I strolled into Bar 355 last night after work. It was about 5:30pm.
There were 2 dudes and a bartender. I was looking for tiny bit of happy hour excitement on a Monday. There were no females there and a Laphroaig 10 y.o. set me back ten bucks. This is Oakland and 355 is a dive. That's too much. Sorry 355, I liked you better for happy hour when you were Miss Ivy's.
I kinda sorta really really like this fantastic bar. Honestly, they have tasty drinks, comfortable seating, and plenty of great jams on the jukebox. Belly up to the bar or relax upstairs on one of the couches. People watch or pound a beer. Talk to the bartenders of be a wallflower. Just go, you'll thank me later.
pssst, its never as crowded as Make Westing (even on the busiest of nights), and has rival-worthy cocktails.
Make Westing now has to share its throne with Bar Three-Fifty Five for the best bar in Oakland, as far as I am concerned. I stumbled upon this place last Friday night and was {{not}} disappointed.
355 has everything you could want in a bar. For starters, not a lot of people know about it, so it's never too crowded. They have gilded wallpaper and golden mirrors on the walls, creating an old-timey feel. The bartenders are the babliest of men. Grab a seat at the bar and... you know, just stare at them, nothing creepy about that. They make their own ginger syrup, which is absolutely divine, and whip up the best cocktails I've had in the East Bay.
If you're planning a night of drinks in Oakland, make Bar Three-Fifty-Five your plan-a. This place is sucha gem.
Tip: try the "Dark & Stormy." It is completely delightful.
This is one of my new favorite dark bars! From the seating to the crowd to the drinks! Im happy. I usually like going to radio for a cheap drink and dark corner, but the old men and hipsters get in the way! A great place to take someone you would like to get close with and just talk all night
Review Source:Cool Bar, reasonably priced drinks. The decor looks like the inside of a Genies Lamp.
An old buddy from out of town asked me to meet up with him in Oakland. We happened to find this joint. I parked in the street. It was about 7 P.M. No difficulty finding a spot.
I had a Bass Ale, from the Tap, cold, My friend had a Vodka Tonic. The service was attentive, and the other patrons were nice. An eclectic mix of people mostly under 40. I noticed a few groups of afterwork friends hanging out.
Bar 355 is one of my favorite places to go out. I've been coming here since it's opened, and love the decor (faux flocked wallpaper, nice wooden bar with purse hooks!), the totally reasonably priced drinks, and the cute bartenders. I usually just get Buillet bourbon on the rocks, but will make an exception for their specialty cocktails. It's best here on week-day nights or during Happy Hour before it gets packed, but they've got good DJs pretty much every night so sometimes I'm tempted to stay late and get amused by the drunk girls dancing on the small stage in the back.
Review Source:Love this place. The vibe is super cool. If you're looking for a quiet, intimate bar then come here on off nights. First Friday (and most Fridays) its packed! Good luck finding seating if you don't get there early. I've only had great drinks and great service here. I typically like their oldies music, and I'm a fan of their gin and house-made tonics. A bit citrus-y.
Review Source:My only complaint: the seating. Â
Everything about this bar screams trendy Oakland. Â The drink, the lighting, the small stage/dance floor in the corner, the music, and the crowd. Â After the locals left around 11pm, the crowd got a little too hipster for my taste (maybe it was just the night I went, with the electronic-funk music drawing the crowd). Â With that being said, the music was great, and the drinks were well-made and worth every cent.
Dragging this all the way down to one star. As a frequent patron of Bar 355, it pains me to say this...
Tonight I was charged for not only my drink but also my friend's. It's not that I don't have the $15, but it's an issue of not being asked.
At the very least, please ask and don't assume - and by every other bartender, I AM asked which it why tonight's performance was rare form but spoke volumes with me.
.
This place is definitely one of the nicer bars in Oakland. It's very narrow, but when you can actually get seating it's really fun. On nights when it's crowded, forget about it. I tried to walk in on a First Friday and could barely walk in through the door. Their drinks are a little pricy in my opinion for an Oakland bar, but the decor and ambiance is a pretty cool trade. It's way better to visit before late night and their retro 80's music starts playing. Better suited for more of an afterwork bar or daytime meet and greet.
Review Source:I met a friend here after work on Monday. Â I walked in and immediately liked the speakeasy vibe. Â It feels like a place where grownups can have a real drink and intelligent conversation. Â The dimly-lit decor is also a bit sexy, so it would be a great place for a drink on date night. Â
This would have been a four-star review if Bar Three Fifty-Five served a little bite to eat. Â After one stiff drink each, my friend and I had to leave to find something to eat. Â We would have stayed longer if they served light food.
Nice spot... gets an A-ok from me!
This is definitely one of my go to spots in Oakland when I don't want to go some place posh or stuck up. Â Yes, it is hipster heaven, but folks here are cool and there is usually a fairly diverse crowd. Â There is almost always a DJ spinning records or mixing CDs and sometimes there is live music. Â It's a rather small place and can get super packed on the weekends, but it is fun no less. Â There are some awesome specialty cocktails on the menu that run about $9, so it's not cheap, but they are pretty darn good. Â The decor is 70's glam or something of the sort, not quite sure how to describe it actually you'll just have to see for yourself. :-)
Review Source:The original review read as follows, "I had a beer, a scotch, and some apple cider and now I'm drunk. Not crowded, decent selection of booze, prompt service, but a bit loud so 4of5." I suppose there is a reason that I can't submit reviews from my phone.
In greater detail, I went with my girlfriend to meet up with some of her friends to celebrate a birthday midweek. The bar was not packed but it wasn't dead either. Wait staff was prompt, booze was boozie, and the noise level put a bit of a strain on conversation. Did anything about this bar blow my doors off? No. Was it a better than average bar to attend midweek in downtown Oakland? Yes. I'm sticking with 4 out of 5.
Come here often with coworkers.
I love their house gin and tonic.. makes me feel like Hemingway, but usually everything on tap is good too.
BUT, i guess, just like Hemingway, once the screechy music hits and things get loud and night, I get out. Â I prefer the happy hour/ earlier evenings... where you can chat and chill.
The bartenders are AWESOME by the way. Â Super efficient, non-pretentious, and just really generous with everything.
Nice upscale local bar.
Within walking distance from 19th St. Bart station. A huge plus.
When walking in it is dark and mysterious. It is classy compared to other bars in the area with lit candles and decor. There is a long bar on the left and seating along the right side. Towards the back up a few stairs there is table seating and a small stage.
It was a Friday evening around 5:30 when I came in to meet up with a fellow yelper. There were two bartenders and the place had about 20 patrons. A couple of hours later the place was packed.
There isn't wait staff service to order drinks so don't wait around, make your way to the bar. I had a 19th St Manhattan ($8.) It was delicious. I didn't see anything regarding HH specials and they don't serve food. There are nuts and pretzels in white ramekins available to munch on.
If you are looking for a low key intimate place to enjoy a drink and have a conversation check this place out.
Came here recently for a small birthday celebration. Immediately, we recognized bartender Chris as the bartender from Flora. I ordered a Jameson and Ginger that was a more-than-generous pour, while my boyfriend opted for a surprise me tequila drink. He got something delicious, which he ordered twice. Later he got a Diablo (also tequila, not quite as tasty). The bar is very nice with a dark, laid back vibe, until around 10 when it started to fill up. By 11 (on a Saturday), it was PACKED. And by packed, I mean, literally, I don't think another person could fit. But, 8-10pm is a nice time to go. Great bartenders, great drinks, cool place.
Review Source:Great morning coffee. Great nighttime hangout. Nice vibes, mellow, but fun. "Gypsy" jazz on Monday nights 10 pm. Folks who work there are nice and friendly. Average drink prices. Would not call this place a hipster bar (i.e. Ruby Room, Radio, et al). Didn't see any skinny jeans or ironic mustaches the times I've gone.
Review Source:This is a woody bar with sparkly glassware and fantastic cocktails. The bartenders are all great, and they'll make your drinks official style.
Bonus story: One time there was a DJ and a dance party, and this girl was going crazy and she had a wardrobe malfunction. For like, twenty minutes. Just saying, I didn't realize exactly how embarrassing that would be--not for her, but for me and my girlfriend. Then after we decided we were NOT going to say anything to her because she was wasted, it was pretty rad.
Having been bar-hoping around town, this was the 3rd place we settled into and from what I can remember, this place was a little hidden gem. Â Never came here, but I would certainly come back. It's cute and the bartender was friendly. Â Given my state-of-mind at that time, there wasn't much to complain about besides the music that was playing the background. Â But whatever, this is a cute little spot. Â
I'll be back!
Ambiance: Hipster... Accurate to the max. This place really reminds me of the Red down in Santa Cruz. It still manages to maintain the low key, dim lights, very, very relaxed atmosphere despite blaring loud ass music (quite a feat). The bartender was nice and the drinks were reasonably priced. Funny thing is we were searching for the place and literally drove by it unknowingly but my friend got to break his (legal) bar virginity here! Yay!
Oh and the small dance floor is pretty hilarious when you've got drunkies around.
This is a nice lil gem in oakland, it seems like a hole in the wall from the outside but inside has a real ncie atmosphere with a slightly antique vibe...really nice decor that makes me want to sit in some leather wingback chair and smoke a cigar...even though i don't even like cigars...anyways, the bartenders are super nice and were very attentive, not pushy, not rude...but smiling, offering water even when i stopped drinking beer. Â They also play great music and have a decent lounging area and the bathroom is clean...
overall - nice bar, good vibes, good bartenders and totally good for happy hours or to chill out and talk with ppl or just a good place to meet to get started on the night
Awesomely decadent decor, attentive bartenders, and some great live jazz. I ordered a dirty vodka martini and a gimlet, and both were up to snuff. Some bartenders don't do the "dirty" well enough to constitute an actual dirty martini, but this guy didn't shy away from some proper murkiness. Also, sometimes, since I don't actually live in a film noir, bartenders will occasionally give me the stink eye when I order a gimlet, but here, he didn't even bat an eye. And it was delicious, to boot.
Would absolutely recommend to others if you're looking for a place with good, stiff drinks and nicely dark corners.
I dig these digs.
The ambiance is old school and completely out of place on this Oakland street, which only makes it more fun. The bartenders are attentive and incredibly talented. When I asked for a drink rec, Mr. Mustachio whipped up a phenomenal Vieux Carre - a cocktail born in New Orleans (he informed me) made with rye, cognac, vermouth, bitters, and my new favorite liquor, Benedictine. Delicious. The ambiance is fresh, funky, classic, and warm all at once. The lighting, the back-lit bar, the wallpaper, the high tables and booths in the back are all purrfect for a night out.
It's a little too loud for me - I wanted to sock the screaming, give-me-attention drunk guy in the face, but somehow refrained - and simultaneously refrained from being the as*hole patron who asks the bartender to turn down the volume - and instead agreed to scream at my friend for the two hours we hung out here. Other than that, I'm happy to have found a great place for a late-night drink... despite the fact that I should clearly be home knitting, since loud noises make me grouchy. Just give me a few more years before I retire my shot glass!!!
This review is based on 20 or so visits.
Bar 355 is one of the better bars in Oakland. They don't make exceptionally good cocktails, the interior isn't the nicest in the city, and the floor plan isn't anything to write home about. But none of that really matters because 355 is more than the sum of its parts.
The interior of 355 is nice enough. Like so many other bars, 355 utilizes dim lighting and a backlit bar that pleasantly illuminates the bottles. It sort of reminds me of the increasingly ubiquitous speakeasy thing that is taking over the Bay. They have a somewhat awkward elevated seating area and a small stage (though I've never seen any music). The floor plan is just a little funky, but it works.
It's a fairly pedestrian bar. You can order beer, champagne, wine, or a cocktail. They have some top shelf alcohol, but they don't really have much of the boutique stuff that the nearby newer, swankier bars carry. The cocktails are good enough, though none really stand out. I always order a Manhattan, and it's always drinkable. Not great, but not bad. On the upside, the bartenders are all friendly and efficient.
It's the intangible that makes 355 one of the better bars in Oakland. It's the kind of place where people go to enjoy themselves and meet with friends. I look around and see couples talking intimately, small groups enjoying themselves, girls out for the night (and largely being left alone), and everyone is always enjoying themselves. Bar 355 is devoid of the pretension that is slowly taking over many self-proclaimed "upscale" Oakland bars.
You know a bar is good when respectable bartenders drink there. I've seen the bartenders from several very reputable joints enjoying themselves after work. Presumably they go for the same reason I go: it's a great spot to go to have a relaxing, enjoyable time.
Bottom Line: Though I wish Bar 355 would spruce itself up and start offering artisan cocktails, that's simply not the sort of bar it is. The very friendly service is buoyed by the flunky floor plan and mediocre cocktails. Four Stars.
I really really loved this bar.
I ended up here after a YEE for the after party. Why did I love it so much? They had Prosecco for 6 dollars a glass. Which is the best price I've seen in while for a decent wine glass sized pour of the stuff (ah, the joys of living in SF).
There was great atmosphere which made up for the bathroom only having one stall. But it was clean and the bartender was friendly so I'd come back any time.
Yay bubbles!
The only place that has ever made me a Perfect Rob Roy without my having to specify. I've given up trying to order it at bars because people don't understand what I mean, and think I'm just being uppity. When I saw the twist instead of the cherry, I was so impressed I almost hugged the bartender.
The featured cocktails on the little print-out menu are actually very unique and delicious, and they have so so many specialty liquors. This is where I had absinthe for the first (and thus far only) time! They get you deeply drunk every time, but since it's quality alcohol, you're not a mess throwing up in the alleyway.
It's gotten much easier to find with the sign outside, and the popularity. It's loud and crowded, and yet the music is great and the bartenders are fast, so you don't really mind. I still wish there was a better dance floor, but oh well. I highly recommend Bar Three Fifty-Five and the Layover every time one of my friends says he or she is going to Oakland.
Perhaps it's because it was a Wednesday night, but I would call Bar Three Fifty Five a refined dive bar with an old fashioned feel to it. The bartenders were true mixologists. My BFF and I couldn't decide what to have so we started calling out ingredients and the bartender whipped up Greyhounds, Madelines and Dark and Stormies without hesitation. He was a veritable Cocktail Encyclopedia.
The dim lighting contrasts against the bright yellow glow and perfectly displayed bottles at the bar, creating a chill, inviting atmosphere. You can sit at the bar or in the lounge area in the back. I love that you chat it up with your friends without resorting to a yelling match or bumping into drunk patrons on your way to the bathroom. It's definitely a place to unwind after a long day.
And the best part is happy hour goes until 8pm! Well drinks are only $4 and Stellas are $3. Check them out, folks!
When I think of a bar in general, I think - loudness, darkness and good stiff ones, and Bar 355 lives up to my expectations.
It's a quaint little place in trendy, downtown "uptown Oakland" nestled between other small businesses. Street parking was plentiful when I visited on both a Friday night and Wednesday evening.
Friday was super loud and vivacious and more packed as the night grew older- but I was still able to find seating for 2; Wednesday was less noisy and more comfortable for conversation between 3 buds.
There is plenty of room to park it while you throw back a few. In fact, during my Friday night venture, a quad of domino players sat beside me enjoying the drinks and tunes.
The drinks are awesome. I particularly enjoy the Marilyn- a champagne and pink grapefruit concoction with just the right amount of sweet. SO YUM! The bartenders are rather friendly, and they will actually give you awesome drink suggestions when you ask, which is how I discovered Marilyn. ;)
And, who could complain about a bar with HAPPY HOUR 'TIL 8PM!?!?! Yes, folks - until 8pm you can get $2/3/4 something or others, to include Stella (not a beer fan tho) or mix-ups like Mariela D.'s choice, the Dark & Stormy (Ginger beer & rum). GRRREAT.
I would give 5 stars for all this stellarness, but I'm pretty sure I was overcharged last night when I used my card- which is something I partially blame myself for because I NEVER use credit at the bar- DUHHH. Oh well. I enjoy the place so much, I'll let it side, just this once, dammit.
A bunch of us stopped here after the Rainbow Riot event. Little did I know, Mike Dirnt of Green Day would be sitting right near us. That's right, he was super polite too so I didn't want to bother him by saying hello.
I love the dark decor in here and the music they played were some of my all time modern rock favourites. Bars that play good music automatically get a high marks from me.
I didn't need any more drinks for the evening but the menu's custom cocktails looked mighty tasty. All of my friends who ordered something said they were good. Bar 355 drew a decent crowd when we were there on a Thursday night. I'd imagine this place wouldn't be quite as fun on a packed weekend night. I'll definitely be back to have some fun with friends and hear some good tunes.
Bar 355's mysterious ambience is similar to it's predecessor,. ms.ivy cocktail lounge even though clientele is different. gone is the piano, rhythm and blue music and pics of r & b greats.
present are bartenders in black. look is reminiscent of brad pitt. or is this a cocktail scene from the movies? the length of the bar needs a luxiurous feel to the drinking experience.
drink: drink & tonic (4)
-pretty strong pour.
happy hour: (4-6) pbr (2) astella (3) wells (4)
-bartender gracious, very professional, courteous
-panhandled before i entered here
dude asked me for my pennies. i gave him all i had.
apologized for not givng him more coins as i had to feed the meter
he didn't seem happy and left without saying anything.
This is the spot!
Bar 355 has a singular vision: drink exceptionally crafted cocktails named after Werner Herzog films. Pay very fair prices for those quaffs, and lounge at the bar with your girlfriends while devilishly handsome bartenders hustle to make something delicious for the next person. Then a lilting voice, "looks like I'll need another, Travis. What do you suggest?", and you hope that when he brings magic in that cup with a delicate stem, that somehow your hands brush up against each other.
The gilded wallpaper, vintage lights, subdued lighting, and a beautiful dark brown bar set the scene perfectly, but there's this playful atmosphere that makes Bar 355 different from just being a lounge with great decor. There's a small dance floor in the back, one which you have to walk across to get to the loo, so you may be pulled into a shimmy. This is not your typical speakeasy.
I still prefer the early evening atmosphere, when you can gab with your girls, sip a Fitzcarraldo or Little Dieter Needs to Fly cocktail, eye spy the bartenders, and revel in your newfound sophistication (at least for an hour or two), but appreciate that this place is completely without pretense, yet has style, class, and authenticity in ample supply. How do they do it?
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