The Den

This bar and lounge is attached to the Fox Theater, and quite crowded and busy before showtime on concert days. So hardly any seating available, but luckily we found a table to stand at this past Thursday evening. They serve a more extensive range of food and drinks beyond what is offered by the bars inside the Fox Theater. We tried the polish dog wrapped in proscuitto and hazy braised turkey sandwich, which came with sides of macaroni and potato salad, and everything was pretty decent, what I would expect from bar food. Plus the food line moved pretty quickly. The bar didn't have any lines at all (separate from the food line), staff was friendly and professional, and the midori sour we got was sweet and tasty. Nothing extraordinary about the atmosphere or menu offerings, but we had a good experience here during our recent visit for the fun and awesome musical performance by Madness!!

If you're vegan, avoid buying any food place. The staff does not care, and will just shoo you away. I don't know if the bbq sauce is vegan, but the hot link hopefully is. Staff doesn't care if you're vegan or not. They'll give you non-vegan potato salad unless you tell them not to. Apparently a hotdog is a sub? Make sure to not ask for it. The staff (specifically one person) just recommend to just throw it away. Awesome. THE HUMMUS AND PITA COMES WITH FETA CHEESE! Make sure to ask for it without, or that's gonna go straight into the garbage. Honestly; this place sucks. Just order drinks and eat before hand. Who knows what you're actually getting served since the potentially vegan items literally have no info under the name of the item.

Very cozy drinking and eating before and during shows at the Fox, but you pay a little more for the experience.

This is the kind of bar that gets confused for actual bar service. This mock lounge is reminiscent of mid 2000s chic, the drinks come in plastic cups with dried garnishes that make you cringe instead of binge.The drinks are watered down and put at a certain limit for preservation and you're left with a annoyed tipsy feeling and want to leave. If you're feeling like a fox who prowls the night to show stopping delight, don't come here.

I like the Den best late afternoon, before it gets crowded. You know how most folks like to go to a cafe- get some coffee, perhaps a pastry, and then find a reasonably clean comfortable spot where they can go online or read a book, play with their smart phone, etc- hopefully a comfy couch, or cool chair. I like to do that occasionally as well, but I much prefer a classy bar, which during the day has a similar feel, just without the crowd of yammering ____________!!!(you just thought i meant a bad word didn't you.. nope, you did! haha- i was thinking hipsters..)Have any of you been to the Den during the day when you can actually see just how cool the decor looks? It is one of the few classy joints with great bartenders you can walk into before 7pm.Also for those of you who have seen a great show at the Fox and popped into the den before or after, you know, like I do, that having The Den right next door prolongs a great experience!!What took away a star for me was the plastic cups- after happy hour, in such a nice place- they seemed out of context and WAY to noticeable. too bad, woulda been an easy 5 stars!!

I stopped here for trivia night with some friends and we were quite impressed with this bar. The interior is sleek and sophisticated. The vibe is chill. Everyone is really friendly. A glass of wine was $6-$8. Not too shabby. I could imagine this place might not be very fun when it's crowded but when it's not, it's a great place to lounge with some friends. I might have to make this place a regular stop for Tuesday night trivia. Best of all, you can win tickets to a show at the Fox Theater. That beats playing for beer and pizza any day of the week. You all are invited to join me of course.The appetizer menu seemed pretty small but if you're not looking for food, I would highly recommend this bar even if you're not seeing a band.

The decor is interesting. I like the fake robotic, machinery wall with all the buttons and levers. The chairs were comfy and the staff was nice. After an error with the guest list at The Fox, I was pretty bummed to be without a ticket for Broken Bells. I was waiting around awhile outside trying to sort the ticket dilemma, when the staff from The Den welcomed me and told me I should have a seat, relax and catch the show inside.Hands down the best thing about this bar are the multiple screens streaming the live concert happening inside The Fox Theater. I was able to see and hear Broken Bells perform, so that was the next best thing to actually being legitmately inside the venue. I will definitely keep this in mind for the future if there's sold out show at The Fox I simply can't miss.

Although I live across the street, I don't go often. We went on a Fri night, and it seemed fine. A mixed crowd, decent dj, but no real "hook". Crowd was all over the place, and no real identity. Good for dancing, I suppose.

THE DEN is another wonderful addition to the growing list of postive nightlife establishments in the Uptown Oakland area. Located next to the historical Fox Theater, THE DEN has transformed the often unused space into a modern lounge while maintaining a 1920's Art Deco feel. The service was on par during my visit. However, the only complaint I have is that on Friday's and Saturday nights, the music is WAYYYY TOOO LOUD which has THE DEN sounding like a typical nightclub instead of the upscale lounging establishment it really is.There are rumors that this place serves food, and I did see a few plates surface during a recent visit, but I have yet to obtain clear confirmation on this.Another issue you should be aware of is the fact that this place can get PACKED with people, meaning you will be waiting in line to get in.So, ladies, wear some comfortable shoes... LOL

This was one of seven places my friends and I stopped by this past weekend looking for places to throw an event. The venue itself is spacious and nice looking. And the bartenders were cool. My issue (and it was a big one) was the extreme unprofessionalism of a specific member of the door staff. An initial staff member (different guy) who let us in noted that one of my friends didn't meet the dress code, but since it was early evening he would let us in for a drink so that we could take a look at the place. He was polite and cordial.We ordered a drink, looked around a bit, then sat down to discuss the Super Bowl. As we were enjoying our conversation, another door person walked up to us (he had a big band aid on his chin), and told my friend he needed to remove his hat. My friend did so without looking at the security guy, which the security guy obviously mistook as an affront to his manhood. He said, "Is there a problem?"At this point, I stepped in and said, "Not at all. We just stopped in to have one drink and we'll be on our way."Security guy (stepping closer to my friend): "Maybe you all don't need to finish your drinks."Me: "Wow...um...he took off his hat and did what you asked, and everything is under control. Your job is done. We're just here to relax."At this point, the security guy looks at me thinking, not sure how to respond. Then he again looks at my friend and says in a confrontational tone, "You seem like you have a problem."My friend, now obviously agitated finally speaks up, "Do YOU have a problem? You're the one over here trying to be a tough guy."Security guy: "I bet you think you're a tough guy."Me: "Can you please just go away. We're relaxing."You see where this is going, right? After a bit more of a tense exchange, I convince the door guy to go away. But by now we're irritated and miserable. My friend regains his composure and has a friendly conversation with the bar staff before we leave. As we're leaving, the confrontation-seeking security guy at the door does some tough guy posturing and some jaw jacking. That's pretty much the story. Everyone else there, including the other security, were fine. But I'm not sure I'll be trying to throw any events here or even return as long as they employ a cheap goon/thug who reflects poorly on their business. The rest of the night was fun, and everywhere else we went was great.