Spirits & Tales

An inviting space on the top floor (10th floor) of the Oaklander Hotel in Oakland. Huge window views at your table, a bar, and around the corner more comfy seating sans tables. Even the ladies restroom is swanky. No hand blowers here. Plenty of paper hand towels Our server was extra helpful. Prior to him coming over we were busy looking up dishes and ingredients since there were so many words on the menu alien to us. He made it simple for us, answering all our questions.My friend and I ordered drinks. I had the dragon's breath -- mezcal, chili ancho liqueur, luxardo, lime juice, habanero bitters. Presentation was with a bubble on top.We ordered a starter -- the labneh- zataar, pepita, grilled flatbread. For my entree, I ordered the bucatini -- roasted acorn squash, pine nuts, fried sage, brown butter, grana purana.For dessert I got the chocolate, hazelnut, and poached pear tart.You can probably see why we were busy looking up words.All was excellent except the pear. It was a bit too firm in texture.Price was fair. For the two of us, each ordering a drink, A shared starter, two entrees, and 2 desserts, we split the tab down the middle and half was 68.00. That was a lot of food for the layout. I'm happy, especially getting ambiance and great service.

Spirits and Tales is such an underrated restaurant. I think it doesn't get as much attention because it's hidden in a hotel, but it has some of the best fine dining dishes in this city. I was a huge fan of the branzino, one of the best versions of the dish I've ever had but it's since been off the menu. The half roasted chicken with truffle wasn't bad. I liked the combo but it was way too salty. The team was nice and served a new dish when we commented on the saltiness. Service is always great here. It is always never busy thus a great place for last minute dinners. It's right on campus so also super convenient. The place is really nice and quiet at night. Their drinks and dessert menu is amazing. I've never had anything I didn't like here. Thus, I always thought it was a great spot when I needed somewhere to chat with friends but wanted a nicer environment. I always loved coming here with friends visiting out of town to catch up on life. Their food and atmosphere never disappoints.

I have been several times with different groups for breakfast lunch and dinner. It's a treat every time I visit. The service is great and the food is delicious. I enjoy the uniqueness of the menu items. The atmosphere is wonderful with all the windows to see outside the hotel on the 10th level.

Spirits and Tales now offers espresso martini flights, and it's a brunch game changer!! They are located in Oakland, right near Cathy, on the top floor of the Oaklander hotel. My sister and I shared the flight and I'm glad we did. The drinks were normal sized, not smaller, and it's only $30 for the 3 cocktails which is not bad at all. For brunch I ordered the eggs benedict (classic). My boyfriend got the hamburger and wine. My sister ordered the breakfast sandwich. My eggs benedict was really delicious. They drenched it in the hollandaise sauce; I loved it!! The espresso martini flight came with 3 flavors: Chocolate Raspberry Espresso, Cafe Bliss, and Simple Indulge. My favorite flavor was the chocolate raspberry espresso. My sister got the breakfast sandwich and she really liked it. My boyfriend got the hamburger and said it was really good as well. I have my eyes on that spritz flight next

I came here for a private event on a Wednesday evening around 5pm. My friends who got there before said that the staff seemed confused and didn't seem to know about the private event but I was able to get in contact with the event planner and we were able to find our private room.Our private room was spacious and had a lot of natural light. The venue in general had a lot of great seating and ambiance. There's a few private event rooms, a bar area, a casual lounging area adjacent to the bar, quite a few tables, and even a small outdoor area. The small balcony has an amazing view of the Cathedral of Learning. The bread came out nice and warm and there were a couple of different varieties in the basket. The soup was good - nothing to write home about but hot and perfect for the chillier weather. The main entree that we got had a nice foundation but could use work on some details. The beef while cooked perfectly was a little cold so I think it was sitting out. The sweet potatoes and veggies were a little bland - I saw multiple people put salt on theirs. The ravioli had excellent flavor but the shell itself was a little hard and undercooked. Our server was very friendly but when I asked for a to go container, I was told that I couldn't get one because it was a "health code violation". I didn't want to just throw away my entree because I still had a substantial amount left. I was confused because I've never been to a restaurant before that didn't have takeout containers. I ended up going to the bar and asking for a takeout container to see if they even had them and was given one promptly and went back in the room to box up my own leftovers.The almond cake dessert was delicious. My friend who is allergic to nuts was told that she would be brought fruit as an alternative but it never came. I didn't get a cocktail but my friends that did had no complaints. Overall, it was a mixed experience and I don't think I would necessarily come back of my own volition but I would go for happy hour/drinks or if it was convenient to do so and we didn't have a lot of nearby open food options.

The service was pretty good all the times we dined here. The food is really good although I feel like it was a little overpriced for what you actually got. It was really convenient though because we were staying in the Oaklander. The views are fantastic, I highly recommend getting some drinks on the terraced you have the chance.

I absolutely do not recommend Spirits & Tales. We came over-- excited to try the Wicked themed cocktails-- after a charity event, and the bartender refused to serve us. No one in our party was intoxicated, but we did look like we had come from a party, so the bartender was operating purely off of assumptions. She was not pleasant, and we will not be back. There are better places to drink in Oakland anyway.

Came here for happy hour but ended up staying for a meal. Great ambiance and view overlooking Pitt/Oakland area. Unfortunately the day I was there, they were understaffed.. servers were mostly grumpy and had to wait for more than an hour by the bar to just put an order for food and drinks.Food wise, my burger was served well done when I asked for medium rare. The outer part of the burger was also kinda burnt. Truffle fries were good. I would give this place another chance but would definitely want to make reservations prior.

I have gone for dinner and brunch. The service was not bad when I went for dinner but maybe because they were training a new staff member that night. I went to brunch a couple weeks after having dinner there because it seemed more people posted about the brunch so wanted to give it a try. The service was terrible and they were not busy. The staff all kept disappearing into the back. They took forever to wait on us and didn't check on us once we were given our food to see if we needed anything. While at brunch it was so quiet in the restaurant you could have heard a pin drop. They needed music playing. It just felt very awkward and uncomfortable. I wish you can a better view of the Cathedral of Learning. You do get a nice view of Soldiers and Sailors. The food is okay. For dinner I split a charcuterie board with friends it was good. Then I got the Waygu burger and fries which I liked. When I went for breakfast I got the spinach scramble. It was okay but I needed some hot sauce. The drinks were good both times I went.

The overall ambiance is nice and great for professional gatherings. We went on a Friday around noon time and it was surprisingly understaffed. There wasn't any bartender so we could only order either beer or wine. The service as expected was so slow and it took forever to leave but everyone was nice. Drinks are also so overpriced but you get the nice view of Oakland. Food was also meh meh, nothing crazy but decent enough. I like coming here for events where there's catering and an open bar but on its own it's nothing too special.