Heinold’s First And Last Chance Saloon

Since 1880 this building is still here great spot to chill and drink beers with company or alone. Historical site don’t sleep on it located in Oakland, California. Palm trees outdoor seating and inexpensive beer.

This venue is awesome! Small but so much history in there your jaw will drop. Coming back!

This place is small, crowded and I can’t hear myself think. Pretty awesome atmosphere.

This place is amazing! I love the feel of it. From what I understand it is one of the oldest buildings on the waterfront. Wooden, very slanted floor. It sort of looks like a wooden cabin from the outside. The inside is covered in old black and white photos. The bartenders mix good drinks, very quickly and amiably.

We love coming here on weekend afternoons. It’s a great place to sit out with the dog in a light crowd, enjoying great brews, sunshine, and the marina views. The owner always brings out treats for the dogs which is fun. And the history makes it great to take new people.

All the history this place has is pretty cool. We sat at the slanted bar and just had one drink but the bartender was super nice and didn’t mind answering some questions. It really has the feel of an old port bar (or at least what I picture an old port bar to be). It’s a place I would for sure pop into again to tie one on.

Oh, Heinold’s. This is a must-​stop on any Bay Area trip.
First and Last Chance Saloon refers to the fact that this adorable little shack bar is a sailor’s first and last chance to get a drink before/​after setting sail! Nestled in the best part of Jack London Square, away from some of the scary bro bars, sits this National Historic Landmark.
Every bartender I meet here is so friendly. One time, I left my credit card here and they were sooo nice about it. They kept it for me and upon returning, I found the people and atmosphere so pleasant, I told the barkeep to keep the tab open. Haha.
Definitely go and see the crooked bar. It’s great for plain drinking but you’ll have to venture elsewhere for food.

This is a great little divey spot in jack london square.
Actually it’s THE great little divey spot that defines jack london square. If you like a bar with character this is it.
It’s located in a spacious open area right next to a cabin that jack london lived in (cough cough). At least according to the person who «re assembled» the cabin swears is totally true you guys, so stop asking questions.
The bar itself hasn’t changed much in the last 60 years or so, and has stayed honest to what it was 100 years ago or so. It’s very easy to imagine the rough and ready turn of the century types hanging out in there. In fact it’s practically impossible to not do so. It’s also pretty obvious that groups of sailors and various blue collar types have claimed this as their own place over the years.
The bar offers about six taps, a dozen or so more beers in bottles and the usual suspects for well drinks. This is not a sophisticated cocktail joint so the best drinks are ones that keep it simple. the wine selection is likewise basic, but drinkable.
Inside it always kind of dark and this is not a terribly large space. Room for six or so at the bar and perhaps a dozen or so at the handful of tables. The floor is fractured (there is no foundation) so half the bar is tilted at an angle, perfect for determining who has had too many drinks. The bartender is closed in behind a tiny bar and thus you may have to wait for your drinks longer then you might like, seeing as how ordering requires you to penetrate the crush of people at the bar and then get the bartenders attention long enough to both order and get served. In these situations cash tends to work better then cards although both are accepted.
There is a large outside seating area and when it’s warm I’d recommend it. The inside is interesting enough but it is a tad claustrophobic. Also this place has marginal heating and cooling. This is more of an issue in the summer as you may imagine. Patrons sitting outside will be forced into using the dreaded plastic cups, and no people from the Texas they are not red solo cups. Get over it.
The bar has tons of history which I’m not going to do here as it’s long and totally something you should do for yourself when you visit.
This is the only place I’d consider a must do in jack london square.

A small bar but FULL of character! Located right on Jack London square this bar has been on continuous operation since the 1880s. It’s literally a very small snack but it’s full of interesting antique fisherman paraphernalia and people! They have a few beers on tap and some basic alcohol. You should certainly come here for the ambiance and less about the drinks

Best bar in the area– full of character, locals, friendly bar tenders, and even the occasional canine patron! For a place with so much history, it has maintained an easy going and welcoming vibe when it could easily be pretentious and still thrive from the business of locals.
Great place to start before walking along jack London square.

Why 4 stars? Because it’s fun to see once.
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I can’t say that I’ve ever been in a place with a slanted bar and floor. So from the perspective, Heinold’s was a very unique experience that I’ll never forget.
If I lived in the Bay Area, would I return to Heinold’s? I doubt it. It’s a fun gimmick, but a slanted bar is obviously impractical. I hate to sound like a grinch against a fun theme. But if I have my choice of visiting a bar with comfortable seating, a vast beer selection and a bar at a 90 degree angle for the purpose of resting my drinks on it, I’m probably going to take it.
But a one and done is better than a place not worth visiting at all!

Now that I have been to Heinhold’s a few times, can I call myself an official East Bay resident?
This is a great spot, very hole in the wall-​y bar to grab a few beers with your friends/​workmates. It’s apparently a historical landmark, which explains the slanted structure of the «building». It’s an experience of a kind when you step into the dark & dingy inside. But fear not, the variety of beers on tap and the friendly bar tenders take away any apprehension you might have!
Happy Hours are almost free. They do have seating outside, which is great on a nice day. Even better during sundown, because you get to watch the amazing sunset over the Marina right outside.
Swing by and enjoy a beer or two with your peeps. Best decision you’ll make.

Cute little place. Their selection is limited to their size. Wanted a Malibu and pineapple, and they didn’t have Malibu. My fella enjoyed his beer and we sat outside. Will probably be back at some point just because it is a neat little place.

Super small and very cozy oh yea and very dim. The bar tables are slanted so your beers are also sitting at an angle. I stopped in here because it’s quaint and why not! It’s got a little history with the Jack London story blah blah blah. The bartender to super sweet. Obviously because he saw that I’m from Salt Lake City and all the crazy questions arise.
I ordered the chocolate stout and boy was it tasty! I’m a big dark beer drinker so maybe that helped too! There is outdoor seating if you’re claustrophobic. Glass is served inside and you get plastic outside. Enjoy!

Very small bar that serves quite cheap beer. I am definitely a fan!
My friend and I would grab a drink here when there would be small events around JLS or before we watch a movie. There is outdoor seating since it kind be quite tiny inside. Definitely a bar I would love to go to more!

What’s better than living in Jack London Square? Living just steps away from where it all begins: Heinold’s, which was Jack London’s watering hole of yore.
Heinold’s is basically nothing more than a log cabin inside and out, but there’s tremendous history to it. The floor inside is slanted because of the 1906 earthquake, which means that the tables are bolted down to keep them from sliding down. Whether you’re drinking inside, or on the glorious waterfront patio outside, the bartenders will make sure to fill your glass (or cup) just enough so that it doesn’t spill over if you set it down inside.
Tons of sailors’ caps also line the ceiling, a nod to the Coast Guard station and former naval base across the inlet in Alameda. Moreover, long ago, this was the last — or first — bar for folks on their way into, or from, Alameda because there weren’t any such watering holes on the other side.
But wait, there’s more! This was where Jack London used to hang out, and legend has it that he wrote «Call of the Wild» at a table here.
The history alone should seal the deal, but topping it all off are reasonable prices, a decent beer selection, and a prime waterfront location with plenty of seats outside. The only caveat is that if you choose to drink outside, your drink has to come in a plastic cup.
All in all, a truly unique piece of Oakland that I’m proud to frequent because it’s right on my doorstep.

I feel like to give this place any less than 4 stars would be an insult on my part, but IMO this place is more interesting for its historical value rather than its imbibes.
This is one of the oldest (or THE oldest?) bar in the area. It was around when Oakland’s port was regularly used as a transport area for imports & exports, as well as traveling and gold mining. It was rocked in the 1906 earthquake, and survived several natural disasters in the exact original state that you find it today in Jack London Square.
There are many original items inside, this could practically be a museum. The bartender is interesting, and they serve a very standard set of liquor. You will not find your craft cocktails, or high shelf liquors here. However, you will definitely find yourself in the midst of a piece of history with your casual drink sipping away during the sunset, imagining the life that was in the late 1800s.

Almost too touristy for this dive to etch a place in my heart. It is old, no denying that. It is a tiny shack that may be able to sit 15, if that. But there is a comfy outdoor deck that will seat double what it does inside. On a sunny afternoon, with a breeze coming off the water, it is niiiicccceeee.
Hard to get a seat inside due to the small nature, but if you do get in, it is like hopping on a time machine, very trippy. But if you settle for the outside, then your drinks will basically be switched to plastic cups, and you’ll be in the midst of the JLS foot traffic. Not bad, but a far cry from what Mr. London may have experienced.
Bartenders are legit and professional. To that, I’ll remain a fan.

I’m a sucker for a good dive bar and I’m pretty sure that this is the OG dive bar of #Oakland and potentially all of the East Bay. Slinging drinks since 1883* with famed customers like thee Jack London (Heinold’s Saloon is mentioned 17 times in London’s earlier work), how does one not give it five stars? They must be doing something right if they’ve stayed open this long. Amiright or amiright?
Expect $ 5 local craft beer drafts served in a plastic cup, a historical building with an uneven floor caused by the 1906 earthquake with ample outdoor seating in Jack London Square and lots of history. I’m pretty sure it can’t get better than this.
A legendary Oakland bar and a Bay Area gem. I’m going blanket statement: if you haven’t been, you’re missing out.
* Back then it was only Heinold’s. The ‘First and Last Chance’ part came to be because the ferry to Alameda, a dry town back in those days and also home to the naval base would pick up and drop off right outside the bar. It was literally the first and last chance for sailors and the likes to get their booze before heading out. The nickname stuck.

This was, hands down, my favorite bar in the San Francisco area.
Was it the super friendly bartender? The amazing history? The plastic bats that drop from the ceiling on a timer? The fact that the entire place is the size of my living room and slopes down?
Don’t know, but I will be back and i would love to just sit at one of the vintage wood tables and drink all day and into the night.