Diners' Choice: Lively restaurants in East Bay

OpenTable

Updated September 05, 2024

Looking for restaurants that have the most vibrant bar scenes in East Bay? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Bardo Lounge & Supper Club

4.9

4.9 (456)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Oakland

About the restaurant

Recommended in the MICHELIN Guide for California 2021-2023. Located in Oakland’s historic Grand Lake District, Bardo is a neighborhood lounge and restaurant inspired by the comfort and camaraderie of a mid-century dinner party. Drawing on the celebration and elegance of old school entertaining, we envisioned a space for friends and neighbors to enjoy amazing food, cocktails, conversation and great music.

Our lounge is a swank living room, furnished with hand-picked finds from antique and vintage markets from Palm Springs to Portland. Our mezzanine dining room features a rotating menu of fresh, seasonal supper-fare with local and sustainably sourced meats, fish and produce. While we think the food, drinks and atmosphere are all great reasons to visit us, it’s the relationships with our friends, neighbors and guests that is the driving force behind Bardo.

Top review

Susannevip

Dined on Aug 28, 2024

Such a fun experience. Loved the live jazz downstairs. We enjoyed the tasting menu, but a few of the dishes were lacking a bit in depth and creativity. The steak was fantastic, and was the star of the show. The summer salad was disappointing, as the lettuces were not as crisp and as fresh as they should be. Dessert was a 10/10! Service was attentive and friendly.

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Experience

Dinner Party Menu

Agave Uptown Oakland

4.8

4.8 (426)

$30 and under

Regional Mexican

Oakland

About the restaurant

Agave offers classic and modern Oaxacan fare (a regional cuisine of Mexico known for its moles sauce, chocolate, cheese and mezcal) — think house mole, tlayudas (massive tostadas), burritos and carnitas. Agave spirits and micheladas are not to be missed.

Top review

Jared

Dined 7 days ago

Great overall drinks are a bit in the pricey side r

Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge

4.8

4.8 (404)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Alameda

About the restaurant

About
Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge is a tropical vacation spot right in the middle of your hometown! Serving award-winning, world famous classic and exotic cocktails along with many original recipes, along with some tasty snacks, Forbidden Island is a retro-oasis in the desert of your busy modern day! Now open indoors (seated capacity only) as well as outdoors in our Tiki Garden/ Patio, 7 days a week.

* Please note that all reservations are limited to 90 minutes for groups of 1-3 and 2 hours for groups of 4-8.

Top review

Lorrievip

Dined 4 days ago

Always a relaxing and fun environment. Service takes some time and the food this time around was over cooked (chips were brown, waffle fries too) but the drinks were excellent as usual!

Galpao Gaucho - Walnut Creek

4.8

4.8 (485)

$50 and over

Brazilian Steakhouse

Walnut Creek

About the restaurant

Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse, an authentic Brazilian dining experience.

Serving and preserving the Gaucho’s culture and the authentic dining tradition of the Brazilian cowboy of grilled meats and fresh salads.
With 17 different cuts of meats, ranging from beef, pork, chicken, lamb, and fish, there is something for everyone to enjoy.
Hearts of palm, artichoke, sweet beets, asparagus, caprese salad, imported cheeses, and cured meats are only some of the almost 40 items that our gourmet salad bar offers.
Side dishes like garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas, traditional rice and black beans, are a perfect complement to the true Southern Brazilian menu.

Whether you are visiting us for happy hour, a business dinner, a family gathering or a special occasion, we invite you to join us for a unique culinary experience at Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse.

Top review

PAULA

Dined 5 days ago

Great place for a date night or special occasion! The servers were friendly, attentive, and extremely engaging with us and knowing we spoke Portuguese, they all communicate with us in Portuguese/Brazilian. The meat selections we tried were all delicious and the salad bar was one of the best we’ve had; everything was so fresh. I highly recommend Galpão Gaucho in Walnut Creek and we’ll be returning!

Sobre Mesa

4.7

4.7 (94)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Oakland

About the restaurant

Created by highly acclaimed Top Chef Season 18 Contestant and "2020 Chefs to Watch" Chef Nelson German, Sobre Mesa is a chef-driven Afro-Latin cocktail lounge in Oakland featuring lively Latin music, lush surroundings and tropical refined libations inspired by German's Dominican roots and African ancestry. The cocktails are the star of the show while the inventive tapas are made to pair beautifully with the cocktails. We are open for indoor dining only.

Top review

Shantel

Dined on Aug 17, 2024

Food was flavorful, the drinks were unique, and the vibe is beautiful! It was my first time but not the last.

Sauced BBQ & Spirits - Livermore

4.6

4.6 (841)

$30 and under

Barbecue

Livermore

About the restaurant

We are so excited to have the opportunity to bring authentic BBQ to Northern California. Our goal at Sauced is to provide excellent food with unmatched southern charm and ambiance. Crafted cocktails, 25 plus beers on tap, 200 whiskeys, bourbons, scotches or ryes and of course our award winning bbq will surely get you Sauced.

Top review

Carolyn

Dined 3 days ago

My hubby and I shared a slab of ribs. I wish that they could have been individually sliced prior to serving. It was impossible to slice thru the top main bone with a butter knife let alone the individual bones. Next time I will ask that they be individually sliced prior to serving.

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Popular dish

Sauced Sundae

Kimono Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (634)

$31 to $50

Japanese

Benicia

About the restaurant

Kimono welcomes you to a great experience and fresh sushi, seafood, and steak. Where we take customer service seriously and make every visit remarkable.

Top review

Laurenvip

Dined on Aug 29, 2024

The service is always excellent in Kimono. Food is tasty, and fresh. Waiting time is excellent.

MUA

4.5

4.5 (1351)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Oakland

About the restaurant

MUA is known for its open atmosphere, eclectic décor, art events and, of course, its delicious food. Ideal for large parties or intimate gatherings, the spacious dining room creates a relaxed, casual vibe for guests to enjoy their meals. A large selection of wines, cocktails and beers make MUA a great spot for an evening out with friends.

Family owned and run Mua was one of the first restaurants to open in what was then Auto Row in Oakland, in 2008. After their first 2 restaurants, Pastoral in Berkeley (first opened in 1982 while still students, 37 in the architecture program at Cal and San-Ju painting at SFAI) then later Soizic (Jack London Square, 1996), they wanted to shift gears from heavily curated menus to more comfort-based fare catering more to the eclectic and artistic community in Oakland. Today you’ll find people of all ages and backgrounds, from Too Short to Jerry Brown.

Top review

Rania

Dined 3 days ago

Staff seemed a little “stuffy”. Our waiter was not friendly and the hostess wasn’t either. But we had a good time regardless. The food was great.

Bistro 880

4.5

4.5 (175)

$30 and under

Contemporary American

Newark

About the restaurant

Bistro 880 offers a Modern American Cuisine with hints of the Pacific Rim. Bistro 880 has been awarded the Diner's Choice Award two years in a row in 2022 and 2023. We also feature signature cocktails to refresh your palate.

Thursday is Date Night and Half-Off Wine Night. Bring all your friends or a loved one and enjoy an evening out. All bottles of wine are half off of the menu price. The purchase of a dinner entree qualifies for the Half-Off Bottle of Wine Promotion.

Breakfast is served Monday through Friday, 6:00 am to 10:00am. On Saturday and Sunday, Breakfast is open from 6:30am to 11:00am.

Dinner is served from 4:00pm to 10:00pm Monday to Thursday.
On Friday and Saturday, Bistro 880 is open for dinner from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. Prime Rib dinner specials are available on Friday and Saturday Nights.
Dinner is served from 5:00pm to 9:00pm on Sunday.

Live Music on Friday and Saturday from 9:00pm to 1:00am
No one under 21 years of age allowed in the lounge area or dance floor.

Top review

Lawrence

Dined 4 days ago

The band was doing a sound check between 730 pm and 9 pm. The noise level was so loud, we could not have conversations. I loved my triple decker club sandwich. My friend said her pot pie was terrible. The pot pie had no bottom crust, was too watery, and lacked flavor.

Oeste

4.4

4.4 (47)

$30 and under

American

Oakland

About the restaurant

Oeste is a 100 seat bar and kitchen with a rooftop deck, located in the heart of Old Oakland. At Oeste, we are committed to providing an inviting and inclusive atmosphere, offering food for the soul, and pouring the highest quality spirits, wines and beers. We offer exemplary dishes by focusing on fresh, organic and sustainably farmed ingredients, fusing California cuisine with Latin, Southern and Asian influences. Enjoy one of our signature tap margaritas while lounging on the deck or watching a Warriors game at the bar.

Come solo or with friends and family and enjoy what Oeste has to offer!

Top review

Jenny

Dined 5 days ago

My guy likes the rooftop experience, so when I heard Oeste has rooftop dining, I booked it. This is a very lively place with a DJ inside on the first floor and rooftop dining enjoys music through speakers. On the loud side, but if you're young it's a great vibe. The food didn't wow me but it was fine. The waitress was busy yet super nice. It's a fun and social atmosphere.

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