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19th Street Station
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Wed, Thu
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- Yes
- Coat Check:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
jack c. said: "I dropped into The Chieftain on a recent trip to San Francisco and loved the place.I had the lamb burger(Awesome) and fries with a pint of Bass Ale while watching SF Giatnts on the big screen.Service was very efficent and friendly,the…" read more »
22 reviews for 19th Street Station
Review Highlights
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"Roy is the best bartender/therapist one can have." In 6 reviews -
"...and because it's owner operated, smoking is LEGAL." In 2 reviews -
"lol Fun little dive bar and I will be back very soon." In 3 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Jason L.
2/11/2011 5 Check-ins Here
As soon as you step into this place, this song was stuck in my head "Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came..." And where's this song from? CHEERS!!!!! You walk in, everyone is talking to each other, people know each other's name, and its just a good time here! Tons of stuff on the walls and ceiling to look at and Roy (the owner) is a true gentleman. While I was sitting there for an hour, there was such a mix crowd of people stopping in for a quick drink. Young indian/asian guys, young asian girls, older mexican lady, middle aged caucasians, etc. That's a great sign for any bar, in the MIDDLE of the day!!!
Yes, you can smoke inside at this bar because the bar tender is also the owner and operator of this establishment, but its not super stuffy like an indian casino! lol Fun little dive bar and I will be back very soon!!! -
Review from Gill C.
9/10/2009 1 Check-in Here
Another Oakland dive bar gem. Awwyah! I've been to this neighborhood bar on several occasions, and has always been fun. It's super close to the 19th St BART station. Sweet! I dig the chill and laid back ambiance, but unlike the other Oaktown dives, 19th St Station is not as dark as The Ruby Room or Radio Bar. Lots of sports memorabilia, pictures, posters, adorn the walls. I swear every inch is covered with something. There are TVs throughout the bar for your sports viewing pleasure, and the other night it was all about the UFC baby! Those fellas were getting their arses whooped left and right. I digress, back to the bar - smoking is legal inside, and the smoke can be overwhelming. As a nonsmoker, smoke doesn't totally bother me. My 2 cents is that if it does get to you, just sit by the door or next to one of the electric fans.
The bartender/owner is super friendly, (and during my last visit, he apologized for not noticing us when we first arrived, as his back was to us for a few minutes). Anywho, there's a great selection of alcohol, and stoked that my beloved Guinness is one of the beers on tap! There's no Grey Goose here, but they've got Ketel One and Hangar One. Drinks are cheap, and it's NOT cash only, so plastic is welcomed! For a dive bar, the bathrooms are actually very clean. Awesomeness!
As for the clientele, lots of downtown worker bees (either in their business attire or tees and jeans) like to chill and unwind here after a long day. Many are regulars and the bartender definitely knows their names. They seem friendly enough, but most kept to their convos, (and my sense is that they may not have wanted a pseudo-newbie, but not quite a regular like me interrupting them). Regardless, I'll be back to this bar, and soon enough, the bartender might know my name. :)
Digalicious Dive Bar! To quote my Oaktown Yelp pal, Cara Y, "Viva La Dive Bar!"Listed in: Dive Bar Diva's List
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Review from Surf R.
San Francisco, CA
12/9/2006
Another smokeasy in Oakland? We have a public health issue in our bars here. I believe in person choice and all, but it's shocking how many places allow smoking indoors.
That said, they had some beers on tap that I had never tried so that was cool in my book. 3 new flavors! Too bad they cost the typical $4 a beer and there wasn't a happy hour going on.
It wasn't terribly smoky. The patrons and bartender were friendly. Mostly 30s and 40s crowd it seemed having a drink after work.
The only thing I found a bit peculiar was that the people of color were distinctly on one side of the bar and the white crowd on the other. May have just been a coincidence, but it caught my eye.
I'll have to go back to investigate. -
Review from Abby P.
San Jose, CA
10/1/2010 1 Check-in Here
My friend Ally and I were up in Oakland going to the Fox theater, and had a couple hours to spare before seeing the Black Keys (which was freaking awesome).
We started our search for a pub, and based on reviews ended up at this amazing establishment.
1. You can smoke in this bar. I kid you not.
2. Roy, the owner and only employee, is the coolest dude ever. He also knows Dusty Baker. Bonus points.
3. Regualrs are super cool.
4. Only, and I mean only, downside is that Roy heads out early and doesn't work on weekends. Early as in 8PM.
Roy, you da man! I will be back. -
Review from Andrew L.
San Leandro, CA
11/6/2009
What an unexpected find in DT Oakland. Usually, you have a choice between expensive and trendy (Trappist, Lukas etc.) or dirty and full of hipsters (Stork, Radio, Van Kleef).
Now there's a third choice if you maybe, wanna watch a game, or just hang out without feeling you're surrounded by posers.
Love it! -
Review from DowntownSnobs Z.
Oakland, CA
1/14/2010 1 photo
Well, there's a strange right wing vibe here -- fox news blares after 8pm, and the bartender distributes strange anti-global warming literature.
That being said, I'm set up with a shot of jameson, a fosters and a pack of cigarettes for $15, the bartender isn't bothering me, and there's no lousy music. It'll do for getting off Bart. -
Review from MonkeyPants S.
Alameda, CA
6/18/2009
This is an awesome neighborhood bar! Great casual, non-pretentious atmosphere, and because it's owner operated, smoking is LEGAL!!! Decent beer selection, and lots of schwag all over the walls. The only downside is that they're only open until 8pm daily, which kind of sucks. Great place to meet up with people before a show at the Fox or the Uptown, or on your way to BART.
If you have an aversion to cigarettes, stay away. -
Review from Adlih Z.
Oakland, CA
4/5/2009
Wow, I never knew this place existed in Oakland. It is awesome! No frills, just step up and order your drink and hang out. Clean (enough) bathroom and the gentlemen that run the bar (maybe even own the place) were super friendly and walked around talking with everyone in the place.
**Just remember to choose your method of transportation ahead of time because the drinks here are no joke--they are stiff!! -
Review from Jen M.
12/25/2010
I wandered in here before dinner on Christmas Eve. One of the regulars had brought sandwich fixins and his home karaoke machine and was doing an endless loop of Christmas standards, wandering over to the mic to warble "Little Drummer Boy" or whatever in between Jaeger shots. Two beers later, a bunch of dudes shoved a mic at me as I was coming out of the bathroom and made me sing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer." The bartender/owner seemed mortified and asked us not to judge the bar by this initial visit. However, my first judgment is AWESOME.
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Review from Curt I.
Oakland, CA
5/12/2010
Perhaps the best bar in the world. I drink here because the owner is a right-wing anti-science Fox-cult paranoid nutwack and you can smoke there. You won't find a better place to have a drink in the bay area between noon and five. He closes around 8 PM and is closed on the weekends, so if you are looking for a club scene, go to SF. On your way there, grab a sammie at the Subway in the subway at 19th and Broadway.
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Review from Jay G.
Vallejo, CA
11/2/2006
as we call it "Roy's" or "Tio's". one of the best places you can have a REAL drink at. Roy is the best bartender/therapist one can have. hot dog's are the best and ask Roy for one his home grown chili's to put some fire back in your life. reminds me of a west coast "Cheers".
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Review from Victor G.
5/9/2008
this place looks like it's frequented by regulars. drafts (4) of quinness, harp, pyramid, miller are available. my quiness seem flat.
there's a sign high up on the wall with the words "19th street station "
with the namew bill bailey and roy megian? over and under the names.
by coincidence, the bartenders on duty are named bill and roy. the patrons here are awesome. they bus their own empties bar to the bar.
nice place to chat with friends and watch sports. didn't see any smoking going on. if i knew it was ok, i would have brought my cohiba. -
Review from Matthew P.
Philmont, NY
2/25/2005
Want to watch that baseball game at lunch? Order the food from somewhere else and eat it here. The drinks are potent and the owners are nice. They have really good hot dogs! Smoking is permitted. After work is typical white collar.
Listed in: Lake Merritt Lunch
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Review from melissa r.
Oakland, CA
2/9/2008
I used to live in the neighborhood, so routinely after work I would stop into this place for a quick double-fist of pints and a cigarette. The atmosphere is friendly and carefree, which I like a lot. Great place to zone-out and watch closed captioned television.
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Review from Brian P.
Pleasant Hill, CA
10/27/2010
A real gem in downtown Oakland - Love finding a good dive bar where I can catch some of the game and just hang out. Small tvs for watching games, and the owner tends to close early, but you can't have it all, right?
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Review from jen d.
3/4/2010
A non-trendy option near 19th street BART. My dad would totally drink whiskey with me here no problem. Full of regulars and different walks of life. You can smoke in here but I don't smoke. Covered with stuff everywhere! I like it!
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Review from brooke S.
Washington, DC
4/21/2009
me: "uummm hi, do you have miller lite in a bottle?"
bartender: "no maam, only coors light"
me: "uummm do you have any cider on tap?"
bartender: "no"
me: "how about some sort of apricot weizen?"
bartender: "no"
me: "ok a ketel and lemonade please. and a deck of cards"
bartender: "that i can do"
this place is great...it's tiny and the walls are covered with old beer and sports stuff...prices are cheap and they even let us order a pizza to the bar! -
Review from Mindy K.
Oakland, CA
8/28/2006
Fine place to grab a beer after work. I used to like going here when I smoked because smoking is permitted- it's owner operated and there's some sort of loophole that makes this legit- but I try to stay away since I quit. The ladies room isn't so bad if you gotta stop somewhere on your way home from the 19th street BART.
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Review from Rachel P.
Richmond, CA
11/13/2009
Roy Mejia (owner/bartender) is one of the nicest people in the whole world. I enjoy this little gem of a bar.
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Review from Mz. S.
Antioch, CA
11/18/2009
Me no likey the indoor smoke...However, because Roy (owner/operator) is one of the nicest people in the world (and the cheapest THERAPIST I've ever had), and because the regulars welcomed me with open arms, and because the hot dogs (with extra mustard) are the best in the west, and because Roy is one of the nicest people in the world :::YEAH i SAID IT AGAIN DAMMIT::: This place gets FIVE STARS! All of the reviews are too true!! :) I heart 19th street station!! On top of all this, it's located right across the street from my job...trouble you say?...
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Review from Joe P.
San Ramon, CA
2/11/2010
Roy is the man and he runs a great pub. Lots of tap beer options and smoking!
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Review from Mimi M.
Oakland, CA
2/28/2011
You can smoke there! thats all I gotsta say!
