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Merchant's Saloon
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 2 am
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Dive-y
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
126 reviews for Merchant's Saloon
Review Highlights
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"Great jukebox, there's pool tables and tall boys of Pabst." In 19 reviews -
"Bartender was friendly and non-condescending." In 23 reviews -
"Also, the juke box is amazing." In 5 reviews
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126 reviews in English
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Review from Turi F.
5/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
It's hard to give a dive bar five stars, but this one deserves it. I came in on a Sunday when the light was still shining, the most sacrilegious time to enter a bar, and it was divine. The mix of clientele represented the Oakland population itself, and I loved how everyone mingled and chilled together, all with one common goal in mind - a cold drink. The lone bartender was charming and welcoming, and charged us a fee for or drinks that was probably the same amount you'd be charged for drinks 50 years ago. We were so charmed by this dive that my friend said he thought this would be the perfect place for a first date...I had to disagree with him there.
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Review from Vassil T.
Oakland, CA
3/5/2012
I think I'm fairly easy to get along with. Drunken belligerence has never been my thing. I certainly never imagined I'd get kicked out of a bar. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if I were denied entry at some fancy private club for rich people wearing tuxedos - but then, I doubt I'll ever want to go to such a place anyway. I'm more into down-to-earth, divey bars for normal people who just want to relax, not to impress. Which is why I've been a regular at Merchant's for the last six or seven years. In 2011 alone I spent a little over $600 there; I believe the amount my wife spent separately is comparable. This is probably small change for a busy bar, but it's a decent chunk of our entertainment expenses. After all, the place is right down the street, and we could drop by for a nightcap practically wearing pajamas.
Imagine, then, my shock last night when I got kicked out of there. My offence? I dared to complain to the bartender (some new guy) about having been made to wait for my (second) drink for an abnormally long - even by Merchants' standards - period of time, while a number of other customers, including his buddies, who had gotten "in line" after me, kept getting their refills. It actually felt like the guy was making a conscious effort to ignore me for some reason. The fact that I spoke with an accent that's "not from around here" didn't seem to help; he told me that if I didn't like the way things were, I should feel free to hit the road. Luckily, there's no shortage of watering holes in the neighborhood where I can spend my American money, so I told him this was fine by me, and asked for the check. The wife, however, had the temerity to remark (likewise, speaking with a foreign accent) that this was no way to treat regular customers, and that the owner probably wouldn't approve. Such an affront to the dude's authoritah - by a foreign woman at that - could not go scot-free - he yelled at her to get the f&@# out of this bar, and to complain to whoever the f#@$ she wants. His two buddies promptly jumped in front of her, feeling very brave and seemingly proud of themselves for trying to intimidate a woman; I had to step in between to prevent the already pathetic scene from potentially turning physically violent.
So, there it is: I have now been kicked out of a bar - out of Merchant's, of all places! Not sure if this is sad or funny - probably a bit of both. Mind you, not all of Merchant's employees are xenophobic douchebags with bizarre chips on their shoulders: most are decent folk, and a couple of them, whom I've gotten to know well throughout the years, I regard as very neat people, and friends. But I doubt I can ever again feel comfortable at a place where my - and my wife's - national origins were grounds for denial of service, harassment, and eviction. -
Review from Maria H.
Oakland, CA
12/10/2011
Hipsters galore!
This place is surprising! Many questions run through my head while I'm here:
- Why is it in an area with all grocery warehouses?
- Why is it so hip?
- How did they turn this dump into a street art, rave-lighted, pub/lounge?
- Who is this awesome DJ?
- Why is that awesome old trucker looking man so extremely rad on the stripper pole?
- When can I play on the pool table?
- Where did that girl with the scene hair get her dress??
Yea, I'm super not hipster-like. I'm like Alice in Wonderland here (that plus too many beers, heh). Everything was strange and wonderful!
Problem is, I wouldn't just walk into the pub by myself or with my usual groups of friends. It only feels right when I'm following the white rabbit, in this case, a friend/regular at the bar.Listed in: Town Bidnizz, Bar Hoppin'
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Review from C S.
San Diego, CA
4/26/2012
before 1st beer was delivered, some idiot came up to me and asked if I had a problem(I said no) he kept talking and bartender girl thought it was funny. I left.
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Review from Ed N.
Oakland, CA
3/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Real beers on tap. Great music. Great atmosphere.
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Review from Maury B.
Oakland, CA
4/18/2012
what is with all these reviews about hipsters and marina people in merchants? huh? maybe the beer keeps me from seeing it.... merchants is east bay rats/tattoos and hard partying.. and good times. plus the bartenders () are the best. buy one of the bartenders a shot and watch your perception of the place change....
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Review from Libby V.
El Sobrante, CA
2/26/2012 1 Check-in Here
Best bloody marys in the east bay!!!
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Review from Anjali V.
This place confused me. I wasn't sure what to think when the crowd looked like they were either punk rockers or bikers from Hells Angels. But then you heard metal spewing from inside the club and you are thinking WTF?
None the less, I didn't let this deter me. Neither did the looks I got. Brown chick in a metal bar? whaaaaaaaaat? Blasphemy! lol Anyhow, I thought it seemed pretty cool for a dive bar. It was pretty big with a bar in the middle. The bartenders seemed to be taking orders from both sides so that was a plus. The acoustics weren't bad. Maybe the venue size was a reason, I'm not sure. Either way, I might stop on by this place again if I am ever in the area. It's not to shabby for a dive bar. -
Review from Linkie L.
Alameda, CA
3/2/2012
Great place for whiskey before work.
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Review from Melissa B.
Oakland, CA
Updated - 6/23/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Holy Crap, since the last time I wrote this review, and within I guess the last 6 months, they have really tried to gussy up the place- including accents of corrugated metal, a different behind the bar look, changing up the room in the back that used to be way more full of graffiti and crazy and gutter punk looking.
The patrons and bartender are cool, I sat with some working Joe's and DAMN the drinks they pour are large and strong. My shot practically came in a tumbler. Then after I got buzzed I sat with my friend in the booth area that still rocks with the black light astrology art. That area also has the stripper pole, so all is well.
I still like this spot, but I sort of miss it's 'former' dive-yness- I ask you, are dive bars in Oakland becoming extinct? Frankly I think Merchant's is even becoming a tad too clean cut. Many bars people think of as dive bars I don't. I'm trashy like that. Or maybe I just like a bar to be a BAR once in a while.Listed in: The Places I Go Out
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/15/2008
What I couldn't get over was the booth area in the corner with the black lights, crazy psychedelic… Read more »
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Review from Alaine M.
Oakland, CA
1/24/2012
Merchants is a really fun dive bar, they have good music most of the time, and they take cards which is nice. My only complaint is that there always seems to be a douchebag or two hanging out there. That's not the bar's fault, but it's still annoying. One time there was a dude with a camera recording in his sun glasses! and he was trying to get me (a female) to leave them in the bathroom! Gross! If I wasn't drunk I probably would have told the bar tender. At least I warned most of the ladies I saw..
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Review from Chris L.
San Leandro, CA
1/29/2012 1 Check-in Here
Holy crap, I thought the piss trough at the bar was just a dive bar myth...it does in fact exist. Wow.
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Review from Sean C.
Berkeley, CA
12/28/2011
Merchants Saloon what happened to you?! You used to be that dive bar that I loved, the place where I could go and not worry about running into people that I knew, it was a safe haven for my sometimes reclusive nature. The last time I was here I thought I somehow entered a wormhole and got transported to the Marina in SF, there was a hot chic bartender in tight shorty shorts, and don't get me wrong I love beautiful women, but not at the expense of losing the dive bar I used to love to go to. It's sorta like how that nerdy fat chic in high school that guys never paid attention to all of a sudden loses weight and now is sleeping with all the guys on campus. If I wanted to be at the Marina in SF I would go there. Hopefully the Ruby Room won't make such such drastic changes with the end result being just attracting more douchebags.
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Review from Caitlin M.
Oakland, CA
4/14/2011
Cheap and strongly-poured whiskey, Jackass 3 on the tv, some serious history, and friendly ((despite the badass looks) clientele make this a way more awesome version of Eli's. What made it particularly awesome was when the guy at the end of the bar decided that he was really interested in this one cool-looking bottle of tequila, and since there were only 8 people in the bar, he decided he was buying a round for the bar.
Yep.
He bought a round. For the bar. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
Of course, then since I'd had both double-shots of whiskey and tequila (oh, and earlier a manhattan. oops) it seemed like a natural movement to start drinking beer.
Mmmmm... yeah, the morning was awesome. If by awesome I mean painful.
Okay, it was just painful. But the experience at Merchant's was awesome! -
Review from Toby S.
San Leandro, CA
5/30/2011
As far as your traditional 'Dive Bars' are concerned, 'Merchants' does it with some style. In particular; a two-sided bar, pool table, a jukebox, and a few booths for getting cozy with your friends. Yeah, I'm pretty easy when it comes to being impressed by these 'simple', yet inexplicably rare amenities.
My two visits here thus far have been quite rewarding as far as sating what I was looking for:
- Good conversation
- Good brew
- Good people-watching opportunities.
As I mentioned, it doesn't take much to satisfy me as a customer. As long as you have Racer5 on tap and patrons to interact with, I'd say you're doing pretty well (for me). Merchants delivers all of this and you will probably see me there on a dull Thursday night.
See you there! -
Review from Jenna B.
Los Angeles, CA
1/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Honestly, if you want a divey hole in the wall place in Oakland then this is the place to go. There is a stripper pole surrounded by black lights and just a good old dirty bar. When I went the bartender was wearing little panties and a tank top and it seems that everyone in the bar was enjoying it. I wouldn't recommend wearing flip flops to this place though because it is a little dirty.
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Review from Jay B.
San Francisco, CA
9/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Took pants off, received free drinks. If that isnt a good time, i dont know what is.
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Review from Konnie M.
Oakland, CA
2/7/2011
Air Hocky table, stripper pole, dim lighting, dark corners.
GREAT dive bar!
Nuff said. -
Review from Dave N.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/11/2011
Still a great place, though they recently 'redecorated' by knocking out the wall behind the bar that adjoins the back room. Now they have a bar that you can get at from both sides.
This place still has atmosphere and urban attitude to spare.Listed in: Best SF Bay Area Dive Bars, Hidden Bay Area dive bars
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/1/2009
This is a very cool bar precisely because of its location.
You'd have to look for it to find it,… Read more »
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Review from Markus N.
11/21/2010 1 photo
Quick one, to warm up my fingers. There's work to do.
I've been coming to Merchant's since before Union Pacific stopped running freight down Third Street. I know, right? I'd have an even greater legacy were I not for those first years in proximity scared to death of the joint.
It's like a cactus, though. All prickly on the outside but soft and yummy in. Mind, since they did the remodel it isn't as fuzzy as it was when I first stumbled in, when the stuffed animals from the machine with the claw that nobody ever wins were hung on wires from the ceiling with the dust of a millenia, lumper skin, oiled thereupon. They lent a cozy, albeit unsettling, air.
The walls are a palette for all manner artists. Were I less lazy or more alcoholic I'd have been photodocumenting the changes over the years, as by now there are dozens of layers of art and poetry and blood spatters all on top of one another like the ancient cities. That would have made for a sweet coffee table book. It would have paid for my dialysis.
Two pool tables now reduced to one, cheap drinks made with a tattooed smile, a line of outerwear emblazoned with the logo "making oakland sick since ..." whatever the year is I can't remember. Set in Oakland's still active produce district, history in motion that you only see if you're up way too late or way too early.
All that. Five stars. Gotta run, work screams to be done. It will take a little while longer to do than usual, as I still have a little buzz ...
Thanks, Merchant's! -
Review from Owen U.
Oakland, CA
4/18/2011
God bless a dive bar.
Olympia beer in a can: one dollar. Tall cans of PBR: I don't know how much, but they have them. They also offer shots of fun whiskey for not many dollars.
We had been meaning to try this place out for a while and it lived up to whatever expectation you put on "a great dive bar." It is not fancy. It makes your wallet happy. Woke up with lights on, jean on, and funny bar napkin messages from some of the cool peeps we met along our magical dive bar journey. Can't wait to go back...on a bike. -
Review from Liana W.
Oakland, CA
2/4/2011
Wanted to catch up with a friend after a tasty and filling dinner at Souley Vegan. This place had great acoustics for that. Don't let the old photos fool you; the bathroom was really clean, not under construction, and smelled good. Yeah, a bathroom smelled good.
Drinks were awesome. Bartender was friendly and non-condescending.. and very attractive. Artwork was... conversation starting. Music was.... shuffled? I don't know how to describe the music. Radio friendly rock, then hardcore punk, then 90s rap, then an old school love jam, then Metal. Shuffled. I have no idea what was going on until the jukebox broke and what sounded like someone's iPod filled the secondary speakers. Can't complain. I was chatting with my girl for more than 4 hours.
Ran into other friends there who verified that this was a cool spot. Then again, we popped in on a Thursday night. Can't vouch for other nights of the week or weekend, but I had a great time. -
Review from Lisa H.
Oakland, CA
9/23/2010 8 Check-ins Here
1 Star for the 7am start time.
1 Star for stiff, cheap drinks made
1 Star for coin op pool tables, brass (stripper) pole, and comfy corner black light lit seating.
And 1 Star for not having to get up from the bar to take a piss if you're a dude.
Yes Ladies and Gents, that is a urinal running the length of the bar. It's been there since Merchant's inception. Merchant's originally catered to Sea Merchants and those boys could drink, but apparently couldn't use a normal restroom. The old urinal is no longer in use (at least it's not supposed to be), men now piss on the floor in the bathroom instead of on the floor in front of the bar. High five for progress! ;-)
Merchants is a great dive bar. The kinda place where a mullet is still explained as "all serious up front, and a party in the back" (actual explanation for hair cut over heard in conversation between two rocker/biker dudes). For the most part the clientele fits the image of the bar but it is also a popular hang out for the servers and bartenders from Kincaid's and other Jack London square employees. And boy do those kids know how to party!Listed in: Favorite East Bay Bars
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Review from Krystal H.
Berkeley, CA
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh, Merchant's Saloon. The bartender was quirky, they serve Agwa (not the water folks, the herbal liqueur!) and best of all -- cheap! Will come again!
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Review from Bunny H.
San Jose, CA
5/2/2011
Went here after watching Ladies' Roller Derby...YAY!!! Go Richmond Wrecking Belles!!! It was a hot game. Man, the girls were vicious.
Anyways.....this is where the after party was, and damn I had a great time. This place was happening....and better yet..co cover charge and cheap booze!!!! -
Review from Dan C.
Oakland, CA
11/3/2010
I like Merchants. Plain & simple, review over.
But for my tens of readers that will actually check this out I'll do my best to elaborate. See, I like dirty bars. Not the kind of bar you find in a strip mall in Fresno that only plays Toby Kieth, but rather the sort of place that only portends to be the place it is. A place where I can forget about the infiniteness of my day and simply.... slip away.
I want a place that doesn't look like my cubicle. I want a place that doesn't have menu's and that doesn't require too much thought of me. I want a place where I can order a neat scotch (points if you realized I didn't mean nifty) or a high life and affect the same reaction from the bartender.
I want a place where I can play pool and no one bothers me. Don't get me wrong, an overpriced beer at RN79 or a worldly beer from Trappist is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. That said, when it's not, when solitude is on the menu then Merchants has the best blue plate special in my neighborhood. -
Review from Dennis A.
Oakland, CA
To be (dive), or not to be (dive), that is the question - then again, have you ever seen a dog walk past you, and nonchalantly drop a deuce next to the pool table at your local bar?
No?
Well i did, and it was AWESOME.
Dive bars are so trendy these days that i don't even like to use the term anymore.
What happened to the good'ole days of bar fights, stabbings and toothless lot-lizards (truckers will get this) hanging out at the local watering hole?
I don' t know, but in 2010, your typical "dive" is frequented by trust-fund hipsters and polo wearing college students; not necessarily the kind of people you would want to pick a fight with with, right?....yeah.
Anyway, i must digress, because this bar, Merchants, is what i would call a "dive" in the truest sense of the word, without worrying about using a term that has pretty much become ironic since the hipster invasion.
To get to this bar, you'll have to come to Oakland first - bam! - that alone eliminates thousands of people from the equation. Secondly, you'll have to drive, walk or bike through a gauntlet of neatly stacked produce pallets and forklifts buzzing back and forth from stack to stack, across the street and sometimes in circular patterns - all of which will have you wondering if they're just doing that to fuck with you :-)
The bar is nestled on the corner of two streets that act as a staging grounds for tons of produce - the front door is a simple heavy-duty screen door, and stepping though the doorway is akin to the first time Luke Skywalker stepped foot inside the famous Cantina on Tattoine.
The bartender there was the coolest - she let me keep drinking my liquor even after i discovered that i had no cash on me, and only a temporary debit card that i couldn't use at the bar. I eventually got cash from a nearby ATM, and came back to continue drinking, and play a few games of pool in the back room that looks like a garage studio used by the filthiest, grimiest and most hard-core musicians in the universe. There's a large mural on one wall in the pool room, graffiti writing over nearly every square inch of the walls, and old-school machines in one corner. -
Review from Seong P.
9/8/2008
On Sunday, September 7, 2008, I had the best bloody mary of my life. Thanks, Tickles, for suggesting it but stop spreading rumors about me to bartenders, please.
The delicious drink was made completely from scratch. No mixes here. I recall the juicing of either limes or lemons, worcester sauce, wasabi, horseradish and shakes of various spices but there was more I don't remember. When all was said and done, it was spicy, refreshing and filling.
Some guy at the bar told me that the bartender also makes an amazing cucumber margarita and that sometimes, he brings a juicer in and makes special drinks with whatever fresh fruit he has.
What makes this place even better is that it's a complete dive and the bartender does not look like someone who would be into juicers. I love surprises. The front room has the bar, the back room has 2 pool tables and graffitti covered walls, some of it art, some of it not really.
There was only one other female in the bar when I came in but I thought it was fine. I think it may be one of those places where I would take someone to test them out. If they can handle the location and the bloody mary, then they might be able to handle me. Just kidding, that would be dumb. -
Review from Clarissa C.
Los Angeles County, CA
8/27/2011
Hung over from a night at Merchants Saloon. Full bar. It's a dive. Live band. Hooks for purses (love that). Was there for J's surprise 40th bday. Bartenders very attentive. Somehow my bill was only $25. Not gonna argue but thought it would've been at least twice that! I can't tell if this bar is in a nice part of town? Hubby and I walked back to our hotel w no problems. Would definitely return if I'm in Oakland again.
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Review from J W.
San Francisco, CA
10/4/2010
I must be missing something, because this bar sucked. And the bartender skipped over the songs we purchased on the jukebox and said "sorry, my bad" as she did it, but then didn't give us our money back or offer to queue them back up. WTF was that?
The people here were really weird too, and not very friendly or interesting. The only person I liked talking to was the guy checking IDs at the door. Back to Beer Rev for me. -
Review from Michele M.
San Rafael, CA
9/9/2008
Super fan just created here. I might start a website and send creepy love notes. I can finally wear my kitten lover crew neck sweatshirt and headgear because I finally found a place I can be myself and stop trying to be something I'm not. Just don't wear open toed shoes here. I'm not sure what the floor is made of, but the walls are fucking pretty.
This part of town will scare off your parents and tourists, but the bartenders have your back! My friends thought it would be funny to hide my purse for a few minutes.
I walked out of the bathroom only to find an empty hook under the bar where my bag was hanging. The bartender saw me turn ghost white and said, "missing something"? I said, "my purse."
He walked out around the bar and hurried outside to see if anyone had taken it. He abandoned his regulars to have the back of a total stranger, who I wouldn't even give a shit about had I known me.
He came back in and shrugged his shoulders, while I glanced over at my laughing friends. What a bunch of assholes. -
Review from Jason W.
Oakland, CA
8/8/2008 1 Check-in Here
There is nothing like getting faded, walking outside, and watching the fork lifts pick up produce while pissing all over the side walk. One guy gave me a thumbs up and throw me a peach.. it was most great.
Two thumbs up for cheap drinks and a good buzz at all times. -
Review from Anna G.
San Francisco, CA
9/13/2007
I went here with friends on my 25th birthday, solely due to reviews on Yelp. I wanted an awesome Oakland dive bar for my birthday, and let me tell you, I got an awesome Oakland dive bar for my birthday. Stiff cheap drinks, pool tables, rockin' jukebox, and that overall dirty dive feeling. I love it.
Highlights of the evening:
- Gin & tonics served in pint glasses
- The motorcycle dude who brought an actual whip in with him and showed off it's whipping power (not actually on anybody, thank god)
- The really really drunk, really really smelly guy who a) shamelessly hit on my friend for a good twenty minutes while staring at her chest, and b) grabbed my face and planted a huge kiss right on the lips when he found out it was my bday. Then my other friend lied and told him I was 17, after which his eyes widened and he ran away.
- Me not knowing about the "trough" at the bottom of the bar and laying my jacket right on top of it. Yeesh.
Bonus? This bar isn't too far from Nation's, so you can fulfill your drunk munchies afterwards by noshing on grilled cheese, fries, and pie. It was a good birthday.Listed in: Only in Oakland (and other…
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Review from LuX P.
Oakland, CA
4/22/2010
Sing to the tune of the Meow Mix commercial:
"Dive dive dive dive, Dive dive dive dive, Dive dive dive dive dive dive dive dive..."
ALRIGHT, now that we've gotten that word outta the way, let's focus on the fact that this is just a cool bar. The bartenders were straight up and still very friendly(except for the Winger reject guy). Great prices. Not to mention, some guy was buying shots for everyone in the bar. That's something!
I admit I am biased because any bar that serves cans of Oly can never be half bad in my book. The mixed drinks we had were pretty tasty as well.
Only downside is that the greasy haired hessian bartender can be a dick. Completely ignores us as we stand patiently in front of him trying to get our first beer. We just walked out that time.
I also just wish you could actually USE the conveniently located piss trough while standing at the bar!Listed in: OAKLAND? Hell YEAH!, Jack London Square…
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Review from Lauren B.
Oakland, CA
5/25/2008
My nice Jewish daddy would be horrified to know that his daughter set foot in this diviest of dives. Of course, there are many things about me that would horrify him, so let's be glad he does not read Yelp or my journal.
Whisky, pinball with the boys, funny conversation with drunk man who gave me compliments that made me feel dirty. He told me he was a beer taster, which I believed for one second ('cause I believe stuff. Don't worry -- I'm getting over my faith in mankind) until I realized he was drinking a bottle of Bud and this was not a brewery. He made me give him a hug. I figured it wasn't worth the trouble to argue
Drunkenness prevails, as well it should, but, even though only buzzed, I liked it. I vow to get falling-down, stinking drunk next time I'm here, as I have some friends who live nearby and can pour me to one of their homes where I will have to trust them not to molest me. Please don't tell my dad. -
Review from Jenn M.
Berkeley, CA
3/16/2010
This is the kind of place that I could disappear into, never to be seen again. One day, five years down the road, my old crew will be packed around a table at Cesar or some similar place, sharing a bottle of expensive wine, and one of them will ask...
"What happened to that one girl, Jess or Jenn or whatever the hell her name was?"
"Oh, I heard that she went to jail for awhile. I think she was addicted to meth or heroin or something."
"Yeah, I heard that, too. I know she got kicked out of her place a couple years back. Then she got caught squatting in some old warehouse in Oakland."
"Hell, all I know is the last time I talked to her she was rambling about some shitty dive bar in Jack London. That girl clearly had issues."
*****
Point being, this bar is the perfect place... if it's the kind of place you've been looking for. -
Review from Lush L.
Austin, TX
6/6/2007
Oh yes Merchant's. How we love thee. Well ok we like you a lot. Like friend-love. The pool tables are great, but the one leans really badly. The new bathroom for the cunts in the house is awesome. I love the bartender that make blood orange margaritas. Rad. If they had fresh fruit margaritas I would live in this bar. I almost would minus a star for some of the creepy jerks that frequent this bar, but I guess you get that anywhere.
and most importantly, why I love Merchant's the most....
THEY LET YOU BRING YOUR BIKE IN!
update******************************************** **
Minus one star because Merchants is no longer a dive, but a "really cool" dive. Thusly, you cannot bring your bike in on the weekends anymore because it is too crowded. Boo.
Also minus another star for the six, maybe seven, cameras that are in there now! Crreeeeeepy. There are everywhere and NOT subtle at all. Fucking hell, what are we in London? I can't help but have Rockwell's song "Somebody's Watching Me" run through my head when I'm there now, and I don't need that song running through my head all night when I go out. Not a place I want to hang out.Listed in: I need a drink!
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Review from Robin K.
Hayward, CA
8/31/2009 2 photos
Wow! This place is straight up the shadiest of the shady from the front. Wifey and I were in the area for the Eat Real Festival, which by the way was the bunkiest waste of time ever. We knew the beer was going to be ridiculously overpriced for all the sucker yuppies, so we stopped in for some cheap pre-festival shots.
In the short time we were there, we totally fell in love with this place. Hardcore Punk was blasting on the juke box, a 50 year old green mohawk fella was chatting it up with his 50 year old nose pierced, 1/2 inch gauge ear plug wearing date/girlfriend/wife, and every single person in the beer had a visible tat on their body. The place pretty much rocked like a Karaoke Duet Cover of David Bowie's "Under Pressure".
Not sure when this place originally opened, but I could just imagine old time fisherman from the 30's and 40's stopping in for a beer or two before heading back out into the bay.
I've heard there's a stripper pole in the back, which I didn't get to see, but I'll make sure that's the first thing I check out on my next visit back. -
Review from Andie F.
Newark, CA
10/23/2007
The men's restroom is probably one of the most fantastic WC's that I have eva' seen! If for no other reason The Merchants deserves 5 stars!
But wait! There is so much more about The Merchants that makes it a good place to throw back a few.
The Bartenders are great-
The people- The drinks- The pool table- The "as large as the planet earth TV screen" ...Fantastic! The Big Freakin' cans of PBR! Sooo frosty and sooo refreshing. -
Review from Gil S.
8/15/2006
Another outstanding Oakland dive bar, hidden away between the stalls of a produce market at Jack London square.
In the front barroom some old videogames, pinball, everyone here is friendly and down to earth.
The back room is a vast, warehouse storeroom with late afternoon light filtering in from windows high overhead, a broken down honky tonk piano, a pool table, a staircase leading nowhere but trouble.
If you were filming a movie about two rookie policemen, a society lady who fell on hard times, and a dockworker, you would have to fly the production crew up from LA because there is no way you could make a set look this real if you tried. It's that perfect.
And no shot glasses or bottle spouts. If you order a shot of something they pour a highball glass halfway up.Listed in: Dive Bars (normal)
