Heart & Dagger Saloon

Been coming to this bar for years, glad to call it a neighborhood spot. Great place for groups, stopping in with the dog, or a book after walking the lake. Back patio and photobooth are nice features, and cash is preferred even though cards are accepted now. I've always enjoyed interacting with the folks working here, but Michael has been such a joy to chat and hang with! Always happy to see him when I walk in for a drink 🍻🦇

As someone who works in the restaurant industry, this is hands-down my favorite place to unwind! Michael here is everything you want in a night out—charming, flirtatious, and full of personality. On top of being ridiculously handsome, he’s also incredibly talented at what he does, pouring drinks with style and making everyone feel like the center of attention. His tattoos? Absolute bonus—they add to his irresistible vibe. This place wouldn’t be the same without him. If you’re looking for a spot with great drinks and even better company, this is the place to be.

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment with the discriminatory treatment my friends and I received in this bar today, 2.25.2025, at 9 pm. We were denied entry by a doorman described as a tall, red-haired man with a beard and studded clothing. Initially, the interaction was cordial. We presented our IDs as requested. However, upon hearing us speak Spanish, the doorman’s demeanor shifted dramatically. He then scrutinized my friend’s ID, which was expired by one day (She is 35 years old), using this as a pretext to deny us entry. It is clear that our use of Spanish triggered the sudden behavior change. This is a discriminatory action, but it is OK; the bar was empty. It is sad to be in this kind of situation when this country is suffering a political and cultural war.

Michael is the only reason I visit this bar. He’s the best bartender in Oakland imo and this place is lucky to have him. Do yourself a favor and go see his professional, undeniable charm in action. Great backyard too!

Great drinks. Good vibes. Hot people. The bartenders are great, especially Michael. Go on your bday and take a photobooth photo.

Come for the vibes and maybe try the photobooth, stay for Michael, the coolest and sweetest goth baddie to ever slang dranks. He’s so attentive and friendly, you won’t even notice that it’s last call and Megadeth is blasting from the speakers. Absolutely brings the vibes every time.

This is a bar. It passes the test Is it a theme bar ? Not quite Is the bartender trying to hustle you? No Are they friendly? Yes There are Is there dolls dressed like the bartenders? Yes Pinball and pool available Nice grungy vibe

Great drinks. Awesome atmosphere. Love the patio, and love that you can smoke there.

OK, I am not an expert on the Heart and Dagger Saloon. I've only been inside there once, even though I've walked by many, many times. It was a rather gloomy Saturday afternoon--after going to the farmer's market. It was quite welcoming from the street with its yellow stairs and bold signage. They have a low fence to separate their business from the sidewalk. The green painted cement patio gives a feeling of urban grass. There is a bike rack, lots of big plants in large containers, and some tables with umbrellas. Seeing how I like to take pictures, I thought this place had a lot of potential as I am enjoying snapping pics with my phone. Outside there was a small sandwich board proclaiming that they had some inexpensive drinks including $3 beers--which brought us in door --along with the fact that there was a pop-up restaurant out front, that was cooking Filipino food. It was way less expensive than the foods we saw earlier at the farmers market. We enjoyed the food we got from "Compost Kitchen: Filipino Comfort Food," and we were allowed to take it into the bar. You might want to go see if a pop-up is happening at Instantgram HeartandDaggerSaloon. We climbed the golden staircase, and as we entered, we were greeted by a bouncer who carded us. Then I was surprised to see a bright red pool table and a large bar that looked like it came out of an old black and white movie. They have a patio for drinking and smoking (ashtrays were available--not my preference but...), and hanging out with friends.

The manager thinks this place is too cool for school. First visit, I witnessed the bartender scoff at a customer for ordering a mixed drink. Like she was doing them a huge favor! Total attitude while mixing, giving off. Get the fuck out vibes to the customer. 2nd Visit. a cold response from the bartender, not bad, but not good. 3rd visit: Denied entry without my license, I'm 60, and a return customer. The manager, not the bouncer was an asshole about it. Finally, The way the employees behave around the manager: The bouncer was afraid of the manager. and you can tell the bartender has to kiss his ass. I'm recommending people go to other, welcoming bars around the corner.

I came in seeking shelter from the rain storm and found myself bellying up to the bar. Pretty much every seat at the bar was taken and there was a large group playing pool. Per usual, the drinks were strong, inexpensive and spot on but to be fair my order is not very complicated. The music teleported me to something reminiscent of a KMEL Summer Jam. Thumbs up for that. And I happened to be there as someone celebrated their birthday. The bartender was kind enough to gift him a free shot and led the crowd shouting birthday pleasantries....with a touch of profanity.

Place is cash only. -No problem. Nicole the bartender and another guy on staff were rude for no reason. We asked what the issue was and got no response just attitude. Me and my party weren't disrespectful or rude but that was the treatment we received . Why? Again, the reason was unknown. - Big Problem. Poor treatment of paying customers is bad for business. Happily Never coming back here. Thanks to Schmit (bouncer) for hearing us out and allowing us to finish our drinks we paid for. Why make our drinks and take them back before we have an opportunity to pay? Never got an answer. We ordered, paid for and attempted to enjoy our drinks. Again, Nicole was being disrespectful to us for no reason. Plus the drinks were weak. Bad for business, no wonder the place was dead.

Super welcoming, relaxed environment, great location and friendly staff. Not to mention GREAT (AND clean!!) bathroom for that classic #bathroomSelfie

Anyone else go searching for dive bars + pool tables? If so, you're cool. This is a cash only joint so save your dollar bills from your daytime stripping gig. Also just a note, and you'll thank me later, when we were there, the coin slot on the pool table was taped out which meant it only accepted bills. There's a quarter machine in the back so people were exchanging their bills, $5 worth even, for quarters! It makes for good laundry money but just letting you know, check the coin slot before getting change. You're welcome.

Well, where do I begin. I will just say the very tall security card very rude and I think the guy with the long grey beard is the owner very disrespectful. Beware of visiting this place. I will never go back to that place. Explains why only 3 people where in there on a Friday.

This is a friendly bar with a great patio in back. It's dog friendly and a great place to day drink.

Just had a very positive supportive interaction with these men that work here and I will come back! Thank you so much! Smokey, Twill and Jacob!

Drinks are great, service is awesome, the place is awesome, the patio is super cool too.

The place is so awesome.. nice clean ( bathroom ) relax. Best professional bartender ( Mr Eric ) I saw this place 5 years. Walk pass every time. One day my boss bring me here. Love it. This is a place relax after work. Not too high class.. no low . Feeling like home.the price drink is reasonable.. good quality drink. Friendly service ..

Love, love, love! Awesome dive bar right in the heart of Lake Merritt, Oakland. Definitely a local favorite that can get pretty crowded on weekends and holidays. The inside is fairly small but lots of outdoor seating and I like the fact that they have security at the door. Huge Selection of spirits so finding your favorite cocktail will not be a problem. Ask for Wilkie, who is an awesome bartender and with a great personality. Cheers!

This place used to be so cool but the staff became super uptight and I guess WOKE like nearly every other idiot around here. What a buzz kill, having a laugh at no one's expense isn't allowed these days if you use certain words. The good old days of a dirty joke are gone. No more laughter allowed in this bar.

Chill, not over crowded, staff what chill & funny. The food right outside was tasty. & the tequila was smooth lol

As a cash-only bar, this cozy spot has indoor and outdoor seating. The bouncer is friendly and serious while checking your ID. We usually go to the outdoor seating at the back of the building after we get our drinks. The bar service is top shelf! You're greeted with a smile and they make sure your drink is right.

First off- what is listed above relating to their "amenities" isn't true. They don't accept credit cards and they don't require vaccination. This place used to be a fun bar before these wanna be rockers turned into a dark dingy place with weird vibes. The patio is nice is you like to smoke but you will have to traipse into the bar and wait forever to get a drink by jerky male bartenders who will literally ignore you while they drink and socialize with their buddies at end of bar. We had a group of 15 people and six of us had the same experience of being ignored in a pretty much empty bar. They won't let you smoke weed but the security guy sits on the corner vaping all night and taking our glasses when it was obvious we had full pitchers of beer. At 12:30 with ten minutes notice they kicked us all out of the patio in the rudest way possible. The long haired bartender had complained about "dirty hippies" and has a reputation for treating customers with contempt. The other dude seemed wasted. Don't go here unless you want to be treated like crap.

Halloween and me and 2 other fem friends sit at the bar in our awesome costumes chatting and making friends. Some gross 30 something gym rat of a man decides to touch my friends head cuz he can't tell if it's her real hair. After the exchange of informing him that's worse, and no Halloween isn't an excuse. He comes back around again to assert dominance on my other friend and gropes her arm. I jump up to follow him as he swiftly walks out the front door. My friend holds me back and I tell to the Mandalorian at the door to not let that guy back in he's touched us twice. I got a head knod and signal he would stay out. But here's the thing, I was super flattered when he took 45 seconds to look at my ID but I was born in 1988 so it's pretty easy to ready IDs these days to know if someone is close to 21. But homie couldn't see through this helmet he told me so. Kind of a bad costume for a door person, especially one that took his job so very seriously he couldn't possibly leave his post to go escort the man out once we located him again. I know Charles and if he had been there that night this would have not happened. Yea, he walked right back in. Ran his hands for a third time across one of my friends. We located him told the bartenders and managers what happened because it's a crowded bar during Covid but I assure you, I was ready to handle this myself after years of men treating me like this working behind the bar. And I should have. Because none of the 3 white men working valued our safety over the awkward exchange of telling another man he's lying and needs to leave. To that joke of a manager literally saying, "you have to understand I didn't see it." I hope you hear that directed at you soon in your life This was the door man our night, guess he already has a reputation.

I didn't really like the bartender tonight I didn't realize until after I had my drink that their cash only given that it was my first time there I felt like the bartender was very rude to insinuate that I was gonna run out and not pay my bill I said that my friend would sit and wait at the bar while I went to get my cash and she said that oh well she's not collateral. Honestly if you're that worried about me running off on the tab then maybe you should just shut down. It's Oakland people are dying here. Happy new year. Wish I hadn't spent money here.

I'm not sure what the bar tenders are on, but they didn't like that we spoke Spanish. I felt pretty bad about this. if you are a Spanish speaker or love Spanish I would never recommend coming to this place

How nice to have a place with outdoor seating to go out while still having space to relax. The drinks are cheap, the staff is nice and the bathroom is clean. They're very serious about covid guidelines and I love it. I've passed this place as a child but never came into the establishment until now. They're playing music in the back so you can still unwind and relax. They also sell cigarettes which is great for people who forget theirs.

This happened a while ago but I'm still thinking about it, so here we go. I came in with my boyfriend and another couple to get some drinks, and we were served by the bartender who sounds exactly like Seth Rogan. The other woman and I ordered 4 shots and tecates while the guys got a table. She paid while I took the drinks to our table, no problem. For the second round I went in with my boyfriend and when I ordered, "Can I get four tecates please?" Seth Rogan yelled, "I DON'T KNOW, YA GONNA TIP THIS TIME??" It caught me off guard since I didn't pay so I just stammered, "Uh.. I didn't pay." He had clearly been stewing on this while we were finishing our first round (it was pretty dead that day) because he then went on a very rehearsed sounding tirade about how H&D is a locals bar (which I know, I'm a local and have been coming there for a decade), and we're lucky to be there etc. Then he told us that we I didn't have much time left on our 2 hour covid time limit (which was a lie, we had been there maybe 30 minutes), but if we tipped better maybe he'd let us stay. For the record, I agree with him. My friend DID leave a shitty tip and deserved to be given shit about it. If he had said, "You gonna tip this time? Your friend left a shitty tip." I would have apologized, tipped extra on both rounds, and given my friend endless shit. Which is what I did anyway, for the most part. But the self righteous, pretentious yelling and then literally trying to EXTORT us for table time was way overboard. Jesus christ dude, go to anger management. In my friends defense, she said she was out of cash and was planning to make up for the shitty tip on the next round she bought, after hitting the ATM. So Seth Rogan would have gotten those extra $3 he so desperately needs without being such an asshole.

Last night I went there for a drink, oh my god I haven't seen such a rude and racist bouncer in my life he is terrible, he shouted at me he gave me the worst experience that i got panicked for the rest of the night , I never go there and recommend everyone not to go there terrible terrible terrible I'm sorry for him and for the Bar manager they should seriously do something about that rude guy.

This place used to be fun, but now the staff are all assholes. Let their friends cut in line, if you get up to go the bathroom (you have to walk around building due to their COVID setup) they won't let you back in the bar, and nasty attitudes before all of that went down.

This bar has been on my radar for a while now and I finally decided to give them a try with a couple friends. I did not have high expectations to begin with, but this place is horrible. The entire staff has horrible snobby attitudes (for no reason, the place is a dump) and there is no clear communication on how things are supposed to be done during the pandemic. After being disrespected by a staff member because we attempted to sit at a table that was apparently a "staff table" (which was not marked or mentioned) we moved and tried to enjoy our night. My friend and I went to the restroom shortly after and while we were waiting to go in, we could clearly hear the staff at the bar talking shit and making fun of us for god knows what. Don't go here, there are plenty of other small local Oakland bars that actually deserve your support and business and will treat you with respect and kindness.

Review Highlights "Nice Big Bar ,Friendly Bartenders ,LCD TVs for Entertainment and a Cool Back Patio for Summer Nights or Days." in 29 reviews "d. It's dog friendly, and you can bring in outside food from the neighboring wing stop or lanesplitter (but no bones allowed because of the pups!" in 10 reviews "Cheap drinks all night, nice outdoor seating area, full bar with great music and games." in 4 reviews Location & Hours Map 504 Lake Park Ave Oakland, CA 94610 Rand Ave & Lakeshore Ave Lakeshore, Lower Hills Mon 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Open now Tue 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Wed 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Thu 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Fri 3:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Sat 12:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Sun 12:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day) Edit business info You Might Also Consider Sponsored Herf Cigar Lounge 1 Herf Cigar Lounge at St. Claire's is the best premium cigar store & lounge located in Contra Costa County. Situated perfectly between San Francisco and Sacramento Ca. If you are looking for the best premium cigars, exclusive...read more in Cigar Bars, Lounges Amenities and More Health ScorePASS Powered by Hazel Analytics No Reservations Proof of vaccination required All staff fully vaccinated Help Improve Yelp Is this a good place to watch sports? Ask the Community Ask a question Yelp users haven't asked any questions yet about Heart and Dagger Saloon. Recommended Reviews Your trust is our top concern, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more. Overall rating 401 reviews 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Yelp SortFilter by rating Search reviews Search reviews Charles C. Downtown, Washington, DC 01 1/22/2023 I've been coming here since it opened and while staff has always - with a few exceptions - been j offs they finally arrived at a place you don't want to go. Of course at bars sometimes you have to wait for the bartender. Sometimes they're even slow. Not a big deal. For the first time ever I had to raise my voice to get a drink because the bartender wasn't serving 2/3 of the bar, or at least not the part I was standing at. The only reason to go is they have a back areas to drink and smoke, but they don't allow you to smoke weed. It's 2023. No one goes there much anymore because they suck, and they didn't allow a harmless dog without a leash when it was mostly empty. While bars close at 2 here, they turn off the outside heat at 12 and tell you to go. There are more crappy rules. A staff member followed me into the bathroom to make sure I guess that I was not doing a line or something. At least I hope that was the reason. He did nothing and left. They refused my 40 year old buddy entry because his drivers license expired. The largest table outside is reserved for staff, and they never sit there. They take your glass on your last sip. So they have a hard on for rules. Were these guys trying to be cool 20 years ago? I'm not going back, and neither is anyone I know.

This place is amazing. And like others have said don't be an asshole and you won't be treated like an asshole. This definitely my go to bar and not because it's near my but because it's a place I go to just to wind down before going home. AND don't forget it's Cash Only . And the prices are very reasonable. But there is an ATM next to door in case you forget cash. But remember don't be a dick mind your manners and the bartenders too can be nice.

The dude at the front was a complete douche and now I know why there were only 2 ppl there on a beautiful night. Heads up this is a review I've been meaning to leave. I went there last month. Walked in and walked right out.

Can you curse in a fucking review? The bartenders at this bar are irreverent and sacrilegious. More than once I have drank a shot that the bartender dipped his magnificent beard in(by special request, of course). I have been served a shot so awful that I booted (ribeye, anyone?) when I got home, and it smelled like Worcestershire sauce. The door man made me debone my fucking fried chicken so that dogs would not choke on the bones. Often times if I stop for a single drink I have to stay until I have met all the other people that are there, and their dogs, and their fucking tinder date, and am allowed to finally leave. This is why I keep going, cause these shenanigans keep the fucking riff raff out. Five stars, can't wait to buy the staff round after round in an attempt to pour humor and light back into their souls.

This is one of Oakland's great dive bars and I'm so stoked to be able to go there post vaccination. I went earlier during shutdown when you still had to have food. It was still great but everyone was (understandably) a little on edge. But things are getting back to normal and being able to just hang out here and have a few drinks feels amazing. Also the $8 tecate/4 roses special is a total steal.

Never have I ever experienced such a racist encounter. Please do not spend your money here. My friends and I came for a birthday drink and were denied access due to us being foreign and darker skinned. We were called racial slurs and denied entry. Such things should not be tolerated.

BREAKING NEWS: This place is still the best. Don't act like an asshole and you won't get treated like one. Case closed!

Nicole is the ultimate B, unfortunately we share the same name although it's my middle name. She is never friendly always very short. I just ignore her when she asked if I wanted another round. Not from you! What are you even in there for, get a stockroom job. This place is boring as an MF anyway, not my crowd. This is a place you go if you're desperate for a drink and nothing else is open. I miss down to earth venues from the 2000s like Mingles and Club 17. These gentrifiers can have this weak shit. They act like police too. You're in a dilapidated run down dive bar, nothing of importance honey.

Great patio in the back with a mature lemon tree right in the middle growing through the roof. Really nice vibe. Picnic style tables for groups of friends. Bartender was friendly and made great martinis and all was very reasonably priced. Would come here again for sure.

Come here more than a few times. Petite blonde female bartender is pretty rude, like about everything. I order simple drinks, tip well (as a fellow industry folk), but she consistently acts snotty like she hates serving drinks. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a sassy bartender or even one that doesn't talk much but I've visited at least 10 times since I live nearby... and just about EVERY TIME she's my bartender... and just kinda sucks. Cheaper drinks, divey and we love that but dang... I bartend.. do all the bartenders here hate their jobs here? Last gal who was a fill in (Kat?) blonde as well but taller and slender was drunk and/or high on coke just dumped her life story on me after I worked a shift... way to flip the bartender/ patron relationship. I had to dash the second she got distracted since she just went on and on... like hello miss.... I just worked a shift myself. Not trying to be your therapist after work dude. Meh. I only keep coming for it's proximity to my place but damn y'all... Step. It. Up. Maybe get some new faces working in here?

Visited Heart and Dagger for the first time since March and I was so impressed with the changes they've made to provide a clean, safe environment! They are taking temperatures at the door, providing hand sanitizer, and the outdoor dining area is well spaced and has a host making sure no crowding happens. Everything looked and smelled very clean and I noticed them sanitizing the tables between guests. ....and it still has the same charm and friendly staff we all know and love. So glad to see them back in action!

Had the chance to check this place out, finally. Got a nice seat on their patio on a Friday evening at around 5pm with some co-workers. I didn't experience the bad service that many seem to around here. I mean, I always tip well, and although I didn't find the woman serving the drinks to be overly friendly, she wasn't at all rude or short. But the drinks here really are disappointing. I understand that this is a "locals dive bar". But even by dive bar standards the beers here are pretty lousy. If all you want is shots and PBR, then this joint will do the trick, easily. But they only had... I think 4, maybe 5 beers on tap? Nothing particularly intriguing, a Racer 5 IPA, Sierra Nevada IPA, a Kolsch, and one or two other beers that I can't recall because I really didn't even consider them. The other thing about the draft beer is that it wasn't even all that cold. I ordered a Racer 5 and stepped outside for about 3 minutes to respond to some texts, and when I returned it felt as though my beer had been sitting for about 15 minutes. It wasn't "warm", but it was absolutely not cold. My bad, I thought. Perhaps I underestimated the time that I was away. Maybe I lost track of time after one amber ale and had actually left my beer sitting for 15 minutes. Unlikely, but possible. Also possible that this ailment was isolated to the Racer 5. So I ordered another beer, this time a Sierra Nevada. And I took a sip immediately. And nope... still not very cold at all. Absolutely disappointing for a draft beer to come out like it had been chilling in the fridge for only a few minutes. The setting is nice, and the drinks are reasonably priced. A pint of draft will only run you $6, which is a great deal if you ask me. If it were ice cold like I am used to, I would be back. But I don't enjoy drinking run-of-the-mill beers out of cans and bottles. Some good local craft beer? Pass me a can all day. But I am past the days of sitting around sipping on Tecate and PBR in between my shots of Jameson. That will appeal to some people. And those people will likely be regulars here for years to come. But next time I go out in Oakland, I will opt for a different spot. One that is not cash only (that isn't a deal breaker but come on, in 2021? In the time of covid? Cash only? Bad strat my friends). You won't hate yourself if you come here, but you can surely find much better with a same or better vibe. It is Oakland, after all! Not Sioux City. Places like this are a dime a dozen. And most of them have cold/local beer, too! Woof-ish.

I honestly never feel the need to post a negative review on yelp; however, the blonde bartender tonight seriously disrespected me. I live in the neighborhood and honestly usually avoid this place because most of the staff I've encountered had an attitude problem. I walked in tonigjt and the bouncer was very cordial. I noticed a gentleman with a dog walk in who had recently gotten kicked out of a local bar. As I attempted to warn the bouncer about this individual, the blonde girl stepped in and basically told me to back off. I tried to explain to her that I was simply trying to warn him about this patron and she proceeded to put her hands on me. I asked her to please not touch me, and in return, she basically kicked me out when I had done nothing wrong. I honestly try to give this place the benefit of the doubt, which is why I occasionally come here. However, this particular bartender completely destroyed any respect that I had left for this place. To be totally fair, I have come across some great bartenders here for the most part. I have also noticed other reviews which seem to mention the same blonde individual in question. As a former bartender in my early 20's, I feel that she was completelt unprofessional and think management really needs to re-evaluate this particular bartender.

Great dive bar to check out in the heart of the lake shore shops. This place does have loud music so keep that mind, I like it because then people are not listening in to your conversation. The bartenders I saw fit the bill of a steriotypical dive bar bartender. Friendly and definitely have a beard and tattoos. To add to the dive bar feel they seem to play obscure cult classic movies on the TV's like when we were there they played demolishon man. They also have a vintage cash register. This is a full bar with a juje box and indoor and outdoor seating. There is usually someone checking Id at the door on the weekend. They have a pretty good beer selection both draft and bottled, the liquor selection is not as vast but they carry the typical popular brands... The other cool thing is that there are so many great restaurants nearby. Parking can be tricky on the weekend in this area so be prepared to walk a bit. Prices are good, they did not have a happy hour when I went.

I've been going to this place for the last 10 years. It was fine until I took my dog there. It's dog friendly place " supposedly". My dog took a piss in the back outside. The bartender started screaming at me from a distance in a provocative way " are you going to fuc** clean after your dog. I told him that there's a better way to approach costumers and to talk to me in polite way. After that he started screaming, called me a maroon and said fuc* off. Unprofessional stuff. I will never go back there again. I will take my money somewhere else.

When guests or friends complain about their annoying, bossy, arrogant etc co-worker, I say, "NOW imagine them drunk and that is my job!"  Yes, a bartender can become intolerant after years of abuse from customers but for YELP to turn into a bully platform after these drunk people caused issue is unacceptable.  This is no different from instagram or facebook, hiding behind a cell to spew slander. Especially, the racist slander, I would expect YELP to be responsible for any harm that comes to the customers or workers. I have witnessed several times just in the pandemic people using the race card because they simply refuse to wear a mask! ..(which if you didn't know is racist on the customer's part) I am not a worker at this place but I do live in the neighborhood and the horrible things said on this platform only proves what we deal with everyday and most likely why one would be asked to leave an establishment. Some people belong in permanent lockdown

This bar was amazing.. only to begin with. The male staff was super nice and was extremely amazing with service dogs. HOWEVER the female bartender on this Saturday night 4/27/19 was SO TERRIBLE and SO RACIAL to me and my friends. We had the best service from the previous bartenders and once she came in to work, she felt the need to kick us out without a legit reason. I would give this place a 5/5 however the female bartender was so rude and malicious I will not come in again. We had no warning what we did, but we were kicked out without a legit reason. It's embarrassing because I thought this was a cool place to take my out of town friends but instead was completely empresses because of how the female staff talked to us. So TERRIBLE.

Bartenders here are dickbags. Bartender said she refused to serve my friend. Bouncer didn't have a problem with us walking in. Ok fine I trust her judgement. He just lost a relative but how could she know that. Then after paying for both of our drinks blondie takes my money for the drinks and tip and givers me attitude and says I know what I'm paying for and I wouldnt be getting a refund for MY drink???! Wow. She acknowledged I was sober and coherent but refused to refund my drink even though she forced us to leave. The ho also sent me off with a "I don't care about your yelp reviews or your people" so I felt obligated to share this bitch's racist antics. Might as well be my landlord ya bitch. Luv, an Oakland native

I would like to recommend this lovely place to everyone but I'm not recommend you to go there on Sunday because the bartender she was really bad on her service.

This is a cool neighborhood bar. There is nothing fancy about it; it's exactly what a bar should be. You get reasonably priced drinks, pinball machines and a pool table. If you like to smoke, you can go hang out in the outdoor area in back. Every picnic table has an ashtray and you can smoke to your heart's content. Apparently, you can also bring your dog with you because I have overheard more than once that you can bring outside food in but nothing with bones that would choke a dog, ie. no fried chicken from next door. Be sure to bring your ID with you because I am carded every time I walk in and I am probably old enough to be the bouncer's mom. If you are looking for parking, there is metered parking in the adjacent parking and under the freeway. After 6:00 and on Sundays, parking is free at both locations.

So... It is 9pm on Saturday 4/27. It was super surprising to be kicked out of the bar tonight for no apparent reason. She may have been racist who knows. All I know is that customer service is customer service and when someone is awful to you for no apparent reason they have failed at their job. Never going back. She should be ashamed of herself and African Americans should not go to this bar! I am shocked and appalled. She is the worst!

I was so glad this place became open during COVID-19. Sadly, I will never come back here and I hope this shit hole place goes out of business. This place is toxic, inefficient and the bartender is bitch. When you try to help out small business and in return the bouncer tries to pick a fight with you for using the bathroom WTF! Y'all said it was okay! The bouncer breaks all the rules, taking off his mask to yell, curses at me, and evades my space. I'm the bad guy right? I paid for your services and in return I just wanted respect. I wouldn't recommend to come here, unless you trying to catch a fight or covid!

Review on customer service : So Disappointed that people can be treated the way my boyfriend was treated. We joined the east bay beer runners for the first time and were super excited especially because his doctor recommended he become More active (We Start at hearts and dagger and end there too) My Boyfriend finished first out of our group so he was just in front waiting for us.Once we got there he was walking away and and I said why then he proceeded to tell me the security at the door told him to get off his property!?!?!?!?hmm really!?!?!? First off from finishing a 5k run and expecting to getting some good customer service to hear that totally sucks you feel me ! What got me More upset is I saw the security look him up and down and then Once he realized he was with a group he changed his attitude and simply asked for our Id. Sad that in the east bay there is discrimination among us. When I asked security why all He could say is that he was walking back-and-forth!?!?!?!?! Hmmmmmm yes ofcourse we just came back from a run what do ya expect he's and stretching cooling down !!!!! The place is probably really nice from the other reviews but just don't be surprised by the customer service.

It's cheap, they have an incredible selection of 80s new wave on the jukebox, and they're the only place around here that can make a White Russian because I guess dairy-based alcoholic beverages aren't super popular in the Bay. They've got a decent sized back patio, the door guys are always super nice, one time the bartender served me a White Russian WITH A GIRL SCOUT COOKIE, and I can't fathom any reason for this place to not be 5 stars. Oh, cash only is a real kick in the teeth but honestly it keeps me in check because I rarely have enough cash on me to buy more than 2 drinks.

As an old punk, I love Heart and Dagger. If you don't get that, this may not be the coziest place for you to chill. H&D is hands down my favorite dive bar. The drinks are cheap, the bartenders friendly, and the covid practices are stellar. Folx who are hating on the covid rules (including the food rules) simply haven't read the rules. Anytime I have had a problem with a handy or abrasive patron the bouncers have been great at keeping the space safe, which I deeply appreciate.

This is a fun dive bar that is decently sized and has cheap drinks. It is also in a good location near food and ice cream if you get hungry.