Standard old man-type bar in Oakland. Sketchy area at night, but I went during happy hour (though I find Bud at $4 not very happy), and it was fine. Haven't had the food, but the free popcorn at the bar is fine. They show sports on their tv and also have a hot food section near the bar. They also have a card room around the corner, if you want to gamble and want none of the glitz and glamour, and just the seediness, of Vegas in your backyard.
Review Source:Three star is about right for this place.The outside looks a little shady, but inside looks like any other bar with a sandwich station.
I ordered a rare hot roast beef sandwich from this place. The meat looked promising as Sou (the carver) was carving it. However, when I bit into my sandwich the beef tasted bland and too grisly. I wish they have sourdough roll from Maggiora bakery rather than just the French roll as the French roll broke apart too easily and doesn't have a toothsome bite to it. Overall it's a pretty vanilla place nothing exciting there.
I would go back to try the food again, but probably wouldn't order the roast beef.
Jorge behind the bar = yes.
The hofbrau meats are pretty good. I have eaten MANY just-carved turkey and roast beef sandwiches here. YUM. They have a Vietnamese menu too and the food looks pretty good but I haven't tried any of it yet.
When I come here I always sit at the bar but I only drink diet coke. Why? I come here for lunch and I don't find booze useful when it comes to afternoon work or athletic activities. So why sit at the bar? You have to witness the verbal volley that goes on between Jorge and the customers he's been serving for over a decade to understand.
For those of you that can enjoy a daytime drink or can take a day off: Those drinks are deceptively smooth and delicious. His Adios MF's have made many men and women crumble from lucidity to sheer stupor right before my eyes. These people are smiling the whole time and claim they can't taste the alcohol. Every time it happens: those of us who know about Jorge's drinks start laughing."Hahaha Adios MF!!"
Jorge uses fresh squeezed juice, not bottled mixers. He'll switch the TV to what you want to watch. He'll recommend a mechanic. He'll give gardening advice. If you aren't eating he'll make sure you have popcorn to nibble on. He remembers what you ordered even if he's only served you once or twice before. He brings mint from his home garden to muddle in drinks. He brings fresh hot peppers from his garden to spice up the food from the kitchen for customers that want it.
So why do I give the Oaks 4 stars? Corporations don't serve neighborhood love. The Oaks does. Go get some!
**SANDWICH REVIEW ONLY**
I don't see the reasoning for all the hatred. I can't vouch for anything else, but the sandwiches here are GOOD.
My coworker came back from lunch one day gushing about this "new" thing he discovered: corned beef (lol). It was pretty endearing that he hadn't heard of it before, but beyond that, he spoke of it as if it was an amazing treasure he had stumbled upon and was doing ME the favor by letting me in on the secret. Naturally, I had to see for myself what all the fuss was about.
On my first visit with him, I ordered the corned beef. He had only advertised it to me as the greatest thing he had eaten in ages; did I really have any other choice? The sandwich-maker-guy gave me the option of fat or lean cuts of corned beef. I chose the fatty -- since I'm about that life -- and he began working on my sandwich. Mind you, I've been raised on thin deli slices in my sandwiches for as long as I can remember. As such, I can't say I was prepared for what was about to go down... THICK hand cut slabs of meat sandwiched between two slices of bread. Who would have thunk such simplicity could be oooooh so amaze?! I almost feel like I grew chest hairs eating that manly man of a sando --- o_0. Even though the corned beef was slightly salty for my tastes, it  was still extremely tender and tasty in my mouf. Thoroughly impressed (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/k83KkGYf5_s_vnLpm0eV9g?select=NgccqhxZBUcpjGx2a-b1Dw#W7D1PdmQlu30FMviWXdsfw">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>).
On a subsequent visit, the pastrami was just as satisfying (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/k83KkGYf5_s_vnLpm0eV9g?select=NgccqhxZBUcpjGx2a-b1Dw#laoGEmbf0zadNV5xeApI1w">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>). Meat was perfectly seasoned and JUICY! Okay, okay. So the edge pieces were a bit on the crisp side of the equation, but there was so little of it that there's really nothing to complain about (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/k83KkGYf5_s_vnLpm0eV9g?select=NgccqhxZBUcpjGx2a-b1Dw#aabZt8K2H2uobOFVhMJ2hA">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>). I'm easy going... as long that the majority of my meal is successful, I'm a happy camper. This more than fit the bill. Really, at about 7 bucks a piece, it's a good, quick alternative to Togo's or Quizno's ---- and CERTAINLY Subway. No complaints here!
As far as ambiance, there isn't much of any. We always take our food to-go, so it's kind of a non-issue.
Don't you just love a review that starts off with: Â The food was really bad and then in the very same paragraph says....the pastrami was actually rather TASTY.....instant potatoes were creamy and the stuffing was GOOD.
I love Hofbraus which are a dying breed in the Bay Area. Oaks Corner while not the best certainly has a lot going for it. Â First and foremost it is an old fashioned carvery. Fresh cooked meats carved on the spot.
I will stick to my two favorites. I am a corned beef mavin (expert) and theirs is TEN on a ten scale. Salty, great texture and flavor and as much fat as the customer wants. You can order lean or marbled and even better you can also order a la carte which is great for dieters who are not eating bread. Sandwiches are cheap at about $6 and a side order is only $3.50 (about 3.5 oz).
I also like their ribs sold a la carte, about six ribs for about $7, another great price.
The ribs are cooked or baked or roasted and no extra sauce is needed. Very tasty.
I visit during daytime hours.  The counter guys are totally friendly and know me. The other workers are equally nice.  Parking nearby is good and  I have never had any negative experience related to its next door card/casino room.  In fact, that is one reason this hofbrau has and continues to survive when many others have closed.
Best Hofbrau in the world remains TOMMYS JOINT in SF.
I wish people would stop hating the Oaks Corner Hof Brau. Â Here are some things I people should know about Hof Braus and Hof Brau culture in the Bay Area.
The Bay Area always has been a hot spot for Hof Braus. Â Hof Braus traditionally are a blue collar places where people would go after work and forget about their day. Â Hof Braus always have a bar. Â They are loud for they are places where people can just hang loose and enjoys some drinks and big meats in a non-formal setting.
All people are welcome to Hof Braus. Â However, if you are looking for fine dinning or a hipster place thena Hof Brau is NOT for you. Â It is more of a place to get REAL food, enjoy a corn beef sandwich with no foo-foo drama and have a brew.
The Oaks Corner is one of the last places where you can get carved meats. Â Their dinners are fantastic. Â If you wants a full dinner to eat in or take out and tired of fast food, Asian and Mexican foods then this is the place for you. Â You can feed a family of 4 with solid food for about $40!
I am a big fan of their corn beef and BBQ spareribs. Â The only thing that is keeping the Oaks Corner from receiving 5-Stars are their sides. Â Oaks Corner need to improve on the stuffing and veggies. Â Other then that. Â I am a real BIG fan!!!
The 2/8/2012 entry by Raymond S is spot on and matches my experience at the "Hofbrau." Â I give it 5 stars for incompetence and sleaziness. When I was in there I sat at the bar contemplating what I would eat because the cafeteria line is behind you at the bar. Â It turns out that the sick looking degenerate playing liar's dice next to me was the manager, a jerk named Brian who looked like death warmed over himself --he must have been eating his own cafeteria food. Â Anyway, the two "cooks" standing around could barely speak English. Â They looked Chinese and were of a surly and mean disposition. Â All the meats were loaded with nitrates and the desserts loaded with sugar. Â As for the bar booze, it was overpriced with stingy pours. Â It took a long time to get the bartender's attention because he was busy playing bar dice and waiting on the drink waitresses on the other side. Â Also, be careful if you park in their lot because of the muggers. Â If you walk down the sidewalk you'll be approached by beggars and street ho's. Â This would be a great place to visit if you were doing a study on how not to manage a bar-cafeteria. Â The "manager" must be a pal of the owner 'cause no one else would hire this a**hole.
Review Source:30-40 MINUTES FOR NACHO'S W/ BEEF? Â You got to be kidding!
  There must be a dark cloud following me when it comes  to eating out in Berkeley/Emeryville.  ESPECIALLY THIS AREA!  Both places I ate at were not worth a 1-star rating!  So back to my 30-40 minute wait for nacho's with beef.
 Â
I'm looking for a place to eat that was close to the EmeryGoRound Bus Stop. Â I get off a block north of San Pablo and 40th Street. Â I wanted to grab dinner and sit back and relax, Â I had 45 minutes to kill before the next bus arrives.
I enter the Oaks Corner Take Out.  It's a bar/hof-brau establishment thats connected to Oaks Card Club.  But you can also order items from the menu.  It was a tough pick but i decided if im still hungry after  my nachos w/beef, i can order something else and get it to go.
I order my nacho's with beef. Â I'm watching the game sipping on some cranberry juice.I'm looking at the cashier that placed the order in for me. Its about 25 minutes late. Â It was a nice sized portion for $5.24. I told the lady if it's cold, I'm gonna tell you to send it back to the kitchen. Â
First bite, cheese was cold. Â You need to bring this order back and tell the kitchen it was cold. Â She insisted that we just have it microwaved and I INSISTED on having the cook make me a new one!
Her reason for it taking so long was that theres a lot of orders betweeen the bar and card room. Â But does it realy take 20-25 minutes for the nacho's to come back cold like that. Â If was warm I would of ate it. Â She was trying to make herself not look bad by telling them it was the kitchen's fault not hers. Â Another 15-20 minutes pass and still no plate of nachos! Â This time the nacho cheese was in a bowl. Â The corn chips were topped off with ground beef, Â BUT MISSING THE CHEESE TO GO ON TOP OF THE CHIPS! Â
I told myself i need to go my 45 minutes went by too quick. Â The bus was arriving shortly so I asked for her to pack it up, Â I wasn't gonna stick around here any longer. Â
What really annoyed me the most was she was telling me if i wanted nacho's with beef that i should go to taco bell! Â I came over there to have a meal, now i gotta listen to an old chinese lady tell me i should go to taco bell for nachos?
Oaks Corner was dead post 1 o clock. the hof brau workers just standing around. the dining room empty. people at the bar was eating popcorn. bartender gone doing some chores. shortly, orders rolled in from the gambling room.
pours: miller draft (3.75)
-excellent, was very cold. coldest i've drank in a long time.
-bowl of  hot free popcorn given.
on draught:
-4 beers on draft. bud, miller, sierra, and haywire
-drinks pricey, shot pours healthy, to the rim, past the white line
-only gamblers drink or eat here
-labeled a sports bar, flatscreen tuned to sports.
-doubtful return, dislike drinking with (financial) losers.
The food use to be good. Â That made up for one of the rude meat slicers at the haufbra and some of the cashiers. Â But the lack of other people while the gambling side was shut down has exposed some weaknesses. Â All of the bartenders are good except for that turd Lester. Â If I see him in there i won't have a drink.
Review Source:The Oaks Pastrami sandwich at one time was good. I was there the other night and for some reasont the man did not cut the center of the pastrami. He gave me the edges, so it was like eating a beef jerky sandwich. I assume since I was sitting at the bar he just was giving me any old thing to eat. They are not the nicest people either. The bartender Lester tries to get you to pay for your drinks two times as if you are dumb. He takes forever to give your change. The  Oaks has gone downhill since the raid. Whoever was in charge of quality must have been arrested because that was the most disturbing, unenjoyable experience I have had there. What happened to the Oaks food and service???
Review Source:Hofbrau meets Breakfast/Burger joint meets . . . Chinese? I guess you gotta cater to your clientele and looking at the packed card room (at noon Wed) it all makes sense.
At the Hofbrau station you can get regular ($6.99) or open faced ($7.50) sandwiches as well as plates ($?). I think the tri-tip was a little more, but the other meats (pastrami, roast beef, corned beef, turkey, ham, etc) are all the same prices.
I got a pastrami on rye with "everything" (mustard, mayo, tomato, onion, lettuce) and it looked pretty good with 2 quarter spears of pickle (see pic).
I'm going to guess that pastrami is not their biggest mover because, while the rest of the sandwich was pretty decent, the pastrami was so so. The edges were crusty and hard. Luckily it was freshly sliced so the center of the pieces was still juicy and tender.
A very multiple personality sando, even in the same bite. I may come back, but will definitely peer more closely over the counter to see what looks freshest.
I can't comment on my food, because I never got any. Â I came in on a graveyard shift break, sat for 10 minutes without receiving any attention, watched a different party walk in and immediately get menus. Â When I flagged the server, he asked what I wanted... He wasn't trying to take my order mind you, he was inquiring as to what I, sitting there at a table at 4 AM in a uniform could possibly want. Â I've dined all over the world and I've never before had to explain to a waiter that a menu is usually a prerequisite for a person who wishes to order food.
I'm sure you guessed it, my lunch break was over before my order was even taken and I left, angry, hungry, and utterly neglected.
So, screw this place. Â Denny's is right down the road, and their dining room doesn't look like it was hit by a flood 40 years ago and painted over.
We heard rumors of decent food here. Rumors are false. Food is greasy and processed. The chicken wings are stunted fried wings and drumetttes that came with plastic pre-packed pots of ranch dressing. The beef stew was swimming in grease and was more fat than tendon/meat. The kung pao chicken had no kung nor pao.
Like another reviewer said, there is usually no table service till 8 pm. We flagged down a slack-jawed employee and asked her for the menu. After she finally understood what a menu is, she came back and threw a stapled stack of paper at our table. Real classy. You order and pay at the cashier and wait for your food.
The food is not awful but it's just not worth the risk getting harassed by the patrons there. Many are depressed, broke, desperate, addicted, angry and possibly dangerous. The atmosphere is disturbing.
The entire block with the card club and liquor store is a hazard to the neighborhood. Pixar employees have been mugged early in the morning by broke losers who are angry enough to mug for money. At night, people have been shot by patrons who lost money and want more. The minute we fled the place, some fine quality gentleman outside asked if we can help him get a bite to eat. My dining buddy had major anxiety after dining here.
I was a bit surprised that meals are "self service." Â I had to beg for looking at menu and the menu was print-out copy paper sheets stapled together. And there was only one at the register.
You order food at the register, and you stay around the food register and wait for your food to arrive. They don't bring food to your seat. It's a fast food style.
If you sit at the bar counter, a bartender serves you drinks but he has nothing to do with food. It is okay if you go there to drink something, but there is not dining experience there.
The burger I ordered came with only burger and bun. No lettuce, no tomato, no pickles and no onions. Strange! There was a piece of orange next to the burger, and that was it.
There is absolutely no service. This is sort of like a to-go place. I left some tips to the bartender but there was no way I could give a tip to the "food register." The food register just takes orders and you are supposed to check if the food arrived. Then you take the food to your seat yourself. This is a very odd type of bar/restaurant.
This reminds me of those Taco place run by Mexicans. But such a place usually sell $1 Taco or even 50 Cents Tacos.
Oaks Corner is sort of like a combination of a traditional American bar and cheap Taco place. The food is not the best kind, but they are good and rather "cheap" compared to places I know of.
I had a dream about a turkey and cranberry sandwich. I used to eat a lot of turkey and cranberry sandwiches at Ted's in SF. All morning I was having obsessive thoughts about these sandwiches. My mind raced around, wondering where could I get one? I even considered making a whole turkey for the sole purpose of making a sandwich. But that seemed a little extreme. Finally I remembered that this place has a Hof Brau. So I put my 14 month old in the old ergo and went in to get my sandwich. It was delicious. Hit the spot. Yay for Oaks and satisfying this pregnant lady's dream inspired food cravings!
Review Source:The sandwiches were pretty good here. I ordered the pastrami sandwich and it was very well seasoned. Only issue I had was that they slathered on the mustard which made the sandwich a bit sour. Order a drink and its only $0.65 more with your meal. We also tried the hotcakes with sausage. Tasted like IHOP. Should've just stuck with just the sandwich.
After lunch, we headed to the card floor. It actually wasn't as scummy as I thought it was going to be. It was clean, orderly. Only issue is that the rules are so skewed to the houses favor. I'm not into poker, or paigow, or texas hold 'em, but they did have one blackjack table open, which I do play. I asked about the house rules for blackjack and its pretty standard Vegas rules except blackjack pays 6 to 5, as opposed to Vegas' 3 to 2.  Minimum bet $10 per hand. So that means that if you get a blackjack on a minimum bet, you only win $12 back. As opposed to $15 you would in Vegas.  And here's the kicker, you have to pay $1 to the house for every hand you play. So the house wins on every hand, regardless. So not worth it.  Its just a little bit better than the San Pablo Casino, which has crazy rules for blackjack that skew the house advantage even more. I would save your money and go to Cache Creek, or  River Rock Casino, or drive over to Reno instead. So much better odds there.
I would give the restaurant  a 3 stars, casino floor 1.5. I would never gamble there because I know I'd lose money.
I have to admit, it isn't what I expected it to be. I envisioned a scummy run down cafeteria setting. But inside, it is clean, spacious with a Hof Brau section, bar, and seated dining area. Â There are so many options on the menu and everything is affordable. You can eat something different for almost 3 months. Portions are large, though I did eat a sandwich and hot cakes together. I was stuffed when I left. Â This definitely will be a lunch place to come back again and again.
Review Source:I'm glad theres other people who enjoy the Oaks Corner. I used to work in the area and this had to be one of my favorite lunch spots. I would highly recommend the corned beef sandwich  on a french roll . Theres something about a hot sandwich at  non-chained  hof brau. I've never drank at the bar or played cards at the oaks. As far as the food goes........You gotta get some. Thumbs up!.
Review Source:So, this review is for the food. Â Not the cards. Â I do like to play at the Oaks, but I end up going for food a lot more often than I do for poker.
So, the food kicks ass. Â The hofbrau buffet is pretty solid, especially the sandwiches. Â The real treat, though, is the chinese menu. Â They serve the best chow fun around. Â The soups are very good, the chow mien is great, etc... Â I am sure this is due to the relatively high stakes chinese players at the Pai Gow, Double Hand Poker, and various other games.
I have never tried any traditional american menu items like burgers, so I can't vouch for them, but if you don't like the dry fried shrimp chow fun, you are a crazy  person.
I love this place! Another example of the old, blue collar vibe that used to be what Oakland was all about! This place was there when Pixar Studios was a ballpark, and most of what is now Emeryville was empty fields.
Great on tap beer and drinks, excellent Hof brau food, and although I can't tell ya a thing about the gambling that goes on there, it does go on there, and it's a big draw (they show the tournaments on local tv).
The Roast Beef is the best I've ever had in any restaurant, and they have Turkey Wings!
I ordered a hot pastrami sandwich from this place and also their fruit salad while playing cards.. It was actually pretty good! Â The rye bread was soft and fresh. Â The pastrami meat was thinly sliced but not too thin! Â I got mustard on the side and the sandwich really made my day even though I didn't win at my table. Â I liked the fruit salad because there were big chunks and a good amount of fruit that I liked in it. Â I don't really discriminate against fruit or anything but there are some kinds that I like better than others.. I also got a Bud Light to drink which went well with my meal. Â Decently priced food here! Â I want to try their open faced turkey sandwich next time!
Review Source:What in the holy hofbrau?!
While randomly on the hunt for some good ol' American meat and potatoes, I step into Oak Corner, and for a moment, I thought, into my FUTURE!?! Here are all these older locals from the neighborhood, picking up trays, sliding down a line for some meat and potatoes and assorted sides of lunch line happiness. In the background, there is a distant echo of numbers and games being called, as if major bets were taking place behind a wall. A bar sits across the way from the lunch line, and assorted cultures and ages are staring back at my confused face from every corner.
The atmosphere alone beckons me to stay, so I do. The food was really bad. I mean, I felt like I was in the bar of my future old age retirement home. The pastrami was actually rather tasty, the gravy piping hot (but obviously from a packet), the instant potatoes were creamy, and the stuffing was good, but again, from a Betty Crocker box. As I made my way toward a table, I saw the location of the headless voice's followers, a group of older folks sitting around in a large room, betting on various events. I sat at a table next to folks who's plates were so full of great smelling Chinese food, that I wondered if I made a mistake taking their sign "hofbrau" in the outside window at face value.
Will I be back? Probably not, but man, what a trip. And if you want a cheap giant meal, and a look into your potential future...yeah, come here.
This place gets a 4-star rating based on ambiance alone. Who knew we had a little piece of Reno transplanted in the Bay Area? This place exudes authentic tacky charm (and probably exudes some less pleasant things too). One of the few real Hofbrau's left serving your typical prime rib, turkey, open-faced sandwiches with gravy, plus some Chinese options. Partly depressing, partly perfect. Attached to the equally bizarre Oak's Card Club which is a casino but isn't, or something. I just come for the Hofbrau. Bring Tums.
Review Source:You can roll down San Pablo by bike bus or car and think to yerself,
 I wish I had a huge corned beef sandwhich like they serve at Brennans in Berkeley.  Then you see the red neon in the window of the Oaks card room that reads "hof bra" and you say it too and pretty soon you've got a nice, not too pricey, three pound hoagie to keep you company.  Go ahead, eat at a bar table watchin sports with the locals or you can grab your meal to go and pass out at home with a pleasant food coma like yours truely.
This is a bar and hof brau attached to the Oaks Club Casino. During football season, locals and poker players watch the Raider games, eat hot dogs and hot sandwiches and drink beer. Prices are low, and the place is probably a loss leader for the Casino, but it's worth a look if you're looking for a small, divey place to root for the Raiders. You can also get decent Chinese food from the kitchen, though that's served at the coffee shop in the card club itself.
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