Thee Stork Club
Night club · Northgate ·
Live music, comedy, burlesque, pool, arcade games
Live music, comedy, burlesque, pool, arcade games
"Thee Stork Club was a true dive and music venue back in the day, and now new owners Marc Ribak and Billy Joe Agan are keeping that history alive — albeit in their way. The spruced-up space still hosts bands of all kinds in its performance area, but the bar itself is now a 1970s throwback space, complete with velvet paintings, faux rock wall, and casino carpeting. The back room, meanwhile, is an all-red vibe with circular booths perfect for nursing cocktails with friends. The drink menu is made up of “classic” drinks from the 1990s, such as appletinis and lemon drops, just like what every dive bar needs." - Dianne de Guzman
"I noticed the revival of Thee Stork Club and see it as an example of locals putting down roots in downtown Oakland's dining scene." - Eater Staff
"As an over-the-top, Madonna Inn–inspired bar and Oakland music venue, this place leans into campy maximalism and a mission to revive the local music scene, offering kitschy throwback cocktails served without shame. The menu features playful creations like the Harvey Ball Wanger (the club’s take on a Harvey Wallbanger), the Crappletini, and the Garfield (a peach schnapps and vodka drink), with plans for fishbowl drinks and acerbic menu quips such as the C-Word, described as “a bitchy take on the Sea Breeze.” It’s an antidote to the overly polished bar scene of 2022 and a spot to have an unabashedly good time." - Eater Staff
"Stepping in from the Telegraph Avenue sidewalk into the dark confines of Thee Stork Club is like traveling through a time warp: wood-paneled walls dotted with velvet-black lighting paintings, a floor of swirling casino-style carpeting, a faux rock grotto around the bar and an infinity-mirror installation with exposed warm-hued bulbs that feel straight out of Solid Gold. The aesthetic updates — including the added “e” to the name — still honor the venue’s decades-long role as a home for the local rock scene; co-owners Marc Ribak and Billy Joe Agan, who frequented the space in the ’90s and ’00s, took it over in early 2021 to help revive live music after pandemic closures. Their vision blends garage-rock/DIY energy with campy, Madonna Inn–style touches influenced by John Waters and ’60s–’70s horror filmmakers: a back room painted entirely red (floor, ceiling, booths and lights) centers on a detailed dollhouse by Ali Rose filled with miniatures of Elvira, John Waters and monsters, while the bar channels a returned-to-nature ’70s California dive vibe with fake plants and grotto details. The performance space has dramatic red velvet stage curtains and an atrium with a gold disco ball and blinking marquee lights — a hidden feature from the building’s prior lives as restaurants — and Ribak is booking punky, danceable rock in the Mosswood Meltdown vein (the Mummies headline the October 7 opener with John Waters hosting, and he plans acts in the company of The Linda Lindas and Bikini Kill). They’re still deciding how to use the full kitchen (pop-ups or outside food are under consideration), but the drinks menu is fully committed to throwback fun: appletinis, lemon drops, blue-Curaçao fishbowl cocktails with Swedish Fish, and comically served Harvey Wallbangers next to a polished brass bar railing, all reinforcing the feeling of stepping back in time. I appreciate that they aren’t trying to be serious — they want to have fun — and the club will be open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m." - Dianne de Guzman
"Planned to open in Oakland in July, Thee Stork Club leans into monochrome and camp with a blood-red room—floor-to-ceiling red walls, red upholstered booths and heavy red velvet curtains onstage—and a separate green room; co-owner Marc Ribak ties the club’s over‑the‑top, whimsical design to his friendship with filmmaker John Waters and to nostalgia (including a rescued high‑backed “Vampire Chair” from his grandmother). Other theatrical details include gaudy Liberace‑style gold oil lamps, a horror‑themed dollhouse, an infinity mirror installation, wood paneling and rock-like walls, a gold disco ball, and a back patio meant to evoke the Beverly Hills Hotel in the 1960s. Described as part “proto fern bar,” part “1970s dive bar,” and part “the trashiness of Madonna Inn,” the club aims to be “ridiculous on purpose” while still done with a bit of class." - Dianne de Guzman