This was one of the most fun nights I had in the longest time. The decor is rock star solid, cocktails are awesome and most importantly Doug and John are the down right coolest hosts you can ever ask for. It's been a while since I've been in a place that made me want to take shots take my shirt off and ride a skate board on the dance floor. This was simply the best night I had on my SF trip.
Review Source:I live in Napa, but I'll make the drive to Oakland if a friend's band is playing here or just to hang out because I really like the venue. The atmosphere is appealing and clean, I enjoy the people and the drinks are yummy. I would recommend this place to those folks, who, like me, hate sports bars with TVs and who crave ambience and comfort. I guess this is the first bar I've deemed 'comfortable'. But maybe I can blame my long history of occupying Victorians. Cheers!
Review Source:This place reminds me of those times
when you are hanging on the front porch.
Drinking with your friends.
Having another one.
And the fun never ends.
Or as a kid when you are hanging in the alley.
Drinking with your friends.
Having another one.
The fun never ends.
Or when you are hanging out at Fest.
Drinking with your friends.
Having a great time
and the fun never ends
And then that time
I was at the Night Light hangin' with Tito
grabbing some drinks
and the fun never seemed to end.
Until we were going down Broadway to grab him some cigs
Rho and Dottie show up for a good time
but so do the pigs
So we go back inside the Night Light for another drink
And the fun never ends.
Everyone here IS AWESOME! Swung by NOT ONCE but TWICE in the same week.
MONDAY, July 29- Â Event: Play catchup-ketchup w/a gf of mine who's back stateside visiting from Barcelona along with another friend of hers. Wanted to take them somewhere we've never been and decided to travel towards this watering hole after reading the 4-star reviews by Nique F. and Eugene L. (haven't steered me wrong yet!). THANKS!:)
Went upstairs to check out the Comedy show and live bands until the Best of the Bay event finished up downstairs and were offered yummy mini bundt cakes and pastries.
After the event started winding down they were playing some chill tunes downstairs and we decided to lounge in the comfy cigar loungers there. The ladies behind the bar were friendly and attentive even though it was still busy. Â We shut the place down and made it a point to come back.
TUESDAY, July 30- Aaaaaand come back we did...LOL the very next night-more to find out where and when my credit card decided to run away from the safety of my wallet and into the big bad world and to take a break from reality....My dad is back in the hospital again and I just needed a breather...a couple of shots...and a few more drinks...I digress...
The bartender behind the counter that night was super understanding and checked and triple checked the lost and found but to no avail. KUDOS AND 1 MILLION STARS to her for trying!! I SERIOUSLY appreciate the effort and not making me feel like an idiot for losing it in the first place! I wish I caught her name-Another reason to return:)
Best of the East Bay 2013 Winner of THE NEW AUTHENTIC
PARKING: Street
Upstairs: Usually live bands/comedy show/interesting
Downstairs: typical long bar layout and stools to the left and Loungers spread out throughout
CASUAL-CHILL-ECLECTIC
This is a neat place but not quite there. The atmosphere is unique - you walk in and it is like you entered a 1920's speakeasy. Decent music and just a classy place; look at the pictures and you will know what I mean. The dark wood, the wall paper, the edison style light bulbs...
The drink menu is excellent (lots of craft cocktails with premium ingredients) but the flaw is that the staff do not try the cocktails before serving them or put on a show when making them. Instead they are put together pretty quick, and thus the quality suffers. It lacks that true craft experience.
When you make a really good cocktail you need the exact balance of ice and time. You need to stir, add ice, test, and possibly stir some more and add even more ice or another ingredient. I really wish this place did that then I would be there every week....
I still liked it and will be back. Friendly staff and a unique vibe.
Really fun place that is off the beaten path of Oakland bars and is always a good stop after Merchant's or Beer Revolution.
Lucy and Dougie keep the place going great. Â The happy hour prices are awesome. Â For some reason, the bar upstairs is run like a separate entity so each drink costs more so remember to order downstairs. Â Your drink will still be scientifically poured into the jigger and not an extra drop.
Went here recently for happy hour... what can I say? I'm a fan. Â Love the decor. Â On the day I visited, there were DJs playing good music downstairs, but the volume was kept to a reasonable level so you could still talk to your friends... something I appreciate. Â My cocktails were fantastic, and you could tell the bartender takes pride in his work. Â Seriously, some of the best cocktails I've had in ages. Â "I'll be back."
Review Source:Pretty cool place (ground floor speaking since I didn't get a chance to go upstairs), it definitely gets loud when the music is playing. Â Bartenders are nice and the bouncer is friendly too. Â Comfy chairs and spinning bar stools and prices are reasonable. Â Lots of street parking but may have to drive around the block one or two times.
Review Source:I go to the Night Light pretty often (a close friend DJs here weekly and good bands come through regularly) and always have a pleasant time.
Delicious drinks, although very pricey (think Prizefighter prices but not Prizefighter quality). I like the decor and will often bring friends here (especially after Beer Revolution closes). It's a great bar early in the evening, but I don't care for the crowd when it gets busy on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights (personal preference).
Very (VERY) small bathrooms. I like the guy bartenders (I think they're the owners) - always friendly and helpful, but the lady bartenders have been rude on more than one occasion.
I wandered in here one Friday night. I hadn't noticed it before and it looked like it was new, which I later found out that it was, so I went in. I'm glad I did. Night Light is a cool little spot. The interior kind of reminds me of  Bar 355, but with better drinks. I only had one of their cocktails, but I forgot the name of it. There was also a DJ spinning there and he was playing 90s/00s hip hop. He was playing some good selections. Though my time here was very short, I want to come back and check out the upper level.
Review Source:Kenny L. and I had our engagement party here thanks to the suggestion of Mike D. They were super nice about having a gaggle of our friends drop in on a Sunday afternoon - actually they get bonus points for being open on Sunday afternoon because so few nice bars are. This was the perfect space for us - elegant, chill - a little dark for Sunday - but a really beautiful bar in general.
The drinks were awesome. I considered it my duty as a good hostess to have at least a sip of each of the whiskey cocktails. Each was delicious and special. Our friends enjoyed their cocktails and the selection of beers available.
Best of all was the staff - the bartender made the delicious drinks. He also made us a shot at the end of the night - the vieux carre. Now, without knowing us, he basically created the perfect signature cocktail for us: cognac, campari, whiskey. Two things that each of us likes and then a third thing that we have in common. That capped off a wonderful night of celebrating our impending nuptials with our friends
This is really the only reason I go out after dark. Which, granted, still doesn't happen as often as it should - there are regular awesome shows here featuring a bevy of great local garage bands upstairs, and some excellent DJs downstairs. The decor is kind of stunning, the drinks are solid, the staff is a fantastic group of people. Usually I'm wary of places that separate the stage/venue from the bar because there can be a weird dis-congruity between crowds, but it works pretty well here. Even when there's a less-than-obvious show/DJ match up (like the psych-garage show with old-school hip-hop DJ night that'll pop up now and then) it still manages to feel comfortable moving back and forth, unlike the middle-school-dance complex many of these places can get (opposite sides of the room, *maybe* one or two brave souls crossing over to dance).
And in terms of service, yeah, it's a bar, sometimes you don't get your drink immediately. But I'd rather be spending my Saturday night with good company and good drinks and good tunes than plop down somewhere where the bartender has nothing to do but sit in front of me and pour my bevvies. If I'm just looking to get drunk quick I'll stay home.
Pro-tip: regular Monday-night stand-up downstairs.
Pro-tip 2: AC Transit late-night free shuttle b/t downtown & JLS.
Pro-tip 3: Nations next door is open until 1, but no late-night breakfast.
What does it take to get a drink around here?
Came to The Night Light last Saturday around 9:30. My friend and I got to the front of the bar and proceeded to wait over 20 minutes without even being acknowledged by either bartender. Not even eye contact or a "I'll be right with you." When a guy next to us (who got to the bar about 15 minutes after us) got served before we did, we bailed. Lame, lame, lame.
So. much. whiskey. Definitely more than I've ever seen in a dive bar - though I guess this is slightly above that, but not quite one of those pretentious mixology places yet. The bartenders are friendly, and took care of everyone, even though they were slammed on a Friday night. They checked back in with us regularly, and chatted with us to recommend different scotches. They know their stuff, but they don't rub it in your face.
It seemed like the upstairs bar through the other entrance was for dancing, and downstairs is for drinking. Wish they did have a dance floor though, because they were playing great music. I'm adding the Night Light to my usual list (The Layover, Bar 355) for the perfect trifecta of bars in Oakland.
Part divey, part mixology, and full blown hipster. Â If any of those three appeal to you, definitely stop by for a drink at least. Â The venue is really small, but breathes character. Â Everyone from the owner, bartenders, and doorman treats you like a customer. Â Service is fantastic, and they often come socialize with you on less busy nights to make sure everything is up to par. Â This gives me hope that neighborhood divey places that serve mean cocktails are still around. Â You won't hear the "UNCE UNCE UNCE" of EDM or top 40 here. Â Instead you'll find ambient lighting and lounge rock playing. Â Awesome place to catch up with old friends. Â Drinks are definitely stiff.
Wait staff is not pretentious at all.
PROTIP: Â They make an absolutely mean old fashioned. Â Their whiskey selection is definitely not shabby either.
I would have given 5 stars, would it not have been for the amateur "Security Guard" in a pimp suit who let me walk right in as he grabbed my 37 year old Ex-Marine husband FROM BEHIND, to ask for ID. Â I wander in and suddenly realize my man is missing. Â A verbal confrontation of course insues, as anyone in law enforcement or pro-security or with basic common sense knows you DO NOT grab a person from behind, EVER, Especially if you are dressed like a swindler pimp. Â
Other than that, the specialty cocktails are delicious, the decor is absolutely perfect and swanky. Â The bar staff from Beer Revolution filled the bar as patrons which was interesting. Â But I can't imagine ever returning.
Had a few cocktails to celebrate by birthday after having dinner in the area. I was very surprised that this was here. I really enjoyed my drink and the furniture was nice. The decor makes this spot feel trendy. There are mostly dark colors and darker woods used in the decor. I also like the wallpaper and it was fuzzy.
I only wish there was a little more ventilation, it was one hot summer night plus drinks was making it like HOT.
This is a great spot.
Classy! Lots of comfortable furniture and space (at least, there was on a weeknight). My bartender was kinda daffy but I wasn't in a hurry.
Saw a show upstairs and really loved it -- the bartender up there was great, the lady at the door danced along, everyone was super nice and nobody was pretentious even though there's a big shelf full of rye.
The Night Light (b/w Nation"s & souley vegan) has been resurrected as a sensual drinking hole with brown tones, brown woods and stylish nudes on the woods.
a relaxed mood is enhanced by the easy listening r & b music. space isn't that big. you beat the rush by going to happy hours, every day, 4-8
-well drinks(4)
-draft beers (4?)
-specialty drinks ($1 off)
drink: gin & tonic (4)
-heavy pour, 1 1/2 oz gin, i hear
lady from the sea (9)
-rum, cane sugar, and ?
just a sweet drink.
on draught
-6 micros on draft
-bill, the bartender ,is cool, laid back.
Popped in Thursday after work 5:30 for a few before dinner. Â Bartender was Melissa who was friendly and attentive. Â My friend and I ordered wine and a manhattan. Â Cocktail was made perfect and always with a smile.
There will be a live venue upstairs or something like that coming in a few months. Â will stop back to see how this shapes up...
Gorgeous dark and steamy bar. Â I like to call these sort of places an old world man's bar, but it's so not just for the boys. Â Every inch of this place feels like owners John or Doug had spent hours making it just so. Â from the plush leathery & brass tacked armchairs, couches and heavy duty bar stools, to the purse/coat hooks under the bar. Â the velvet flocked wallpaper, the 2 painting of the same nude--even has a flat screen TV but discreetly tucked away flush to the walls in more lovely dark stained wood. Â
The drinks are cocktails, or whiskey. Â There are a few beers on tap, but really, if you wanted beer you'd be around the corner, right? Â No, here, you want to sit back and nurse a well crafted drink. Â There is a list of their delightfully crafted cocktails--and I highly recommend them. I don't even really drink hard alcohol anymore, and I thoroughly enjoyed my classy poison with relish!
There are DJs in attendance--check their website or FB for more details. Â This place makes me wanna dress up to match the joint. Class act, all the way!
This bar is clearly a love affair of the owners, and be prepared, I understand that there is an upstairs that they someday will be doing more with.
Drinking and role playing go so well together! Thus, my favorite cocktail bars are the ones that whisk me urgently away from the wretched burden of consciousness and make me feel like somebody else for an hour or two (that was my tortured alcoholic poet persona talking...)
Night Light is just my kind of escapist bar, with it's bulky windowless doors that leave you wondering what's beyond them until the moment they creak open and you're sucked into a lush den of sailor-y swank. Mount the sturdy leather bar stools, admire the nude boudoir paintings, distressed mirrors, gold-gilded wallpaper (yes, just like Bar 355) and low-glowing lanterns as you drift away to your happy place... you might just feel the room begin to sway, boat-like.
Ah, but you came for cocktails, matey! The list is a short one, dominated by bourbon, rye, and whiskey concoctions. I whined a bit to our inconceivably friendly bartendress about my low-tolerance for "manly" grog, but she promised I would love the "Wild and Free" (bourbon, domaine de canton, house-made sour, and ginger beer on the rocks, $9). Indeed, it was so complex and captivating that I had to drink it out of the skinny straw to refrain from sucking it down in record time.
We also tried The Diamond Dove (tequila, grapefruit, grand marnier, lime, club soda with a spicy salt rim, $8), another refreshing, stiff, and expertly mixed quaff. And look at those $8, $9, and $10 pricetags! Isn't it special when a new bar comes to town and doesn't try to up the ante with crazy $12 cocktails served in two-sip portions (ahem, Plum Bar).
Our guys ordered some of the more macho bevs - lighter on the juice, heavier on the rye - and raved about them. I tried a sip and choked, so they must be positively fantastic by man-standards. They've also got beer on tap, of course, so your whole crew can be appeased.
Note the CASH ONLY policy, which doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Note the abundance of cush leather seating, perfect for a large loungey group. Note the music...which needs to be turned up or swapped out for some live accordion players, because that would really complete the scene, eh?
Night light, my you do shine bright! Tucked between Ginza and Nations on Broadway, not too far from Beer Rev and Souley Vegan, It's a stone's throw away from many favorite things. Five stars alone for the fact there's another stellar drinking establishment close to my favorite toasty crispy burger.
For me, Night Light screams, "Ladies, drop your man off at boyfriend daycare (Beer Rev) and come grab a yummy nautical themed cocktail with your girlfriends!" Not to say that boyfriend didn't like it, nono, he did. But sometimes, dare I say, it's just not a beer night. And sometimes, after said delicious toasty crispy, I'd really enjoy a cocktail.
The Night Light is brand new. Yup, mm that new paint twinge is still there. The interior is cush and luxurious. Dimly lit with lots of leather seating, it begs the question, is there a nautical wench waiting for a suitor upstairs? It struck me that the design is eerily similar to 355. The space, however, is much more open and conducive to lounging. I enjoyed the sound they had going.
Boyfriend and I just stopped in for a quick cocktail on our way home. I tried and loved the Wild and Free. Boyfriend enjoyed his high on Rye. Both were 8 bucks each. Didn't break the bank although I wouldn't call it exactly cheap. They don't accept credit cards which is a little annoying but nothing we couldn't figure out.
Night light, I hope you are here to stay. Especially if your co-owner Doug was serious about his promise of unlimited free drinks :)
Aptly named and well-positioned, the latest addition to Broadway's booming West End is definitely lighting up the night.
From the stately facade with the carnival-esque lights and Wild Wild West signage to the warm glow of a slew of crystal chandeliers and wall sconces, The Night Light is beaming the modern-urban-oasis-meets-sexed-up-saloon vibe.
With vintage details abound, like the cash registers, the lush, leather club chairs, the bordello-esque wallpaper and boudoir paintings, the distinct crackle of vinyl over the Hi-Fi, and their own version of Miss Kitty (Miss Megan) behind the bar slingin' high-octane drinks, it's like a step back in time that is right ON time.
Makes sense coming from the former owners of The Ivy Room in Albany and Kitty's in Emeryville. It's not their first trip to the rodeo, they do seem to know a thing or two about attracting and keeping a hip and loyal clientele.
Works out great for us Oaklanders. Now the Uptown Crawl merges with the Downtown Crawl with other great haunts like The Trappist, Beer Revolution, Tamarindo and Haven and the Oaktown party don't stop...
My little old lady heart went aflutter: Edison bulbs over the bar, velvet wallpaper, furniture with feet! Â A bar tender with a Dali-meets-Cowboy mustache!! II ordered a whiskey ginger, and he sprinkled a little Worcestershire sauce on top--yum!!
The doorman with a bulletproof vest was a teensy unnerving, especially after he clarified he just wore it because he'd been "shot at too many times." All in all, a really fun, adorable bar.
I was out rolling with the Jo Jo Posse when "The Night Light " was suggested as our next Destination. Â We were all game so we jumped into my Whip and rolled 3 deep to Jack London Square. We pulled up right in front and parked . The only tip that the Night Light was open was the 3 Lit arch ways .
We walked up to the Front Double Doors and walked in and was greeted by the Doorman . He checked our IDs and let us roll in.
'The Night Light " is a Darkly Lit Dive Bar.  There are sitting areas with Red Leather Couch's and Chairs . Embossed  Velvet Wallpaper, Nice Kiplsch -Jbl Sound system , and a DJ
The Bartender - Lucy was pretty attentive . We opted to hang out at the Bar . the stools were nice and Comfy.
Two Trivia facts
The Building that houses "The Night Light " Was a Bordello at one time.
And it was 'Sweet Jimmies " in its last incarnation . Sweet Jimmies was the Site of a Fatal Funnel type shooting.
ATM located on site. Â The Night Light gives Jack London another Destination to drink and chill.
The neighborhood already has some amazing beer spots (Trappist and Beer Revolution), so it's about time a cocktail destination opened.
I sampled 3 or 4 of the house cocktails and all were great, nice atmosphere and service. Â Predictably quiet on a Tuesday around happy hour, so I hope that things pick up closer to the weekend. Â These guys deserve a crowd.
Cash only right now, but there is an ATM on site.
My group of friends and I (Oaklanders!) were stoked to check this place out on opening night. Â We got there at 8:30, so it wasn't that late into the evening when we showed up.
The doorman was awesome. Â He was seriously the best thing about the night! Â He gets 5 stars.
The space looks really nice - the outside arches and fairy lights, the fuzzy interior wallpaper. Â That's 4 stars. Â
Probably the worst thing about the experience was -- when we met the doorman, we were like "Man! This place is going to be awesome!" Â We had really high expectations for what this place was going to be like. Â Plus, our group of friends loves really hard on the Oakland bar scene, and JLS, and were hopeful that there would be a reason to head this way a little more often.
However, it was really disappointing in the sense that I, and I think most of my friends, really feel no reason to go back here. Â Hence, the 2 stars - "meh. i've experienced better."
The cocktails on the menu were good tasting (if they had been mixed properly), and similar prices as other bars we love (Chop Bar in JLS, Van Kleef, Make Westing, Layover, etc). Â So that was fine.
But the service? Â The bartender I got a drink from was okay. Â Only problem was that their first cocktail on the menu, the "Old Smokey" (something like that) was already unable to be made due to lack of ingredients. Â Okay, so it's opening night and they're learning, but wouldn't you want to have a lot of the stuff on hand for your headlining cocktail?
My drink was okay, but it wasn't mixed up at all, just everything layered, so it got kinda gross cuz I couldn't stir it and so had to drink up all the sweet stuff first, then when I could stir it, it was unbalanced.
One friend reported that his bartender was actually really mean to him. Â She was repeatedly shouting prices at people (in a not friendly manner, not in an "it's loud in here" manner). Â
Also, for other drinks our friends got, the prices seemed to range wildly for the same drink - between $6-9 for the same drink within our group of friends.
Later, when a friend returned to buy a drink for himself and his partner, he was told by a bartender that he couldn't order a cocktail. Â Even though cocktails are on the menu and the other bartender was making them.
To be fair, they were probably just understaffed and overwhelmed. Â There seemed to be only two main bartenders, and one third who was partially making drinks and partially running around.
 But why go somewhere to get such disappointing service? You'd think that you'd want to pull out all the stops on opening night, or at least just be prepared with enough staff and ingredients.  Or if you're not prepared, be friendly and gracious about it - smile maybe?  Most Oaklanders are understanding about shortages of drinks and staff, but not about being treated poorly.
 I'd give this place another chance (based on the doorman alone, actually) to hopefully make some positive changes after a crappy friday night opening. They're supposed to also have shows, which I'd go to check out. However, there are so many better options that have their stuff together in Oakland, so I'm not in a hurry to go back.
To illustrate why not, a couple Fridays ago, same group of friends ended up at Van Kleef and the owner was walking around passing out several rounds of complimentary tomatoes with vinegar/sea salt to everyone in the bar. Â And it wasn't a special occasion. Â And there were a lot of people in the bar.
There's a reason I prefer to stay in Oakland to go out and skip San Francisco, and unfortunately, the Night Light isn't quite there, yet. Â Let's hope they get it together.
They have velvet wallpaper, leather man chairs and, at least when we were there, a propensity to lure people into many drinks followed by a late night Hulu marathon of Soul Train when you return home, maybe a bit drunk.
In case you were unaware this entire scenario goes well with whiskey. Yes, they have whiskey and they know how to make it into delightful cocktails. All of this on their second night.
Yes, I am looking forward to more of this good in the neighborhood.
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