I love this bar- as a SF transplant- it's my favorite...I hate to compare it to zeitgeist, but in a way it does compare because of the outside picnic table area that is larger than the inside, the black  80's/90s alternative music vibe and music playing, relaxed attitude of the customers and workers, but I think there is less I'm too cool for you attitude at heart n' dagger. Typical prices, good selection of beers, ciders and liquors,  dog friendly (and they now are more strict about keeping them on leash, which is a bummer because my dog is better off leash, but makes complete sense as a**holes who don't have their dog under control have probably caused trouble which is why they have to enforce it...). They are so dog friendly, they don't allow people to bring the buffalo wings in from next door (which is good, someone's watching out for pups ...douchebags will feed your pet food without asking and chicken is dangerous for dogs!)
The staff is cool- when I came for the first time a few years ago I was worried that they were gonna have the cooler than you attitude they do at zeitgeist- but they don't. Â The crowd is completely mixed- gay/straight/transgendered...preppy, rocker, hipster, douchebag, sportsfan (people who think they are on sports teams and only wear football or baseball uniform shirts and hats as if they are on the team)...you name it...they're there, and oddly with alcohol I've never seem a fight break out...people seem to get along well. Bring cash because as with most dive bars it's cash only (they also have an ATM). Music is good. My only complaint is the men's bathroom's lack of privacy- guess though it wouldn't qualify as a dive bar if it didn't have an inch gap and actually had a lock- I can't knock off a star for that though, because they are my favorite bar in Oakland.
"Oh, he's very popular Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads - they all adore him. They think he's a righteous dude."
-- from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
A visit to Heart & Dagger often reminds me of these words. As watering holes go, it may not be for every body, but it has a strikingly wide array of fans. And for us fans, it holds a piece of our hearts.
The vibe is casual (read: 'divey'), distinctly Oakland, with a wild edge befitting a David Lynch film. A biker bar only 'modestly' gentrified by neo-Oaklandites/wannabees/over-incomed geeks, to which I confess a partial complicity. Â
The playground segments into roughly three arenas: Â (1) Bar area, where the bees get their honey -- and the barkeeps, both efficient and commanding, do a great job keeping the drones and workers happy. Beer specials and shots of liquor are an excellent value, especially during HH, when my lovely Bulliet Manhattans are especially generous. (2) Patio, definitely favored by the dog-partnered and smoking clientele, and seems to collect the more regular patrons. Gossip is overheard, smiles are witnessed, wafting cigarette smoke is inhaled. Water from two giant ThermosTM coolers is free and easily accessed for both two and four-legged visitors back here.
And then there is (3), the pool table. Â Where I learned, thanks to tutelage from billiards Maestro M and a few tips from other regulars, to now actually almost *not* suck at pool-playing. Â Back to (3) in a bit.
For the bar en masse though: at its heart of gold though does push the tip of its dagger, as visits here have not always been a feel-good utopian experience. I've seen people verbally insulted or kicked out for debatable reasons by the staff (actually mostly by just one staff member -- they seem to work only one day a week, blessings); heard obnoxious comments by bigots drunk and loud; spied sketchy characters sporting knives in their back pocket, and witnessed a few "lively" disagreements over 8-ball. Admittedly, H&D is an onion with many layers, and not all those layers are pretty. Â The trifling edginess is in reality as much an allure as a downer, and a metaphor and microcosm of our world and city and a reminder that good or bad you're still a part of it so why not be a positive part or at the very least learn how to deal with it?
In reality, I don't wax all philosophic like that when I visit here. Which brings us back to (3): Â I do, truly, enjoy the regular pool players, and the competition and camaraderie I'm fortunate to have shared. Â I'm a square peg for several reasons in H&D, but the bonding with other such pegs or non-pegs is the reason I love to visit. And on those visits, I get to practice my shot, nurse my bourbon, and inhale the simple sideways joys that life has to offer.
Can one sum up H&D in a single catchphrase? Â "All for one, one for all, just watch your wallet and drink." "You don't have to be a biker to come, but it don't hurt if you are one." "A bar of inimitable substance and a multitude of substances."
Nah ... screw that. Heart and Dagger defies an easy Yelp review description. And I'm guessing they like it that way. Just be chill, be respectful, be unorthodox, be free, and be yourself. It's not to be analyzed. Just enjoyed.
I drink too much. Â
I came to that realization, drunk, during a disappointing pizza experience (why the fuck my bf drove us all the way to oakland for pizza who knows?) Â What to do at 11pm on weeknight, drunk, concerned about how you will pay for Betty Ford and in Oakland?
Heart and Dagger saloon.
Sure, my boyfriend tells me he loves pizza more than me. Get me drink.
Thank the Lord in Heaven he volunteered to DD.
As Kevin B. mentioned, if the Zeitgeist is too far of a hoof to get to, then H and D will do. Â The back yard is pretty big and decked with communal tables for both large and small group outings. Â
We arrived armed with IDs out (although no one, but NO ONE in my party looked even remotely underage) and was met with friendly banter from the door man no. 1. Â At one point I couldn't find my friends--not like the place is really that big, so I blame jet-lag for my confusion--and went back out onto the street to look for them. Â Door man no. 2 had all the charm of a TSA agent upon my re-entry not 2 minutes later. Â Maybe he thought I was some a-hole ABC cop trying to pull a fast one on him? Â I wish the US could just lighten up a bit on ID checking, but I get why they can't. Â
Anyway, this place is an interesting replacement for The Serenader, if, however, not in keeping with the vibe of that which existed for decades in this very spot. Â -a place where bitchin' BBQ reigned in the backyard and my white face was a minority.
When Zeitgeist is just too far away...
The Heart & Dagger Saloon wins on the name alone, but on a sunny day after a picnic on Lake Merritt, it's a great place to relax with friends. Like Zeitgeist across the bay, it's got a biker motif and strong beer on tap, along with a popular backyard for catching up with friends.
This place also has pool tables and a well-stocked jukebox (also like Zeitgeist), so it's better designed for long stays instead of a quick drink, and the crowd gets friendlier as the afternoon goes on. If you're having a thirsty afternoon in the East Bay, quench here.
I must've driven by this place hundreds of times before I ended up trying up, but I'm glad my friend finally suggested I meet him up there for drinks.
The place has a dive-bar feel with an outdoor patio in the back and pin ball machines.
The prices agree with me, especially the special they had that evening of $6 GENTLEMAN JACK, most other places would have Gentleman Jack beween at least $8 to $10.
There's also a couple TVs (yay... I can watch my sports)
If I seem to like it so much why am I giving it 4 stars?
- No food. You can bring outside food from the options on either side (Kwik Way, KFC, Wing Stop, etc.) but it's a little bit of an inconvenience.
- They're cash only.
I'll go again.
I was Chilling at the Slab when I get a Text from my Yelp Minister of Fun John Z to join the Posse at H&D Saloon. So I jumped into my Whip Black Beauty and rolled to Oak town . I grabbed a parking spot right across the street. Â Tip 1 no parking lot just street parking.
So I roll in and see John Z and Markus dominating the Pool Table. Anne Marie shooting Deer in the Arcade. Home Sweet Home. Yelp Posse in full effect.
Nice Big Bar ,Friendly Bartenders ,LCD TVs for Entertainment and a Cool Back Patio for Summer Nights or Days.
A wide selection of Beers and a cool retro Juke box adds to the Charm of H&D Saloon.
Great meeting Spot or a Friendly game of Pool H&D is the place to be.
Tip 2 They allow outside food in.
My head hurts, and it has nothing to do with what I drank last night. Â Water; I should start learning to drink more water. Â But what's a poor girl to do when a bar insists on serving her most favourite whiskey at such amazing prices??
Heart & Dagger - For years, I'd walked by this place too afraid of my own shadow to venture inside. Â Then one day, I came across a photo someone took of the outside and discovered that they kicked it up a few dozen notches on their curbside appeal. Â Then, The C. made me meet him here before showtime. Â Who knew that it would become a small trend?
I now can proudly say that I overcame my misguided fears and have found a sweet little spot on the ever changing face of Lakeshore Ave to call home. Â This bar is perfect in its divey-ness, has a huge patio for perfect summer evenings, a nice little pool table that only costs $1 a game, and has an awesome jukebox that plays Flogging Molly and David Bowie! Â Plus, the prices on the drinks are super inexpensive, and the bartenders are more than kindly souls that'll make you think of Cheers.
You, too, should overcome your fears and check this place out. Â I feel myself lucky to have been introduced.
Day turns into night here much the same way it does at Roadside America in PA. Â Except there it's kind of an artificial day into night and the speakers play America the Beautiful when the gloaming comes. Â Here the happy lass on my High Life bottle simply catches the light in a simple soulful way.
Three cheers to Shark Z coloring the felt with all that bloody chum.
I was roofied here once but I don't care, I still love this place. You can smoke out in the back, they have excellent arcade machines, and the people there are cool. (Actually not joking about getting roofied, but I suspect it was a shitty dude playing a joke on me (another dude).
The best part is that it is next to lots of yummy places so you can get your munch on afterwards. I am told I ate several sliced of Lanesplitters Pizza next door but of course I do not remember it. I am also told that the pizza was "fucking incredible" but again, I don't remember.
I also want to review my friend Lisa K who rescued me and fed me the pizza and drove me home despite my insistence (which I do not remember, but sounds correct) that I would "just walk back home" (2 miles). Lisa gets 10 stars!!!
Heart and Dagger has my heart for the following reasons:
- There are activities like playing pool, video games and pinball.
- There's an outdoor patio if the weather is nice and you secure a spot, you're golden.
- They allow outside food.
- The staff and clientele are friendly and diverse.
- The drinks are reasonably priced.
- They offer cider - my non-beer drink of choice.
- They kindly refill your bowl of goldfish crackers which I devoured because I cannot drink on an empty stomach.
- It's conveniently located with lots of parking across the street.
- The jukebox has a good variety of songs.
- It's close to where a lot of my friends live - a good meeting spot if I ever need it.
- They're dog friendly.
The only dagger - it's cash only so plan to bring cash or walk to the BofA down the street.
She suggested we meet at this bar in Oakland. I heard about it before and without context imagined it to be a seedy dive bar. I arrived first and sat at the bar. The bartender was nice, the drinks were very reasonable. My beer wasn't as cold as I would have liked. The crowd was definitely a varied mix of people.
I walked around, and checked out the back patio. Then decided, this is cool place. My date showed up we had a few drinks. Â The bartender randomly brought us a couple of free drinks to taste. One thing led to another and we left together.
(It must have been the Funky Cold Medina)
I would definitely like to come back and recommend this bar.
If you are looking for a dive bar, you can't do much better than this in Oakland. The drinks are cheap, there's a great outdoor seating area and plenty of people watching. It gets a little smokey in the patio, but what do you expect from outdoor seating at a bar. Pinball and Pool are also big pluses.
Review Source:I love heart and dagger for the outdoor seating - perfect place to spend a nice summer evening with beers and friends.
I also love that dogs hang out in the outdoor area, especially for a dog-lover who doesn't have one, it's a nice way to get your fix.
I suggest sticking with beers though - their mix drinks aren't the best.
How did I miss this local fav? Â The bus stop and planters outside are misleading. Â Come on in for an excellent local dive with a fantastic back patio. Â Three drinks for $10 - our eyes lit up like Christmas. Â Bartender called a patron a douche. Â And... I mean that in an awesome way.
Review Source:Well, my Yelp buddy Max has been going here for a while, and given that it's a six-minute walk from my house, I really have no excuse for not getting here sooner. Anyway, I've seen the light! This place is great. Pool tables are so rare here in NorCal! And a patio!
And this place is right next to the parking are under the 580!
$4 24oz Pabsts ftw! Â This little divey place is pretty cool; a pool table, some pinball machines, quarter machine to get change, some seats, a bar, and back patio. Â I didn't engage the staff the night I went, but the beers are freezing cold and that's good enough for me. Â
The crowd is pretty lax, my group of friends met some new friends and even had some friendly pool competition, modern day Cheers maybe?? Â Haha! Â I wish there was at least another pool table, and maybe some more seating, but this place is pretty much awesome, check it out.
We're spending most our lives living in a Hipster's Paradise...
Great place with a divey vibe. You are met at the door by a friendly old dude checking ID's. Inside there is checkered flooring and some arcade games/a pool table, literally making it an adult funhouse, but don't act too excited about it, that isn't allowed.
Outside there is a cool patio with a bunch of neat decor. Tables are scattered around with numerous people smoking and enjoying their non-mainstream drink. Regulars are prevalant and you can tell because when they come out of the back door onto the patio rounds of cheering and banter errupt.
Drinks were reasonably priced, the bar service was fast and easy, and everyone there seemed to be having a great time.
Tip: don't forget your hipster plaid, your scarf, and wear dark colors to blend into their natural habitat better.
I don't usually review bars, but I loooooove Heart and Dagger! Beers are yummy, drinks are pretty good, but the best part is the patio. People bring their dogs back there, it's awesome!
We'll usually come here and chill in the patio, maybe play some pin ball, then move to the next bar. We usually hit up Lanesplitter Pizza afterwords because it's so closeby. Delish.
One star for every sip of beer before my dog and I got booted.
She was barking at another dog. Which I get is annoying and cause for concern. But she was only barking because she was leashed, and wanted to go greet the other dog. And she was only leashed because within a minute of walking in I was told I had to leash her. Which would have been fine and fair except that no other dogs were leashed. Which puts my girl in a weird situation where everyone else is meeting and greeting and she's tied down in a corner. Â Hence the barking.
I kind of wanted to point all this out at the time, but it's been my experience that nothing good comes from arguing with bouncers, so we left. Which sucks! For the 3 minutes we were there it seemed like a cool little dive. We live around the corner, and I was hoping this could be our end up after walks around the lake.
Heart and Dagger Saloon appeals to my mysterious and cheap side. everyday prices are cheap, HH is a bit cheaper.
lots of entertainment options: pool table, pinball machines, video machines, juke box, flat screens.
drink: gin & tonic(4)
-pretty strong
guinness black lager(4)
just so-so
on draught:
-happy hours(m-f, 4-7), $3 drafts, 3.5 wells
-voted by bar 2011, Â east bay express
-voted best jukebox in bar 2011, east bay express
-patio seating in rear
-free parking under freeway after 6.
-fast. smiling service
-prepared to be carded
-pizza, burger, wing food options nearby. .
-many patrons wear leather and tats. clientele on the edge of heavy metal.
Eek! Â Methinks never again.
Went here a few times and thought it was alright. Â After having my bike tires slashed and the bartender refusing service saying "I don't serve blonds" to my male friend....I'm done.
Pros:
Patio out back
Cute dogs
Cons:
Rude bartender
Only one toilet...which clogs and people still piss (and crap) in it until it's full
Bike tires SLASHED....no sign in sight saying do NOT park your bike here
People beauregarding the jukebox with annoying music
If you're willing to put up with idiots for bartenders, nasty toilets, and flat tires please go here!
Here's an update for you:
Got some wings for lunch one afternoon at wing stop, thought we'd have a beer next door at H&D. The guy bartenders here are jokey and friendly. The lady bartenders are surly, sour and today was especially bad. The troll lady behind the bar gave us attitude on the way in, on the way out and for the whole 2 mins we were there quickly trying to get our IDs out for her. No "Hi there" no "ID's please." Just an unwelcoming attitude, tone and facial expressions.
Tattoos are not a substitute for personality. We would have probably spent all afternoon there and spent $60 on drinks. But instead we were quickly ushered out. Go to Smitty's instead - the bartender AND the people are way friendler.
Do not go here if you are allergic to or don't like dogs. Dogs are allowed to run wild and free in this joint. I'm not talking about dogs as in low down men, although I'm sure there were a few of those lying in wait too. I'm referring to four-legged, smelly, drooling dogs.
Isn't this some kind of health code violation? If it isn't, it should be. Heart & Dagger won't be seeing me again. NAS-TEE!
Heart and Dagger is a cop sympathizing bar. Bartender has his head so far up OPD's a$$ that he lost a group of 10 in a single night-- forever.
Went here for the punk atmosphere with a group of friends after we dished at a forum on police violence at the Grand Lake Theater. I guess we were too radical for the bartender 'cause he felt the need to defend the honor of OPD to us.
Go to Radio Bar instead, they walk the walk instead of looking hard and loving bacon.
LOVE this bar! Â It's charmingly divey, without being disgusting...unlike this one bar I went to recently who's name I will not mention where patrons just dropped trou' and urinated all over the bloody patio - sorry, but that's just nasty. I digress.
H&D's bartenders are hella' friendly and they pour heavy. Â Seriously, I can typically hold my booze pretty well and one $10 pint-glass-sized-long-island had me buzzing preeetty hard. Â There's a pool table that's almost always occupied by friendly people who are happy to work you into the rotation, puppies! (yes, puppies. It's dog-friendly), a nice outdoor patio for the smokers, tasty food just next door, a jukebox, arcade games, and an ATM machine (they don't take cards). Â
It's really nice to have this bar within walking distance of our house. Â It's by far the best neighborhood bar I've experienced yet.
Still the most awesomest bar in town!
Don't go with attitude and you won't get none, epic back patio and cheap drinks.
Better like friendly dogs, if not don't bother. This is a super dog lovin' joint, if you fear them stay away and don't complain about them being there...consider yourself warned.
Props to Suzy, Allison and Eric...damn the whole crew over there makes my day. Just pour me a strong drink, talk like a dirty sailor and I'm yours!
A Quality, respectful stand up business...all haters can walk the plank!!!
xoxo!
.
Drinks are inexpensive and stiff .
Cash only is a  bit irritating.
.
Only one toilet
Plenty of seating outside .
I felt comfortable here and I think that it was because everyone was so friendly and engaging. I should remember to visit that side of the lake for a more often especially if I'm in the mood for mustaches, boys who ride bikes , tattoos and a slick comb over, oh wait...that is like... all day , everyday. Welp, alrighty then.
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