AU Lounge

Au Lounge was pretty good if you're in the neighborhood. The ambiance and food are great, the service was eh. We sat at the bar and the bartender was on his phone with ear buds in and I had to beg him to take my order. Asking about refills never happened or "would you like another drink?" The food was great. We had the fried chicken and the blackened shrimp with Mac n cheese and green beans. All of which was wonderfully flavored and tasted like it was cooked by someone who knew what they were doing. The service just needs a tune up.

I really love this quiet spot located in downtown Oakland. All the food is cooked by the first business called, Smelley's. The food is very delicious and the tables are all dressed with white tablecloth as well. I would describe the ambiance friendly and relaxing; soft music in the background; very friendly hostesses as you enter; spacious seating for singles, small groups and very ideal for late evening dates. And I must also mention that even though this lounge operate under two separate businesses, the bar area and staff which operate as the second business really take care of you. The drinks are reasonable and you can always ask for their assistance to order your food. You may sit and eat at the bar and watch the large TV screens for sports and entertainment. I give them four stars.

I was in town from NYC I wanted to check out AU for dinner. The menu looked great and so did diners' plates when I walked in. Since I was alone, I sat at the bar. The bartender was very kind and attentive. I didn't get her name, but her service was delightful. I wanted to order food, but I then learned that the bar and the food service are somewhat separate. Thus, the bartender had to leave her post to find a server so I could place my order. When a server finally arrived, it was actually the hostess, who informed me that the restaurant was shortstaffed and she took my order. 40 minutes later I still didn't have any food. When I requested the check from the bartender, the hostess was surprised that hadn't receive my dinner which was an appetizer and two sides. The hostess was apologetic then attempted to rectify the matter. She was told that the food will take five to ten additional minutes because they had to deal with a large party. I declined to wait any longer. Other patron's seem to enjoy the food it's too bad that I didn't get to enjoy mine. The drinks were bomb though which is why I'm giving AU two stars instead of one.

Had a great time at Au Lounge. Nice ambience, great music, and good service. Thanks for a great time!

The ambiance is nice, as is a restaurant that transforms into a nightclub/lounge after hours. My family attended the restaurant, and i must say it is really nice, quaint, and very intimate. We texted ahead of time for availability, and were promptly responded to. While it is a little pricey, the food was Great. The customer service, is where it is. As I've complimented everything up until this point, I sing praises on the service. Quick seating, all done with a welcome greeting and a smile, and EVERYONE is helpful. My only qualm about this place is, ‍ they didn't have the chicken waffle cheesecake I saw advertised online. BUT IT IS COMING. All in all, a great experience, in a great location, with delicious food, how can they not WIN WIN WIN NO MATTER WHAT!

Located in the end corner of 25th and Broadway is the nice AU lounge. Comfortable and close. Eclectic crowd and a great selection of music, art and good drinks for decent prices; stronger if you tip your bartender (wink). Parking is ok on the street, not too far of a walk. Private parties and events allowed with proper consultation.

Hello I went to AU lounge on Thursday I ordered shrimp oysters greens and macaroni and cheese she charged me $53 with the gratuity added the credit card charge was $1.65 which the merchant was supposed to pay I was surprised it used to be my favorite place but after paying $53.65 I will never go back for four oysters for shrimp a small bowl of macaroni cheese and greens this is why black businesses are it's hard to stay open I will never go back and that used to be my favorite place.

An absolute no in my book. I'm sad to leave a bad review but the hostess was rude as my friends and I walked to the bar and there was a lot of open seating. She remarked a few times about us not eating so we couldn't get a table, not just once, and was really condescending towards me when I asked whether or not we could sit in the dining room, in a way I could only explain as a micro-aggression. Everyone sitting in the dining room heard and looked awkwardly in our direction and my friends corroborated this afterwards without me bringing it up so I know I wasn't imagining it. Sorry boo, your customer service needs to improve. We are in the Bay Area. There are people of all backgrounds here. And you need to treat everyone with respect.

Gotta support a local business with heart & soul. If you crave fresh seafood, garlic, butter & generous portions, then you'll love just about anything on the menu. Look at any of Chef Smelly's IG or FB posts and you'll get reeled in, just like the pics of him actually catching the fresh fish! It's a whole vibe.

Enjoy this place , started coming here a few years ago for a friend's birthday party and had a great time . Freindly staff , sanitizer available, sanitizing between customers. Best cocktails Also Delicious food via chef smelly . Fun atmosphere and great staff .

A side of me likes to think that the partier in me has fully retired. But I learned quickly the other night, that this part of me will never die. It just becomes a different type of party as you get older. I thought I would never end up at a club again. And there we were, sweating like pigs on the dance floor as we danced our asses off. I would like to thank Au Lounge for helping me rediscover my love for dancing again. Sooooo basically.... this place is LIT! Straight FIYAAAAH! Hoppin', jumpin', crackin'; whatever verb that evokes happiness. Loved it to pieces! When we first arrived, you could hear the crickets chirping in the background. I had been here before in the past some years ago and never remembered it being so empty. That's when I realized that it wasn't even 10 yet. We sat at the bar and decided to order a few drinks. I had a Tequila Sunrise and a Cosmopolitan, both of which were potently delicious and cheap! Gotta love those good ol' bar dranks! The bartenders were wonderful. They also gave us shots of... ???? Well, whatever the hell it was; it was the smoothest friggin' alcohol that has probably ever lived. One might call this concoction a "creeper" of sorts because it basically tasted like lemonade but had the effects of patron. Now I'm wishing that I remembered what it was. By 11, this place was pretty packed. We b-lined it to the dance floor and threw DOWN! I'm sure I cut a few rugs up in there. My entire face was wet from all of the sweat dripping down! I literally felt like I had just spent 2 hours working out in the gym afterward. But it was so effing FUN! The DJ was seriously jammin'! He was spinning a mix of Caribbean, Afro-Caribbean, and West African hits. I felt like I was dancing for hours on end! We seriously had such an amazing time here. The crowd was so fun and hype. I loved that they kept one of the large windows open so that some fresh air could get in. You know how hot it can get once you start dancing with a crowd of people. Even though it was packed, it wasn't overly crowded and we could still move around comfortably. I hate when places are shoulder to shoulder. It just kills the mood instantly for me. Since we got in before 11, we didn't have to pay a cover charge. But, I think it's $5 or $10? Honestly, if I was coming to dance, I wouldn't have any problems paying it because the vibe is great and the DJ was on point. Some nights they have live performances here. It's a pretty nice space for live music and dancing. We didn't plan on coming here initially, but it was really the highlight of our night. I would highly recommend it if you're looking for a fun spot to dance.

This is one of the best places for a seafood and all southern cooking. Beautiful servers, Hostess and an easy atmosphere. Good for families also. Has a wonderful bar where you may find the owner behind the Bar.

Super chill place thats quite small but has a cool vibe to it with music that makes that makes you want to dance. Beers are cheap and no cover charge. Right on the corner across the street from MUA and good option to hang out after dinner. I would like more seating or at least chairs since there is very little inside. Bouncers and friendly yet take their jobs seriously. Check it out.

Chef Smelly's food is amazing!!!! The grilled oysters are absolutely delish... the ambiance and music selection gets you groovin... the wait staff is very friendly and funny. We got to meet and take a picture with the legend himself "chef smelly" he made sure our food was perfect....

AU lounge is where I feel at home! I miss the pre-covid life so much and most of what I think of is AU Lounge. The staff make me feel welcomed always. The music is the best!!! Afrobeats, reggae, world music, etc. chef smelly has his pop up here and they have AMAZING energy for every event. The location is perfectly located across the street from Mua. Since the pandemic, they have been holding very mindful restrictions, and also making room for us to party outside! I can't wait to go back! *check for Mek and Dagmawi as they're full of smiles and hospitality!

This place is the absolute truth! Had a little bit too much of a good time the night before with some coworkers and forgot my backpack. I was in a state of panic the whole day as I had priceless items in there. Come to find out that they rescued it and got it back! I love you guys so much and thanks to all the honest staff.

If you love carbs like I do... Hands down the best homemade Mac and cheese in the bay. The garlic noodles are beyond amazing. Will definitely be back here soon to try other dishes.

Great owners Great music the African Diaspora meets here. A woman friendly and safe spot. Experience "Coming to Africa" Oak-Town style

ive been to this place once in middle of the week and I really enjoyed this food!! The food is great. BUT THE SERVICE IS INSANE!! I came back this place today (Sunday) and I was waiting for the WAITER FOR MORE THAN 15 minutes the girl(waiter) with curly blond hair just ingnored me And didn't serve me at all I didn't get even water! and you cant barely hear anything in this place people are yelling like in radio. wont come again for sure!

6/30/2020 4.30pm I REALLY hate to have to leave an upset review, because the food is amazing... however, what I found pretty much turned my appetite off. Again it hella sucks, cause I like the food. I made sure to get in line early (about 3:30 pm) because the line can get insanely long if you show up too late. Place opened around 4:15; I ordered the fried platter: fish & prawns with chili garlic sauce, mac, and garlic green beans ($33)... grabbed a mason jar margarita ($16) to go as well. Order number 09. Yay. So I get home & settle down to Netflix & my food.. after a couple of swigs from my drink, I happened to notice something funny that (I thought) was stuck to the outside of the jar. Nope. A dead gnat just chilling at the bottom of my drink. Now my appetite is ruined, and I wasn't even halfway done with my food. Since they evidently don't wash/rinse glassware before serving, I can't take chances on anything from the kitchen. I'm gonna miss the food from there. I have no issue with the price; however for that much.. hold the bugs.

I was joining some friends for dinner. Was about to go to MUA (which is across the street) but they wanted to stay where the DJ was on a Friday night. The DJ was jamming and the crowd was small and manageable. Apparently, they have a guest chef 3x's a week and he prepares fresh seafood. We ordered a humongous platter of shrimp, crab legs and garlic noodles and it was legit the BEST flavor I've ever had on crab legs. Garlic was coming out of my pores the next day but it was SO worth it. The prawns were huge and smothered with garlic and buttery goodness. I tucked a napkin in my shirt and got to work. We sat in the lounge portion where there weren't real dinner tables so I had to go to work on the crab legs and noodles with my plate on my lap. So much flavor. The drinks left a bit to be desired but the food was the highlight. The constant line of customers apparently thought so too.

This is a great place to meet women of course. Some of the most beautiful come here. The drink prices are good and does not break your bank after a Friday or Saturday night. During sports game this place gets really packed and live. Also Chef Smelly cooks his great food over here during the day, another reason to give AU a shot while here in Oakland.

HORRIBLE service! The Bartender is the absolute worst ever! She has no customer service skills she single handedly kills the vibe here. Never again unless she is gone! She needs a new profession.

Chef Smelly Is Hands Down The Best Seafood Chef in The Entire Bay & Great Customer Service!!!

This place serves Red Stripe. That's a win for me. Sometimes you gotta keep it simple. It's probably because it was First Friday when I went here, but it was very crowded inside but was there around 10PM so there wasn't a line to get inside. There's a $10 cover fee, but the DJs inside were playing some good raggae, raggaeton, afro-carribean type music. It does get too crowded to even move or dance which was my only complaint about this place. Music was great though and it seemed they had some guest DJs from out of town.

So I've been holding off on writing this review. Partly because I'm lazy and write for a living so I have to be really compelled to write a review. I'm very critical of soul food, barbecue and desserts. So I arrive early because I know the lines are a hot mess. 3 people are ahead of me. I only order sides. I've been to his place before and had it and it's good. But I only wanted sides. I got garlic noodles garlicky string beans and Mac and cheese. Everything was good. The garlic noodles I could not taste the garlic but I love noodles so I was good. My only issue was I had to wait an hour to pretty much get my food. Again I only ordered sides. Now it would not be an issue if the food was piping hot. It was warm . The main meal I got from another place was warm by the time I got home. You would think if u only order sides it would be faster. Nope not by a long shot. I will try him again in the future. But for me it was the long wait to only get warm food.

A great spot to relax with friends, have a date nite or catch delicious food from Chef Smelly. The drinks are really good and the music is played by the top DJ's in the Bay.

Good music and atmosphere was really busy probably due to it being first Friday. Chef smiley did the food mind you I came for the food all the great ig reviews and raves. I order the platter which was a mix of everything the prawns where great abs flavorful the garlic noodles had none too little garlic, the corn had some fish batter or something on it once I took that off the corn was good the chicken was dry the steak was soft and juicy but a little to pink for me the steak and lobster fries were the bomb seeing how there was$100 on top of waiting over an hour and half and i only enjoyed 2/3 of the things was very disappointed this was my first and probably last time

I looooove this place. Not much going on during the middle of the week which is the day I brought my best friend for her birthday but the deejay and the bartender are both awesome. It sits in the heart of downtown Oakland so be prepared to circle around many times to look for parking. Shot of Hennessy is ten bucks.

Great djs! You can relax and have a good time with out a huge price! Bring a crew, or come just you! The vibe is oakland friendly. As locals know. Always in the area, to stop thru and shake my ass for a few! I love their local djs!

This place is awesome. We went here for chef mellys pop up. The music just set the vibe and I didn't mind the wait which was a little over an hour. We got some drinks at the bar and the bartender really hooked us up. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone who has good taste in music and food. You won't regret it. :) Oh it's right across from MUA.

One of my favorite spots in the Bay Area, lots of tvs, comfortable seats, and great drinks. I got here every month on the fourth Thursday of the month for live hip hop shows. I cant wait to go back

If you were born and raised in the bay area, and you've never been to this place, are you really from the Bay? Amazing open mic comedy on Wednesdays, drinks on point. If you could use a good laugh in a very chill atmosphere with friendly people and easy access via BART, do yourself a favor and visit the Au Lounge.

Has a very community feel, fun and upbeat atmosphere, friendly staff and nice accommodations. Would recommend.

Can the ghetto hustler photographer with bad breathe be asked to leave please!?! Some older guy with a short top hat asks to take a photo of you wit his polaroid camera then afterwards imposes you to pay him $5 for the photo instead of asking if you'd like to pay for your photo upfront and tell you it's not a digital camera for social media purposes. He was there on a Thursday 11/15 and hopefully isn't there on other days hustling people/couples/unsuspecting women. Other than that AU is a cool spot for people with African roots.

Amen!! Part of me wants to not write a review so that I can selfishly keep this place all to myself...to enjoy the dance floor and fast (and amazing) drinks...but I suppose people deserve to know AU exists. Always a lovely time! I'm a hard core dancer, that makes or breaks my night (if I got to dance, sweaty and free) and this place let's me rage, with Oakland's original great dj's. The venue is perfectly laid back, community feel, welcoming and accepting Of all. Love the large Windows, it feels like you're dancing outside. **try the jalapeno cocktail**

Had a great time here tonight... ordered african food, had some drinks and enjoyed the reggae music... cool spot, nice staff.. place filled up and middle became a dance floor

This Lounge is the most culturaly diverse atmosphere with the best of service that you can imagine. The location is wonderful and the ambiance makes up for the limited capacity. Usually when I go there is a long line to get in and believe me its worth it. No better way to experience all cultures in the bay area in a night club environment then to enjoy the party. It is not just a International Spot and when they do American music its top of the line presentation. Ive seen a couple of major recording artist even film their videos in there. A REAL EXCITING PLACE TO ENJOY AND RELAX DURING HAPPY HOURS 6 PM & VERY EXCITING AND ENCOURAGING DANCEHALL ! 5 STARS FOR A U OAKLAND LOUNGE AND I HAVEN'T EVEN MENTIONED THE SPORTS BAR ASPECT OF THEIR LOUNGE !!!!

I order a Jameson shot for my wife and l and I'm like "what do I owe ya?" He pauses with a "ahhhhh" as he looks at the $20 in my hand goes "$20!" And gives us two watered down shots. Not coming back.

Awesome music, great cocktails, cool, chilled crowed.

Decent music but it was very uncomfortably crowded, absolutely no space for dancing. This could have had to do with it being first Friday but yikes I did a circle and walked out.

Great tasty food! A must try I recommend a little bit of everything I love to go as a family. I just wanna share lol

I went here for a fundraiser recently, having never attended a show here and it seems like a nice little bar with a dance floor where it would be great to have bands playing.

I came to Au Lounge for the first time for a day party, and the space was amazing for this type of event! There was enough space for people to dance or just chill on the side couches/chairs and plenty of outdoor space thats not on the main road. The bartender was friendly and the drinks were well priced - I'd attend another event here if given the chance!

This place is crap. I came for my homeboys bday and had the worst experience I've had in a long time. The spot was beyond max capacity so that it was just ppl packed in like sardines. No quantity control. I went to get a drink and waited at the bar counter for 35 mins. The bartender is CRAP. All of them were actually. I kept trying to get his attention and he would not take my order. In fact he wouldn't do it for a woman and man in front of me as well. Both of them eventually left after waiting for the same amount of time as I. I shortly followed suit. Man o man was the service crap. One of the bartenders blatantly said he would come back to the guy in front of me and then preceded to take a slew of other new orders before taking his. Hence why he left. Talk about disrespectful. Definitely won't be spending my money there anymore. CRAP CRAP CRAP. Plenty of better bars in downtown Oakland to spend your money at. I wouldn't even go here as a last resort. Just save your money and go to the city or something. Smdh.

Best spot in Oakland!!! Dope music, nice location and great venue. Must go spot, the music varies from day to day, it is always a great environment and there's always different themes/events. So I would advise anyone in the Bay or anyone visiting to come check it out.

I went there to celebrate my brother's wedding and was pleasantly surprised. An awesome place to hang out let loose and enjoy yourself. Thank you for a beautiful experience.