What's a good cafe or bar in Oakland, CA with comfortable seating?
June 11, 2016 2:09 PM   Subscribe

What's your favorite cafe, bar, or restaurant in Oakland, CA with really comfy seats? I'm imagining something like the front area of The New Parkway theatre with all the couches, except with a bit more privacy/space since this will be a date... does such a place exist? Thank you!
posted by I made this account so Matt could have a $5 beer to Food & Drink (9 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
There are a lot of choices, but in order to maximize privacy and space, I'd say either Bar 355 or the Ruby Room. Both are dimly lit and off the beaten path, with booth seating available (as I recall) and top-notch old-school Oakland vibes.
posted by sninky-chan at 2:43 PM on June 11, 2016 [2 favorites]


Dogwood: if you get there early enough, but it fills up fast.
District: has lots of space, great happy hour, not sure about privacy, lots of comfortable seating
Downtown Wine Merchants: is classy, plenty of two-person seating, I give it a *shrug* as far as comfort goes.
Longitude: Your mileage will vary greatly based on when you go but it can be very pleasant and quiet. Nice booths.
Tribune: Comfy booths and lots of space in general
posted by deadwater at 2:46 PM on June 11, 2016


Response by poster: We're going Monday night, if that helps inform responses. Thank you for the awesome ideas so far!
posted by I made this account so Matt could have a $5 beer at 2:58 PM on June 11, 2016


District has comfy couches, as I recall. And Longitude has nice soft old-fashioned booths.
posted by suelac at 3:31 PM on June 11, 2016


Just as a data point: I was at Dogwood last Monday from around 5:30-6:30. I don't know whether this is typical, but at that point there were only a few people there.
posted by tangerine at 3:32 PM on June 11, 2016


Bar 355 & Dogwood are kind of my go-tos for dates. Ruby Room if you want the dark, dirty dive bar. Drexel (across the street from Bar 355 if you want to go to both...) has some couches in the upstairs area. Longitude would be good but it's all tiki drinks. Woods doesn't necessarily have super comfy seating but they do have a covered outdoor area with a fire pit, great date spot.

Those are all within walking distance of 19th/12th St BART. Honestly there are a million bars good for dates in that area.
posted by bradbane at 6:36 PM on June 11, 2016


I've been to a fair number of Oakland bars (am married to an Oakland bartender) and to be honest, the comfort level of the seats hasn't ever crossed my awareness threshold. Wouldn't noise level, seat spacing, and number of guests be more important for a date?

Anyway, on a Monday I'd suggest Drexl if you want cocktails and the Trappist if you want beer.
posted by Lexica at 9:27 PM on June 11, 2016


Response by poster: Lexica, my date has a physical disability that makes it difficult for them to sit on hard surfaces for extended periods of time.
posted by I made this account so Matt could have a $5 beer at 10:02 AM on June 12, 2016


You might try District, in Old Oakland. They have comfortable chairs and sofas, as well as good drinks and food. Cafe Van Kleef might also be good, but probably more crowded. The Night Light (on Broadway, next to Nation's) also has upholstered seats downstairs.
posted by Lexica at 12:55 PM on June 12, 2016


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