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Alameda County reopened for outdoor dining on June 29th. Since then, many restaurants, breweries, and cafes have reopened their patios or sidewalk seating areas for socially distanced dining. Here, we’re rounding up our eight great patios in the city that are open now. This is by no means a comprehensive list of Oakland’s outdoor eating and drinking spots (7th West, can’t wait to have you back), but these are some of our favorites.
And you can always check out our running list of spots in Oakland that are offering takeout.
Oeste in Old Oakland is one of our favorite drinking spots - and one of the few places in the city with a rooftop. And right now, they’re serving their excellent cocktails and Latin and Southern bites like cheesy shrimp and grits on their sunny patio. They’re also accepting reservations for parties of up to six.
We have fond memories of watching Warriors games with friends at Mad Oak - a bar near Lake Merritt with a massive patio and an even bigger rooftop. For now, you can also enjoy beer, cocktails, and snacks from Nana’s, a pop-up serving Mediterranean-American bar fare.
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Farmhouse Kitchen’s Oakland location is right on the Jack London promenade overlooking a bunch of boats. The large patio is also an ideal spot to grab delicious hat yai fried chicken, spicy stir-fried noodles, or the Little Lao Set (a sort of sampler platter that comes with a bit of everything from the menu). But heads up, there’s a 90-minute time limit. Reservations aren’t required but suggested.
Lake Chalet is one of the most unique restaurants in Oakland. For starters, it’s the only one on Lake Merritt, and it has a large dock with outdoor seating (with umbrellas). In the old days, you could even hop on a gondola and cruise on the lake, but that’s another story for a different day. We recommend heading to Lake Chalet for beers and margaritas on Taco Tuesday (tacos are $3 each).
If you’re looking for margaritas, totopos, tacos, and chilaquiles near Jack London, head to this outdoor-only agave bar. The casual spin-off of Nido is open for lunch and dinner, and is still offering takeout. Reservations are required and available online, two-hour time limit per party.
One of our favorite spots to have weekend brunch and pitchers of mimosas outdoors has reopened their patio, with socially distanced seating. The restaurant near Lake Merritt is serving brunch daily. It includes challah french toast, eggs Benedict, and breakfast sandwiches.
The casual beer garden in North Oakland is a neighborhood kick-it spot with good beer, burgers, and wings (don’t forget to try their excellent waffle fries). No reservations are required, just walk up to order.
The large Uptown Oakland beer garden recently received a social distance makeover, that includes new safety partitions between tables. They also took over part of the parking lot out front. If you’ve got a hankering for sun, pizza, and beer (they’re open Wednesday-Sunday), this place is it.