Best Friends

Fantasticly appointed Ibiza-styled culture with lots of natural light. Wine selection rotates often,.centering around a speciric reguon at a time, where the owner brings back features wines. There are also mainstays on the menu. Groovy, knowledgeable people working there. Very unpretentious for so much on offer. And very pet friendly. Most people were on dates, but there was also a fairly activite locals dropping in scene at the bar.

Really great wine bar and shop with lots of space to sit and chat and plenty of nice bottles to bring home. I love the flight pairs. It made it so much more interesting to try two wines right from the start and see what I liked. Wish they’d stay open till 10pm on weekdays :)

Had the most interesting night at Best Friends last night! David Lynch movie. Professional movie critic intro. Fabulous rabbit stew! Great unusual music. Creative evening as arranged by its owners. Subscribe to their email for upcoming stuff like comedy night.

An absolute gem of a place in cool neighborhood. Aside from the incredible selection of unique wines, the vibe is great. My dog had a great time chilling on the carpet. The staff was super knowledgeable and kind. 10/10 would recommend.

An absolute gem of a wine bar, so happy this spot is in our neighborhood! I’ve never had a bad glass of wine here, I love the varied selection of local and international wines. Truly a fave spot, on weekends it can get pretty crowded with limited seating so come early!

I didn’t have a great experience there because the lady at the bartender was very rude and disrespectful towards me. Even the way she looked at me and giving me the menu. I felt discriminated because I’m disabled and I have severe anxiety. I understand that my service dog in training needs more obedience and training which I’m trying really hard. I don’t blame the man that was working there kicking me and my dog out because he was just doing his job and approach me in a nicer and professional manner. I’m not mad about that. I just didn’t like the bartender lady that was working there. This experienced caused me to have an anxiety attack because she was being really nasty to me. For that I never will come back again. Even if my dog becomes a legit service dog. I do apologize for my dog’s actions and unruly behavior but I’m not sorry for the bartender lady’s attitude towards me and my dog. Honestly, I would give my rating experience a zero if that was an option.

Such a sweet new spot! They have a great selection of wines and knowledgeable, friendly staff. We also enjoyed the bites. I’ll definitely be coming frequently to try more wines and to buy bottles to go.

What a delightful experience! We loved Banter in El Cerrito and now we have Best Friends in Albany! So happy about having a place to enjoy a glass of whine with my little doggo. Service was top notch and the tasting was great. After much anticipation Best Friends delivered!

I came to Best Friends in need of a last-minute venue change for my engagement party - the night before the party. They were AMAZING! I completely recognized how last minute it was, but they were able to reserve some space for us, accommodate the party size (and even allowed me to add on a few RSVPs), and provided an fabulous experience. They even waived some fees (I didn't ask for this, they offered it). Dan, the manager, was incredibly nice and a joy to work with. The wine and ambience are amazing. I will absolutely be coming back again and again!

What a cozy, chic, and inviting place to celebrate my best friend's engagement! I also love the custom drinks menu that we were given highlighting the proposal. The little details were much appreciated. I tried a glass of Domaine de Reuilly Pinot Gris Rosé and the Longavi "Glup!" Carignan upon the recommendation of the staff, and enjoyed both of them. Even though the restaurant is on the smaller side, it didn't feel crowded at all with our group of 30+ people. I really liked the modern flair of the space and the cute logo on their wine glasses; was very tempted to buy some of their adorable merch too! I think this was the perfect spot to celebrate such a special occasion and really appreciated how friendly and accommodating the staff was.

For the longest time, I thought that this was going to be a vet or an animal hospital based off of the large sign with a dog drinking wine. I'm not sure why....but it is, indeed, a wine bar and bottle shop. Best Friends offers beers (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), wine (including flights / half-pours) and some small snacks (like cheese and charcuterie). Given the size of the space, it would seem to fit more people, but the seating is relatively limited (it took me a couple of tries to be able to go when there was seating available). There are 4-5 large tables in the middle that have seating for four, mostly used by two parties of two; these tables are large and are okay to share. There are also low tables for two against the window. There is limited bar seating available, though it's a bit crowded because you have to order and pay at the bar (so patrons are squeezing in, trying to get the attention of the cashier). They've done a nice job with the space which feels spacious and airy; you can't tell it used to be a futon shop!

Finally had the opportunity to step inside Best Friends with a well, best friend, for a recent birthday :) Love the clean, open space and decor. Feels comfortable and chic, a perfect spot to meet up. Honestly had so much fun chatting with the sommelier over the fun menu and flight options. I chose the orange wine flight, while my buddy did the white wine flight. We also started with bubbles and if we didn't have dinner reservations, would have stayed and chatted for longer. There are snacks on the menu and if you're into pates, they offer products from neighboring restaurant Picnic across the street. Other small snacky items include nuts, cheese, salumi, fish...There's fridges and a wine shelf with what I believe you can purchase to-go, and also sweet merch. Pricing is fair, I took a rideshare bc parking on Solano can be a bit tough. All in all, I'm already excited for the thought of returning and the rosé flight. (Flight is two glasses) Also to note, there are a few beer and low to no abv options too.

A wonderful night for our birthday girl! Sean was amazing and made our night so special. Will be coming back! So cute in here as well.

I stopped by with a friend after having brunch down the street. The inside is very chic and modern; very clean and aesthetically pleasing! We arrived around 3pm and it was a bit busy, so we went and sat at the bar. I'm not much into alcohol, but my friend is lol. We wanted to find a place to sit and catch up, plus, she wanted a good buzz lmao. I was ready to order a soft drink until my friend pointed out that they have non-alcoholic beverages! There is a section that offers low to no abv! The bartender was very helpful and helped me decide which flavor to get. I opted for a Ghia lime+salt, as he mentioned that the other flavor, ginger, tasted herby. I'm very happy that I get to enjoy going to a place that offers non-alcohol options while my friend can get her fix. The place is so cute and the bartender is very friendly. I'd definitely come back here again!

Best Friends has been appearing on my social media feed ads for quite some time now and I'd always mentally listed it as a place I'd want to go to if I ever ventured out to Albany. I had plans to go to Yonsei (thinking it would be less busier than the Oakland counterpart) but upon walk-in was notified that the wait would be at least 75 minutes. Luckily for us, Best Friends was riiiight next door so it was the perfect opportunity for me to finally try this place. I'm not even a huge wine drinker but I loved this place!! It's a cute space to chat and have some drinks. It's dog friendly of course, so there were 4-6 dogs there when I went. Our party got a pickle beer ($8), one of the glasses of wine (I forgot!! $14/ea), a salami board ($13), and a nonalcoholic sparkling wine ($12). I loved that they had NA options as well :) My favorite part is that the charcuterie boards all come with their housemade hot pepper sauce, bread, and pickles so everything complemented our drinks perfectly. Wish this was closer to home!!

Very nice atmosphere! Staff is very friendly! We went after our hot tub experience at Albany hot tubs was sub par at best. My partner was very disappointed with the hot tub but this place cheered him up.

Cute, sunny little spot with interesting wines and drinks! I had a Diet Coke while I caught up with a friend, And brought home a bottle of delicious sparking saki for later.

Had fun with the girls on Sunday night. We sat at the bar and enjoyed an array of wine from red and white bubbles, to white wine, to orange wine and beer. Great that you can have half glasses to try a taste. The atmosphere is happy and fun. Lots of seating area for small and large groups. Logan was informative as well as the other staff. I'll definitely be back soon!

The wine selection was very quirky and unusual. Think rare European varietals, and odd blends. But they let you sample before you buy and the flights allow you to do a deeper dive before committing. The bites were perfectly suited, but they ran out of the pork pate so I didn't get a chance. Next time. And there will be a next time. The ambiance was lovely and it felt happening. Time flew by. They know their stuff so pick their brains. The menu itself is a trip, written by someone with a true comedic flair.

Love the vibes in here! Plenty of spots to relax and have a drink. I'm not a huge natural wine bar person so this bar probably wasn't for me but if that's up your alley you will love it. Daria is super sweet and was helpful when it came to finding two bottles of wine. The almonds were $7 so that was little on the higher side considering it was a small serving but they were delicious. Overall I probably won't be back seeing as it it a natural wine bar but the vibes were lovely in there!

Great snacks! Great wine! Employees know their wine. I had a great time!! Evidently they have really yummy dinners but I haven't tried that yet

It has such a great vibe, lots of seating and it's light and bright. You seat yourself, just find a good spot. Great decor and seating. Lots of places for couples to sit together or large groups. I also saw people at the bar drinking and reading solo. It's very much user's choice. The wine selection is plentiful. They have several 2 wine flights to try, which is what I got. You can buy by the glass as well. They also have a wine fridge where you can buy a bottle and just pay the corkage fee. I forgot to get pictures, so looks like I will have to go back.

Super cute! This place just opened on Solano, and has a warm, elevated vibe. A great selection of wines and highly invested employees who can tell you everything about them. A solid selection of n/an options too. Dog friendly!

Absolutely loved this wine bar! Everything about this spot was curated with precision. The space is bright and well decorated, offering ample seating. The wine bar quickly filled up during the time we were there. Many people bring their dogs as well. When we arrived we picked the table we wanted to sit at and the host gave us a menu to look at. They have a great selection of flights and individual drinks to choose from.

This is a nice spot. Certainly always seems busy when we go by. Nice selection of wines. Wine is a bit on the pricy side with much smaller pours compared to other wine bars in the area.

Best Friends is so relaxed and fun. I love the aesthetics of the space and the staff are very nice and helpful.

First time going here. We had been waiting for months for it to open then missed the opening as it's not really clear it open unless you are walking by it. Anyway. All natural wines. Beautiful decor and it's dog friendly. Lovely spot. Will be back

Friendly natural wine bar and shop. They have a type 42 liquor license, which means they can (and do) welcome dogs, but not minors. No kitchen but some snacks such as cheese, salumi, olives, and almonds.

Liked the place. Just thought it weird that they charged a corkage fee for opening a bottle of wine that I bought there.

I recently discovered this cute little gem. They have a great wine selection and the owners are super cool!

Walked into Best Friends on a Saturday and had a great time! Amazing ambiance - very elevated feel and nice aesthetic. Service was extremely friendly and attentive where needed. The bartenders were knowledgable and made good recommendations. They also had beer on tap from a local brewery (humble sea) for my boyfriend. Such a cute place, would definitely return!

Great neighborhood wine bar. Reasonably priced by the glass wines along with curated flights. Very bright and light ambiance which is great for dates or meeting friends. You can also purchase bottles from a pretty wide selection on the wall. The selection does a good job balancing natural wines along with more traditional (and in many cases old world) styles.

This wine bar bottle shop is a gem! The curated wine list introduced me to glasses I'd never tried before--and I loved every sip. Cozy atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, and a fantastic experience all around. Highly recommend for wine lovers and NA lovers alike (many NA options!)

I had a very unkind experience with one of the servers at the counter :(. Makes me not want to return.

Service was great. Unimpressed by the chicken liver pate and salume and chorizo. They were expensive and you didn't get much for the money. No water bowls for dogs. Wine was ok. Because of the bites, I would not go back.

This is my favorite new spot in town! The place has the best vibes, the people are so nice and knowledgeable about the different wines, and the wines are amazing!

Owners and staff are amazing. Great beer and wine selection. Ambiance is warm and inviting. Love this spot and will definitely be back!