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Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhoods: Rockridge, North OaklandMon-Sun. 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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A no fuss dive bar that makes no apologies or commitments, much like my last boyfriend. A simple and small wood bar occupy the entrance with several bar tables flanking on the left.
Drink prices are great and there is free popcorn available. Yes i would like something salty to go with my pitchers of beer, thank you. The crowd is casual. Since The Graduate sits at the border between Berkeley and Oakland, the crowd can be a mix of older undergrads or grad students and alum from Cal, myself included. But since this is near Rockridge, there are an assortment of neighborhood regulars and hipsters that are there as well.
They are a cash-only establishment, which i have decided now makes every place lose one star (hence the 4/5). Credit cards make life easy. But at the very least, there is a BofA across the street.
Overall, a great neighborhood bar. You should get a few friends together and turn that frown upside down and order a pitcher.
I find myself here almost every weekend (and some weeknights), and I can confidently say this is one of the few good bars in Berkeley (or the near-berkeley-vicinity, as this is Oakland).
It's your stereotypical Berkeley dive bar - a mix of alumni, locals, athletes, hippies, hipsters and frat/sorority-types. The real highlight of this place is the dirt cheap PBR ($1.50 a pint), the student discounts, the free popcorn (try it with sriracha), and the hidden downstairs (euphemistically "the undergraduate").
It's busy pretty much every night of the week, although weekends are definitely the high point.
Limited choice of beers on tap, but they do have a full bar and free popcorn. There was a good crowd last night, but no one fed the jukebox until we left.
ON TAP:
racer 5
pabst blue ribbon
fat tire
sierra nevada
full moon winter seasonal
11$ pitcher sierra nevada
4$ hot wings
We came here for a quick stop after the Yelp Space Odyssey, so we were all buzzed beforehand. Good… Read more »
The Graduate wanted to be a dive bar and failed. Sure, it has student specials for $1.50 PBR and $3 well drinks. Sure, it has a cheap boilermaker. But the dive-ness ends there. They have specialty drinks, for one: on Saturday they offered a fresh fruit margarita and a "Salty Snoop": well gin, grapefruit juice from a 5.5oz can, and a salted rim in an old fashioned glass. And it was tasty. Simple, not particularly special, but a nice beverage altogether. My friends got strong whiskey cokes and gin and tonics from the nice bartender in the "Bartenders Are Gods" t-shirt, a proficient multi-tasker.
But The Graduate is plagued by a bad bartender. She stood in the midst of the bottles, staring off, looking confused, when I walked up to the bar. After a few minutes watching her walk around, serving one drink, counting bills, I said "Hi."
"Hi," she said, and walked away.
Hmm. Eventually she took our order, in shifts because she didn't seem willing to take the whole order at once. In the end we got our drinks.
Later my friends ordered Chili Bombs, an abominable combination of Whiskey and Tobasco in a Red Bull. The first time, two and a whiskey coke cost $19. The next time, three chili bombs cost $27. Well thanks, lady. That is a cheap whiskey coke.
Enjoy the free popcorn with Sriracha, an exceptional combination. Enjoy the one bartender, the ever-louder jukebox, the clean cut, t-shirt and hoodie wearing clientele. Enjoy the people who walk by every 20 minutes and clean off the table. Dive bar? I don't think so.
One of my favorite dive bars and a place I like to come to whenever I am in Oakland.
Can't beat the prices for the drinks and the free popcorn with siracha.
I like the crowd too because everyone is laid back and with friends having a good time. Good bartender.
I haven't been downstairs yet and I just found out about the six dollar PBR pitchers. Only negative is that this place is really small so it gets packed quickly but for the great service, drink prices, popcorn and jukebox; this place cannot be beat!
Cheap beer, free popcorn with sriracha. Ignore the hipsters. Lots of TVs permanently tuned to ESPN. It's tiny but has a relatively good amount of seating for the size.
The Graduate is a CASH only establishment, so go to your nearest ATM before you head out. Once you make it there you will find an unpretentious atmosphere awaiting you. You'll also find a good jukebox and a bar with cheap drinks. Bring your friends and have a good time.
First of all, God Bless All Dive Bars. The drinks are generally pretty cheap; and even cheaper if you have a Valid Berkeley ID. I was a bit peeved when I was told my UC DAVIS ID isn't sufficient enough to get the "Student Discout". However, its a dive bar. Cool bartenders except on No UCDAVIS discount.
What's this I hear about free popcorn? Certainly did not get some there. All in all, nice place. Good blend of old/young. Nice place to hang out with friends and knock back some drank.
CASH ONLY- and Safeway doesn't do Cash Back.
Thankfully, there is a BofA across the street.
I like.
I liked the popcorn, the juke box, the small and relaxed crowd, and cute decorations along the wall and ceiling. It's a good place to go to after an event and just chill. I also like how you can talk at a good volume, no shouting necessary here. :) Crowd is definitely different than Manny's or Beckett's. They seem like they're older on average? All working peeps opposed to grad students?
I wonder why it's called "The Graduate"...
The category of "dive bar" sums this place up nicely. The atmosphere here is much better than a typical dive bar though, so its an interesting combination I like. I'll just list some "noteworthy"s here as a supplement.
Plus points for:
Free popcorn! Hooray.
A dilapidated looking jukebox which you choose music from. I can see how it can get tiresome, but the novelty of a jukebox will take a while to get old for me.
Student discounts for pitchers!
Minus (Boo!) points:
Cash only. Always a headache.
The place is kinda small. Don't come in anything other than small groups if you guys want to stick together.
I'm hesitant to give this place a 4 star rating. But I don't think the cons really outweigh the pros personally, as the free popcorn is a HUUUUGE bonus in my eyes, so off to the 4 star land this place goes.
Great price for the beers!!
The jukebox was a little annoying but the free popcorn was a plus.
Cash only! (Bank of America ATMs are across the street)
Okay, I used to love this place but something has definitely changed. I used to come here after work when I worked in the neighborhood and the drinks were good, the bartenders were awesome, and the crowd was real. Now, none of those things are true. Except for the hot bartender Blaze=) I might go back just to flirt with him.
Last time I was there, me and the girls ordered some food cause we were starving and bar patrons get 30% off (it comes from the diner next door). The food comes and it's not what we ordered at all. So the bartender takes it and just gives it to someone else in the bar.
HEY!! WOULD HAVE KEPT IT IF IT WAS GOING TO BE FREE!!
We get what we ordered and it was actually really good=) Wish the story ended there. For the rest of the night the bartender is at the other side of the bar and you had to literally yell at her to get another drink (not just me). Someone played like 50 songs of the worst bloody music ever and some drunk guy kept on SCREAMING in my ear WOOOO HOOOO!! To every Bon Jovi song that came on. Finally, I told the guy to STFU and we left before I massacred him.
Frat Boy Central is what this bar should be called now. I might go back for happy hour or on a slow night to avoid the idiot clowns- but never again with that bartender! Bring back the old Graduate crowd=(
I ordered 5 drinks. There were shots of beam involved and a Stoli & soda. The tab was $18.
This rules. You understand?
Solid 3.5
The look of a dive bar - the atmosphere of a pub - the vibe and culture of pure Oakland.
80's folk music bumps on the jukebox from this oasis. With head bobs from a clientele part Berkeley grad student, part big tatted and titted Harley D bikers, part Roccawear'in types - it's easy to see why they all come to this Oakland institution and brave the constantly busy 5 way intersection.
$3 dollar champagne or mimosas
$4 blue moons
Free fresh popcorn
Awesome bartendresses
There is a local crowd for the most part, not particularly friendly, but not unfriendly just sort of ignore you unless they are completely drunk. I get the feeling that i'm not what they are looking for in a customer being over 35 with my girlfriend, and the bartenders distracted and somewhat disrespectful attitude has reinforced my feeling every time i've been here. Pool tables downstairs would be a vast improvement. A bartender with a welcoming and hipster, rather than just hipster, attitude would be even better improvement. Too bad, it has a great location, but not a bar that I frequent based on negative vibe of bartender and frankly I find it a just plain boring place to drink.
I love this place. It's no frills, just beer and simple cocktails. I come here for the pitchers of Sierra Nevada (student discount!) and the free popcorn.
The bartenders are great. The drinks are cheap. Just don't bring 20 of your closest friends here, because they won't all fit. And the jukebox is usually backed up with songs, so unless you're planning on sticking around for more than 2 hours, I wouldn't bother. Bring cash, so you don't find yourself drunkenly stumbling across the street to the Bank of America when your friends are tired of buying you drinks.
A really comfy dive bar with decent beer, good mixed drinks, fun company, a nice juke, free popcorn, and really nice bartenders (who knew me by the second time I came)... what more can you ask for?
I often go for the student special pitchers of sierra nevada, but I suspect I won't look like a student forever.
It's crowded on thursdays, fridays, and weekends, and it might be hard to get a table then, but who cares? Stand up, make friends, and sit at the bar.
I know it has its flaws, but I'm giving it 5 stars anyway.. because I've never had a bad experience here and it's a place that really is what it is. It's not trying to be fancy, or more luxurious or anything. (See: Green Papaya in SF) Unpretentious to the max. and that's an easy way to get a top rating from me.
Definitely my favorite bar in Oakland. It's unpretentious and has cheap beer ($6 pitchers of PBR with a student ID), great music and free popcorn. I have never had a bad time there.
It's cash only, but drinks are so cheap it's not a big deal.
The Graduate? - more like escaping with a GED. No matter, I'm just here to throw down a few and chill out for a bit.
I've been down to this corner a few times during my undergrad days but never realized the Graduate was here. Now that I'm a grown-up, it was the first thing I noticed when I recently re-visited the hood. I guess that says a lot about the establishments I patronize at this stage in my life.
Yes, I love dive bars and the Graduate fits the bill. Not much of a selection of beers on tap and there isn't a pool table so I have to knock a few stars for that. But overall, I had a good experience and I'll be looking forward to checking out the "Undergraduate" that some folks here have mentioned during future visits.
Not my kinda thing! When it comes to nightlife, I favor the chic, semi-swanky places with cushy seating, pretty drinks, upbeat music, and even better--room for dancing.
The Graduate is a bare-bones bar. Admittedly, I didn't have anything to drink, but my friend loved his beer. They also had a special of $5 Raspberry and Strawberry Margaritas which looked promising. The crowd is mainly students...and I hear, some shadier characters later on in the night.
The lack of music is very disappointing to me, but patrons can pay $1 to pick an oldie on the jukebox. It's very novel, kind of fun, but this girl enjoys her comfort too much. And excuses to dress up!!
I'm really kind of bummed about the popcorn thing though. Other reviewers speak of free popcorn, but I didn't get any...nor did I even smell any ='( That would have been worth at least a star!
An Asian and a Jew walk into The Graduate and make a beeline for the popcorn machine.
I'm not about to start complaining about free popcorn.
Great neighborhood bar.
Affordable drinks, friendly crowd (especially in the daytime), and a jukebox that won't let you play bad music.
If you want a place where you can enjoy good company without breaking the bank, this is it.
Many lunar cycles ago, in a state far, far away, I was relentlessly pursued by a fellow 8 years my junior. How I met him is unimportant (not to mention the fact that I probably would have gotten fired for it) but he thought that I was the sexiest thing ever (true) and that I was going to change his life (also true). His youthful passion was refreshing, as he was quite naïve in many ways, but wordly in others as his parents were both physicians and he had spent a year studying in France. This kid blew my mind at the MFA. I am still quite fond of him, and have some latent cougar tendencies because of it.
Unlike others who revel in schadenfreude, I am patient when it comes to talking to strangers. Particularly if those strangers are college students, graduate or undergraduate. Suffice it to say that while this bar brings back many college memories (the few that haven't been erased by the mass quantity of liquor I have consumed during and since college), I realized that youth just isn't what it used to be. Those whippersnappers for the most part have attitudes, both those in college and those out.
Despite all of this, I had a decent time here with the majority of my fellow DYLers, and was a fan of the basement. The bartender was an gorgeous, and I would go back for her and her alone.
As long as I don't think of what was in the couches.
So I came here for a DYL and had a blast...I'm really glad too because it had been several months (like six) since the last time I ventured out for a DYL. I give mad props to the lone bartendress who was kind enough to think I was still a student and hook me up with the discount without asking for proof. She also happens to make a wicked Pina Colada.
I also love the fact that they have free popcorn for snacking on and that the diner next door will deliver your food to you in the bar if you ask them. And that is perfect for someone like me who doesn't want to have to venture far to get eats while they drink.
The room they have down stairs is nice and cozy too. They call it the undergraduate. It is full of old couches that remind you of a frat house living room...all old and when you sit in them you sink into it. They also let us play flip cup down there which is a big thumbs up in my book (even though I didn't actually play myself).
Also mad props to all the young guys who made me feel youthful again...i know you weren't really interested except to try (unsuccessfully ) and get me to buy drinks because you ran out of money...you still made me smile and that is quite an accomplishment when someone is trying to extort money from me.
I finally went to my first DYL here. The bar upstairs is small, downstairs there is another room with low ceilings (at 5'9, I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland or the Incredible Shrinking Woman in this room standing) and a large TV mounted to the wall. Since it was Pirate Day, they were doing Pina Coladas and Margaritas as the drink specials. I had the unfortunate experience of one of the Coladas which I thought would be a mild first adult beverage since having my gallbladder out. Anyway, the cocktail was basically white ice. No flavor what-so-ever of either alcohol or fruit=Fail. Like the other Yelp smart folks, I should have stuck with either beer or the hard stuff.
What I will say is that the jukebox was great. Lots of choices from Led Zeppelin to Beastie Boys, Cake and the Pixies. Fun times. While I did not partake of the flip cup game, it was fun to watch.
The best part of the evening was being able to put faces to the names of folks whose lives I have been reading for almost 2 years now.
My thesis advisor intimidated me when I was in college. When Shelly L. asked me to help organize this weeks' DYL happy hour, I was similarly intimidated by the idea of living up to her example. Fortunately, the staff of The Graduate made it easy for me to pass the "review committee" of Yelpers. MaryAnne and Kris were both gems about friendly service and welcoming attitude.
I was very happy with the free, tasty popcorn, the well-loaded jukebox, and the deep discount on drinks during happy hour. If you have a college ID, you can get those discounts all day!
Their downstairs room is only open weekends or for groups; we qualified on both counts and took it over. As one could might expect, it's referred to as the UNDERgraduate--Ha!--and with the low ceiling, bigscreen TV, and retro couches, it definitely resembled a fraternity or college apartment basement... Keith Charles completed that image when he coerced the group into several rounds of the Flip-Cup drinking game! I never found out what they call the upstairs storage area--Faculty Lounge? Post-Doc Attic? or worse... *gasp* THE REAL WORLD?
The bar is cash-only, but they're happy to let you bring in outside food. In fact, the diner next door will deliver into the bar if you ask! Everybody had a great time, but what made me most happy was not having to re-write my thesis.
TRIVIA: During pre-production of the movie "The Graduate" (1967), the University of Oregon was asked to be the setting; they declined. When the movie became famous, UO was so chagrined that they accepted the next movie offer--"Animal House"--virtually without reading the script. Despite the misanthropic themes that scared off other schools, hosting Animal House obviously worked out well for UO, and I got to have class in every room in the film! TOGA! TOGA!
PS--How the heck did 18 people vote this place Alcohol: None?? It's a BAR! Pure and simple and nothing else!!
I drive by this place nearly every day, and I've never stopped in. It looked small, and there always seemed to be more people hovering outside smoking than sitting inside. Our group started trickling in at 6:30 on a Friday and it seemed like a quiet place with an older crowd.
Then, around 7:30 or so came the shift change. The bartender packed up her things and was replaced by someone half her age (with better tattoos). The gray hair faded from the bar. By 8 or so, it looked like your typical grad student bar with a few younger College Av. types mixed in. The crowd grew and grew, until our group moved downstairs to the safety of the (larger, but low-ceilinged) basement. By peak drinking time, the small upstairs bar was packed, Pixies was blaring on the jukebox, and the popcorn dispenser struggled to keep up.
I'd like to think that my "student discount" really meant that I looked like that 14 year-old photo. Wait, maybe not.
There is not much that stands out about it on the top floor; it is basically a dive bar that actually gets cleaned regularly.
Then you go downstairs to the lounge chairs and low ceiling...it felt as though I was at one of my crazy college frat parties except that the bathrooms actually have toilet paper and the furniture does not smell like vomit.
Extra kudos for the popcorn machine and their extreme erm, lenience on their student discount!
I'm rating the Grad in comparison to other dive bars.
The Grad has about 5 beers on tab and a well stocked liquor selection. There are two 42 inch plasmas hanging on each side of the bar. The bartenders here are always personable and after a binge drinking session I always feel like I've made a new best friend (I'm sure the bartender doesn't feel that way). It's rarely to crowded and they have about 7 lounge tables in addition to the bar.
Other amenities at the Grad include a juke box, free pop corn, dice cups upon request, and $6 pitchers of PBR.
This place sucks. The bartender is a cool guy and friendly, but the asshole working the door (who wore an orange sweater on January 24, 2009) is the biggest SOB ever. A friend was waiting in line for the bathroom, for about 15 minutes, and kindly knocked on the door to make sure someone was in there. This douchebag flings open the door and yells, "It's fucking broken! You god damned impatient people, it's rude to knock!" He stormed off, leaving my friend and an innocent bystander in shock.
After the incident two of my friends went outside, leaving behind their drinks. The same hipster assface took their half-full drinks, from a table other people were sitting at, and threw them out. When he came back I flagged him down and said, "Hey man, you threw away someone's drink and they just stepped outside for a minute. Those drinks were full." He looked at me like I was the biggest thorn in his side and replied, "You should have stopped me before I threw them out." I gave him a look and said, "I didn't notice you took them until they were gone." He said, "Fine. I'll buy you new drinks" and walked away.
This guy is working in the fucking armpit of North Oakland, riding around on his high horse, thinking that his shit don't stink. There are plenty of nicer bars in the area with a friendly atmosphere. But, if you enjoy being belittled by a hipster with a high school education, by all means enjoy The Graduate.
When the DYL venue came up to a vote, I voted for McNally's. My reasoning was that the Graduate, though a cool enough place, was too small for a DYL.
Then I discovered their basement.
Their basement is like your typical "dude's basement" with old, not-quite-ratty furniture and an ambiance that screams "LET'S PLAY A DRINKING GAME!" Kinda like my basement.
Just a note, I got the student discount by flashing my UC Berkeley ID. I never went to school there, mind you; I worked there for three years.
My previous review awarded one star for each of the following things I like about The Graduate:
1. Sierra Nevada pints are $2.75 with student discount (i.e., you look like you're under 30).
2. Free popcorn with sriracha.
3. I know someone who has been banned for life for urinating on the bartender's car.
Now I can add:
4. Has an real jukebox with actual, physical media and despite the necessarily limited selection implied by that fact, I can still play "Bombs Over Baghdad," "Bicycle Race," and "Jolene."
Things I like about The Graduate:
1. Sierra Nevada pints are $2.75 with student discount (i.e., you…
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Hey, how come my drinks were not strong? I sure tipped well enough to get a heavy hand. Each pour of my bourbon was less then the standard 3 second pour. After 5 of 'em, I had the buzz of 3. Yes, the popcorn was good but if I had a proper drink I would have not even noticed.
From the other reviewers remarks of the basement- So that's why I never went to frat parties. I guess I'm getting to old and am turning into my mother; Didn't it concern anyone that the basement might be a fire hazzard? I think that door down there is locked.
Anyway, I did have a good time chatting it up with all the DYLrs and if we had another one here I'd attend but I'd make sure to get my drink on before walking through the door.
really cheap pitchers of beer. I'm pretty sure it's the cheapest i've seen. the fries (I think they come from next door, though) are also really cheap and good.
I say yes to the Graduate! Here's why:
1. The bartender had a totally cute haircut and cute tatoos and she really made an effot to make me fruity, but strong drinks just the way I like them.
(Her friends were also very friendly, which is nice since we're new in town.)
2. The crowd grew as the night progressed and it really gave you that "local town" feel, which I like.
3. Yummy popcorn, lightly salted, nice and warm... good for the drinker's stomach.
4. Interesting "house party" style basement which comfortably housed the yelpers in attendance for the DYL.
5. I hear you can order food from the Claremont Diner next door and they'll deliver... and you'll get 20% off! Not bad!
Again, I vote yes to the Graduate!
5 stars for the kick-ass solo yet extremely efficient bartender, the drink specials (including the yummy pina colada special they had for $5) and the free popcorn. I didn't wander from the bar area so I didn't check out any of the other rooms but I am curious.
Where it gets a 3 is the atmosphere - this place is crawling with art students/wannabe hipsters with the same penchant for wearing stripes or plaid (scary fact noticed by a fellow drinker), glasses with black frames and carefully cultivated-to-look-uncultivated facial hair. I have nothing against any of these things in general (I even have clothing both striped and plaid and own hipster-esque shoes), but when everyone looks and acts the same it gets creepy, especially if they're about the same age from the same school.
I'll be back during a school break.
My local neighborhood bar, and I really do love it. With a student ID or if you're with someone who has a student ID and can buy you drinks it doesn't get cheaper than this. It's mainly the price that keeps bringing me back. It also has free popcorn.
The downside is that on certain nights this place is beyond packed, which isn't so bad if you're with just a couple other people, but it becomes a terrible place for a large group. I prefer this place during the off hours, though it's great when it's busy too as long as you keep the group small.
I absolutely love this place. The drinks are cheap ($4 well, $2.75 sierra nevada, $4 blue moon), the bartenders are really cool (and pretty cute) and the crowd is usually mixed with both younger and older folks. In addition to these awesome stats, the Graduate has a great jukebox with a great mix of tunes--everything from Al Green to Led Zepplin--and they serve UNLIMITED FREE POPCORN! Woo! The Graduate is a perfect place to throw a few back with good friends and really good for getting home safely---a stop for the 51 is on the corner of College and Claremont, Rockridge BART is about a quarter mile away and the 1 and 800 pick up on Telegraph Avenue, which is also pretty close.
The ONLY downside to this bar is that they only accept cash. Thankfully, there is a BofA across the street.
I came here with two friends a few weeks ago and we had an amazing night.
Shortly upon arriving, the group of lesbians at the table next to us shared their leftover tiramisu with us (they had come there to celebrate someone's birthday and apparently couldn't finish all of the cake they brought). We took this random gesture of generosity as a sign that the night was going to turn out great, and that proved to be a correct prediction.
We spent way too much money on the jukebox, which had enough weird albums on it to keep this lover of completely random music happy. We bonded with another table of people by singing out loud/dancing together to all of our jukebox picks (Madonna's "Like a Virgin" really helped us get the party started...), and the bartender did a great job of putting up with us while supplying us with a steady flow of (cheap) drinks.
We left the bar as it was closing, arms linked as we sang and danced all the way home on our looooong walk home up College Avenue. Many thanks go to The Grad for helping us have one of the most fun nights of our college experience.
I don't think I can even express in words how much I love this place. It's just...awesome. I don't think I've ever had a bad night here. Bartenders are usually pretty good/tolerant and the people are generally friendly and down for a good time. There's some sort of hive mind thing that happens - everyone's in the same happy mindset (maybe because the space is too small to allow sad loner drinking).
As other reviews mentioned the popcorn is delicious and unlimited (and I swear it's made of crack - it's crazy addictive), especially if you throw some sriracha sauce on it. Well drinks are like $4, which is pretty standard, but the true value lies in the $6 pitchers of PBR: a dangerously cheap option for a night of drinking. "Just a few drinks" pretty much always turns into "just a few pitchers," and before you know it you're weaving your way down College after they kick you out at closing.
The jukebox kicks ass (and by "kicks ass," I mostly mean that it has a lot of songs that drunk people like to sing). If it's too quiet, you can totally ask the bartender to turn it up and they will definitely oblige. As the night gets later and the music gets louder, you can turn the tiny hallway-sized bar into a crackin' dance party.
Oh! One more thing: the so-called "Undergraduate" is just ridiculous/hilarious. It's like going into an uncool frat's living room...I swear I saw people watching Star Trek down there once. Something for everyone!
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: North Oakland
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Rockridge
Category: Pubs
Berkeley, CA
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Jack London Square
Category: Dive Bars
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