Egbert Souse’s

This place is closed… due to a nasty kitchen & not being clean generally speaking… most people came for the strong drinks & the cheap food… get it together Egbert’s stop being money hungry like the other places!!! I wish I could give this place a negative star for this crap…

Location has CLOSED. A handful of great memories. Good-​bye Egbert’s family and best wishes in your future. «Purple Pu**y» like no other; I’ll miss you.

Now that Egbert Souse’s is closing, where will I go to buy drugs and shoot people?

I didn’t have any drinks at the bar. I actually walked by here and bumped into a friend who happened to be having dinner inside the back area but happened to be standing outside smoking a cigarette. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but thought since I sat down, I’d have a light snack just to be polite.
I started with their fried shrimp. They were lightly breaded and to my surprise, they didn’t use those small dingy shrimp but the medium sized ones. You get a semi big plate full of shrimp and it cost less than $ 10.00
As I sat there, I was actually surprised how many to-​go orders (looks like most were Kaiser Hospital employees) they had and the steady amount of foot traffic where people came in not for the alcohol, but came for the food. This of course perked my interest as the surrounding area had quite a variety of restaurants. I decided to stay for dinner and ordered some fried rice. They weren’t too salty and it was piping hot, just as you would expect from a wok. Not too expensive, no MSG and they give you a big portion. What’s unique is that they include some simple boiled vegetables in salt water and lightly seasoned with garlic.
Overall, it was a good meal but when the music in the front bar is playing, this place can get loud and you can’t have a decent conversation. But the owners are friendly, it’s cheap and you get a lot of good no MSG food.

There are always cops posted outside this bar for some reason. The one time I went the drinks were stiff and mixed a bit weird, — the proportions were intentionally screwed up for more kick I guess (hehe). People were, well, bar people. My only complaint with this bar is that yes, there’s always some sort of racket or commotion outside of it. It’s funny, people don’t really stay inside the bar but spill over to Piedmont Avenue off the intersection and just hang around outside, sometimes holding up traffic.
My take is, check it out at your own risk. You might like it you might not. I personally don’t see anything unique about the place.
There are better bars to spend and invest your money on honestly on Piedmont Avenue/​Oakland and this place is definitely not one of them.

As far as dive bars go, it doesn’t get more divey… or sketchy. Was just reading about this place in the news because they are #1 with the po-​po because of all the fights and shootings. If you are down with that sort of thing, this is your place. I’m too old for that shit now, and the beer selection is pretty weak too.

Yuck.
This bar is trouble. I live near this bar and all I hear are fights breaking out and the occasional gunshot of course. I don’t even like walking by the bar because I get mean mugged and get the creepiest pick up lines used on me. Nasty place.
Unilocal, can you come up with a way to give zero stars?

This isn’t a quaint dive bar, this is a very dangerous bar. Many patrons are packing.
Gunfire has been reported five nights in the last five months. People were actually shot on October 24, 2013 and November 2, 2013.
I’m staying far away and you should too.

If they would allow me to separate ratings I would however I’m giving Egberts 3 stars. I took a break from Egberts for six months only to go back and see the bartenders are now measuring their drinks. That right their has stopped me from going back. Stop measuring drinks and you will get 5 stars.
I read the comments from the Bars owners about certain bartenders monopolozing the bar but I don’t agree with that.
John makes the best drinks followed by Pia. But Kirsten, Laura, Fi all make a strong drink. I am happy with a drink from any of them.
Now the crown here can be shady as hell after work hours. I’ve seen fights, a person get jumped around the corner, glasses thrown and two women fighting out of their clothes. This is not the bar to go to for the faint of heart.
However if you go and mind your business, get fucked up and bounce you should be fine. If you go during the day you should be fine.
All and all Egberts was the best place in The Town to get the strongest drinks but this measuring crap has got to go! The only reason why the owner is now having bartenders measure drinks is because the owners son was a bartender their and nobody was ordering drinks from his rude ass.

If you want to get shot in the face and die, like the guy did last night outside Egbert’s, this is your place. I heard the shots, cos lucky me, I live around the corner. Bam, bam, bam, slow, deliberate, just like a thug. Along with the guy that got shot here last week, it’s just such a wonderful place. To hang out and drink cheap stiff drinks WITH A GUN.

The bartender’Fi’ makes the most amazing kamikazes with tequila… a must try. Hole in the wall but fun vibe…

Fun! Strong drinks! Nice, interactive, interesting people! Occasional fear of being caught up in something dangerous is worth it.

The waitresses here need to work on their interpersonal communication skills. It’s people with attitudes and demeanors like theirs that give oakland a bad rep.
I ordered a drink, but before I can even tell her what I wanted she assumed she heard what I said and made me the drink she wanted me to have. So after that dilemma surpasses, I still paid for the drink I didn’t order or want.
So after I check-​in, I showed the bartender my Unilocal check-​in offer, and she stated that she never knew of a Unilocal account and that she will get her manager if I want, and I replied yes please.
To make a long story short, I didn’t see her at the end of the night, the manager never came, and she stated that I made this website up, just goes to show you what type of ppl work here.
I’m over it, and over these Oakland hole in the wall places.

This bar went from four stars in my opinion to one, because the owner makes the bartenders pour one measured shot in every drink, and also raised the prices. As a regular it breaks my heart to see the employees miss out on their tips and have over 13 cameras watching them. I will never be patronizing this bar again. Big brother is alive and kicking in this establishment. The owner doesn’t trust his employees obviously.

I like it, even though it hood as f-​ck.

Egbert Souse’s is a trip! It’s a dive bar, for sure, but one with one large and raucous happy family. It seemed everybody here knew each other, conversed and laughed merrily. It’s definitely nothing like the typical stereotype of a bar full of single men drowning their sorrows with spirits.
We didn’t stay long as we had dinner reservations at Commis, but we got a round of drinks and while they weren’t particularly cheap, those drinks were strong. When I say strong, I mean MOTHERFUCKING STRONG! Put another way: One and you’re done. :)

We started off our afternoon pub crawl here. Where the drinks are so strong they’ll make you want to slap your mama!
From the puckered looks on the faces of our group as they sipped their cocktails, these were some serious drinks made for hard drinkers, something you only find in a real dive bar without the hipsters.
Laura, the bartender, accommodated our group of 20 with drink specials. In the middle of a Saturday afternoon, I was surprised to see two others tables with groups of 6, along with what looked like regulars at the bar.

«…you wanna go where everybody knows your name…»
So I had to wait until I sobered up to write this review. One Purple Cadillac and I was bent. We ordered. «That will be $ 10.» Okay. «Okay. It’s $ 10.» OKAY! What are their patrons used to the $ 5 shot in a plastic cup? Dude, I’m from L.A. this is a $ 30 drink! $ 10 is a bargain!
Let me just say this. I don’t know how this bar makes a profit if you pour that much tequila in a glass. This place is a BAR. Not like Cheers. More like the joint where Smitty hung out on Good Times. People getting off from work. Coming in greeting the same faces they saw yesterday and the day before. Kinda cool. I liked the atmosphere but being from out of town I couldn’t get the full effect of the spot. I’ve never seen so many men order Apple Maritins. Served discretely in a BIG glass and not in a martini glass. The dude next to us had 3 drinks… all to himself, all at one time. Really dude? Okay. Saw the food a couple of people ordered. Looked pretty good but I didn’t get any.
I saw the «Purple Pussy» but couldn’t bring myself to order one. Don’t worry Norm, I’ll be back. Next time.

This is a great place to have a drink and grab dinner after work. I have never made it here for happy hour but they do have one. Egbert Souse has a nice size bar, and the bartender is fairly attentive. She usually pays more attention to her regular patrons, but that is to be expected. The drinks are fairly priced and always made well.
They only except cash, which I don’t like because I rarely carry cash. There are a few restaurants close by that will deliver food here and they do not mind you eating the food inside the bar. I have definitely enjoyed myself each time I have ate/​drank here. So if you are in the area check this place out.

Me: Can I get a rum and Diet Coke?
Bartender: Yeah, sure.
(Bartender proceeds to pour a large cup of Diet Coke. He then pours a large glass of rum. He hands me the rum.)
Bartender: Who is the Diet Coke for?
Oh dive bar, how I love thee, let me count the ways! Here is what makes this deepest of dives so dope:
— The chill bartender who made the stiffest drinks this side of the Mississippi
— The regualrs who taught me the «appropriate» way to drink alcohol set ablaze (…with a sippy straw?)
— Convenient location walking distance to my job (you all might not appreciate this as much as I do)
— Feeling like you aren’t the lone soldier getting buzzed after work… Alcoholics of the world unite!