I'm new to the Oakland area and have been looking for new spots to check out. I've only been on weekday nights, but I had a good time both times I went. It's a nice, well-lit bar with good drink options. The bartenders both times I went were super nice and accessible. The kind of bartender that gets your name when you first sit down and continues to use it throughout the night. All in all, it was a great spot, and I'll definitely be checking it out again.
Review Source:I really enjoyed this place! This was the first time I partied in Oakland and I must say this was the best first time, enough to say that I enjoy partying in Oakland waayyy more than in SF.
People hear Oakland and think ghetto and scary, but I actually feel a lot safer here than in SF. Somar was great. Its a little small but to meet up with some friends for some drinks and some dancing, this is definitely the place to hit.
The crowd was great and mature. Drinks were reasonable. We avoided the $5 cover charge, but even if I had to pay $5, what's that compared to SF's $20-$25 cover.
The music was on point. Mix of both new and old hip-hop. Definitely would recommend!
My favorite spot in the bay! It's a great family owned bar and they always make me and my friends feel like family. They have good bar snacks for cheap and the whiskey flows freely. I don't usually do more than a few after work drinks, and it really is perfect for that. It also perfectly represents Oakland and what makes it one of the best cities in the world..diverse in age, weight, height, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, nationality and all the rest....and that makes for a very good looking crowd too. They also have some of the freshest Dj's beginning early in the night and going late.
Fucking SOMAR IS THE TRUTH!
Went here Friday night for The Generations Party and it was the perfect night from the sidewalk to the dance floor. Security was welcoming yet stern. I loved that. I hate when security are just big ole meanies. lol The bartenders were very attentive and the waiters were on their A game. And THE MUSIC O THE MUSIC was like turning on my radio at home. The vibes were good and the people were sexy. Definitely making this my regular spot.
Review Source:By far my favorite bar in Oakland! Â The staff couldn't be any more welcoming every time I'm there. Â =) Â You all gotta check this place out if you're looking for a place with cool vibes, cool folks, and cool music.
As for the awesome DJ's: Â When they start playing reggae or some hiphop/rap, you all better make way because I'll start groovin' and grubbin' on that dance floor. Â LoL
Always a cool spot to hangout at. Mike is a great bartender on Fridays and treated us like fam....that he wanted to get drunk. Music is always great, not that techno shit they play in the city. The only bad thing is that it gets hella crowded sometimes. Other than that I will be back.
Review Source:The staff are really friendly , and there's usually a decent dj spinning . The bartenders are on point , and are fast . I don't come here often , but I always expect it to be a little crowded if I show up later in the night . There's not too much elbow room until you walk the length of the bar. Good crowd , good snacks , and good bar service. I'm a fan !
Review Source:Love the vibe for Friday happy hour. Â Simple selection of strong cocktails for $6, & modelo/red hook/other beer $3, different seat options-stools/counter type with comfy sofas and lounge chairs. Â Gotta give it up for the dj, who had an eclectic repertoire of hip hop, oldies, euro jazz, reggae, and r&b. Â The space is roomy even with the crowd, and the artwork is amazing.
Review Source:Love this little spot! Old School Hip Hop, awesome drinks, friendly bartenders and a cool urban feel. Been here twice before, once for a late night dancing session with a large rowdy group.. and once for a fun fundraiser during the week. Both times the drinks were great and the bartenders super friendly and down to earth.. all while keeping libations flowing for the three deep crowd. They also were serving up some bombay pupsas!! Will def be back for more enjoyment with fun friends!
Review Source:Happy Hour was fantastic this past Friday. Music was great. Seating was perfect. Drinks strong and good! And the place is walking distance to BART so you can get a lil tipsy and not break the law driving home! Some of my coworkers who I came with ordered small plates but since I didn't try any I have no opinion on the matter. But I will definitely be back!
Review Source:Come in before 11pm to avoid the $5 cover! This place gets packed on Saturday nights so if you come in at 11, there's already a good amount of people inside.
Drinks are decently priced per the neighboring bar standards. Music is on POINT - especially if you love to get into the Bay music and 90s hip hop. The very diverse crowd was definitely loving the DJ's selection of music. The dance floor is a bit small so it might get a bit friendly in there. Bathrooms were clean enough and the crowd had a good vibe - no creepers from what I can tell.
My only major complaint which takes my rating down 1 star was the girl bar tender that worked there this past Saturday night (2/9/2013). She would only serve guys around me and took about 20 minutes to serve me and another female (the girl two guys away from me was just as displeased by the obvious lack of attention). I was very disappointed since I thought the bartenders were cute (including her) and was willing to tip well for her service. Instead, I waited for the guys around me to get served. Two sets of guys on each side. My boyfriend realized I had gone missing for a while so he went looking for me. I had him wait at the bar instead and she served him in 5 minutes. What's worse is she knew she kept us waiting from my obviously dissatisfied gaze. She asked how long I had waited and I told her 20 minutes. She didn't even apologize. I bought a drink again on the other side of the bar with the male server of the evening. It  took 5 minutes.
P.s. for those Berkeley students looking to hit up this place, take the 1R bus and get off on 20th and Broadway. Take a taxi back to Berkeley for about $15. Trust me - this place is worth checking out so leave your car in the garage, and take public transportation over so you can truly enjoy your night!
Was there several months ago. We colored on textured paper (how cool is that, art supplies?) while enjoying good pours. The first glass didn't taste right and the cool bartender with no tude had no trouble offering another option. A dj was setting up to spin and there were some models there who were deeelightful to observe. The big bigger biggest bouncer made me feel safe and the place had an all around good vibe.
Review Source:This is your Saturday night destination. Free cover, decently priced drinks, and good DJs playing a little bit of everything: top 40, Michael Jackson, lots of 90s/2000s hip-hop and R&B, even some 80s. The dancefloor is packed but don't worry, there's actually room to dance and everyone is friendly.
Review Source:Cool people, cute bartenders, good service, and dope music! It's really hard to find a good bar nowadays where people are just chill and play all the classic hip hop/RnB jams. I came here on a random saturday night with some friends and right when I stepped in I could feel the cool vibes. No drama no BS just straight dancing, drinking, and fun!
There's only one thing I didn't like...out of no where they played Gangnam style. Everyone stopped dancing for second and looked at me expecting me to know how to do the dance. Geez...cuz I'm asian.haha! Regardless it was fun. And yes I did the horse dance. I am Asian. What do you expect?!
So go check this place out and be ready to do the "horse dance"!
I wanted to go out on a Saturday so I did some cross referring on some bars on yelp and with some friends. I ended up here are this spot. I mostly wanted hip hop I could care less what else was offered. This bar did not disappoint, the cover was $5 but it is worth it. If you do not have $5 maybe you should stop going to the dollar menu and get yourself here. Who knows you may get a number too...I am sure a number is way better than getting something from mcdonalds. The drinks were ok, I found a bartender who made them stronger than the others so I kept going back to him.
Review Source:Ah man Somar, what the hell happened?
My girls 'n I decided on a Birthday celebration in downtown Oakland and Somar was on the list. Somar is one of my favorite spots. It's a cool ass space with great people, good drinks and even better music. It's one of those spots that maintains it's Oaklandness in the ever changing yuppified downtown area. We first hit up Somar, then walked over to the Den to join the rest of our group.
After we downed our drinks, we walked back to Somar to find a line and a $5 cover charge. We spoke with the bouncers and let them know we were just there and it'd be awesome if they could arrange something on account of the birthday girl. They agreed but asked that we continue to wait in line. As time passed, dozens of people left the bar, but the bouncers still held up the line--so much that people in line left for better prospects. I wish we had done the same. After half an hour wait in the freezing cold, drizzly weather on December 21st (the end of the world, duh!), we happily walked through the doors.
Two of our girls went straight to the bar and the rest of us got stuck with the dude at the door who insisted on $5 for each of us. I literally had no cash and informed the man that we were told we could be let in. He was a major cock block and wouldn't even let us get our friends who ran inside. There was absolutely no negotiation with this guy and he was clearly on a power trip. The three of us parked ourselves out in the cold (again) and waited for the bouncer to find our two friends. On their way out, they tried to reason with the man who could not be budged. Our group left disgruntled. That's no way to treat a birthday girl or her friends! Thankfully Cafe Van Kleef provided a much more welcoming atmosphere and good music too. I'm not swearing off Somar, I still enjoy it, but I'm certain my girls will never want to come back.
Haaaaaay, relaxed vibe, friendly bartenders, fun patrons, cheap drinks, even nice bouncers? -- I'm there!
For reals though, Somar is a great place to catch a relaxed drink and make some new friends. I really love the vibe and diversity of the crowd. It seems like theres a little bit of everyone - black, white, asian, gay, straight - you name it. I guess Midtown really is seeing a revival. The happy hour here goes until 8 so you can meet your buddies here, then scoot on over to Make Westing or Dogwood. Much better vibe than some of the bougie bars in the City.
There was plenty on the specials list, but most of it was dark alcohols - scotch, whiskey, tequila. I was a little bummed that I didn't see any vodka specials, but that's ok because the Manhattan took care of that. It was poured strong, just like I like it! The hummus plate for 5$ was actually pretty substantial and I think they don't have heartier food here because its the bartenders that actually make the food - probably to keep costs down. I mean...6$ specials until 8 pm and 8$ goose shots...um can't beat that!
I really wasn't expecting much, but this place blew me out of the water. Perhaps I also liked this place because random (free!!!!) shots of whatever I drank just showed up like magic! I would turn around and when I turned back around I'd see a shot glass next to my drink. They really wanted to test my tolerance, I guess.
I really liked SOMAR, but I still reserve the right to change my mind! :) 4* for now!
What I really liked about this place was the seating. They had a very fun feel with tables, couches, stools, and chairs that you can form as you like based on your group.
The artwork that they display is definitely risqué, so if you're easily offended by somewhat graphic art you'd probably hate the walls.
The drinks were okay. I didn't see a bunch that appealed to me. I had one that was alright, but didn't stand out to me as anything signature.
If I were in the area again and wanted a drink I might go there, but I might venture out to see what else is going on.
Wow! This place captures all that is great about the Uptown neighborhood and Oakland generally. Great ambiance. Friendly bartenders. Strong drinks.
I came with a friend for happy hour on a Wednesday evening and was thrilled that there was plenty of seating and a $6 dark 'n' stormy on special. Housemade ginger beer? Check. Generous pour? Double check!! After my friend suggested adding cassis to her snake bite to make a 'snake bite black', the waiter even brought us shots of Tullamore 12 as a thanks for showing him something new.
The only downside to this place is its lack of (substantial) food, but given the above, it really doesn't matter.
Can't get enough of this place!
Clean environment, great music, awesome drinks man what else can you ask for!
Either on Fridays or Saturday's this place is popping! Always such a diverse crowd and great people.
I enjoy going here with friends and we always have a night of dancing and drinks!!!!!
Totally try this spot out you will sure have an awesome time :)
If you didn't know, I LOVE OAKLAND, hoe! Omg, this place is so much fun! Mature crowd, new faces and unbelievably cheap drinks ^_^
The music - booty droppin/funk/soul/2-steppin/reggae/spanish/sweat yo bangs out poppin!
Crowd - 30+ crowd, mature, decent yet casually dressed.
Drink $ - CHEAP! You can turn up without burning yo wallet!
(There is no cc minimum either!)
It is a little snug in there at times, but service is still superb! I even get the security guy in the back to dance with me and my homegirl lol - he brings us water and makes sure our cups are always full :) He's watched our stuff/saved our "spot" when we go out for some fresh air. I met the owner(?) or someone close to that the last time I was there. He was an older, hispanic(?) fellow who just wanted to have fun lol. He was sweet and made sure we were taken care of.
This place is nothing but good vibes! I truly adore it and will be back for more and more and MORE.
I came here on a Saturday night for my first time going out in Oakland. The DJ was AWESOME. He played all the best hip-hop and R&B from the 90's and 2000's.
The crowd here was very eclectic; black, white, brown, yellow, green, blue, it seemed like every race was represented here. At one point there was a breakdance battle between an asian and white guy in their 20's. Half way through the battle a 50+-year-old black woman busted in the dance circle and started battling both the guys with some granny dance moves. The crowd went nuts, it was great.
Great Place for meeting up with friends for a happy hour but I would be remiss to suggest this place as a main event for a night. Â Lacks a decent menu and very limited in comparison to other bars in Oakland. Â
Decent crowd and music; one warning would be parking. Â Had to park nearly a block away and some may not feel comfortable.
Well... where do I start? Â I'll start at the end, when we left Somar to go to our car two blocks away, 15 cars in the parking lot had been broken into!! Â So let's rewind to the beginning. Â I've been to a lot of places and Oakland isn't my favorite but I'll try to be positive about this. Â The bar is cool, and the DJ was playing some great music, older Rap/R&B and newer stuff when it got later.
The negative probably was the girl or guy who vomited all over the dance floor at around 11 maybe?
Positive- the drinks were strong, I think I was pretty drunk off two drinks. Â All in all, I would go again but never drive a car down there, perhaps a cab would have helped and not seeing puke all over the dance floor would have also.
I went here for a Yelp event and a private party and both times, this bar has been a lot of fun. The DJ played a good mix of tunes and we were able to dance our troubles away. I'd imagine this place gets packed during non-private events. There are a wide variety of drinks and they have different theme nights. I plan on checking out soul nice once my Wednesdays free up or if I feel like going out later in the evening. I want to have a party here sometime in the future.
The location is also convenient to BART.
So I can honestly say I knew Somar way back when....
I was there for their first week opening. I had some friends visiting from out of town and it may have been a Tuesday but most defiantly was a dead weeknight in the town. We were driving around downtown to find a place to grab a drink after first going to Oasis and there being absolutely not a single sole in the place and getting weird looks from the bartender like really you want to drink here?
Anyhow, back to the drive, we cruz down telegraph and spot a bar with people in it ! It was a diverse crowd I remember thinking and not too many people, it was a weeknight after all.
I got to meet the owners who were bartending, Mike and Armando and they were fun and eager to share about their new watering hole. I asked Mike to tell me about some of their specialty drinks and settled on the somar - fizz (I think somar-thizz is probably a better name). Mike described it is "pleasantly refreshing" and it proved to be. We took a seat on their comfy couch and chairs and reminisced back to our college days once again. Mike brought us over a pitcher of water and glasses. The water was phenomenal - slices of cucumber added a nice touch. Great night, great people and good times, I knew I would be back to Somar.
Spring forward to a few weeks later and the word on Somar was out. I tried taking my friends there for an evening of dancing and drinks. A couple things had changed since my first experience. One there was now a red rope and bouncer and tons of clientele. The place wasn't completely packed however, I could still see a clear line to the back of the dance floor. We go to walk in and the bouncer is like, you can't go in. There was 3 of us and no line, what the hell? Drunk people were walking in and out of that place and he still would not let us in. My guess is that my one friend was a little under dressed, but who would have known that this place had turned into a SF night club in a matter of weeks? This is Oakland and I was really disappointed in Somar.
I've been to Somar a few times since after a period of hatred for it. The times since has always been the same story, the place is always packed and soon my friends wanted to stop going. Ah Somar I know its good for business but I miss the good old days.
Awesome lounge/bar in downtown Oakland! Came here to celebrate my MOH's birthday and this is a great place to bring friends. If you show up a little early (around 10PM) it's got a laidback lounge vibe. Around 1130PM or so, they'll clear out the lounge area and turn it into a dance floor. The music was AWESOME. They played mostly old hiphop and r&b jams which totally brings back a nostalgic feeling. I loved that all the songs they played were mostly from the 90's.
Parking is relatively easy to find on the street although it may be kind of sketchy. The security people here are friendly, not like other lounges where the security are total jerks. No cover either! The crowd was good too.
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