Easy Lounge

#39
Easy come and easy go… At least this place does that about once a year or so. I remember about 6 years ago there was an awesome owner and Wednesday night was the night to be at Easy. There was a line down the block for hip-​hop night and it was the best spot after work to gather with friends in the area.
About 5 years ago (or so) a lady bought the place and attempted to turn it into some type of hipster bar with only locally made alcohols, hand made muddle instead of juices, etc. That was about the time I was like, «No thanks…» I mean, let Oakland be Oakland, we have a San Francisco across the bridge with high prices and overly fancy crap that no one really understands – why screw with us on this side of the bridge?
About 4 years ago (or so) another guy bought the place and it was a little better, and just to say, as long as I can have a martini I am «okay» so I did frequent and meet friends there in the early evening. It was better than when the lady owned it, but never as good as the guy who threw those awesome Wednesday night throw-​downs.
Now, it is changing hands again and I sit on pins and needles awaiting the outcome of the new and improved Easy.
Will it be a dive bar? Will it be a hipster bar? Will it fit the area? Will it be like the other newer bars around?
One can only sit, and wait.
I do get excited for new bars in my area, but I always worry since the whole «gentrification» thing is happening around here and wondering if «they» are going to ruin another potentially cool spot with high prices and fancy drinks…
Stephani Smiled for the Old Easy and Awaits the New Easy ;-?
#whatthehellaretheygonnadonow

#39
So, I came here just the other day and drank, then I stumbled upon the place tonight and it is closed – AGAIN.
Easy come and easy go… At least this place does that about once a year or so. I remember about 6 years ago there was an awesome owner and Wednesday night was the night to be at Easy. There was a line down the block for hip-​hop night and it was the best spot after work to gather with friends in the area.
About 5 years ago (or so) a lady bought the place and attempted to turn it into some type of hipster bar with only locally made alcohols, hand made muddle instead of juices, etc. That was about the time I was like, «No thanks…» I mean, let Oakland be Oakland, we have a San Francisco across the bridge with high prices and overly fancy crap that no one really understands – why screw with us on this side of the bridge?
About 4 years ago (or so) another guy bought the place and it was a little better, and just to say, as long as I can have a martini I am «okay» so I did frequent and meet friends there in the early evening. It was better than when the lady owned it, but never as good as the guy who threw those awesome Wednesday night throw-​downs.
Now, it is changing hands again and I sit on pins and needles awaiting the outcome of the new and improved Easy.
Will it be a dive bar? Will it be a hipster bar? Will it fit the area? Will it be like the other newer bars around?
One can only sit, and wait.
I do get excited for new bars in my area, but I always worry since the whole «gentrification» thing is happening around here and wondering if «they» are going to ruin another potentially cool spot with high prices and fancy drinks…
Stephani Smiled for the Old Easy and Awaits the New Easy ;-?
#whatthehellaretheygonnadonow

The drinks are pretty good, and they have a decent beer selection but they told us to be quite. In a bar.

After visiting a couple of times now, I have to agree with some other reviewers that it seems to be very hit and miss. We stopped by after seeing a movie at the Grand and we still enjoyed the cocktails but were informed that we could not get any food, not even popcorn. If I had known that I would have gone elsewhere; and will next time.

Easy Gumbo
Easy for you maybe
$ 11 seemed like a deal until I received the pile of rice with 5 slices of sausage and 1 discernible piece of chicken.

Close to home and cool lighting. Small outdoor patio area to chill and meet new friends. Bonus is the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice for a yummy Greyhound — on point! Bartenders are cool too. Watch the Warriors make history and toast with friends; Easy Lounge is on the up and up :)

Cocktails are divine! But pricey. Awesome jams playing in the background; A+ for having Mary J. Blige’s «Real Love» blasting the night I went. Food was also delicious… but again, pricey for the portions. Had a great time. The seating was spacious (booths). Friends and I wished we knew about the lot outback sooner because that’s where we would have been. Yay for women bartenders rockin’ it.

Great food, cool atmosphere, good music. Staff are hit and miss but whatevs it’s a decent spot. Can’t wait to come back.

Had a couple of the farmer’s market cocktails (Honey Dewd) made with cantaloupe juice and got some of the bacon wrapped dates and mushrooms. Interesting décor.

I love this place, good food awesome bartenders, I also love the relaxed feel that it has. I am a repeat customer!

Lakeshore’s hipster watering hole. It’s a hit and miss. I’ve had several mixed experiences here. Some of the bartenders were outright ridiculous and others were pretty good. The bad ones: the lady bar tending couldn’t seem to take our drink order if her job depended on it. My friend had to request his drink multiple times before she even started making it. Mind you, we were here on a Tuesday night with no more than 4 – 5 other people in the bar. She had a chip on her shoulder and the lack of service proceeded throughout the night. On the positive side, a couple times I’ve been here the guy bar tending has been pretty attentive to my drink orders and has even offered samplings of cookies from Arizmendi next door. As for the menu, pretty creative on the cocktails, but they could use a larger, more diverse draft beer selection. I grew up in the Lakeshore area. I remember when Easy took over the 5^th Amendment bar. I try support my neighborhood businesses as much as possible. Yet, when I come here I just don’t really know what to expect in terms of service.
I wonder if reviews below five stars get printed on their receipts (yes, they print Unilocal reviews on their receipts).

I love this place. Probably my favorite bar in Oakland. Bar tenders are friendly and attentive. Free popcorn and they serve the best Ginger beer I’ve ever had! (and I’ve tried a lot!)
The food is also surprisingly good for a bar. Definitely better than I would expect.
They are also dog friendly! Our baby is a welcomed guest and sleeps on the floor, or searches for popcorn as his parents enjoy the yummy cocktails!
My first ⁵⁄₅ review and I cannot think of any negatives.

I havent had the food so I’ll just stick to the drinks and the service. First off, the service on Monday was amazing. Eva was on point and read minds. if she keeps up the good work mondays will be the day to turn up, not Tuesday.
I give it 4.5 stars

This place had a great atmosphere. Its very modern and well lit. It’s comfortable, and the drinks are good.
Service was okay.

Pulled Pork sandwich OMG, drink too strong for me (margarita) but I am probably the only one who would complain about that.

Wow, how come i hadn’t discovered this bar before?
I’ve lived in neighborhood for over a year and passed this place on almost daily basis but somehow never went in.
Just came here few days ago, and it is pretty cool. They have yummy bar food although its a bit overpriced. They have a good selection of tap beers, only few, but they are better than the selection at H&D where the tap beers never change.
I have yet to try the cocktails easy lounge makes but i hear they are good.
Also the back patio — its nice and intimate, and has heat lamps so you can sit under them and bake your head on a chilly night. Not bad, not bad. + the mural on the outside wall is interesting.

Remember Mike Z? Or Seafarer Z or Old Man Perv or Jay Z or whatever? When he was prolifically cranking out hilarious reviews about Oakland, I read them religiously. They were my grown-​up equivalent of a daily dose of Beetle Bailey (look it up, junior). But I read them for a chuckle, not because I gave a poop about Oakland. I didn’t live here, and had a honey badger attitude about anywhere outside of San Francisco. (Right. I was VERY stupid.)
Then one day I realized I could no longer live with half my shit in storage nor through another bone-​chilling summer, so we packed it in and joined the eastbound wagon train. And magically, Mac Daddy Z’s reviews took on a whole new meaning: usefulness! Smack my fanny and call me Elihu, now I also respect his opinion. It’s a bittersweet revelation, because he has since channeled his energies elsewhere. Maybe solving world peace. Maybe making fake accounts on
to provoke the dullards. Same diff.
So Mike promised we’d love Easy Lounge. He weren’t lyin’. The name couldn’t be more apt. Effortlessly unwind your way through rich mac and cheese, delicious craft cocktails, a sexy crowd of ADULTS, the beautiful back patio draped with succulents and cozied by heat lamps… even the smoove beats and helpful staff deliver on the theme (I’m still getting used to the fact that bartenders in Oakland are so nice… clearly, I remain a stranger in a strange land).
Sometimes I also remember to look for Mike while I’m there. My plan is to run up in hysterics and get his autograph as obnoxiously as possible. (Think Beatles invasion.) And thanks to those craft cocktails, this might actually happen. I’ll let you know.

Decent place but they do a pretty sketchy rounding up on your credit card. Be safe and use cash.
More taps would make this place awesome.
Extra 2* for Kolin being responsive.

Easy’s a cool place to catch the game, settle into the bar for a drink, or take it to the back patio for a quieter interaction with your friends and possibly new ones.
The food they serve is seemingly typical pub food, but prepared & presented with care. I’ve ordered the Mac & Cheese with jalapeños added on more than one occasion.
It’s not my go to, but I don’t knock it. It’s a good solid bar.

This place rocks! It’s one of my fave bars and I’m glad I was brought here a while back. Now it’s my turn to bring people here, which I did recently. Love the location and the ambiance. We sat next to the small, open kitchen right next to the bar and it smelled oh so wonderful!
They have a board games cabinet near the entrance and you can pick out whatever game you’re in the mood to play. They had Jenga, Dominoes, Cards, Scrabble and more.
Service was awesome, drinks were pretty stiff and their food was delish. Something you wouldn’t expect from a bar like Mac & Cheese and Chicken Meatballs in some kind of Buffalo Hot Sauce. I have no complaints whatsoever!

One of my favorite rituals is coming to this place after going to the Farmer’s Market on Saturdays. They have cocktail specials that change every week depending on which fresh ingredient they were able to get from the Farmer’s Market. I’ve never been disappointed from a cocktail here. Cool ambiance and good music too.
Definitely a gem!

We arrived in Oakland on July 4 after an exhausting road trip tired and hungry as could be. The Easy took us in and fed us much goodness. We started with the ploughmans platter. which is a gigantic selection of meats, cheeses, olives and bread. So good. I had to try the Vietnamese salad and it was excellent. In fact it was so excellent we ordered another one after finishing the first. Also on hand are many tap beers of mirth and a top flite selection of whiskeys.
My only quibble with the place is the semi-​odd, semi-​self service method of getting food and bev. All orders are placed at the bar, and then brought to table. I’d prefer a server, particularly given the layout of the place. That said, good food and good drink, so yeah.

One of my new favorite Happy hour places. They have great food, taco tuesdays here are fabulous. The bartenders are attentive and witty and the drinks rock.

I wandered in here on Valentine’s Day and instantly sparked up a conversation with the superfriendly lady to my right, who happened to be an owner.
Later came with my sister-​in-​law, and ordered a drink not on the extensive cocktail menu. The bartender rose to the challnge like a pro, and I was very pleased with the results.
The ambiance is low-​key– you can hear what people are saying– not too loud. It’s comfortable and deep. The bar is nice, but there are also booths. This is a great spot for meeting someone on nuetral ground, a date, hanging with a pack of friends… check ‘em out!