The Alley

Braulio Bethancourt

8 months ago

A legendary place still in business and prob for many years to come. Respect!

robn

3 years ago

Great place to get a drink. Its classy karaoke with a live piano. Great place to hang out get some food and sing along to some old hits.. love this place its such a gem.

Anna Hiller

8 years ago

Cash-only! Everyone should put this first in their review. The location is great, but come prepared with cash, as they do not take cards at all. I ordered a Manhattan which came to $9: totally reasonable for the Bay Area. Drinks were good, but the Alley's claim to fame is the piano karaoke bar. We were there on a Thursday, and a pianist was there to play along with whoever felt like singing. There are large plastic tubs with binders of sheet music under the piano, but it seems now that the pianist uses a digital format for reading the music. The legendary man who played the piano there for the last five or so decades (give or take a decade) is only there rarely now. But it's clear that people take the piano karaoke function of the Alley quite seriously. The guy who rocked out to George Michael's "Faith" there recently made for a fun night! If you like a little bit of awkward public spectacle, the Alley is the place to be, for sure. Just be sure to stop at an ATM first.

C McAuliffe

2 months ago

It's a relic, with great atmosphere of the signers are on form. A cozy spot for a very anytime.

Sara Ameri

a year ago

Nice outside area, steak sandwich and honey chicken sandwich and two veggies dishes; fall hash and Benedict! Very tasty and food was ready so fast!!!

Alex

a year ago

The Alley was a cool bar with a lot of seating. They didn’t have what I was looking for, and substituted it with something that wasn’t even close, so I don’t know if I’d ask for a recommendation on drinks.

Kun K

3 years ago

Mesmerizing. Mesmerizing. The vibe is amazing - local, artistic, nostalgic, jazzy. Great performance from the participating musicians and singers which made the dining experience unforgettable. We asked for the best seats for music and we were seated very close to the piano. Fried chicken is a blast, hot, juicy, well marinated. Burger comes with lots of veggies and a thick patty. Cocktails loaded with liquor. Will come back.

Mr. Travel Fox

2 years ago

If you like the eclectic, old school Bay Area hole in the wall, this is your place! If you like the corporate clean sterile boring, please don’t bother. They have (almost) daily music program. Not everything will delight your ears ( when the neighborhood Pavarotti thinks he has to Make up for lack of talent by singing louder during open mic karaoke). Food is solid old school. Wine…. Please skip. Even the more expensive $12 glass makes vinegar a superstar. No draft beer :( Service was great land customers are as unique as the place itself. To me this is a jewel. But, check out the images before you go- to make sure it is your style. We lost WAY TOO MANY of these unique places since the early 2000’s in tie Bay Area, and with it also left the characters operating and patronizing these kind of classic Bay Area places. Come visit and visit often to keep THE ALLEY going.

Melissa Archie

4 months ago

I don't come food food or drinks, I come to sing! I'm usually solo and have a great time with the regulars and new bloods that join in on a good time. Different days have different vibes but if you enjoy music, the bravery it takes to get on the mic with a live instrumentation and random convo (or not) go for it! It's a super casual pub vibe and whether it's busy or not it's a tight squeeze. If you sit at the piano you better be singing. No food (only drinks) at the piano so eat first. If your friends ain't singing you'll be solo at the piano while they eat or drink at a table or the bar. Guitar player on early Sundays and Tuesday evenings. Two different Uber talented pianists on the other days. Bryan gets it accurate, Jef improvised like genius. All awesome. Enjoy!

Brian Strauss

5 months ago

Another certified banger. There are not many "dive bars" that have the balls to serve a steak dinner as good as this one. Combine that with a piano bar and an atmosphere that feels like you've stepped into the set of West Side Story and you have one of the most memorable and unique experiences in America. An absolute must for anyone showing an out of town guest "Oakland's Best". A place so inspiring that I married a woman that I picked up there.