This restaurant feels like your average neighborhood restaurant with upscale pricing. There were several missteps with our drinks and the server seemed inexperienced. Unfortunately the food was average and not that tasty although the wood fired pizza that one of our group had was good. Perhaps you have to know what to order. Also a bit noisy for a nice dining experience. Seems like a good spot for happy hour.

Food is great. Ambiance is loud and service is not good. It took 40 minutes for our small lunch order for two to come up. People who arrived well after us got their food long before we did. Our server didn't give us an update or comment on the long wait. I will go back to this place because it's convenient to my work and the food is good, but I hope they improve service!

Very pleasant atmosphere with good service and a very nice menu all items we tried were well prepared.

Overall it's a decent restaurant. Nothing stood out to me. The service was average, which was a little disappointing considering it was a 5:15 PM reservation and the place was pretty dead. The bartender did come over a couple times to help chip in while the server took her sweet time so kudos to the bartender, who was an incredibly nice guy and seemed more on the ball. Asked the server for what was the best thing on the menu as I live in Napa so the likelihood of me being back in the area for dinner is very slim and she recommended the baked chicken. It was actually pretty good and served with Pearled Couscous, Carrots, and Asparagus. My only gripe is if this is the best they have I would probably skip it. My daughters pasta was perfect, but it's hard to mess up a butter Parmesan sauce. The fresh lemonade was refreshing. I did really like the decor. Overall it's a decent restaurant just nothing spectacular. The Burrata was good and I could easily see going just for apps and cocktails.

Went for a business lunch. Service was efficient and attentive. Food was tasty with small opportunities for tweaks (brussels a little too oily, salad slightly overdressed). Noise level would probably be ok for a table of 4, but we were 6 and it was so loud that it was nearly impossible to converse with someone two seats down the table. Would return for a well rounded salad with perfectly cooked protein.

Parlour was pretty good. We shared a couple of dishes, the Brussels sprouts and quattro formaggi pizza and also had a cocktail each. Nothing was too expensive and it tasted great, especially the brussels. Service was a little hit and miss - we were brought a drink we didn't order, that we declined, but it then still appeared on our check. The table we were given was also right by the door which was kept partially open and so I was quite cold. Ask for a table away from the door. Overall, this is a nice option in downtown Oakland, especially if you're going to a Fox show.

I would be willing to give it another go
We went on an evening of a Concert at The Fox Theater
Service was less than desirable
Very slow, inattentive, and ordered items were completely forgotten

We were ten mins late due to traffic but they were friendly and and seated us immediately. We had placed our drink and food orders shortly after seating and had appetizer coming out a little longer than typical but initially ok. The Brussels sprouts were awesome. Was catching up with good friend so we got lost in conversation for a bit then realized it had been some time and was hard to get any eye contact with servers or anyone. We would have understood if they were short staffed but a simple explanation would have gone long way. Our first entree a pizza didn’t arrive until hour and half after our arrival. Occasionally the server would breeze by to quickly ask if we were OK but kept moving so she didn’t stay long enough for us to hear our response or give us any updates. We were attending concert at the Fox so was finally able to flag down a kind new server and asked to cancel our pasta order and get our check. He was fast and apologetic. Food was tasty but if this is the norm not sure I’d ever return. Noticed several other parties doing the same as we did. Was hoping for better experience

Housemade Sourdough with Butter & Sea Salt and the roasted vegetables were the best items. Roast chicken had an odd flavor.

Wood-fired pizza is very good, salads, not so much.

Either the kitchen was slow or there weren’t enough servers, or both. We had to flag someone down to order drinks even. And it wasn’t crazy busy. We ordered bread as a starter and it took forever, and we kept asking after it, with nobody explaining to us that it was made to order. The service remained slow throughout.
The food was delicious. So was the gin with handmade tonic.

Service was so so. Not very attentive. It’s very loud, hard to have a conversation. I had gluten free pizza. Admittedly, this is not an easy dish to make, but the cheese was not melted and the sauce was very thin.

They were out of sourdough bread as an appetizer.
The menu was different than what was posted on the website.
Both of these things were disappointing.
The food was good though.

The service was very slow

Nice place. Service was a little slow but adequate.

I was pleasantly surprised with Parlour and would recommend to a friend. A quiet atmosphere with great food, drinks, and service.

Why isn't Parlour more crowded?!?! It's really good. We went on First Friday and the place was 1/2 empty.
We had the Tri-color salad which was lightly dressed and very large by Bay Area standards. Easily shared by two. The fish stew was amazing- more of a flavorful broth with an assortment of well cooked seafood. The cacio pepe was peppery and made with lovely fresh romano. We didn't have the pizza but it looked good.
Dessert was good but not as strong as the mains (we had the olive oil cake).

My wife and I had a great experience here before a show at the Fox theater. We were over 30 minutes late for our reservation but the host was gracious and was able to squeeze us in at the bar. We enjoyed our meal and the craft cocktails were wonderful as was the friendly bartender. I highly recommend Parlour if you are looking for a friendly, casual experience.

I met a client for a business lunch. A great example of Oakland getting upscale but still remaining accessible and low key. It's a cool space -aligned with the gentrification of this area. However the high, lofty ceilings without acoustic barriers (e.g. fabric above to absorb noise) makes it difficult to hear dining partners (esp those with sensitive hearing).

The variety of dishes is great for lunch, although the pasta dishes are a bit small.... my colleague ended up helping me with my pizza which - conversely - are on the large size. These pizzas are quite good... but a bit more diversity in the 3-4 offered would be great. The non-alcohol drinks are thoughtful - recommend the homemade tonics.

The wait staff was friendly and available... but not that 'over-friendly' type. This was actually the 3rd time there and I've enjoyed all 3 times -- however, I see to remember some type of lunch special 'prix frix' (could be wrong) -- but if correct that was great....bring back?

Very much recommend for a busn lunch if your in this area of downtown OAK.

We have been to your restaurant several times and thoroughly enjoy it. We have had the same server each time and she is delightful. Thank you.
We will see you in early February!

Absolutely! My friend and truly enjoyed the daily lunch menu! It's refreshing to eat an upscale lunch without having to think about it too much. We will be back.

Our group of 8 enjoyed the salads, calzone, fried chicken sandwich, and pasta with pesto for lunch. The calamari and brussels sprout appetizers were a hit and we adored the olives which are marinated on site. Staff were very friendly and sincere and kept our water glasses full. One person in our group needed to have her order arrive sooner than the rest of us as she had to leave early and this was handled promptly and with a can-do attitude. We also liked the decor, the wood and art work are warm and relaxing, not distracting.

Food was delicious! Fish was a little dry, but all the flavors in the fish, the pasta and salad were delicious!

Good food, very nice service, my friend wanted bread but they had run out…

I had some of the most delicious housemade pasta here last night, it was their Strozzapreti cacio e pepe and it was deliciously creamy. The Diavola pizza was also yummy and the burrata combination was lovely, though the amount of burrata cheese was a little small for me. Mixed drinks were smooth, service was excellent, and the space is very pretty with bare lights and warm woods and whimsical art on the walls. My boyfriend and I agreed we must return.

Great spot for lunch or happy hour in Oakland! The food is great and staff wonderful.

Wonderful service tonight, good deserts, and the entrees were alright. A bit overcooked and over seasoned.

The menu looked great and we were excited to try it. The bread was excellent, the cocktails were less than exciting, the pizza was boring with a flat, dull crust, and the entires tiny and unflavorful. The staff was nice, but also awkward - people kept coming and going and we didn't know who to ask for what, they kept taking plates and glasses before we were done, plus (and this is a personal pet peeve) they wanted us to keep our flatware after the Caesar salad, which had drenched said flatware.

The food at Parlour was delicious, interesting and served in a timely way. Our drink service, however, was incredibly slow and the bartender seemed to be overwhelmed although the restaurant wasn't that crowded. Our waitress was very nice and also seemed overwhelmed. It was hard to tell if she was the only one on the shift.

Thank you for honoring our request for a booth! The daily special 'mock-tail' was delicious!

Slow service from the beginning to the point that we were there for 1.5 hours; no entree rec’d and had to leave to make our show in time. Waitress never followed up with kitchen then came out 1 hour later to say order was lost. We patiently waited another 15 mins and nothing. Too bad, nice ambiance but we found out later no manager around so everyone was playing it by ear with no direction.

Overall, I feel like this visit was a bit off. When we walked in, you’re hit with an immediate overwhelming aroma of fried calamari and brusselsprouts. It took several minutes for a host to appear and assist my party along with another group ahead of us. When we were seated, it was nearly 10 minutes before our server finally came over to take our drink and appetizer order. We quickly flagged them down again to place our main entree order. Another 10 minutes for the server to return with our bottle of wine. About 30 minutes after ordering our mains, our server returned to let us know that one of the entrees that two of us ordered was out so we went with some other option. From the time we ordered to when we finally received our mains was 45 minutes. Mind you, the couple that was sat a few minutes before us had already had their dinner, paid and left. No water refill was provided until we asked the chef for something. I’m not upset though baffled as I’ve been here before and had a good experience. Maybe an off night and short staffed. But I think it’ll be a while before I come back here again.

This is the first time I have ever written a review. Unfortunately not a good one. They didn’t have 1/2 the menu available. At a place known for great pasta dishes, they were completely out of them. We were the 2nd table there.

For what you get it’s expensive, but at least the small portions taste good.

Loud. Under seasoned food. Long periods without seeing the wait staff. Tried to order for what seemed like 20-30 minutes before they came back to our table. I wouldn’t go here again.

Wonderful place.
One of the best pizza I've tasted in Oakland so far.
The bar has really a lot of rare choices, worth exploring!

The food was very good, the service was good. Great lunch away from the office spot.

The service was personable and the food freshly prepared. Devine Brussel Sprouts and the rib....different and delicious. They are not your backyard paper plate fair.
Great ace for a Paramount pre-show dinner!

The ribs were a generous portion for an appetizer, but I wasn't fond of the heavy coating--would have liked a heads up that it appeared to contain breadcrumbs. Salmon in the Caesar salad add-on was a tiny bit overcooked. At this price point, I expect them to know better than that. Nice environment, and good service, though. I'd try it again.

Food was fantastic and wait staff great. Only problem was they were grossly understaffed in the dining room and/or the kitchen and very slow in getting our food out. They gave us extra wine which was nice and our meal was excellent. They just need to adjust their staff on nights they know they’ll be busy (Speaker’s Series at the Paramount).