50 Best Bars near Orinda

“Excellent! We had a great experience!“

“Good service once you get their attention. Hostess should probably make it clear as she seats you that table Will be backorders are placed at the bar. Warm, clear Hi-Fi sound is excellent, as is DJ vinyl curation. Drinks v. well-crafted. Patrons vibe chill yet cheerful.“

“⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Double Standard delivers an exceptional dining and bar experience with creative cocktails, flavorful food, and a stylish, energetic atmosphere. Every dish and drink is thoughtfully prepared, well-balanced, and consistently enjoyable.
The vibe is modern, lively, and welcoming—perfect for a night out with friends, a casual date, or simply enjoying great food and drinks in a vibrant setting. It has a unique personality that makes every visit feel special.
The staff is friendly, attentive, and professional, ensuring smooth service and a comfortable experience from start to finish. Their hospitality adds to the overall enjoyment of the venue.
If you’re looking for great cocktails, delicious food, and a fun, upbeat atmosphere, The Double Standard is a fantastic choice. Highly recommended and well deserving of five stars! 🌟🍸✨“

“An incredible spot to enjoy some top quality draft ciders. I'm not an expert on ciders by any means, but I've had some incredible stuff here (I've particularly loved anything I've had from Yonder). The vibes here are great, the bartenders are lovely, and they have some great merch for sale! My mom who visits from out of state has bought a tote bag, hat, and sweatshirt from Redfield just so she can flex to her friends back home how awesome this bar is. If you enjoy cider, or even if you just want to stop in for a quick beer, this is a great and classy place to come to. Love Redfield!“

“Wow! Back in the palace of blended drinks and fine seating arrangements. The frozen drinks were theatrical, but colder than expected. Please sip with caution. The wooden interior reminded me of what it means to be alive. I am wistful for the glittered sea shell toilet seat. Where are they? Please. Someone respond. If you come here, you will leave. Then, you will come back. Here.“

“Nice cocktail list based on local music artists. I love that it changes with the seasons! Great space to bring a group; we had no problem getting a big booth on a Friday night (I assume it's busier if there's a show at the Fox.) Fast, friendly service from the bartenders.“

“Super chill place that’s cozy and serves amazing nibbles and wine without being pretentious or exclusive. Can’t speak to mingling possibilities (whether you’ll go home with someone new) but it is a hangout stand-out, with stellar service. My new fav place north of Gourmet Ghetto“

“This is one of my favorite bars in Oakland! I love a martini and they of course do great ones here. So many options so there's something for everyone. They have an extensive non martini drink list as well if you're not into martinis, including cocktails, shots, beer, wine, sweet drinks and slushies. They can be quite busy depending on when you go, but luckily the space and bar are pretty large.

They have a completely vegan menu which includes some really fun vegan hot dogs! I'm not vegan, but they were very tasty. We got the elite and the lion dancing. There's also free popcorn in the back!

Speaking of dogs, they are dog friendly which is always a plus for us! I think they allow dogs before 6pm? Or some time around then, so it's more of a casual afternoon drink place then. It's fair because we've been in the evening and it does get crazy busy and loud sometimes which most dogs would not be into.

Service has always been super nice and even in their very busy times they try to keep an order of who hasn't been helped yet. Overall a great place!“

“Just came to this Gem last night and we had SUCH an amazing time! The drinks were 🔥 🔥🔥 Cristine is a true mixologist and totally set the vibe 👌🏼They have cute games you can play like connect 4, card games, Jenga, and a cute Photo Booth. The vibes were everything! The music was a perfect Blend playing reggae, 90’s, and even some bad bunny💃🏼 awesome spot to go to for date night 👌🏼🔥 will definitely be back! You are awesome Cristine!!!“

“Nice atmosphere, friendly staff.“

“A saloon with history from 1883! Worth having a beer or cocktail when in Jack London square.“

“Fantastic neighborhood bar. Full of fun people, great entertainment from karaoke to drag shows, live music and DJs. Trivia, skee ball and arcade games. And now bingo. Love the staff and owner.“

“Amazing place, a bit unexpected when you drive by. Ihad great moments and made best friends. Cocktails are best in region! Try!“

“We come by almost every Friday and have lunch at Cato's. The staff is extremely friendly and the service is top notch! It's always rejuvenating to be at Cato's and start our weekend with good food, tasty beverages and a few good laughs with the welcoming folks that work and patronize the Ale House.“

“I love this bar/club. It's a small dive bar with great shows. I saw Manic Hispanic this week. I was up front and center. A friend saw the same band last week in SoCal but was separated from the band by the typical bigger show barricade. The Ivy Room gets packed, but what a fantastic place to see bands!“

“I really like this place. I always feel welcomed and it's a great place to chill out and have a drink. No muss, no fuss deal. The place can get crowded on a good night and also be lively in the daytime at lunch. Pool table, maybe some days, and good music creates a positive fun vibe. Also, It's a puppy palace! Dogs welcome, keep them close/on leash and be respectful, people love to see them and interact. Take a friend, go alone, whichever it is, I hope you enjoy. Appetizer like food is prepared and served until 9 or 10pm, not sure which one it is.“

“Dude SUCH an awesome kava bar!! Great vibes, solid kava and I was welcomed with open arms. This was my first time here and I really liked it. I will be back for sure id highly recommend checking this place out for some good conversations and kava.

Jay and Andrew were the ones working - AWESOME peeps!!“

“Awesome chill space to catch up with someone. All kinds of flavors so you don’t even have to like kava to find something you like. Melo Colada was heavy on sweet/colada and I loved it. Melo Chai and Cream were also delicious. Go for happy hour 3-6pm I believe for $2 off drinks“

“Best quiz in Oakland! Wednesday night“

“The best! I highly recommend you make a visit and enjoy good company.“

“Halloween vibes year around!“

“A great local bar with the friendliest service! I love that they're always doing something festive (king cake for Mardi Gras, corned beef and cabbage for St. Patty's, all the sports games, etc.) They make a mean dirty martini, and the Irish coffee the owner made me for St. Patty's was perfection. I need to make it here on a Friday for their BBQ lunch, it always looks amazing.“

“A very eclectic and open air patio area. Great vibe!“

“My partner and I were looking for a very casual, low-key venue to celebrate our wedding, and that’s when we came across Little Bird. From our very first interaction with Jen, we felt how warm and easy it was to work with her. She emailed us the different package options and was very transparent about pricing, explaining that we could add or remove items or move them around within the budget to make it work for us. That openness made the whole process feel stress-free.

We then met her at the bar to see the space and discuss food, drinks, and all the details. On the day of the celebration, everything was absolutely perfect. We had about 30 guests, and the space looked beautiful—exactly what we wanted. The food was delicious, the drinks were fantastic (we had three special cocktail requests in addition to the open bar), and the ambiance was just right.

Nate and the other two bartenders were incredibly kind, attentive, and genuinely friendly. So many of our guests told us how much fun they had and how great the service was.

We would absolutely recommend Little Bird for any celebration or event. Huge thanks to Jen and the entire Little Bird staff for making our day extra special, loving, and fun.“

“Best bartenders, awesome owners, killer sound and all around good times always!“

“Strong cider, strong playlist, staffed by legends.“

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“The staff here are AMAZING! Is this a dive bar? Yes. Are they gonna look at you funny is you try to order a speciality cocktail that you’re used to getting downtown San Francisco? Yep. But that’s the whole point, you’re here to drink traditional and familiar fantastic drinks! I started coming here with friends a while back and over time many of the bartenders and other employees became like friends! As a woman I always felt safe as they had their eye on everything going on, and I always had a blast anytime I came. Specifically, Peppi and Michelle, really went above and beyond to make me feel welcome. I had to move away and they spent money out of their own pockets to throw my a going away party at the bar. I have never experienced a closeness like this to an establishment where I’m a guest, and it was very appreciated. I am moved away now and very much miss the service and atmosphere I had at Lucky 13!“

“Welcoming, laid back bar, weekend piano bar action, stellar cocktailian offerings. What's not to like.“

“A fun dive bar with kind and friendly staff“

“I always make an “excuse” to visit ØL. Such a great vibe, amazing curated selection of brews and down to earth staff. I lived in SF forever and moved out to the East Bay a few years back and this place is equal to or beyond some of the best beer cafes in the city. Huge thanks to the staff here - this place is awesome!“

“We were looking for a sports bar where we could watch the NCAA basketball tournament, specifically the UIUC vs. University of Houston for final four game, and found this place near to my workplace!

They offer a lot of beer selelctions from local breweries, with a solid food menu. The ambiance was nice too.“

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“Nu-Rays is a town icon with history. It's the kind of bar locals visit frequently and share stories at great prices on beverages! If you're looking for low lights, friendly bar tenders, and great prices this is your kind of bar. 🥃🍺🍸🍹

Parking: First come first served metered street parking and a few lots with meters.“

“First time going in and the place is bigger than it looks outside. The bartenders are super nice and welcoming. Mostly locals that frequents the place. Seems everyone know each other. Very laid back with outdoor area for pingpong or card games to dominoes and 5 dice, wow! Inside is a jukebox, a dart board game. Over by the corner they have video games. 1 pinball and 1 bowling game. If your not interested with the games they provide, I can almost garantee that someone there will find you and engage in a long but good conversation. The walls and ceiling is draped with one dollar bills all over inside. Interesting to see and count. I'd say there's about 2356 dollars in one dollar bills but not up for the taking.“

“awesome drinks, ambiance and some good food.“

“Perfect for a drink and a snack before a show at the Fox, or for any night. Thoughtfully crafted original cocktail menu, and delicious bites of American fare with a Pakistani twist, fantastic ambiance, flattering date night lighting, music at the perfect volume, friendly staff and verdant plants. One of my fave spots in Oakland!“

“Always enjoy talking with Johnny & Myra! Their drinks are good too!“

“Really nice speak easy giving 60s to 80s vibes mirrors everywhere. It’s one way in one way out leather seating wooden tables. I recommend it for business professionals looking to go out or a group of friends that don’t want to be bothered. Either way I will be back they do not serve food therefore they got a low food rating. But there isn’t a array of alcohol. Can’t give you a good sense of service considering there’s only five people here but that may be a good thing.“

“This place is one of the best whisky bars I've ever been to. They have a phenomenal selection across styles and ages, including some rare releases from closed down distilleries, or some vintage bottles you can enjoy as cocktails. The staff are super welcoming. The bar is relaxed and if you didn't look at the drinks closely, you might think it's a dive bar (in the best possible way). Definite recommend for a chance to try some special drinks.“

“It was a great positive experience and true local hidden gem! Come say hi to the owner Ann, tell her I sent you.“

“My favorite bar by the lake. Great atmosphere, super friendly staff (the kind that remember your name). Love to sit at the counter and do the crossword with my wife. I hope they're here for a long time. Outdoor seating on the street too if it's a nice day and that's what you're looking for .“

“Things haven’t gotten going yet so you can still make it.“

“Greatest neighborhood bar in the neighborhood😅 Dog friendly too!“

“The food was very good and the place is cute with a great soundtrack but the portions are ridiculous. $8 for a single very small dumpling that's about half a bite's worth of food, for example. If that's your thing, it's delicious.“

“A hidden gem of a venue in Oakland featuring eclectic sounds & the yummiest drinks. Check it out!“

“Moody chic place that is perfect for a date night. The ambiance is dark and stormy with a moon somewhere. Drinks are tight and crisp. Lots of sitting and standing spots.

I wasn't a fan of my negroni, but the lychee cocktail was incredible. The bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable.

This is my go-to spot for date nights.“

“Dropped into this place to grab a few drinks before our show at the Fox theater and highly recommend. Great cocktails, local brews, and knowledgable bartenders. No food but you can bring your own, and the takeout from the thai place just down the street they recommended was amazing.“

“Better than expected. Streamline. Not too busy today. We went there for cocktails. Thats what we got. Moderately priced. Clean. Friendly. I would go back. Thank you. We were on vacation. It was not wow but, still good. Dim lighting which i get.“