surprise and really gave the place a good vibe. We got lucky and were seated in a booth right as we walked in. They have ample parking, but also have street parking available. I got a Moscow mule which was good and some Cajun fries. The Cajun fries had a kick to them if dipped in the chipotle mayo. The service was great with the team checking in every 10 mins to see if we need another drink or food item. I would highly recommend you check it out.Just wanted to add that I went and they had the Formula 1 Australian GP Practice 2 playing so I think they play the Formula 1 GP's here. Great to know I found a spot where I can go watch and have a drink!"

Pomella

★★★★☆ 4.2 (558) • $$

"I'm going to be thinking about those Brussel sprouts and cauliflower for years to come.... And maybe that pistachio baklava too. I came here for a work event and so everything was buffet style and I got to try it all! The hummus was a hit, the service was top notch, and the drinks were unique and delicious."

The Mexican Restaurant and Bar

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (784) • $$

"If you want deliciously satisfying and authentic Mexican food then The Mexican is where you want to be. My family has been coming here for years and no matter what you order from the menu the food is beyond expectation. This time I even ordered the grilled chicken taco salad and loved it! I had some concern before getting my dish bc I didn't know if it would be bland or boring (side note: I typically I don't order a salad at a Mexican restaurant (like come on) but I wanted something light bc my stomach wasn't feeling great the night before). The salad was so filling and so colorful -- I was impressed. My belly thanked me for choosing the safer choice. The service was great and our group was consistently checked on. Not to mention the amount of space we had to catch up and share stories was perfect (we were not competing against loud noise). Anytime I'm in the east bay and crave Mexican food, I'll be here. What's not to love?"

La Strada

★★★★☆ 4 (543) • $$

"I can't say anything bad about La Strada. Olivia, Carlos, the entire staff are amazing. The location is always super clean, no dust, organized, clean. It's a been a go to spot for my team for the past 18 months. Way too good to be overlooked."

Cornerstone Craft Beer & Live Music

★★★★☆ 3.6 (427) • $$

"Can't believe I've never been here. Beyond amazing to see a live show. Show up early, regular tap house with good food and a great bar. Outside patio, great staff, then walk into a great live venue with great acoustics.Big time fun with a small music venue vibe.Can't wait to go back"

Sakoon Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3 (582) • $$

"Best experience ever !!! Sakoon was absolutely amazing, servers were great, and food as usual was fantastic. Diya helped us organizer the quote and event and she is an absolute asset thanks Diya for everything !!!"

Crush Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.1 (303) • $$

"I like the lounge and I'm happy they reopened. Great place to chill before a massage and of course - there's a bowling alley inside The cocktail menu tends to rotate and it seems like the day menu is different that their evening one. Highly recommend the burger and the wings. I love their specialty cocktails and you shake visit during the holiday seasons bc their cocktail choices are even better"

Lost and Found

★★★★☆ 4.3 (264) • $$

"Lost and Found is our new favorite Happy Hour spot to hang out at. Considering I don't like to go to places in SF in my free time or on weekends, Lost and Found was the perfect fun exception. They have really good Happy Hour deals and a lot to choose from which I appreciated. I am used to Happy Hour deals only offering 3-6 items. Menu: https://www.lostandfoundbarsf.com/menu.html Overview: Food: 9/10Service: 8/10Ambiance: 10/10Alcohol: 8/10Parking: 7/10What we ordered: Garlic Noodles - 10/10Birria Tacos - 8/10Lost & Found (LF) Wings - 10/10Ocean Beach Mule - 7/10FOOD: 9/10THE FOOD!!! SO. GOOD. Respectfully, I was not expecting much. Man, was I wrong? The portion was hearty. The food was so flavorful. The Garlic Noodles were my absolute favorite and had the perfect savory garlic taste. The LF wings were perfectly sweet, savory, and sticky. Another favorite! SERVICE: 8/10 Service was standard, nothing above and beyond, but the guy at the bar was chill. Every time we needed something, he was chill about it and attentive. There is water on the tap for self-serve along with utensils and napkins. AMBIANCE: 10/10 The ambiance was absolutely e v e r y t h i n g. What a vibe! The wall art was very cute. You can tell it's stuck on wallpaper but who cares? There were teddy bear candles on each table which sounded tacky but honestly, it was not. On each corner and wall, there are different TV stations turned on. The bar has sports while they have a projector projecting a movie. There is music in the background as well while all the TV/Movie viewings are silent and just for visuals. There is bar stool seating and a small amount of couch seating.ALCOHOL: 8/10Their alcohol is strong even for cocktails. I respect that because I know for the most part, you are paying money for the alcohol haha. But, if you are not a strong drinker, then just a heads up to consider. PARKING: 7/10Located on Taraval Street, depending on the time of day can be hit or miss. We stopped by on a Sunday evening so parking was found right up front and no need to pay for parking meters past 6 pm."

Vezer Family Vineyard

★★★★★ 4.5 (140) • $$

"Friendly and welcoming staff. There are two locations and the prices for wine tasting is affordable. I would definitely come back :)"

Willows & Pine

★★★★★ 4.6 (118) • $$

"We hit the jackpot when we landed seats at Willows & Pine! We had a bit of a wait (what great restaurant doesn't have one?) but we were also met with a warm greeting. The chowder was some of the best we've ever had. Hot, well-seasoned, creamy deliciousness with tender potatoes and perfect shrimp. A tastebuds' treat all by itself! But no, we didn't stop there. I had the jambalaya - filled with tender chicken, shrimp and sausage. It has a bit if a kick to it but the seasonings were all perfectly appointed. My husband ordered the pork chop dinner with mashed potatoes and braised Brussels sprouts. He fully enjoyed his meal - well not fully, I kept also dipping in his plate. Food - hot, fresh, amazing!I love, loved how that many customers that came in seemed to be family or at least repeat customers, and staff gave attention and time to everyone to ensure a pleasant dining experience. We were too full to attempt desserts but you can bet when we are back in the Bay, we will drop in on Willow & Pine. In the meantime, if you are anywhere close, go check them out. You will not be disappointed! Bravo Chef & Family!"

Judoku Sushi Rockridge

★★★★☆ 4.1 (141) • $$

"My wife and I loved this place, Judoku Sushi Rockridge. I recognize the Bay Area has some of the best sushi restaurants in the country. My five-star rating for Judoku is simply because I think it's a fantastic, casual, family-friendly, neighborhood sushi joint. Japanese comfort food. The food and service were excellent. If you love sushi, I recommend this place if it's convenient to you.Judoku has two locations. This is the second. It opened in February 2018 on College Ave in North Oakland/Rockridge, a stretch with several good restaurants. The original Judoku opened in November 2014 on the more popular Piedmont Ave, closer to downtown: https://www.yelp.com/biz/judoku-sushi-oakland.My sister introduced us to Judoku Rockridge. Before Judoku Rockridge moved into its current space, it used to be another sushi restaurant that she and my brother-in-law liked, Rikyu: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rikyu-oakland.This was not a very big restaurant before the pandemic. However, during the pandemic, Judoku replaced Rikyu and, like some of its College Ave neighbors, expanded significantly with outdoor seating on the sidewalk and street. We sat outside on the dog-friendly patio. The seats on the patio were mostly covered and there were plenty of heat lamps. Some of the tables on the street had an incline due to the uneven pavement, so it was a bit annoying. It's one reason we decided to take a table on the sidewalk instead.You can park on the street (College Ave) directly outside the restaurant. It's metered by the City of Oakland, $2/hour, Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm except holidays. We parked for free after hours in the nearby library parking lot across the street, next to Holy Basil Pho. We saw a car with a smashed-in window there so remove/hide all your belongings. Like other big metros around the country, car break-ins are a normal occurrence in the Bay Area.I loaded up on nigiri (my favorite when it comes to sushi) while my wife, sister, nieces, and brother-in-law enjoyed other food like rolls, udon noodles, and gyoza dumplings. Here's what we got:Appetizers* Gyoza (6 pieces for $9) - pork potstickers (veggie is an option too)* Scallop Crudo ($19) - Hokkaido scallop, shoyu ikura, tobikoNigiri (2 pieces per order)* Chu Toro ($15) - medium fatty bluefin tuna* Ama Ebi ($14) - sweet shrimp* Inari ($6) - seasoned rice in fried tofu pouchSushi Entree* Nigiri Sushi Combo #2 (10 pieces for $42) - 2 pieces each of maguro, sake, hamachi, and 4 pieces of seasonal chef's choice (details below)Classic Rolls* 49ers ($16) - salmon over California roll (avocado, imitation crab), lemon slicesJudoku Rolls* Honda ($18) - salmon, hamachi, and avocado rolled with unagi and unagi sauce* Polar Bear ($17) - spicy tuna and cucumber rolled with escolar and jalapenos* Super California ($16) - unagi over California roll with unagi sauce and Macadamia nutsKid's Meal* Plain Udon ($12) - plain noodles in brothWe thought all of the food was terrific. In general, I loved everything about the nigiri. It was classic, traditional nigiri, not dressed up or pretentious; simply fresh, thick, and delicious expert cuts of high-quality fish. In my Nigiri Sushi Combo #2, the maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), and hamachi (yellowtail) were above-average quality. Sure, they're usually the cheapest and most common types of nigiri, but Judoku set themselves apart by serving better-quality fish. I liked that the chef left a little bit of skin on both the salmon and yellowtail slices. It's a fine attention to detail that also sets Judoku apart.The four pieces of "seasonal" chef's choice that completed the combo were two pieces of madai (Japanese sea bream) and one piece each of hirame (halibut) and kampachi (amberjack). I'm allergic to shrimp so I told our server no shrimp. I'm not sure if the chef would've included it, but my sister did order some separately. The sea bream, halibut, and amberjack were consistent in taste and texture with the other fish: superb. There was even a bit of "bonus" sashimi placed at the end of my plate. I believe it was an end of the halibut, a.k.a. olive flounder.The Chu Toro and Inari were also delectable. You can't go wrong with those. My sister and wife loved the Ama Ebi, which included the shrimp heads. Most sushi restaurants don't include the heads.The Scallop Crudo was outstanding. It was a wonderful combination of ingredients - scallop, ikura, tobiko - and the presentation was beautiful. Everything was presented beautifully, really.The rolls looked and tasted very good. Again, fresh and high-quality ingredients all around. My favorite rolls were the Honda and Super California rolls, probably because of the unagi (freshwater eel). The eel and sauce added sweet and savory flavors to each roll. Also, I think the thin lemon slices on the 49ers roll were meant to be eaten.Our server was Connie and she was great. She was nice, attentive, and understood exactly what we wanted. Fantastic service."

Lost Marbles

★★★★☆ 3.9 (103) • $$

"Unique ambiance, a great hang out place even during the day. There are super large TV where you can watch sports, but the bar still looks cool and doesn't have the sports bar vibe.My gf and I ordered pretzels, churros, and cauliflower fritters. I thought all of them taste great, but might be a little pricey for bar bites.Service was great, the bartender got to us quickly. Our orders came in pretty quickly too. A very random gem in the neighborhood."

Ironwoods Bar & Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.3 (111) • $$

"The staff here are amazing!! We had a big event here and all the staff were so nice and helpful. The food, drinks, and service was great. Angel in particular was the best! She helped me locate things, clean, and arrange everything properly. Would highly recommend to host an event or just eat here and don't forget to tip the amazing staff!"

Geoffreys Inner Circle

★★★★☆ 4.1 (56) • $$

"REVIEWER # 32Well, Hello Geoffrey's! I'm so happy I've met you. I heard you've been open for over 20+ years and I find that so hard to believe! Where have I been? I couldn't help but admire how sexy you looked from the outside. Yes, I'm talking about those sexy red stairs that led to the amazingly glamorous venue. Boy, you are just perfect for dates! Have you been to Geoffrey's? Do you love some jazz music? What about enjoying Sunday jazz music? Well, what the heck are you waiting for? You need to run your butt to Geoffrey's for some amazing music, tasting drinks and a good ol' meal. I came to Geoffrey's on my birthday and truly enjoyed myself. it's a full service entertainment and catering venue. It cost $10 to get in and $15 if you want dinner. The music, vocalist, and band are wonderful and the crowd is lively. Yanice Taylor is wonderful and is the host of Sunday! You can't help but notice how classy the venue is! It is a historic Oakland Institution with so much history; such a wonderful place to wine and dine. Perfect for date nights, FYI! They have a bar in the back where you could order drinks. They also have servers that walk around during the night and take orders. I truly can't think of a better way to spend my Sunday evening; I'm in love with Geoffrey's!"

Continental Club

★★★★☆ 4.2 (46)

"It's surprisingly huge but has numerous more cozy niches and the chow is top notch. I only go for when it's house music and the people who come for that are always a fun crowd"

Mission Hills Bar & Grill

★★★★★ 4.7 (33)

"Love love love their BLT here the ladies at the restaurant are soooo nice also, i love coming here"

Level 13

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (67) • $$

"This review is solely based on the beef patties. They're so good I dream about them. I don't know what their secret is but their dough is super flaky. The filling is generous and really good! I actually ordered one to split with my boyfriend and that was a huge mistake. We ended up ordering several more. I've been here before, but whoever was working behind the bar today had exceptional customer service. I asked for a side of their orange pepper sauce which is amazing on the beef patties. I came back a second time and she remembered I like the orange sauce with it and packed it with my Togo order."

W XYZ Bar

★★★★☆ 4.1 (33) • $$

"Sorry to say, this place had gone way downhill on my last visit. Since Marriott took over, the W XYZ branding is gone and it's just "Aloft." The soggy fries were more like any other restaurant, and the soda was noticeably watered down. The steak cut has been downgraded to ribeye.I'm glad I was able to enjoy it when Starwood was striving to bring a premium experience to budget-conscious consumers. Now the budget part is more painfully obvious, and where I had gone out of my way to visit before, it now feels like an overpriced Denny's. Bye, Felicia."

Magic Jester Theater

★★★★★ 5 (3) • $

"Magic Jester's approach to teaching improv really raised my skill level, even after decades of experience. Michael Davenport pushed me past some habits that were standing between me and sourcing characters that had real emotional connections to other characters and the themes if a scene. My acting skills improved markedly."

Kalesa

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"Service was excellent. Gigi was very personable and attentive to our needs making sure our drinks were always toped off!! Ambiance was nice. Tables were not too close to each other and noise level was tolerable.Food:1) Crispy Dinuguan - very tasty and pork was not fatty. 5 of 52) Pancit Miki Bihon - flavor was slightly bland 3 of 5. Seemed like it was missing something but could not figure it out3) Pinakbet - kind of soupy and we liked as it was not too salty. 4 of 54) Chicken Inasal - flavor was spot on so 5 of 55) Crispy pata - excellent 5 of 56) lumpia shanghai was slightly over cooked 3 of 57) calamari was also spot on so 5 of 5We know what to order at the next visit and we look forward to having Gigi service us. She is great and we really enjoyed interacting with her!!"

Plank

★★★☆☆ 2.6

"Food was good! Bartenders are great but they accidentally forgot to get our food. They remade it since the one they had made got cold.Drinks are good! Got the old fashioned and the Plank Sunrise. Both were nice! This is a fun place to go for a celebration with friends."

Buon Appetito Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.7 • $$

"Dined in for dinner, party of 4 on a Sunday night. The two locals in our party are regulars for lunch, and they chose the place for us try before heading back home. Parking wasn't too challenging, and seated indoors (but near the patio door). Our main server was Marco, and some dishes/drinks were brought out by Alfredo. Excellent! The complimentary bread and garlic butter was yummy. Half of the party got mojitos, and sodas get 1 free refill as well. We started with two orders of the calamari fritti, which were lightly battered and the best eaten when hot and fresh. Not chewy or tough at all. The Linguine ai Frutti di Mare is basically like a cioppino with pasta. The Lasagne Ferrarese was a decent portion, very flavorful. The Fettuccine al Pesto with shrimp and mushrooms was also great, homemade pasta and pesto was also light. For dessert, also tried the tiramisu which was also good.Their specials menu did intrigue me (the mezzalune and the risotto) for next time.Got a calzone and a Pizza Buon Appetito to go, which were also delish!"