District - Oakland

excellent food, good drinks, awesome crowd

Cute wine, cocktails, and beer bar in Oakland. Walking distance from Lake Merritt BART. It's a good mix of a classy wine bar and a chill sports bar. There were TVs playing football when I went. The food is good and the cocktails are nice. It can get loud-ish at times, but I do think this is a good place for dates.

Great vibe. The drinks are thoughtfully prepared. Sunday brunch is VERY popular but you can get a seat. Highly recommend it!

Great crowd. Great music. the food is bomb too l o l

Stop scrolling, just go. Met friends after work for Oakland eats week, their pri-fixed menu was delicious. Chicken, Brussels, steak, giant shrimp with risotto. All cooked perfectly. Even the steak! Drinks were interesting and delicious, upbeat friendly service. Atmosphere fun yet chill. Not obnoxious but not a snooze fest! Just go

Always an amazing time at District. Both wing options are a must. And don't forget the Caviar Bump

Had the oysters and crispy brussel sprouts during happy hour. Definitely a good vibe! Not too many people but a good crowd and you can still find a seat with your own area. Also good happy hour music. Just have to find parking, but it’s downtown so expect that.

The staff is great. It can get pretty crowded after 10 and is only open till 12.30p :(

Nice vibe with a mature put together crowd. Great drinks and food.

District is an absolute gem—a classy and exhilarating destination for all the grown and sexy! I recently celebrated All Stars Weekend there, and it was an unforgettable experience! Every time I visit Oakland, hitting up District is always at the top of my list. It’s the perfect spot to let loose and have an incredible time!

I've been going to District for several years and they have been a consistent and good bar/lounge space overcoming a lot of the challenges of running a business in Oakland. They're in Old Oakland just walking distance from the Oakland City Center Marriott. They have a strong happy hour menu with a wide range of food and drinks options. Their menu is tasty with a range of different items from truffle fries, sliders, burgers, pizzas, and oysters (those are the items I've had before). While they have a good beer and wine selection, I'm more of a whiskey fan, and they have a very good whiskey selection with a wide range of price points. They also have a good variety of whiskey flights to choose from. I enjoy the different whiskey cocktails created by their bartenders, especially made by manager John, including classic Old Fashioned's, Manhattans and it was at District the first time I had a New York Sour, which is a whiskey sour with a splash of red wine on top which not only tastes good with a little tartness up top but it also makes the glass look really good. They have a patio with a few tables and crack our heat lamps if it's chilly.

Great food and drinks- fresh and delicious. The salad was amazing with vinaigrette, avocado , mandarin sections and cucumber. The lamb meatballs were scrumptious and served with a hearty homemade tomato sauce. The fries tasted like potato; yay! Again so fresh, not fussy but well made apps and entrees. Thank you kitchen! Some of us had items off the happy hour menu, some of us chose from the regular menu. All of it was so yummy. It was pretty busy for a Wed evening, but we always felt the staff were attentive and kind. Cocktails also super yum, an excellent balance of flavors. I recommend meeting friends there and having a great evening.

District was our chosen spot for a nurse event overnight in Oakland. John was our guy, he graciously went above and beyond for us on a surprisingly busy Tuesday night. Excellent food which we shared so everyone could try, the deviled eggs were my favorite. Love Oakland and its people and local gems like this one.

Mixed crowd 25+. Drinks were definitely worth it. A few people got up to dance, mainly a bar lounge.Dj was awesome. Food choices were meh 😐, however, what I ordered was okay. I'd recommend this spot for a crowd that wants to chill and enjoy music.

Look, the food was fantastic and the staff were great. It was so unexpected but the vibe was just right for an evening out coming from DC. No doubt if we are ever in Oakland again, we are going back. We missed out on the pizza but when we come back, for sure we are getting it!

We landed in this fantastic little gem in Oakland.. The customer service and vast array of drinks available were on point! I cannot praise the staff enough… !!! Genuine, attentive and personable… anyone visiting Oakland. Please give this place a visit.. 🥂 B & Mon.

District is a good to for good food and music. Happy hour is a must! The owner, server and bartenders are all friendly. Busy sometimes.

The airport location doesn’t have its own pinpoint but it’s some of the best customer service at the airport I’ve ever experienced. The Hispanic gentleman with grey spiky hair is super chill.

Excellent! Wished I would have known about this place previously. Staff is excellent. Bourbon collection is great. Awesome to be able to support a great well run business. Food is legit as well. Torn between the Lamb Meatballs and the Ahi Tuna. Went meatballs and can’t wait to come back to try the poke. Would definitely recommend if in town.

Came for Happy hour and enjoyed the tacos & Marg deal, plus half off oysters and fries which were all so good! We walked in around 530pm and would've liked to hear the music playing just a touch louder, like a chill neo-soul vibe to help unwind from the work day. Felt like we could hear others chatting around us, but other than that it's always a good experience at District. Bar tender was great, food came out quick and hot :) Will be back again soon!

this is a perfect place to go for drinks after dinner, the food options here were not that great but the drinks & vibes were immaculate

Came here for a late night eat and I appreciate that the bartender took our food order even though the kitchen closed in 5min. That’s great customer service. Mixed greens salad with a vinaigrette dressing that was superb. Beer selection was well stocked and overall it seemed like a good vibe for late night drinks and conversation. Nothing too particular wow’d me, but it was a good spot. I’d go back.

Stopped in for Happy Hour on a Friday and had a delightful time! The oysters were pretty good, and the wings were excellent - lightly fried and a lot of lean meat. The fontina & spinach arancini was TO DIE FOR!! My boyfriend and I both independently started that we could swim in the sauce, which was smokey and had an impressive depth of flavor. The wait staff were attentive and kind. Unfortunately the glass of Pinot Noir tasted sour and off, but our server was gracious enough to replace it with a vodka soda. Can't wait to come back! Pardon the terrible photo and half eaten plates, we couldn't hold back.

The bottomless brunch with bottomless mimosa was the bomb! I enjoyed every bit of it, the buffet might improve with a little more protein tho! The ceviche is also fantastic!

Pretty much you want if you are looking for a very stereotypical steak/wine/seafood experience. Dark wood, classic style, etc. had a few small plates at the bar with a handful of beers. Fun time.

Saturday evening, met with a friend for a milestone life event. Good drinks and food, friendly staff. DJ was loud to the level that it was hard to have a conversation, maybe some people prefer that

Nice vibe in the downtown Oakland area. We came in for dinner on a Saturday evening. The space is dark with high open ceiling and a large U shaped bar that appears to be a big draw. There were a couple good sized parties on one side when we came in. They seated us at one of the high tops on the other side. Seating is pretty equally low tops and high tops here, plus the bar. Our server was ok. Nothing spectacular, but got the job done. We appreciate that in this particular economy, District offers a dinner for 2 for $35 at this time. We had the arugula salad, lamb meatballs, and then a pizza. It was all good but be needed to add another small plate of the arancini to fill us up.

Great happy hour! Nice selection of $7 appetizers, well cocktails, and wines. We really enjoyed everything on the appetizer menu but probably wouldn't have paid full price for what it was. Large area with tents for covered outdoor seating. We were overcharged for our bill which we didn't look at until after leaving, so make sure to double-check your bill before leaving.

Food is nothing to rave about, small portions for the happy hour snacks, we ordered chicken wings, fried avocado and risotto balls. Our server was friendly, the couch/seating area is very large so I think good for groups but there’s nothing about this place that was worth mentioning or recommending from the 3 hours spent here for happy hour.

Great Happy hour. Kind service. The meal options left a lot to be desired. The pizza was soggy and the Cuban was dry.

My friend and I went for happy hour on a Friday. The food was pretty good..we had the arancini, oysters, fries and chicken sandwich. The oytsters could have been a little less cold and there should have been cocktail sauce for them, but they werent bad. The cocktails were not that good. Tasted like soda water and my friend and I had ordered fruity cocktail 🤔. The floor and bathroom also could use a little updating.

We have been visiting District for many years. We love the crowd and ambiance, and the happy hour generously goes until 7 pm. The 2 for 1 oysters used to be a great deal, but unfortunately on the last 2 visits the quality of the oysters has been poor—creamy instead of briny. Also, $8 for a beer isn’t a great “happy hour” price. They were busy on the last visit but they need to pay attention to quality and value.

The atmosphere and service were good, and the food wasn't bad.. but they were out of so many things. I ended up not being able have the cocktail or entree that I wanted. I could only eat a few items on the menu due to dietary restrictions, so them being out of multiple things meant I got my 3rd choice, and it was really not what I wanted. It was just odd to be out of so much stuff honestly. I would love to go back again sometime when they have everything, because it did sound/look pretty good.

First time visiting this restaurant and it will probably be the last. The service just wasn't good tonight. It took forever for a waiter to even come out and take our drink orders and then about 20-30 min to get our drinks. Our food was brought out sporadically with one person in our party not getting her food until we were all ready to go. I ordered the Margherita pizza and it was disappointing. When I finally received my order it was sitting in so much oil that the bread was soggy. So much so that the cheese would just fall off and you could see it sitting on top of the pizza. They also didn't clear up the table of dirty dishes at any point in time I gave it two stars because the other food tasted good.

Food was very good and tasty. Drinks were cool. My sister came here for her birthday and we sat in a booth. Nobody came by to wait on us. The waitress kept going to the tables next to us. We kept having to order drinks and food at the bar and I know we were getting on his nerve. If people aren't supposed to get served while sitting a booth please let me know.

This guy yelled “don’t touch things that aren’t yours before you get deported” to a young lady in front of her two children. She was walking down the street when she saw a lime on the floor and picked it up. Is this what DISTRICT stand for? I used to love coming here but there’s no way I am supporting a business that stands for this. Also, in the picture those floors are looking extremely dirty and not hygienic I wonder how’s the rest of the kitchen. His apron is also disgusting … please don’t tell me he is a cook and uses that. Okay… I am def not going back not only for the comment. And did he wash the lime he threw on the dirty sidewalk? Hmmmm…

I’m updating a previous 3 star review to one star because not only have a received subpar service from the waitressing staff when I was let in, I was recently denied entry by an over zealous security guard because my pants looked “athletic” even though I was wearing them with a 4 inch heel. I work out 5 times a week- and I can assure you my nylon high waisted fashion nova skinny pants were not athletic. I’m not sure what demographic they’re avoiding but that’s a first for me.

My husband and I were celebrating our one year anniversary when we came to have drinks at a crowded bar where you can barely get the bartender to notice you. We waited for 25 minutes to order drinks and had to wait another 10 minutes to have our drinks brought to us the drinks were overpriced and for a couple shots of tequila we had to pay Nearly $40. As we were drinking and toasting, a white man with a beanie and a long black beard came by and shoved my husband’s arm as he was getting by, my husband politely explained to him that he recently had arm surgery and for the man to be careful.The man told him that he works there and that he is a part owner. He told him to come outside with him and they can handle it. My husband refused as we were not looking for for any problems, but just wanted to celebrate I told the man that we were just having a drink and we’re getting ready to leave and for him to have a good evening. He left to the bar and came back two minutes later still telling my husband to go outside with him he then grabbed two security guards that were nearly 6‘3“ And approached my husband asking him to leave. We left and will never be coming back. This place is horrible and very disrespectful to their clientele. I do not advise people to go to a overrated dive bar Who advertises and promotes class But instead has ego driven disrespectful, aggressive people who claim to the owners.

Made reservations to have valentines and bday dinner for my husband. The service was awful. Took 30 mins to get our first round of drinks and the food took sometime as well. No apologies from the waiter for the long wait. We saw other customers sit down, wait and leave because they were not being served. We were reluctant on ordering a second round of drinks but we were there to celebrate. We ordered our second round and our waiter John M. never put our order in. The bartender looked at us from the bar and asked if we needed something. We told him we ordered drinks 10 mins ago and since he did not get our order he proceeded to take our drink order. During this time John M. was standing by the front, not busy at all. When I received the bill, I decided for the first time in my life not to leave a tip for the horrible service we received. The total on the bill was $106.50. I put a cross mark on the tip line and wrote in the total line $106.50. This morning I looked at my credit card statement and the District charged a total of $125.50 . John M. decided to give himself a $19 tip for his poor service and bad attitude. I am disputing charge with my CC company and will be filling a police report today for credit card fraud. Horrible, disgusting experience. I had to put 1 star because I was not able to post with 0 stars.

On Halloween night, I left my tab open at District. I’ve been a bartender, so I understand the risk of leaving without closing out. The tip can end up more than generous. But what shocked me was a subsequent charge for Chinese food from a neighboring restaurant. When I returned to collect my card, it was handed back to me, meaning the card was in their possession when the charges occurred. This wasn’t a lost or stolen card—it appears it was used by District staff for personal purchases at 2am. I calmly explained to the bartender. He went to the manager who then left me waiting. When he finally walked over to me, he said my card was given to someone else, they ran that person’s charge on my card, and then that person returned later with my card. At one point he said she said she charged something on it, but then backtracked saying he didn’t know if she used it. There was no reversal of charges, no note with my card, and frankly his story doesn’t add up. When I expressed doubt, this manager erupted in anger and walked away. My money was stolen and yet, he is angrier than me? I followed and said as much to him. He insisted on his “integrity and credibility” while gaslighting me. He finally said he would “make this right” , gave me a personal gmail address—not a District email address— and told me to email him. I did. It’s been a week, and he’s never replied. Is his story a cover up? You decide. I’ve always defended Oakland against unfair criticism, but when local businesses abuse customers like this, it’s disheartening and unacceptable.