Heart and Dagger Saloon

The un-​dive bar. I used to like this place, but the clientele is all highbrow now. I never liked that it was cash only, but I still love the jukebox. The last time I was there the skinny bearded doorman kept shouting across the bar to the bartender which was super annoying. I was unimpressed with his need for attention. Maybe early in the day this place is better but when it’s crowded, nah. I was particularly amused by the weather-​denying girl in the tank top showing off her tattoos as everyone else in the bar was in a coat and scarf because it was freezing outside and they had all of the doors open. Maybe in 1992 that would be impressive, but in 2016 you are one of many. Put your coat on, sweety. You’ll catch your death.

Great place to have a beer and chill. The outdoor patio is fantastic. I’d give it 5 stars, but occasionally the clientele can get a little… roudy. And not in a good way.

Love coming here. Great location, great employees and fun bar all around. Only set back is the price of the Merlot i get here. 7 bucks with a cheap pour. If I was in Napa wine tasting then I get it but, this wine is not supreme. It’s eh. Come on guys! Pour a glass like you mean it!

Jumped to my Top 5 favorite Bars I’ve ever been to.
Punk Bar with Pinball and great outside seating! Hell yeah! Service was good, prices were fair, and jukebox selection was On Point!

I truthfully like this spot. It’s much fun and on the top of that they got a smoking area which you can enjoy your drink too. I have been coming here for the last few weeks and for sure i will keep coming.

Douchiest place in Oakland. If your into those bars that are decorated to look like dive bars and are full of unattractive aging snotty hipsters then this is your place. Went last night, Wednesday, it was early and not very busy. There were two bartenders, an overweight girl with a pretty face and an overweight guy with q beard. Both looked at me and smiled then proceeded to serve every single person approaching the bar in The next 20 min except me. Seemed like they knew most of the people or they were friends cause almost nobody they served seemed to be paying. I guess customers who’d like to actually pay for their drinks aren’t priority. Left without ever being served and went to a decent dive bar down the street Smitty’s.

I was seriously attacked here by my eX’s gf and they stood behind me! The bartenders, the bouncers, the people drinking there, the bums outside, the people at Cana next door, the people at Bank of America also next door, the guy I brought from Tinder and my beastie friend! I am very popular around this area because I know how to make friends and treat people very well! The bartenders make great drinks and it is a lot of fun! The drinks are so strong that I always get so drunk I should call a cab but I decide not too! Instead, I’ll pretend like my car wont start or something so that people don’t judge me, and I know Ill never get a DUI leaving here cause the people are so cool! Just like family! I love the outdoor space so you can have a smoke with your drink! I’ve been smoking cigarettes for about 30 years and I love them! Its a local bar and the bartenders work at another bar I go to often! I go everywhere to drink! They pour pretty heavy and the drinks are inexpensive! Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone, or else I might not get my heavy strong drinks anymore for me, a baller on a budget! lmfao just playing I make 6 figures! You can bring your own food here for when you need to sober up a little! I always need to sober up a little because the bartenders know me and I get so hammered here and need to sober up before I drive my car home! I know many of the regulars and I always feel welcomed when I come! The crowd is ultra chill and it is a great place to play some pool and play great music on the jukebox! I love to play pool, because I am so good at it when I’m drunk! I am going to miss this place when I move! I wish I could bring the Heart and Dagger with me! The bouncers always have your back and it is not rowdy! I love the Heart and Dagger! I love the Heart and Dagger! It is not rowdy! I am rowdy but they always have my back! I am writing my farewell reviews to the places I loved in Oakland. The bartenders and bouncers always know you by name and drink. I feel like family when I come here. The drinks are cheap, for California, and are strong. I have had great times with friends and not so great times by stalkers. Its like my stalker is always stalking me here but the bouncers know me and they know I have meth head stalker cheating hookers after me so they protect me! In fact when I called the cops once there they had my back! They have a great patio for those of us who like to smoke. They have tv’s for all the games, pool table, and a jukebox with the oldies. I love to tip well here because the bartenders are excellent. You can bring outside food with you and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. I will miss this bar, but I have my favs in Florida too. I can’t wait to write about those places but I ail always miss you guys my family away from home Hart and dagger! Thanks for the memories and good drinks! It’s too bad that Lake Merritt is becoming such a bad area. Please H&D don’t become a fufu place like all the other bars opening in the area. You are perfect just the way you are!

I call it the mini version of Zeitgeist of SF. The place is mainly known for their back patio, where all the smokers and cool kids hang. Inside is a little tight. With the pool table and pinball machines, which everyone loves, its not too ideal to hang inside too long. Drink are ok, but its still a nice little spot in Oakland. I’d go for a quick drink in the future.

Two words: dive bar.
Personally, I’m a fan of the idea of dive bars. I mean, who doesn’t love cheap drinks? I know that I do. Especially living in the Bay Area, anything that can keep some money in my pockets makes me pretty happy.
Cash. Only. Ouch. I’m not someone who carries cash. That makes it so I drink less at places like this. It also has limited space inside. I tend to run cool, so I like to be inside which can be rough when it’s busy.
There’s a pool table which is frequently occupied. I’m no pool shark but I enjoy putting my terrible physics and geometry skills to use… especially under the influence. It’s always a good idea.
So three stars. It’s close and easy to get to but nothing super fancy or spectacular, over the top service. It’s a dive bar so yeah… expect that.

Dive bars are more my style. This spot has some real charm. Awesome outdoor patio and smoking lounge. All sorts of characters, friendly fast bartenders, cool décor, and just that nice fun weirdo vibe.
Cash only!

This spot is located in the Lake Merritt area. I love how they have their own bicycle and motorcycle parking space — being the motorcycle people that we are. LOL! They have games too! They have a pool table and a few other games including pinball. Staff are very nice, good prices on drinks and they have a back patio area for when you want to chill with friends. Worth visiting!

Cool place with a typical dive-​bar vibe. Cash only so be prepared — I almost wasn’t!
Outside was probably my favorite — a fair amount of seating, and they allow dogs. The problem is that most dogs have owners, and some of those owners haven’t trained their dog how to interact with other dogs.
Good drinks, bottled beer is probably the best bet.

We came here around 12:45, knowing they close at 2:00pm. We got a drink as soon as we got there and grabbed quarters to play on the pool table. Around 1:25 we bought another drink assuming last call would be around 1:30. Immediately after we bought our drinks we heard the bar was closed and went to put in our second set of quarters when I heard someone say «that table is closed» after saying «oh really?» He responded with «yeah, I actually want to get home tonight» so we obviously pulled the coins back and didn’t play. A few minutes later (1:43) we hear the bar tender yelling «the bar is closed!!!» Assuming he meant last call we continued on with our drinks. About two minutes later A different guy told us «let’s keep moving» so I Asked if they closed at 2:00 knowing I had just ordered
My drink. He replied with «we close whenever the FUCK we wanna close.» Slightly offended my friends and I decided it was time to chug our drinks as fast as we could and get the **** out of there. The man with the beard pretty much mugged us out of the door and stood there until we left the gates to wait for our über. They bar is cool and they have pool but being shoved out was not a good experience especially when we just bought 6 drinks. Definitely
not going back.

I always seem to come here on dates. Thankfully the dates go well, so I get to call this my lucky bar.
*cue Stefon voice* This place has everything: a jukebox, a pool table, a bouncer that looks like Jeff Bridges (who’s awesome), sour beer, an outdoor patio with lights, tasteful metal signs, Raider’s fans, and goldfish (the cheddar variety)
While I’m no expert on the dive bar scene in Oakland, this is by far my favorite place to hang out after hours. The beer variety is great and the prices are the greatest. My favorite recent discovery was the Holy Gose Ale, a deliciously sour beer. The staff is friendly and quick.
IDs are checked very throughly! Cash only (there’s an ATM)

Best bar in Oakland. The bartenders are friendly, the drinks are strong, and you don’t need to sell any organs on the black market to afford to buy a few rounds.
I love coming here with my dog while getting a few drinks in.
Don’t forget to bring cash and your ID!

I *heart* this place.
Upon entering, it is like walking into an old party house in a cool college town. Good energy, music that is not top 40 or pop (thank sweet baby Jesus!) and a surprisingly cool yet eclectic crowd.
Nice spacious patio but it is a smoker’s haven, so just be warned. There was enough open air, that it wasn’t suffocating, at least to me.
Very value oriented pricing. 2 Jim Beam/​soda + 2 Knob Creek rocks = $ 24. I’ve paid closer to $ 35 for the exact combo at other dives. And even though their bucket glasses seem a tad petite, at least the sting was there.
The tenders are quick and efficient. Even the bar regs will let you slip into a slot at the bar so you can put in an order. Flabberghasted, I know.
AND the restroom was uncharacteristically clean, even on a busy night. No holes in the wall, no trash littered about, and most importantly no stench of piss on the floor. What kind of a dive is this?! I am not sure if I should add a star, or dock them one!
Heart and Dagger, you surprise me. In a good way. That is why I *heart* you!

A cool dive bar with a back patio. So, if you have a pup, this is a good place to take them. There’s a pool table and a jukebox. The bartenders make a pretty good drink. They also only take cash, but they do have an ATM as well as plenty of ATMs outside. Make sure to bring your ID. They card everyone that comes through the door.

I love Heart and Dagger, yep it is a bar, but it is also the super sweet spot to shoot pool by my house, plus you can bring in your own food… awesome!
I came to the stairs in the front of the establishment and I looked up at them thinking, «Wow, how am I going to do this with one foot?» The bouncer, Gary, was really cool, he helped get me up there so I could have fun inside with all the other bipeds… lol.
There is always such a cool crowd at this place, no matter what you like. The juke box offers some really great songs, the kind of songs that remind you of moments in your life that seemingly make you smile. I think last night I heard an old «Wham» song that lifted my mood.
We watched a ton of Raider fans playing pool and basking in the glory of their win last night at the Battle of the Bay. While the football game put my friend in a bad mood, the Raider fans were happy — let them have this little moment, it is not very often it happens ;)
We attempted to go out to the patio in the back, and the ramp down into that area was yet another challenge for my one footed self. But none to worry, there was a guy working at that back area too who helped me get around.
I have visited this spot for several years and have always had a memorable time – whether those memories be awesome, weird, annoying, ridiculous or fun, etc… I always leave with a memory.
Heart and Dagger is always on the crawl list for birthdays, and pretty much the «stand by» for any night. We can play pool or pinball, listen to music, watch pretty disturbing movies on the TV, hang out in the patio, or just sit inside.
I am sure to run into friends from the neighborhood at any drop in, so that is always cool when I am out solo.
Stephani Smiles for HND ;)

I’ve come here a bunch, usually after a booze-​y brunch on Lakeshore, but my most recent visit was on ⁹⁄₁₉ for my Birthday… wooooo! It was maybe just about 3pm and my girlfriend and I took a seat at the bar. There was a small crowd already there, I assumed regulars, and we were told hello right away. We ordered our beers and the bartender gave me a shot on the house for my Birthday, it was called the HeartBreaker (?) and it was delicious! I actually took the shot with another Birthday guy and it was nice to be a part of that.
Our beers were served quick, cold, and with a smile. I had a Guineas from a can which was poured into a glass, perfect! We weren’t hassled if we wanted to order more and being a Cash Bar (!!!) we didn’t have to wait to pay our tab.
Great oasis in Oakland where you can get some good cheap beer, have a conversation, and just relax.
What are you still doing on Unilocal?!Go to Heart and Dag!

Heart and Dag is what I like to call it. Probably my favorite bar in the Grand Lake neighborhood. It doesn’t look like anything fancy from the outside, just a nice tattoo inspired sign above the porch. I half expected to be walking into a biker bar by the way the sign looked however I was greeted with a completely different type of biker. A bunch of fixies locked to the rack. Don’t worry though, the place isn’t too hipster-​y.
Just a bunch of 20-​somethings throwing back cheap beer playing pinball, arcade games, skee-​ball and pool while a muted Dr. Strangelove DVD (possibly VHS) ran. How had I never been here?- I thought. I instantly knew that I never wanted leave. Setting up a cot in the corner and sipping on strong cocktails while discussing Peter Sellers movies till the end of time.
The patio is fairly large with plenty of seating. It features a water dispenser so you don’t have to bother the bartenders inside. The place can get fairly chilly on some nights so I recommend a jacket or a lot of whiskey. Dogs are welcome here so be aware.
Reasonable prices for drinks top to bottom, friendly patrons, and great bartenders. CASH ONLY! (they have an ATM though)
My only thing I’m not a fan of is the smoking on the patio, at times at can get a bit out of hand. I don’t mind smoking at a bar, but when the I leave smelling like an ashtray, it’s a bit much.