Radio

So I had heard the story about good music and dive bar feel. This is not a dive its a hipster bar as far as I can tell. Look I like under my thumb but listlessly playing it on a Saturday night is not what I’m looking for. Maybe I’ll wander in again. On a late night.

Damn so I really loved this bar. I was going a couple times a week (more like every day around 4 after work). Will not be returning unfortunately. I have been there at times and had an awesome experience with different bar tenders. The long haired dude who drives a sick bike! Amazing and sooper nice. This past 3 or 4 times I have always gotten service from a little ass hole of a chick. First she’s a jerk, 2^nd, never smiles, and third she just has an unkind persona. Like she doesn’t want you there.
I go back at different times in hopes that she is NOT there but she is…
On several occasions she has not only been rude to me but my girlfriend as well. Instances of refusing water because she’s closing her register, or telling me to ask some one else in the most Dickish way.
Damn lady thanks to YOU you lost a loyal customer. MAKE THAT TWO

I want start this off by complimenting the bar itself I have always liked the environment and have felt invited to come in, I live in the area so I’m around the bar often. I’m writing this review based on how I was treated twice upon trying to enter the bar. I’m 22 with a baby face so u get carded (no problem with that), I don’t like how I was treated by one of the female staff who was completely rude and disrespectful to me because I don’t look my age after I gave multiple forms of ID, credit cards I even showed a medical record and birth certificate I should have never have had to go that far. After being turned away by the woman my second time trying to enter the bar the same woman told me that she would only serve me if the bar next door would serve me, so I literally went there and I was served without hesitation after being carded she walked into the bar and asked the bartender if he was going to serve me he replied yes. Then she se said to me ok well I’m still not serving you, your not worth it your not worth me losing my job at the bar so drink here. I told her that I didn’t want to go there and asked her why she was treating me that way and she replied because u look too young I don’t care what your I’d says
I wish I had the name of the woman who was rude but unfortunately I don’t I feel the way she handled everything was wrong especially to turn a customer away to somewhere else just to come inside of that place where you do not work just to turn them away is unprofessional and tacky .
OTHER THAN THIS INCIDENT ID SAY FIVE STAR TO THE BAR AND IT’S CREATED ENVIRONMENT

The place is tiny and cute– a little tight with the crowd it brings in but the atmosphere is loud and exciting. The music bumps loudly and the bartenders are lively. I was here via route bar hopping on Halloween night. I really enjoyed the extra lighting and accent of the lanterns on the ceiling.
The walls are lined with mirrors (which is a great idea for a small place), the bar expands most of the room, there is no dance floor but of course, no dance floor is no excuse not to shake your hips. If you’re lucky, you can find tables and seats in the back corner.
This is someplace I would def come back to check out on a night that isn’t Halloween. Fun!

Although I was the only person of Asian descent in the crowd here when I showed up, Radio appears to pay homage to its location near Chinatown by offering an intimate atmosphere that’s not only lit dimly by lights in large red paper lanterns, but also punctuated by screens playing kung fu movies.
The atmosphere seems to be both loungey and dive bar-​ish at the same time, while the overall vibe is friendly, approachable, and intimate. I’ll make a point of coming back and trying out some more of their drinks.

This is one of my favorite dive bars in Oakland! No overpriced drink great atmosphere and wonderful Bartenders. Mari the bartending on Sundays is awesome and always fun to talk too! Wish she was there all the time!

Mari (the bartender-​ess) on Sundays is awesome … She is one of the main reasons I goto this joint on my Sunday late afternoons… cheap drinks, good conversation and random sh – , what more could u ask for on a Sunday? — I

Bartender made a birthday drink with hot sauce and some other random stuff for my bro as a joke which was cool! Only 5 bucks! Can’t beat that. Good no frills spot.

Cheap drinks, loud music, red moody lighting: what more could I want from a dive bar? Kinda small but makes it more ~intimate. Cool place to stop by.

I used to always catch a last drink here before hopping on BART, so of them many times, a one drink stint is all I’ve really lingered for. And to tell ya the troof, that is all I can really muster in here.
First, the place is thin and narrow, but long. If you aren’t lucky enough to get a seat at the bar (which is probable), then you have to plaster your back against the long wall. And the space between the back of the stools and your face, is literally about 3 feet. And in that 3 foot space is where the rest of the schleps will have to walk, back and forth in order to get to the rest rooms.
And to add to the insult, if it is a warm night, say 70’s-80’s, it will be 10 – 20 degrees warmer inside because I’m not sure if they have AC. When the place fills up, all that body heat just compounds the problem. I don’t know how the bartenders are able to work in that heat. Like clothes sticking to your skin… heat. Like, let’s get outa here after this drink… heat.
But outside of a few major logistical issues, this place is a dive in true form. Decent cheap drinks, great music (must be from a shuffler cuz I didn’t notice a juke) usually throwbacks of some sort. Diverse crowd and quintessential dive bar lighting (red district red). A drink here will evoke memories of intimate meetings of elaborate schemes of a devious nature. But that’s just me watching way too many Tarantino flicks. Now if it can bring me there, then it can’t be all bad, now can it?
*throws in extra star*

Solid, no BS bar.
Good price on drinks, especially happy hour. There’s no top shelf (at all) but good variety of more affordable spirits. Pretty robust beer menu. Décor is tasteful and the whole place is very clean. Draws a good crowd but no so packed you can’t move or hear. Reminds slightly of the non-​hipster parts of Brooklyn (home).
Will definitely be back!

Spent two hours are the Warriors parade here people watching and it was awesome. The hard rock tunes were excellently chosen (not sure if they get credit or if it’s internet radio). Came in in a good mood and left in an even better one. This is going to be my staple spot when I’m in the town.

My friends and I were checking around Oakland for a good nightlife. Being as its not the city we stumbled across Radio. We went on a Friday night and the moment we got in we fell in love with the vibe and music. Even though its small (since its a dive bar) they have a good selection of alcohol.
If you’re looking for drinks accompanied with good hip hop and the bay area hyphy vibe this is the place to go.

I like dive bars, and Radio is one of my favorites in Oakland. The inside is dark and red, and when you go upstairs there is a smoking lounge, which is pretty cool and unique. Friendly and great bartenders who constantly keep on checking on you.
Drinks are relatively cheap here. They don’t have that many draft beers, but they have PBR on tap! Warning: if you want to go to a place to get good beers, you might not like this place. They usually play good music, and it’s not too loud. Great place to hangout with your friends, or by yourself (because you know, they have a pinball machine).

Awesome dive bar! Radio lives up to the name! I have to give 5 stars for the DJ/​bartender playing 90s hip hop and r&b because that really made me like this place. Cool place to go with eclectic crowd. Cheap beers and drinks. Friendly bouncers. Décor is nicer than you regular dive. Also cleaner than your regular dive. Long bar with many stools. Upstairs seating is also available but did not get to check out. Go for the good music, vibes, and inexpensive pours. Great watering hole!

Dropped in for a Line 51 Red Death. And, I’m still alive.

I went to this bar a couple of times while I was visiting Oakland in July. The bartenders were nice, the drinks were cheap, and the crowd a-​ok!
One star deduction only because it was an INFERNO! Maybe the AC wasn’t working.

«OMG it’s dark» was my first reaction when we concluded our Oakland Bar Crawl. Friendly bartender and who pours generously.
For me, it’s more of a night out than a happy hour venue, but it’s must for a downtown/​uptown bar crawl.

Coolish dive bar, but ultimately just a dive bar with some very red lighting. I look at the entrace to this bar every day, since I can see it from my work, but this was my first venture inside.
The bartender was interesting and chatty, and the beer selection was OK. The very red lighting I didn’t care much for, but I guess that’s its shtick. Ultimtely though, to me, it’s just another bar. I’m not sure it’d be my first choice for after work — I might go to the Tribune instead which has a better beer selection, and food.

A great little bar in Oakland. The bar tender knew her stuff, and the crowd was just the right mixture of diverse and cultured. They have DJs, some space to get down, and plenty of bar space.
I’ll certianly be back