It's an awesome dive. Beer/shots, keeping it simple = good stuff. Don't come here if yer high maintenance. That's what SF bars are for.

Give me a good dive with a solid crowd and I am happy. This spot rocks.

Laid back vibe, fun bartenders, a great patio, and always a chance to meet an interesting new drinking partner. This is one of my Oakland favorites.

Very private, individual space is easy to find. Great place for conversation and a peaceful afternoon!

Great dog friendly patio! Good drinks, decent craft beer selection and a nice crowd.

Outstanding local bar with great atmosphere. Cool outside seating. Worth a visit.

Good prices, chill vibe, great outdoor space. Great dive bar!

It is a great place to drinks nice patio and cheaper drinks s too.. people are very sociable it's a nice place

Great little dive bar. Cash only, but they have giant PBRs and a nice outdoor porch.

Love this bar. Reasonable prices, great patio out back and it is dog friendly. CASH ONLY

Friendly staff, affordable drinks, jukebox, pool table, pinball machines, large outdoor patio in the back, dog friendly. Open 365 days a year.

Limited selection of draft beers but great vibe, plenty of seating, and a pool table

Love this place! Bring your pup, dog friendly with a good selecetion of drinks and cool atmosphere.

Cutty lil spot great to bring a date or chill with a homie

Cool dog-friendly dive bar with cheap drinks, an outdoor patio area, jukebox, pool table, and pinball.

One of my favorite dive bars to hang out. Have spent a lot of time there. A little bit of a drive for me but totally worth it. Just have to keep a handle on how much I drink so I get home safely. 😜

Great backyard area to have a beer and bring in your choice of takeout from outside venues. I enjoy tacos from Rico Rico.

Of all the bars, this one is absolutely my favorite in the area. I love the atmosphere, the bartenders and the bouncer. $4 mimosas, I'm sure it's the best four dollars you've ever spent.

Great place to get a drink before or after a movie. Dog friendly which is a plus for me and an outdoor area which you can smoke in. Pool table with pinball machines make up a game area.

Heart and Dagger is an institution. They run a tight ship and have been focused on the health and safety of their customers and staff the entire pandemic. Heart and Dagger is the quintisential neighbourhood bar with plenty of regulars, happy doggos, and a community of folks that make a bar great. Come through! Grab a drink, enjoy the outdoor patio, bring in some chow, and have a fun time!

Love the outdoor patio here, and there are great deals on drinks. I really like the atmosphere. I would consider this joint a staple of the Grand Lake area.

The Dag is an Oakland institution! They're officially a biker bar, but my husband and I felt right at home there (we're gay). Very welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Clientele is mostly neighborhood locals in thir 20s - 40s. There's a pool table, a pinball machine, a shooter game, and a great outdoor patio. Dogs are allowed, so please pick up your cigarettes! You can bring in outside food so long as there isn't any chicken bones, since chicken bones can kill their canine clientele. The drinks are stiff, simple, and inexpensive, but you won't find any of that "mixologist" bs.

Neighborhood establishment friendly vibe, clean pool table, with an eclectic crowd.

Great prices, divey and fun atmosphere and bartenders. There's an outside area for sitting and they let you bring in outside food, which is good, because the pours are generous.

Great drive bar. Pay for what you get. Some nice bar tenders, some mean and standoffish. Cheap drinks. Good atmosphere

This was the first place I really hung out in Oakland. I live in Oakland now. If is still where I want to go. Three pinball tables and a very private, social back yard. I go alone most times and never lack for conversation. Staff is equally friend and sarcastic. It has a little edge but doesn't come off elitetist. There it is 5 stars. Hi-Life is my other spot. And they will probably slow down my explorations by just being great.

Great neighbourhood watering hole. Pretty large patio out back great for enjoying the warm Oakland evenings in the summer. Cash only, ATM in the bar to make it easier.

Great bar, cheap drinks, I love that they have plexi glass between the customers and the bar. It's a cool bar to catch up with old friends or meet someone new.

Friendly barkeeps, great rock n roll vibe, always a silly movie on the TV, and the fellow drinkers are all chill. Love this spot.

Place has dive bar feels. Good outdoor seating space. Great place to hang out with friends for drinks.

Great place for drinks. Clean, big outdoor area, dog friendly, pool table and a great staff. Just perfect.

Needless to say, this is my favorite bar. Besides the fun games, cheap drinks, and chill patio, the people here are great. There are people from all walks of life, and everyone is very open to conversation.

Favorite local dive. Great bartenders, mixed crowd, patio out back, small TV's for a game now and then, plenty of food surrounding, what more can you ask for?

Cheap drinks, good staff, ample space, food popups. It's one of the best bars in town.

Not only are they being super safe but the staff is amazing. The music was so much fun! Our bartenders were awesome. They made sure to wipe everything down before and after and everyone was super social distancing.

Definitely the go to spot for affordable drinks and good atmosphere near the lake! Has a patio and pup friendly too, the occasional pop-up kitchen which brings fun local restaurants into the mix. Highly recommend!

I loved going here! It was so amazing and was such a wonderful staff!

Cool place,great service,outdoor smoking section yes please,good tunes,pinball, Let's go!!!

It's a hipster dive bar, ex-punkish place, and was the old Sereneder in a long ago life. Cash only. Good drinks. Great back patio. Pool table and a few arcade games inside. Bring your ID, you'll likely be carded walking in. Happy hour drinks are $4.50, try getting that along with the awesome patio, pool table, and pinball machines anywhere else in Oakland.

Great drinks. Awesome atmosphere. Love the patio, and love that you can smoke there.

One of my favorite dive bars in the area. Outdoor seating. Decent drinks. And a back patio. I almost don’t want to give it a review because I don’t need more people showing up.

Good local place, decent prices. Right in the middle of the Lake Merritt area. I bring friends and dates here frequently for a low-key hang out. Pool table inside. Large outdoor seating area. Cash only.

Dog-friendly, bouncers that remember you, and affordable drinks. I moved away, but this was my regular spot for a few years. Recommended for a nice summer night on the back patio. Bring food in, but expect to have your purse checked for liqs, drunky.

Alex Chelini

Been coming to this bar for years, glad to call it a neighborhood spot. Great place for groups, stopping in with the dog, or a book after walking the lake. Back patio and photobooth are nice features, and cash is preferred even though cards are accepted now. I've always enjoyed interacting with the folks working here, but Michael has been such a joy to chat and hang with! Always happy to see him when I walk in for a drink 🍻🦇

Jessica Rincon

As someone who works in the restaurant industry, this is hands-down my favorite place to unwind! Michael here is everything you want in a night out—charming, flirtatious, and full of personality. On top of being ridiculously handsome, he’s also incredibly talented at what he does, pouring drinks with style and making everyone feel like the center of attention. His tattoos? Absolute bonus—they add to his irresistible vibe. This place wouldn’t be the same without him. If you’re looking for a spot with great drinks and even better company, this is the place to be.

ryan laff

This is a bar. It passes the test Is it a theme bar ? Not quite Is the bartender trying to hustle you? No Are they friendly? Yes There are Is there dolls dressed like the bartenders? Yes Pinball and pool available Nice grungy vibe

Zander Maverick

The patio is wonderful. The drinks have great prices and the staff is friendly. It's a relaxing place to hang.

Rick Sadlier

Motorcycle and bicycle parking on the front porch, cold brews, great music, and dog friendly!

Motorcycle and bicycle parking on the front porch, cold brews, great music, and dog friendly!

The patio is wonderful. The drinks have great prices and the staff is friendly. It's a relaxing place to hang.

This is a bar. It passes the test Is it a theme bar ? Not quite Is the bartender trying to hustle you? No Are they friendly? Yes There are Is there dolls dressed like the bartenders? Yes Pinball and pool available Nice grungy vibe

As someone who works in the restaurant industry, this is hands-down my favorite place to unwind! Michael here is everything you want in a night out—charming, flirtatious, and full of personality. On top of being ridiculously handsome, he’s also incredibly talented at what he does, pouring drinks with style and making everyone feel like the center of attention. His tattoos? Absolute bonus—they add to his irresistible vibe. This place wouldn’t be the same without him. If you’re looking for a spot with great drinks and even better company, this is the place to be.

Been coming to this bar for years, glad to call it a neighborhood spot. Great place for groups, stopping in with the dog, or a book after walking the lake. Back patio and photobooth are nice features, and cash is preferred even though cards are accepted now. I've always enjoyed interacting with the folks working here, but Michael has been such a joy to chat and hang with! Always happy to see him when I walk in for a drink 🍻🦇

Great drinks. Good vibes. Hot people. The bartenders are great, especially Michael. Go on your bday and take a photobooth photo.

Come for the vibes and maybe try the photobooth, stay for Michael, the coolest and sweetest goth baddie to ever slang dranks. He’s so attentive and friendly, you won’t even notice that it’s last call and Megadeth is blasting from the speakers. Absolutely brings the vibes every time.

My best friend and I are visiting Oakland from Portland and we were recommended to check this bar out from a mutual friend who used to live here. As a bartender who frequents dives i immediately felt at home the second I walked in. Drinks were very reasonably priced, solid amount of seats at the bar, huge back patio and a pool table. Michael the bartender who took care of us was a sweetheart and both nights we stopped in had a banging playlist. I will definitely stop back in anytime I’m rolling thru Oakland.

Michael is the only reason I visit this bar. He’s the best bartender in Oakland imo and this place is lucky to have him. Do yourself a favor and go see his professional, undeniable charm in action. Great backyard too!

Nice employees. Nice patio. Nice customers. Dogs and smoking allowed outside. Looks like a dive but the bartenders can make some fancy high brow cocktails without blinking an eye. 10/10 Highly recommend.

If you've ever been to Heart and Dagger, then you know it's a quintessential Oakland dive bar. No fancy frills or eccentric cocktail menus. Just decently priced booze, good music, and plenty of space for good company. The back patio is rather large and a cute little hangout spot with a gorgeous tree and some cool old signage! The only caveat is that it's a smoking patio, so if that isn't your thing, you'll just have to enjoy the inside and front. The staff gets their shit done and will definitely be nice to you as long as you're nice to them! But also, it's a dive bar: don't expect the fine dining experience and just have a good time! There are lots of yummy food options nearby that you can bring in. Sometimes, they even have a food vendor in the front, but I don't know much about the frequency. (Also, they play hella movies that range from funny to horrorifying! 🧡)

What a great spot! Huge outdoor patio, chill vibes, and super nice service (I didn't have any food, so can't comment). 👍

My go to chill dive in East bay. Definition of no frills, crowd is always lively, never rowdy. Servers are always friendly and super respectful.

Great dive bar. Outdoor seating where you can smoke. Lots of dogs, so be warned.

This place is freaking awesome, and the staff is bombastic. Great prices for a spot that’s so central in Oakland and surrounded by so much. Fantastic music, always an excellent movie playing, and general good vibe. Special shout-out to Michael who is so delightful he makes newbies to the place feel like old friends. Highly recommend! ✨🤘🏽✨

AmyJune Hineline

Great dive bar. Outdoor seating where you can smoke. Lots of dogs, so be warned.

Vee Bee

What a great spot! Huge outdoor patio, chill vibes, and super nice service (I didn't have any food, so can't comment). 👍

Caleilia

If you've ever been to Heart and Dagger, then you know it's a quintessential Oakland dive bar. No fancy frills or eccentric cocktail menus. Just decently priced booze, good music, and plenty of space for good company. The back patio is rather large and a cute little hangout spot with a gorgeous tree and some cool old signage! The only caveat is that it's a smoking patio, so if that isn't your thing, you'll just have to enjoy the inside and front. The staff gets their shit done and will definitely be nice to you as long as you're nice to them! But also, it's a dive bar: don't expect the fine dining experience and just have a good time! There are lots of yummy food options nearby that you can bring in. Sometimes, they even have a food vendor in the front, but I don't know much about the frequency. (Also, they play hella movies that range from funny to horrorifying! 🧡)

Sezin Devi Koehler

This place is freaking awesome, and the staff is bombastic. Great prices for a spot that’s so central in Oakland and surrounded by so much. Fantastic music, always an excellent movie playing, and general good vibe. Special shout-out to Michael who is so delightful he makes newbies to the place feel like old friends. Highly recommend! ✨🤘🏽✨

Dan Apol

My go to chill dive in East bay. Definition of no frills, crowd is always lively, never rowdy. Servers are always friendly and super respectful.

Danielle G

Great drinks. Good vibes. Hot people. The bartenders are great, especially Michael. Go on your bday and take a photobooth photo.

Joanna Matys

Come for the vibes and maybe try the photobooth, stay for Michael, the coolest and sweetest goth baddie to ever slang dranks. He’s so attentive and friendly, you won’t even notice that it’s last call and Megadeth is blasting from the speakers. Absolutely brings the vibes every time.

Ross Traver

Michael is the only reason I visit this bar. He’s the best bartender in Oakland imo and this place is lucky to have him. Do yourself a favor and go see his professional, undeniable charm in action. Great backyard too!

Caroline Bingner

My best friend and I are visiting Oakland from Portland and we were recommended to check this bar out from a mutual friend who used to live here. As a bartender who frequents dives i immediately felt at home the second I walked in. Drinks were very reasonably priced, solid amount of seats at the bar, huge back patio and a pool table. Michael the bartender who took care of us was a sweetheart and both nights we stopped in had a banging playlist. I will definitely stop back in anytime I’m rolling thru Oakland.

tim sullivan

Nice employees. Nice patio. Nice customers. Dogs and smoking allowed outside. Looks like a dive but the bartenders can make some fancy high brow cocktails without blinking an eye. 10/10 Highly recommend.

Nice Bar...I used to go there when it was called..The Serander...Glad to see they are keeping up the place!...Alittle different decor....I will visit again..Soon..

I love this place and always have a good time. I have heard some not so pleasant things from others. I wish they had better wine.

Good spot for bar pool. Huge patio in back

The heart and dagger barreled Woodford Reserve is delicious. The pool table is busy and shuts down too early, in my opinion. Friendly, courteous crowd. Experienced staff.

I love this bar. Missing a few item that limits some cocktails, but for whiskey, bourbon, beer it's great. Plus the back patio is wonderful on a sunny day.

This is my friends favorite bar and I can see why. It's divey yet charming with real character. The drink S were cheap. They have an outside back patio which where I spent the majority of my time. I'd definitely would come back and soon

Drinks, beer, pool and backyard. Same old nasty bathrooms from when it was an old neighborhood bar back before the old owner passed. Lively crowd. Friendly crowd, diverse folks. Tattoos to suits.

Perfectly lovely medium divey bar. Friendly staff and decent booze for decent prices. Back patio is super dog friendly.

There's parking and lots of places to eat nearby which is nice. The drinks are priced well (I was there at happy hour but even so the prices were good) and we're strong enough that I enjoyed my drink which isn't always the case. It's quiet and mellow and I guess my only complaints would be that it's almost too mellow and I was carded even though I'm almost 50 but that's a legal thing I'm sure. Anyway it's worth stopping by for a drink and a mellow safe environment with ample parking and food close by

A cool divey spot on Lake Merritt, it's cash only and was pretty busy when I went. The whole outside section out back is smoking which sucked because it was so packed inside that iwanted to go get some fresh air and was hit by a cloud of cigarette smoke. The staff was friendly and the drinks were good. I'll be back on a less busy night.

A no-frills local bar with a nice backyard patio. Stop by for a $7 beer and sit at the bar or out back on the patio. Be sure to bring cash with you, this place doesn't take credit.

Cheap beers, great outdoor space and friendly staff. I've never had a problem with the bartenders, security, and patrons. My go to spot after a film at Grand Lake Theatre.

Great divey bar in Oakland that’s open right now with different food pop ups. One start knocked off because last time we went, the doorman wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and then when he finally came out, he was very short with us telling us they were full. There’s no way to tell if they’re full or not from the street, so I’d expect a bit more courtesy. Other times we have come though they’ve been friendly.

Gigantic back patio that my bedroom window looks into, so right around the corner from me. Nice vibe with a mixed Oakland crowd, but I just wish they had a bigger beer selection! This neighborhood place seems to lean heavily on the 90s jams, so hello, + points.

Great dive bar right by the lake with a lovely patio area. They are dog friendly which is a huge plus if you're into that sort of thing. Staff can be a tad rough around the edges at times but overall a great experience.

Jensen Williams

NO GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS!!! Otherwise 5/5. Very cool and respectful staff, awesome vibes, cheap drinks👍🏼

NO GENDER NEUTRAL BATHROOMS!!! Otherwise 5/5. Very cool and respectful staff, awesome vibes, cheap drinks👍🏼

Super friendly environment and staff. Great place to meet a date or just hang with your buddies and. Enjoy . Large patio in back of establishment for smoking. great songs on jukebox. Billiard table with little wait.

Ralph “Rom” Ortiz

Super friendly environment and staff. Great place to meet a date or just hang with your buddies and. Enjoy . Large patio in back of establishment for smoking. great songs on jukebox. Billiard table with little wait.

Honestly liked this place until last night. Because when a bar tender clears the bar of tip money in front of a customer then tries to accuse customer of stealing the money afterwards. It’s not a good business practice.

Out back is great. Outdoors and smoking allowed. Pool table is great. People that play pool here are awesome. Bar is okay.

Really nice place to hang out during covid-19, it was our first time in there, but the bartender on the evening of Saturday 24th october 2020, she was very rude to us, her attitude was not welcoming, don't want to go into details, but we didn't expect that kind of attitude especially in Oakland, the heart of diversity 💙

Your typical saloon with big drinks and big personalities. I appreciate you opening up till 2am during the week, but do you HAVE to close the back patio at 12? and what about that totally underutilized front patio? Heaps of potential to turn this into something great. Three stars.

Went out for a date and popped into this place. Dive bar with covered patio, so don't expect friendly service at bar or an appealing ambiance. Dolls dangling by the neck over the bar let's you know that this place is not for the dainty. Drinks were strong and cheap though.😮‍💨

I am giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 star because the Asian bartender lady 'padded my bill' two nights ago. I know it was intentional and it’s scam, not good :(

I really want to like this place, but every time I go there, they make me feel like they're doing me a favor by letting me spend my "cash only" on their products. It's hard to recommend for an average bar-goer unless you already have a stool with your name on it or like the feeling of a cliche record skipping and grizzly bikers turning to look at you scene when you arrive at a highway roadhouse.

Sean Morgan

I really want to like this place, but every time I go there, they make me feel like they're doing me a favor by letting me spend my "cash only" on their products. It's hard to recommend for an average bar-goer unless you already have a stool with your name on it or like the feeling of a cliche record skipping and grizzly bikers turning to look at you scene when you arrive at a highway roadhouse.

I just had a very sad and racist experience here. I was outside on the patio and met a couple for a cigarette. I wanted to order them a drink because they were nice for giving me one. They asked for a double Jack and coke before going to the bathroom. I also followed behind them because I had to go as well. There was only one occupied stall so, thinking it was my new found friend, I called their name to let them know I was here. They did not answer and I found out that they left before without my knowledge. I used the gentleman’s room which one of the bouncers let me know was fine. After I went to the restroom, I ordered the double Jack and coke to which the bartender told me that I was way too inebriated to order for myself. I only had one beer that night and a glass of wine. I told her that it was just for my new found friend. She insisted that they had to order that drink themselves and she was not going to give a drink to me. I called my friend over and she decided to order two modelos . When I came back with my friend, the bartender decided to kick me out of the bar and accused me that I attacked her. My new found friend was dumbfounded and stated that she has never seen a situation like this occur before. It was very unfortunate since I have never had this experience in Oakland before. I have graduated from Bishop O’ Dowd Highschool and I also went to Cornell University. I also lived in Berlin, Germany and Italy and had never had such an experience like this before. My high school friends used to enjoy coming to this bar but will not anymore since this incident. It is very unfortunate since given such a trying time in our country.

The bartender is a huge jerk stocky guy with glasses). What I mean is I ordered a drink, my first drink of the evening, and get told me the drink cost 4$. When he delivered the drink, he said it cost 5$. I asked him about it and he said 'happy hour ended ten minutes ago'. I replied, it's 6:55 and he said, 'we're on bar time, it's 7:05', then I said, just before you said it was 4$, he then started swearing at me. He called me a F$#& and then was like 'is this dollar so important to you?!' then swore again and all I did was back away slowly and say 'i don't want any trouble' I felt very uncomfortable and all I wanted to know was the price of the drink. I left my money at the counter and don't want to ever come back. I will admit I did like the pinball and hipster element of this place, but just be warned that if you sit outside in the back, it will be in a cloud of cigarette smoke. Plus, the bartender may just jump down your throat for no reason, just an FYI. I hope you stay safe at this establishment.

The place is nice but the bartender doesn’t like foreigners. Some things about American culture wasn’t clear to me, and instead of explaining me how it was working here, he just told me “we’re not in Europe you should’ve known” after telling he could kick us out for forgetting tips... It’s not common in my country and didn’t know it was so important. I’d rather get explanations. He refused to give us some snacks that I wanted to pay for. He lost costumers on that point. I’d appreciate nice words.

Well, where do I begin. I will just say the very tall security card very rude and I think the guy with the long grey beard is the owner very disrespectful. Beware of visiting this place. I will never go back to that place. Explains why only 3 people where in there on a Friday.

So I just left this establishment. There were all of three people in the bar where the TVs are. I asked if we could turn to the warriors and Celtic game . And was told there would be no game watching there tonight. It’s advertised as a place to watch a game! I usually don’t pull this ticket but I definitely felt some wetted vibe going on! I came in with my date who happens to be white. I’m not saying that it was, but I definitely felt some tension. I mean no one else was watching the tv, and the bartender refused!

I went there tonight to get a drink. The bouncer screened me whether “more people were coming” as a question to decide whether to let me in or not. He left with a negative tone to “see” what he could do. It definitely gave me a feeling of simply not being wanted for not being the right or ideal customer. I hate to continue, but right next door is the vegan mob, and they are far more inclusionary and friendly. Heart & Dagger definitely has a “are you the right” type of customer feel to it. I left to go somewhere else.

After reading other reviews and my experience tonight, it seems like this is a whites-only bar in plain sight.

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the discriminatory treatment my friends and I received in this bar today, 2.25.2025, at 9 pm. We were denied entry by a doorman described as a tall, red-haired man with a beard and studded clothing. Initially, the interaction was cordial. We presented our IDs as requested. However, upon hearing us speak Spanish, the doorman’s demeanor shifted dramatically. He then scrutinized my friend’s ID, which was expired by one day (She is 35 years old), using this as a pretext to deny us entry. It is clear that our use of Spanish triggered the sudden behavior change. This is a discriminatory action, but it is OK; the bar was empty. It is sad to be in this kind of situation when this country is suffering a political and cultural war.

Ryan Gill

After reading other reviews and my experience tonight, it seems like this is a whites-only bar in plain sight.

Yury A. Astudillo

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the discriminatory treatment my friends and I received in this bar today, 2.25.2025, at 9 pm. We were denied entry by a doorman described as a tall, red-haired man with a beard and studded clothing. Initially, the interaction was cordial. We presented our IDs as requested. However, upon hearing us speak Spanish, the doorman’s demeanor shifted dramatically. He then scrutinized my friend’s ID, which was expired by one day (She is 35 years old), using this as a pretext to deny us entry. It is clear that our use of Spanish triggered the sudden behavior change. This is a discriminatory action, but it is OK; the bar was empty. It is sad to be in this kind of situation when this country is suffering a political and cultural war.