Lakeside Lounge

I have officially fallen in love with Sunday nights at The Lakeside Lounge in Oakland. I randomly walked by this spot a couple months back and was drawn in by a live band playing soulful R&B and funk. Lucky me, I wouldn’t have been able to find it any other way. According to Unilocal the venue is closed tonight. They play the best mix of covers and originals, but the song about loving a woman with no teeth was by far my favorite.
The crowd is 98 percent black folks almost twice my age. To say they come dressed to the nines would be an understatement. Yet I couldn’t imagine being more at home. However, next time I think I’ll wear a more fancy outfit. The music kept my feet moving all night. More than a couple times I realized I had my eyes closed without thinking because I was feeling the music so much.
I am so stoked I thought to return again tonight and I know where I’ll be next Sunday and probably the one after that. I cannot believe the quality here for no cover charge when top 40 clubs think they deserve 20 at the door. I am so grateful I found this place

Lakeside is what you call a Grown Folks spots where you will have a good time the place is always packed with men and women of all ages 30 plus mostly having a good time service is good drinks are good price is good music is old but good so everything Good

This is a nice place to enjoy yourself, drink, have a good time and laugh at the Super OG’s dressed up in their Sundays best. The bartenders are really cool and make great drinks. I guess I must’ve caught the light skinned bar tender with the burgundy hair on a bad night, because she was SUPER RUDE and DISRESPECTFUL. If I do go back, I will NEVER allow her to make my drinks or tip her. For me customer service goes a long way and I don’t even think «she» knows the meaning of the word. Other than that, a pretty nice place.

Very safe club. Nice ambiance and music.

My Sunday night happy place. Strong, cheap drinks and music to move you. I love coming here… I get my drink from an awesome bartender and I groove to amazing live music while absolutely no one pays me any mind. I love hitting this place up after my Sunday shifts bc things are poppin when I arrive around 8:45 but finishes early enough that I don’t feel bad for drinking before the start of the work week (done by midnight). I tell everyone about this place, but I rarely invite others to join me bc, honestly, I never want this place to change from exactly what it is and I wanna keep it to myself.

YES I’m being generous with the 5^th star. Because just the week prior, I traveled to 5 different bars looking for a chocolate cake shooter. None of them had frangelico! All these «fancy» bars in Uptown, Downtown… heck one lady told me she didn’t have kahlua, which led me to further believe she didn’t know what I was talking about. Whatever.
Fast forward… came to this neighborhood dive bar. My friend tried to throw the bartender threw a loop and asked if she can make a chocolate cake shooter, thinking she too would say she doesn’t have frangelico, she said YES!
I had 2. Now that was a surprising nite cap coming from the local dive bar!

It may be small but we had a ball, stayed on the dance floor all night long. Juke box has all the classic R&B oldies. The regulars were welcomed us visitors and we let them know we appreciated the atmosphere. We have no where to go in our town so we will be back! Owner stays on top of everything, great vibe all around.

Nice place… Cool jazz club feel.
Not very busy during happy hour; mostly regulars. The bartender was very friendly, which was not the case for some of the regulars who were none too happy that we were there. I’d be interested to see how this place is in the evening…

Neighborhood Dive by Lake Merritt, older crowd. Good music, strong drinks. They could work on keeping the bear colder.

«the number you dialed is not a working number»
website shouldn’t work either.
guess this explains why the doors at Lakeside Lounge been closed the last few times i’ve went.
the few times i’ve been here, the crowds were mixed, older, and diverse.
traditional pours, no fancy drafts.

so i found this place by accident. was lost and wandering around like a tourist on the 4^th.
stopped for a smoke and directions, and to swear like a sailor at my damn phone’s gps navigation. (smart fone my ass.)
then this really hot guy walked out and started talking to me. then he offered me a smoke. then he offered to by me a drink. it was really strong, and best part.
NO ROOFIES IN IT.
it was straight out of a movie.
(no not silence of the lambs)
the music is sick, the ambiance is super chill, they let us order pizza and have it delivered to the bar. the tender was cool, even though she was having a super bad night.

This is an OG spot straight-​up. It is an older 30’s-50’s mostly black crowd, with a sprinkling of a few white folks. It is a cool spot for cool people who come to drink, hang out and dance. They have real solid security, i.e., big dudes with guns. The majority of the people there are regulars, only there to have a good time.
There is the photographer, the flower seller and a DJ on Saturdays (which is when I have been going.) The bartenders and the waitress are real cool. The music is old-​school R&B and rap, good stuff for an older crowd to dance to. Periodically, the ladies take the floor to do step dancing which is fun to watch and occasionally to try to join.
Come with the right attitude, bring no drama and just get on the dance floor and… DANCE!!! I really appreciate being able to just dance on my own and with the ladies, having a good time and being myself. I have been given a lot of love at this spot as I have been dancing. It is just a fun place! As far as getting down low to the floor and/​or doing stripper dances, ain’t nobody in this club feelin’ those dances… even if it is your birthday!
So, if you are cool and love to dance to R&B and old school rap, ain’t nobody trippin’ off your race, so just get down on it!

I never thought I would find such a safe, clean, old-​timers place like this and so close to Lake Merritt. As a New York transplant to Oakland, I was wondering if a good place to have fun and dance all night long existed in Oakland without expensive rates and high profilers.
This is it!!! It’s almost an addiction and at 30 years of age, I’m usually ten years younger than the youngest person there.
You want the electric slide? To boogie during the week and on Sunday? This is Oakland’s best kept secret!

Now this is a bar/​dance house where you can have a good time and dance the night away. I recently went there on a Friday night after I hit up the local upscale bars on Broadway in Oakland… and nothing better than topping off your night with good music, great down-​to-​earth folks and dancing. I like this place because it’s a grown-​folks club where you feel safe and right at home. I recommend this place if you like to dance or watch Monday night Football to step dancing on Thursday nights! Have fun at this joint… go for it!

Went on Thursday for the Chicago Stepper lesson and dance, taught by Tim Perkins.
Free 6:30pm beginning lesson, DJ/​dance $ 5 after the lesson. Class started late, waiting for more people to show up. We were three single ladies in the class, Tim showed us two basic steps, he said if we practice this week, we should be able to hit the dance floor the following week. Both are 8 count patterns and has a shuffle at the end. The followers steps are different then the leaders, so you have to know your patterns. This is a man’s dance, so the women keep the time by doing the basic counts with some stylized variations.
The venue is a long bar when you enter, the small tiled dance floor and DJ booth then a raised platform for pool. At 6:30pm half full, by 7:30pm the place is packed with the over 40 crowd. People in various dress, from women in jeans to dresses and heels. Drinks were reasonable, $ 2 for a non alchy, $ 4 for a 7 and 7.
People are very friendly and nice, I and my girlfriend felt welcomed and were the ‘minority’ there and even though we didn’t have the basic steps down yet, men were asking us to dance that night. So lots of fun and love the slow jazzy, R & B music you dance to. You can West Coast Swing dance to this music too.
Women’s bathroom is small and a cute old time perfume dispenser was in the stall.
Parking is street, one regular patron said she parks in the check cashing place next door without getting towed. Neighborhood is a little dicey, I suggest women coming in pairs or groups.
Heard on Sunday nights in Oakland at Arsimona Bar and Gril there is another dance and lesson
and the first weekend in May is a Chicago Steppers dance convention in Oakland, around 400 from across the US are in attendance. Contact Tim Perkins for more info.

My only wish is that they feature more live, and varied music. Although small, I think they can and do accommodate live bands as evidenced when I occasionally go to hear the likes of ALVON on Sunday afternoons.
For the most part the atmosphere is congenial.
More live music venues are needed as opposed to DJ’ed events and/​or Karaōke.

Lakeside’s theme song, «The smaller the club the bigger the party», about sums it up. Thursday nights The Gentlemen Steppers offer an intro lesson to Chicago Style Steppin 6:30 — 7pm, followed by DJ’d dancing until 11pm. ($ 5 cover 7 — 11pm) Yes, the dance area is small, and ceramic tile doesn’t make for a great dance floor, but the crowd and the music are great; and Julian, one of the owners, always has a big hug for me. So I bring my hard-​soled shoes and ear plugs, and have a great time dancing with my buds.
If you just want to get out and «shake that thang», the DJs spin great dance music on Friday and Saturday nights, and there’s live music on Sunday nights. And don’t miss the Liquid Motion Divas 3 — 6pm every 2^nd Sunday. Or go on a Monday night outside of football season and get your funk on with excellent selections from the jukebox.
If you’re not into alcohol, stick with the bottled water; the fruit juices are more sugar than fruit — nasty sweet.
Do NOT park in the Walgreen’s lot across the street — they are rabid about towing folks.

Two things:
It’s an over 30 bar*.
It’s a black bar**.
*There’s a big sign on the doorway that says 30+, you will be ID’d!
**Thankfully there is no sign that says you must be black.
Drinks were reasonably priced and strong and they had no problem running a tab on my credit card, even when they were super busy.
We went to go check out the first presidential debate that was being shown on all screens plus a gigantic projector.
And if 30+ 40+ 50+ black ladies yelling expletives at McCain isn’t a recipe for fun, I don’t know what is!

I’ve heard from a few off-​yelp personages that this place is «scary.» And perhaps one of the below reviews is an echo of that sentiment. Since I like to go native in Oakland, I decided to check out the digs.
Don’t quite get why this place might qualify as scary, unless scary is some sort of code for the pigmentation of the clientele. No matter, though. I love this place, even though it may not be the best spot to cruise for the landed gentry – there’s a chromatistic code for you – since the DJ is always, always on point. When I was there, it was like I died and woke up in mid 90s hard-​beat slow jam heaven. The DJ dropped the Jodeci «Come and Talk to Me» Remix! There was also a heathy dose of Toni Tony Tone. It felt good. Yeah.
Both boy and girl bartenders were cute, and knew how to pour a stiff drink. Beer selection is decent as well, and the prices are not astronomical. I’ll have to see if they have a happy hour…

You know that scene in the Charlie’s Angels movie in which Cameron Diaz is at the club and she’s shakin’ her business to «Baby Got Back» and everyone started clapping and cheering «Go white girl! Go white girl!» toward the end of the song? Yeah, totally me at this place.
But seriously…
So Dani came to visit me last night from Davis. This is very significant because not only is she one of my best friends, but she is the other co-​captain of the Cal Poly Chem Dept. Drinking Team, she is the best wingman ever (hahaha, don’t ask), we always go to some crazy concerts (Iron Maiden is the one coming up next), we have never been apart for my birthday (I even visited her in Boston one year), and her family took me in after I became an orphan. As you can see, she is the coolest person I know. And putting the two of us together is very dangerous. And if she comes to visit me, only the seediest and divest establishments will do. And after a couple punches in my punchy card at the nearby Baggy’s, this place was the perfect next stop.
I was not a fan of the $ 5 cover. I mean, I don’t pay to hang out. However, we had walked all the way over there so we decided to check it out. The music was AWESOME. Only the Conga Lounge plays better cheesy music to dance to. The drinks are crazy strong. Dani ordered a margarita and later said «Damn, I counted to 4 and she was still pouring.»
And then the funny part. Dani and I were the only people of our ethnicity at the club. Whatever, raising eyebrows is what I do best. And the crowd was so eclectic… it was like the East Oakland equivalent of the Alley crowd. There were more men than women. People ranged from my age to grandpa age. Some people were dressed in the oversized sweatshirts and jeans with snazzy sneakers. Others were in hella sweet suits (ranging from plaid to brilliant blue) with fedora hats. One guy had a gold lame bow tie. And everyone was just there to have a good time.
And let’s face it, sometimes I really just want to get out there on the dance floor and shake what my momma gave me… which ain’t much. And even though everyone was probably thinking to themselves «What the %$#@ is up with Leann Rimes thinking she’s Beyonce?», they were totally cool anyway.
Of course the bathroom is when you hear all the drama. The toilet doesn’t flush very effecientlly. And this one woman comes up to me «Oooh, I looooove the Easy Club (she meant Lounge) even though my friends hate it because it is a bunch of black guys who love white women… I don’t care ’cause I wanna dance.»
But seriously, Dani and I damn near felt like we were back in college with our strong drinks, sweet dance moves, way too many men trying to get in our business, and good music. If you aren’t afraid to stand out, this place is fun. But don’t any of you even think about having a DYL here; this place needs to keep some sense of untrendiness else is ceases to be super cool.
And consider yourselves warned Oakland. My birthday is next month and Dani and I are always together for it. After former birthdays which involved stop lights, scorpion bowls, Boston, male strippers, and PF Chang’s, I sure as hell ain’t letting my mid-​20s go quietly.