Sweet little bar in Alameda that is also dog-friendly. Â WIN. Â
We were wandering around downtown Alameda checking out the bookstores and antique shops when we passed this place. Â I would have snapped and started ripping my own hair out if I would have been subjected to one more stinky old vintage clothing rack so the timing couldn't have been better. Â Ok, I get buying used vintage clothes, but why do some of them still smell like the 80 year old woman that wore them in 1908?
Anyways, the Churchward was a Godsend. Â I went so far as to say that day that the Churchward was on the same Godsend level of Olivia Munn. Â I have since rescinded that declaration, but given my state that day, it was reasonable. Â Don't judge me for my Godsending, either. Â I can Godsend who/whatever I want. Â I once Godsended peanut butter. Â
Good selection of beers, friendly folks inside and behind the bar. Â They weren't serving food when we were there but there are plenty of options around and they are cool if you bring food in. Â If you're local or just visiting the area, I'd highly recommend.
Good God... The Churchward Pub is somewhere I have no intention of ever going again. I've got to admit I have only gone late night, Â Friday or Saturday night. So I MIGHT come back on a weekday evening or afternoon and see what the vibe is like then. MAYBE.
I disliked everything about this place. Most of the clientele, if you can call it that, is gross. Sooo many skeezy dudes and sloppy, thirsty girls. C'mon guys, get your sh*t together. The music the DJs played was super unoriginal and mainstream. The drink pours and selection were nothing special. A couple of the bartenders were rude. Even after I tipped fat (I have worked several years in the service industry and I always tip well). It gets WAY too crowded and muggy in there. Do they even have an AC installed? Watch out for a local who will go out of their way to start fights with a chill person for just "being in their way" or "looking at them wrong". I'm saying this because out of the 3 times I've got that happened twice. Real cute.
Oh. And they charge a cover for guys, but not for girls. Ahhh, icing on the cake! Really Churchward, if you think by charging a cover for men that MORE women and LESS men will flock in, you are mistaken. A lot of guys will go in an establishment like that on a "crackin" Friday night no matter what hoping they'll go home with a ridiculously hammered girl.
One star......because they serve alcohol.
I always have a good time whenever I go here. Â Yeah sure they charge cover for the guys and it seems like EVERYONE knows each other here (i take it they were all born and raised here?)..but so what? Â My husband, friends and I are used to clubs and bars in San Francisco so knowing that there's a local place we can go to to have drinks and dance is like a breath of fresh air. Â The crowd is definitely diverse and there's no dress code. Â Did I also mention that I live close enough where I can WALK here? Â Yeah, I don't drink and drive but I sure as hell am guilty of drinking and walking :)
Review Source:This place is average in a lot of ways. Â The decor and drinks are fine. The bar was clean when I went there on an off night. The music was unobtrusive.
The best thing here is that the bartenders are very friendly and attentive. They are great.
Two things turn me off:
1. Cover charges. I just don't understand why this bar would charge a cover. I don't think I will ever pay a cover in Alameda, unless 50 of my friends are inside and my best friend is performing. I haven't seen any place that can really guarantee their entertainment will be high quality (and thus, worth the cover fee).
2. The crowd. I wish I could articulate what it is about the people that hang out there, but there is something that made me uncomfortable hanging out there. Maybe the crowd is too homogenous? Maybe there are too many single bros? I'm not sure, but it's not relaxed.
C'mon people--- "Studio 54" was thirty years ago! Â You should not have to pay a hefty cover charge and get past a doorman to walk in someplace and buy a drink. Â It's bogus -- resist it! Â
This is not a "nightclub." Â It's a plain old bar.
Incidentally, an educated person would know that "pub" is short for "public house," a concept that has been completely abandoned at Churchwards. Â Public houses do not have one, let alone two, excruciatingly well-groomed but completely unimaginative guys at the door who cannot handle any deviation from the script.
I'm curious just what exactly has got them so paranoid? Â Did they discover an al-Qaeda cell meeting secretly at a certain table in the back? Â Or was it some hardened Mafiosi trying to muscle in on the action on the poker machine?
On the whole, I think this is basically some local guys who haven't been around too much who've chosen the "disco" as their business model. Â I guess as long as there's an in-crowd seeking a lowbrow good time, a place like this won't have to join the rest of us in the new milennium.
Meanwhile, I know many far more friendly places to spend my money.
I come home for the holidays and I go to a pub? What's wrong with me?? It actually just looked like an ordinary bar to me. Except for the weird jutting out of the bar at one section, not sure the point of that architectural decision.
Came here on Karaoke night. It had been a while since my friends had gone but they enjoyed it before. The sound system was kinda crummy and there were lots of locals that night.
Ok wait that's not fair, I don't know where they came from but they seemed to know everyone else in the bar and got really drunk (like, they could walk home from the bar so who cares, drunk) and hogged the mic forcing their other friends to come up and join them and sing really loud and really bad. Im such a karaoke snob ain't I. Someone sang Mr. Grinch so that made me happy.
And at one point when it seems they had given up on singing karaoke and just started playing booty music for dancin they started playing the casper slide part 2. Which is as close to madison time as Im gonna get around these parts.
But most of the crowd was really friendly and the bartenders were attentive.
It's not really that bad but just not for me.
Star one, nice and wonderful dj :)
Star two, nice girl bartender!
Star three, they made me a signature drink for my bday :)
Ugh! I came here for my birthday 4 times in a row. This will be my last time.
They don't make long island ice tea, when askin the hipster bartender why not, he was rude n made up some crap about why they didn't blah blah blah whatever! He was rude. 2nd time my other friend asked for the same drink, I supposed annoyed him ( friend 2 wasn't there when my friend was told they don't make em) so she asked what was the strongest thing n he replies "hmmm idk. I don't like that question.. So hmm yeah." lol
Thanks but no thank. Rude rude rude!
But thanks again to the wonderful dj for making my bday night :)
On two different occasions have I tried to order a drink at the Churchward pub, and on both occasions was I ignored by the bartenders. Both times, I made my way to the bar, made eye-contact with at least two different bartenders, tried to signal to them that I wanted to order, and nothing. Others in the bar, however, get served as they walk up.
Considering that I wasn't dressed any differently than most in there, (untucked button-down shirt and jeans the first time, polo shirt and jeans the second time,) and I followed the same routine everyone else did to try to get a beer, I have to say that either the service is simply terrible or the bartenders are primarily interested in serving friends/regulars and outright ignore new faces.
Unfortunately, this bar also gets another bad mark from me for always being completely packed, which would be great if they were in a bigger location. As it is, they come off as a place to go and dance or hang out, but there's barely room to move inside.
There's not many places in the East Bay where there's a party scene, mostly chill bars or lounges. However if you're looking for a place that's always poppin on the weekends, good music and places to dance, I'd recommend the Churchward in Alameda. Unlike  San Fran, you an always find parking, usually no cover and there is it's only $5 and the drinks are resonably priced.
The bar is was recently renovated and I'd say is cleaner and classier than your average pub. What I enjoy the most is the good music and the fact that it's a good place for dancing. If you're looking to take a girl out for some fun, check this place out.
No. this place. I thought there would be potential with the remodel. It is a nice looking bar inside, but I can't get over how gross the clientele is. Slutty girls, pervy guys. all rude. It is forever a mini-Alameda High reunion in there, everyone from your class that you never wished to see or associate with anymore WILL be there.
Some of the guys who frequent this bar are ridiculous, and not in a good way. I think we're all old enough to realize that when a girl is completely ignoring your insane advances, calling her a b*tch isn't going to help change her mind. just a tip.
The music is loud, boring drinks, AND they have a cover charge (on some nights. In Alameda.) I hate judging a place on the people that go there, (its not the bar's fault!), but...it's the reality here, [some of the] people arent so great.
I have been here many times.
Shots of Patron Silver is my drink of choice. Â
This is one of the three bars I frequent in Alameda.
Hobnob and Lucky 13 are the other two bars I go to often in Alameda.
Every time I come here, I see someone that I know.
Alameda is a small town.
I would rather go to a bar in San Francisco or San Jose,
but the three bars previously stated are close to where I reside.
My first time going to The Churchward was actually a mistake. I had no idea what I was walking in to, I thought I was just going to walk in to another casual bar.
Once I walked in and heard the loud music, I knew I was in the wrong spot; at least for how I was dressed that day. The DJ there was playing music you would hear at a club in SF; but please take into consideration that I went to The Churchward on a Saturday night.
I really think that this place can be an awesome venue, but the dancefloor is extremely small, and the bathroom line/cleanliness is ridiculous. No bar's bathroom line should extend INTO the dancefloor.
Other than that, I think that this place is an interesting place to go to on a weekday or even a weekend if you want to stay local.
There are few options as far as sports bars go in Alameda. Initially, you were limited to Scoobies or  McGee's.  Scoobies is a dungeon filled with dirt bags and down on their luck loads. McGee's is actually ok. Unfortunately, the bar is as long as a Honda and only has 5-10 barstools which are occupied 99% of the time. This limits your game viewing to sitting in restaurant seating with kids running around.
Then they opened the Churchward. Three huge TV's over a massive hardwood bar, great bartenders, $2-3 tap beers during happy hour, and a pool table. There's no shortage of interesting people to BS with during a game here. The beer selection is just ok, but I can usually find something I enjoy on tap. A great place to catch a game after work or on the weekends.
A solid 3 star bar as it stands now, with definite room to improve to a 4.
I remember, and sadly frequented the old Pop Inn as it was called before. A place only the most bold and adventurous of dive bar seekers dared to enter. They used to have karaoke on Tuesday nights if memory serves me correct which I think is what eventually led a much younger crowd to buy out the place and redo it from head to toe.
Pretty nice place if it's a slow night in the middle or beginning of the week, can get crowded on weekends. I myself have never experienced the $5 cover for men only, and I assure you if I did, I would never frequent the joint again! This issue has been taken to court several times and is illegal in the state of California as it is a case of sexism. Just a heads up to any owners/employees who may read these from time to time.
Drinks are hard, as most places on Park st tend to be, and they have PBR tall cans with a pool table, and deep down, there's nothing wrong with that.
Two stars for the cool (and cute) bartender, one star for the good beats. But that's all this place is gonna get.
First of all, my Hangar One drink was $9. Love my Hangar One, but I've never paid that much for it before. Secondly, this place was CRAWLING with guys on the prowl. I can't tell you how many times we were approached, despite us giving them the evil eye, telling them we were taken AND asking politely for them to leave. I kept looking around for security to help us out, but only saw the Bartender, who was slammed by the sudden Sunday night rush. Seriously, there was one fool who stood by my side STARING for three minutes. I had to chug my drink so we could get the hell out of there.
If this is the kind of crowd that this place draws, I won't be back.
I came here before the Warriors game last week and was able to capitalize on the $2.50 tap beers which was awesome. Â No more $8 beers at the Oracle for me. Â Was also able to order korean short ribs from next door. Â Not exactly sure where next door is, but it was pretty awesome along with the beans and mac/cheese. Â
Have also seen the place after Warriors games on the weekend and the place was packed. Â All in All a good place to come for beers, drinks and the occasional pre-game barbecue.
Any bar that has happy hour until 7 pm for those of us that get off of work at 6:30 is A-okay in my book.
Happy Hour (Monday-Friday, 10am-7pm, late night 10pm-12):
"Wish it was Sunday Monday" - $4 pint margaritas $3 wells, wines, drafts.
"Two dollar Tuesday" - Â $2 drink of the day.
"Whiskey Wednesday" - $4 Jack Daniels.
"Thirsty Thursday" - $3 specialty drinks.
"TGIF Friday" - $3 wells, wines, drafts.
Staff is friendly and approachable. Three flat screen TV's usually playing the game ...but I saw a soap opera on one time, lol. (sup with that, Joe?)
It's great for Happy Hour, especially when they have a food set-up, but if not, then you can't go wrong with a not so busy bar with good Happy Hour prices, and great staff. Â
I only give a 3 stars because after HH, the crowd that comes in is a bit "towny" or "ghetto" and I've seen lots of fights inside/outside the premises. Â Also, sometimes they charge an "entry" fee after a certain time, which I don't really understand, as it's a BAR, not a club.
If your coming into it thinking anything more then what it is... Your in for some dissapointment... If you are looking for a chill place that has a laid back atmosphere, chill staff but still want to dance if your song comes on (they have  DJs on the weekends) then you will like this spot... Since it is the most crackin place in alameda aside from la piñata (which is across the street and open till 3am so you can get your food on after one too many $4 tall cans of PBR... Yup... $4 PBR! That gets a star in and of itself!) expect alameda crowd... But for the most part it's fairly diverse... Bottom line: wanna hit up a spot where you can dance, but don't want to pull out all the stops? Hit this place up.
They would have gotten one more star but my girl got into it with some chicks in the bathroom... They kicked my girl out but not the other girls... My girl is a sassy brown girl and the other girl was Barbie... So you know, you do the math... All fighters should be kicked out equally! Homie don't play that...
Churchward has a special place in my Alameda Lovin' heart.
Star 1: It's a meek but well kept representation of your typical Alamedian dig.
Star 2:the owner is insanely friendly and genourous, and will always stop for a chat with customers.
Star 3: they have excellent karaoke that I refuse to participate in. They always fulfill my friends' requests for new songs, and have some (for lack of a better word) entertaining regulars.
Star 4: They let me bring in my WIeneschnitzel's if I get hungry.
Star 5: Strong Cheap drinks. =]
Great weekday drop-in bar!
I came here again with my crew - my cousin, bro's best bud (Gee), Google guy and actually met up with a fellow Yelper - Ed V.
We were there just after 9:30ish - DJ was still setting up and it was dead. We actually enjoyed the quite/calm factor just so we can chat. Then came 10ish - boom! Crowd started coming in, DJ was playing in the background - just another typical night. It was good.
UNTIL ... (thankfully this is after I dropped GMan) so that he didn't have to witness this... but a fight broke out of nowhere. Gee said he saw the guy just coming in with a few girls and then punches were being thrown, pushing and shoveling, bar stools on on the floor...everything happened so fast.
Next I knew I was pinned down in the wall being covered by Ed V. (from the rumble ~ thanks Ed!) and the guy was lying on the floor and not moving... Ed V. came to his side (he told me he told the guy to stay down b/c he might have a concussion - but being a guy and his ego gone, he got up and left with his girls).
At the end - the guy got his ass kicked and we all felt bad for him. Imagine just trying to have a good time but you know what, if you know you have funk with other people, WHY go to their side? I'm just saying!
I still like this place - I hope it continues to stay calm and not turn full on ghetto.
PS: my first BAR FIGHT! Scary but exciting.
A few
Pretty good set-up here! Â Friendly staff and great service, especially so if you're a regular. Â Plus pool table and digital jukebox.
The only downside is the few beers on tap. Â Last night there was Pyramid Haywire Hef, Lagunitas IPA, Newcastle, Prohibition (can't recall the variety, but it was dark and heavy), Stella. Â They more than make up for this with their liquor selection, however.
This place used to be named "Pop's inn" ...it is recently renovated and has new owners now currently named Churchward Pub.
Crowd is diverse, some 20's,30's and 40's, they have Karaoke on Tuesdays (for those with not so good voices - like me. They don't care - crowds will give you a hand anyway - just for belting a tune) On weekends it has a DJ playing top 40's, with a huge screen TV on the small dance floor, has about four Plasma TV's around the bar, bartenders and staff are nice and bottled beers are cheap - $2.50 for a Coors or Miller lite. They also sell PBR 40's - I thought that was pretty cool.
Place can be crowded on the weekends.
Love the newly renovated Pop Inn (sorry, I still call it by its old name, but come on, POP Inn is catchy, right?) Â Ok, ok... I will refer it as the Churchward Pub out of respect :P
Let's start the review, shall we?
I've been going there almost every week for the past 3 months. Â It's getting better and better. Â They have DJs there on the weekend now, which brings in a new group of patrons. Â We dance, we drink, we know how to party!!! Â Shout out for the bartender Pete. Â He always takes good care of me even I got stupid drunk sometimes :)
I love how it's so laid back during the week that I can go in and enjoy my drink and catch up with the sport highlights. Â yet so popping on the weekends, that I party my stress away. Â Should def come check out this place!!!
This is not the Pop Inn that was left in the 60's. This is the Pop Inn with an Ironman suit of armor on. They added windows so you could see what time it is. Â They also added three large flat screens so you could visit during the day and watch the NFL, MLB and the NBA. Kudos for the sleek wooden bar, I think it is the size of one of the sailboats in Alameda. Plus they re-did the felt on the pool table.
I think they could do some work on the rear patio. What is up with those Czech beer signs, display them don't just put them in the corner.
I showed up mid-week  and it was not really hopping but I think the nights are Monday and Tuesday, karoake night which the Pop Inn was famous for. One thing I did notice the drinks that were dirt cheap-ka ching have now gone up in price. So much for the recession.  A large selection of name brand vodkas, whiskeys, tequilas, gins plus six different beers on tap. I have to come back on Monday to listen to the karoake.
uuuummm Churchward where do we start? Â This use to be the "Pop Inn" back when I first moved to Alameda in 2004 and when I returned earlier this year its now the Churchward?....super crowded...way tooo hot...and too many drunk crazy people....but...I've seen worse...
The pitchers were at a great price, beers on tap were at a variety, they have patio area and the music was smart. Â I really like the new look to the spot and would I come here again? Â yyyyeeaaahhh I guess...I'll see you again Churchward.
The decor makes up for the badly dressed and inexperienced bartenders and poorly stocked inventory at The Churchward Pub. Â I went three weeks into their newly posh digs. I noted the extended bar that snakes around the room like train tracks, modern jukebox and pool table, all in use by the mostly twenty something crowd.
I took my early thirty something self to the bar. Â When I asked the young male bartender for his specialty, he handed me a menu handwritten on college ruled notebook paper. Â Unfortunately, my selections were not in stock. Â It took repeated attempts to order something actually in stock. Â
The Churchward Pub shows promise. Â They opened just in time for the Autumn and Winter holidays. Â Halloween decorations and signs promoting their Halloween party added to the festive and seasonal atmosphere at the time of my visit. Â I anticipate a packed house at this pub soon. Â Here's hoping they keep their alcohol and garnishes well stocked in anticipation for the eager crowd!
ETA: Â I have visited The 'ward many times since I wrote my initial review. Â I dare say this pub is off the chain. Â There is always a fight, with someone knocked to the ground. Â The police always checks in for crowd control. Â Nothing ever jumps off like that though. Â It's so exciting on a Friday or a Saturday night!
This is the former spot of the Pop Inn, this place in NOT the Pop Inn. It's not trying to be the Pop Inn and you shouldn't expect anything about the Pop Inn to exsist when you walk in.
That being said...What a great vibe. Joey has done a great job with the renovations. There are windows in the front which really brighten it up and scare all the crackheads away. There is so much more space now. 5 or 6 flat screen TV's line the upper part of the walls and the back patio now allows drinks outside.
I have heard that there will be karaoke on Monday nights still.
The bar itself is still the same shape, just a slight bit smaller.
This will be and already is the place to be seen in Alameda.
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