Friends & Family
Restaurant · Northgate
468 25th St, Oakland, CA 94612
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70094801/LindseyShea.0.jpg "Friends & Family by Lindsey Shea")
Highlights
Creative cocktails, unique bites, and a warm, inclusive vibe
Creative cocktails, unique bites, and a warm, inclusive vibe
"Inside this welcoming oasis on 25th Street is a bar and back patio filled with plants, excellent cocktails, and natural wine. Food comes courtesy of Gaby Maeda, a highly decorated chef who cut her teeth at State Bird Provisions. Cocktails are from owner Blake Cole, a longtime cocktail pro, who opened the bar with an all-female team just as the pandemic began. Friends and Family has received nods from the James Beard Foundation; the pro-move is to order shrimp cocktails to pair with a “grandma’s standard” cocktail made with gin, dry vermouth, and a twist." - Nico Bianchi
"This explicitly women- and queer-led bar brings good food and craft cocktails — both classic and creative — to an inclusive space in Uptown Oakland. Chef Gaby Maeda shaped a personal menu that weaves in food and flavors from her home of Hawaii with techniques she honed at her previous job at State Bird Provisions. Les Eggs is the signature dish that has most caught the attention of diners, including San Francisco Chronicle food critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan, but there are other dishes to enjoy, including the Joodooboo tofu plate with ponzu sauce and chile crunch and the sardine banh mi toast. The drinks are no slouch either, as the bar was named to the number 33 spot on North America’s 50 Best Bars list in 2022. With whimsically named cocktails, like the vodka-based Mom’s Rosy Cheeks, visitors will feel taken care of with drinks, food, and warm hospitality." - Paolo Bicchieri
"This consistently good Oakland bar is beautiful the way an old friend is beautiful: you’ve become accustomed to their lived-in, understated charm. Without any “design” elements, the award-winning bar is still gorgeous — perhaps it’s the soft lighting, the generous bar seating, or the little nooks. On the menu, top-notch cocktails and changing kitchen items — the carrot cake is always a winner — keep things cozy and hospitable." - Flora Tsapovsky
"Offering a special shot on the menu with proceeds going toward fire relief for the remainder of January." - Dianne de Guzman
"This cocktail bar in Oakland was set to open last March, but pandemic-related reasons led them to push back the date. And after about a year of just takeout and outdoor dining on their parklet and back patio, they finally got to open their bright, high-ceilinged interior in May. Kick back with excellent cocktails and something from their brief (but still fantastic) menu of things like grilled cheeses, a little gem salad, and a snack plate with sourdough crostini and pickles, and enjoy it all while listening to great music in the warm, inviting space. Don’t leave without a slice of their carrot cake, which is some of the best we’ve had ever - it’s made fresh daily by owner Blake Cole’s mother." - julia chen 1, lani conway
