Penelope Bar & Lounge
Bar · Oakland
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About Penelope Bar & Lounge
Penelope Bar & Lounge, located in Oakland, is a chic spot offering artisan cocktails, specialty beers, and fine spirits. We pride ourselves on fast service and a great cocktail experience, as reflected in our 4.5-star rating from 82 reviews. Enjoy our offerings through dine-in, takeout, or relax wit...
Penelope Bar & Lounge, located in Oakland, is a chic spot offering artisan cocktails, specialty beers, and fine spirits. We pride ourselves on fast service and a great cocktail experience, as reflected in our 4.5-star rating from 82 reviews. Enjoy our offerings through dine-in, takeout, or relax with outdoor seating. We are fully wheelchair accessible. Join us Monday through Thursday from 4-11 PM, Friday from 4 PM-12 AM, and Saturday & Sunday from 7 PM-12 AM. We offer a wide selection of alcohol, beer, cocktails, food, and hard liquor.
What Customers Say About Penelope Bar & Lounge
Penelope Bar & Lounge is a small, cozy cocktail bar known for its excellent, high-quality cocktails and friendly bartenders like Sam and Desmond. Customers rave about the atmosphere and unique drinks. Some find the service inconsistent or the crowds unpredictable.
Popular Dishes
Best For
Tip: Try the Caffe Verde cocktail to start your evening, but be warned that the Oakland Heat is very spicy. Happy hour offers reasonable prices.
Features
What to see nearby
Data from Wikidata
Explore the area around Penelope Bar & Lounge
Penelope Bar & Lounge is located in Oakland, surrounded by cultural and historical points of interest. Here are some of the most notable places nearby.
Historical Heritage
- African American Museum and Library at Oakland (A 291m) — public library in Oakland, California, USA Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
- Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption (A 324m) — church building in California, United States of America Lugar inscrito en el Registro Nacional de Lugares Históricos
Parks & Gardens
- Lafayette Square (A 97m) — park in Alameda County, California, United States of America
- Preservation Park (A 275m) — park in Oakland, California, USA
- Frank H. Ogawa Plaza (A 314m) — square in Oakland, Alameda County, United States of America
Other Points of Interest
- Arlington Hotel Building (A 240m) — building in Oakland, California, USA
- Q136350317 (A 264m) — building in Oakland, California, USA
- Leimert Building (A 330m) — building in Oakland, California, USA
- Union Savings Bank - Easton Building (A 335m) — building in Oakland, California, USA
- Elihu M. Harris State Office Building (A 346m) — building in Oakland, California, United States
Data from Wikidata
Frequently asked questions about Penelope Bar & Lounge
Penelope Bar & Lounge Oakland Reviews
We were here 12 years ago, and now that we’ve moved back, we’re pleasantly surprised to see Penelope still here. Different bartender this time, but the drinks are still excellent. After living in San Francisco for long and now returning to Oakland downtown, the prices feel adorable — yet still very much up to San Francisco standards. High-quality cocktails. Friendly staff. Friendly guests, too. Love this place. We’ll definitely be back.
Stumbled into this cozy little spot for happy hour and ended up staying way longer than planned—thanks to Sam, the bartender who somehow makes pouring drinks feel like a masterclass in hospitality. Seriously, Sam’s the kind of person who remembers your name, reads the room perfectly, and makes everyone feel like a regular—even if it’s your first time in. The vibe is relaxed, no-frills, and exactly what you want when you’re winding down after a long day. Great drink specials, solid pours, and good conversation if you’re lucky enough to grab a seat at the bar. I came for a quick drink and left wondering if I should become a regular just to hang out with Sam more often. Highly recommend for happy hour, first dates, or solo nights when you just want a good drink and great company. Just don’t steal my seat at the bar.
great cocktails, chic bar, nice employees. what else can you ask for?
The inside of the bar gives me speakeasy vibes and ambiance, with elegant dark wood, and fun sprinkle of apothecary. Delicious cocktails served fancy glasses. Friendly bar tenders.
little known bar off the busy downtown oakland.
Very nice neighborhood bar. Our bartender for the night was Desmond, He was AWESOME! very delicious and unique menu and the atmosphere was beautiful. Definitely going back
Did a stand up show on Wednesday there, It was very Oakland.... But I had a great time.. very intimate
Great drinks, fun comedy night & empanadas
We were here 12 years ago, and now that we’ve moved back, we’re pleasantly surprised to see Penelope still here. Different bartender this time, but the drinks are still excellent. After living in San Francisco for long and now returning to Oakland downtown, the prices feel adorable — yet still very much up to San Francisco standards. High-quality cocktails. Friendly staff. Friendly guests, too. Love this place. We’ll definitely be back.
Stumbled into this cozy little spot for happy hour and ended up staying way longer than planned—thanks to Sam, the bartender who somehow makes pouring drinks feel like a masterclass in hospitality. Seriously, Sam’s the kind of person who remembers your name, reads the room perfectly, and makes everyone feel like a regular—even if it’s your first time in. The vibe is relaxed, no-frills, and exactly what you want when you’re winding down after a long day. Great drink specials, solid pours, and good conversation if you’re lucky enough to grab a seat at the bar. I came for a quick drink and left wondering if I should become a regular just to hang out with Sam more often. Highly recommend for happy hour, first dates, or solo nights when you just want a good drink and great company. Just don’t steal my seat at the bar.
great cocktails, chic bar, nice employees. what else can you ask for?
little known bar off the busy downtown oakland.
The inside of the bar gives me speakeasy vibes and ambiance, with elegant dark wood, and fun sprinkle of apothecary. Delicious cocktails served fancy glasses. Friendly bar tenders.
Very nice neighborhood bar. Our bartender for the night was Desmond, He was AWESOME! very delicious and unique menu and the atmosphere was beautiful. Definitely going back
Did a stand up show on Wednesday there, It was very Oakland.... But I had a great time.. very intimate
Great drinks, fun comedy night & empanadas
Penelope's is very similar to a Japanese Sunakku Bar with counter seating, limited small table seating, & the bartenders acting as your hosts. Like a Sunakku there are very limited snack choices. Clientele come for the drinks & socializing with the regulars & the bartenders. I always enjoy the crew & the clientele here!
Penelope's is an amazing place with great bartenders. The care of their craft comes through in the flavors of a cocktails they share.
The place is great, but I wouldn’t mind some pickled eggs for christ skate.
Staff was beyond accommodating and genuinely created the perfect environment for our group. The cocktails were wonderful accompanied by a great beer menu!!
Owner and main bartender Johnny really delivers! Great selection and he's a master cocktail crafter! Good crowd of locals always ready to have a chat if you're in the mood. Love the empanadas, too! Always enjoy my time here!
Such a great cocktail bar. The drinks are very good, high quality. And the atmosphere is super friendly and welcoming. They have both indoor and outdoor seating that can accommodate groups. Will be going back again soon!
Small but amazing bar! You will not find a bar like it in the downtown Oakland area. Great cocktails and wonderful bartenders! Try out their empanadas too! Definitely one of my go-to spots on the weekends.
Great little find! Very good cocktails with friendly bar staff & pleasant atmosphere. Try the Caffe Verde coffee-based cocktail - great way to start the evening.
Lovely small cocktail bar off the main drag.
Owner and main bartender Johnny really delivers! Great selection and he's a master cocktail crafter! Good crowd of locals always ready to have a chat if you're in the mood. Love the empanadas, too! Always enjoy my time here!
Such a great cocktail bar. The drinks are very good, high quality. And the atmosphere is super friendly and welcoming. They have both indoor and outdoor seating that can accommodate groups. Will be going back again soon!
Great little find! Very good cocktails with friendly bar staff & pleasant atmosphere. Try the Caffe Verde coffee-based cocktail - great way to start the evening.
Small but amazing bar! You will not find a bar like it in the downtown Oakland area. Great cocktails and wonderful bartenders! Try out their empanadas too! Definitely one of my go-to spots on the weekends.
Penelope's is an amazing place with great bartenders. The care of their craft comes through in the flavors of a cocktails they share.
Penelope's is very similar to a Japanese Sunakku Bar with counter seating, limited small table seating, & the bartenders acting as your hosts. Like a Sunakku there are very limited snack choices. Clientele come for the drinks & socializing with the regulars & the bartenders. I always enjoy the crew & the clientele here!
The place is great, but I wouldn’t mind some pickled eggs for christ skate.
We found this place on a whim and we’re pleasantly surprised. The craft cocktails are excellent, full of flavor, and reasonably priced. The food menu is limited (didn’t try anything) so we decided to just have a drink here and head somewhere else for dinner. Venue is cute but small so it can get busy and fill up fast, especially when it’s too chilly to sit outside.
The drinks are amazing, and they have a reasonable happy hour. Oakland Heat (pictured) is really freaking hot! They are not messing around. Consider yourself warned. The charcuterie plate is not at all worth ordering. I would have given five stars if that hasn't been so disappointing.
We found this place on a whim and we’re pleasantly surprised. The craft cocktails are excellent, full of flavor, and reasonably priced. The food menu is limited (didn’t try anything) so we decided to just have a drink here and head somewhere else for dinner. Venue is cute but small so it can get busy and fill up fast, especially when it’s too chilly to sit outside.
The drinks are amazing, and they have a reasonable happy hour. Oakland Heat (pictured) is really freaking hot! They are not messing around. Consider yourself warned. The charcuterie plate is not at all worth ordering. I would have given five stars if that hasn't been so disappointing.
The drinks here are awesome but the service has never been great. I always feel like I’m interrupting the bartenders’ evening and I definitely wouldn’t order anything other than exactly what is on the menu. Overall, a fine place for one drink before a night out
The drinks here are awesome but the service has never been great. I always feel like I’m interrupting the bartenders’ evening and I definitely wouldn’t order anything other than exactly what is on the menu. Overall, a fine place for one drink before a night out
Penelope is a strange place... Packed and empty, all in the same sitting - the crowds here seem to come in waves. Speaking of crowds, that's also a mixed bag. There were several loud and obnoxious middle aged dudes, hanging around and gambling with dice at the bar (apparently a somewhat normal occurrence here). Otherwise there was a wide array of loud people discussing everything from company stock options to good school districts.The music was popular 90s hip-hop. I had the Beso and Manhattan Project, which were strong, but in a good way. You pay on average $11-12 per drink, so not particularly cheap, but the drinks definitely hit you (only high-end alcohol is used here, so at least you're paying for quality). For the building itself, small doesn't do this place justice - it's TINY! Also, the door was left open the whole time, which brought in smoke and cold air the whole night. Overall - very good drinks, but for the higher prices and poor atmosphere I would pass on Penelope in favor of other nearby bars.
Penelope is a strange place... Packed and empty, all in the same sitting - the crowds here seem to come in waves. Speaking of crowds, that's also a mixed bag. There were several loud and obnoxious middle aged dudes, hanging around and gambling with dice at the bar (apparently a somewhat normal occurrence here). Otherwise there was a wide array of loud people discussing everything from company stock options to good school districts.The music was popular 90s hip-hop. I had the Beso and Manhattan Project, which were strong, but in a good way. You pay on average $11-12 per drink, so not particularly cheap, but the drinks definitely hit you (only high-end alcohol is used here, so at least you're paying for quality). For the building itself, small doesn't do this place justice - it's TINY! Also, the door was left open the whole time, which brought in smoke and cold air the whole night. Overall - very good drinks, but for the higher prices and poor atmosphere I would pass on Penelope in favor of other nearby bars.
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About Penelope Bar & Lounge
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555 12th St Ste. 120, Oakland, CA 94607
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555 12th St Ste. 120, Oakland, CA 94607
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