Great improvement from their old spot. Amazing tables, tons of space and plenty of tvs to watch what you need. Bartenders are a fun bunch and happy to get you relaxing. Beer selection solid, but honestly i would look into the very reasonable whiskey or tequila to sip on. Lose a star for the food, general diner style grub and with honor bar next door I’d rather finish my night there. But damn how picky can u be, its All good in the new Emeryville hood.
Kristeen O.
Place rating: 3 Oakland, CA
Went there yesterday to play & had a great time. Was a great place to watch the Warriors game as well. People & staff were very friendly despite how busy it was. Tables were very nice, the place was clean, & I didnt feel like it was a dive atmosphere(although it was just as fun). This is a new location, & feels like it lacks some of the character of their old spot, so I hope they end up putting some décor on some of their stark white walls. They also need more chairs, since I didn’t have a place to sit.
Danny C.
Place rating: 5 South San Francisco, CA
I am pretty down. I had no clue this place existed, but it is a really nice hole-in-the-wall with friendly people and cheap prices. Honestly, Friday and Saturday night from 9pm — close is only $ 16/hour for 2 – 6 players. That’s ridonk. Then there’s the $ 3PBR tap, $ 8 fish and chips, $ 8 wings, $ 9 Irish nachos, and loads of tvs for sports. They even have happy hour specials for Warriors games. Win. Oh, did I mention they have a private parking lot and plenty of other spaces? The tables are super smooth too because they were recently furbished. So good. Bar is cheap, food is cheap, tables are cheap. Fun is had by all. You’ll thank me later. Just don’t mind the drive over.
Fe R.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
Nice cozy and I think relaxed pool halls that are still around. Staff are friendly. Some good bar food choices.
Uuganzaya M.
Place rating: 5 Berkeley, CA
Nice place to hang out with friends. There many things to do. Playing pool and throwing darts and even just watch sports with few drinks. nice clean environment with full of nice people ^^. Food is not bad too ^^
Briget P.
Place rating: 5 East Bay, CA
This place is a gem. Full bar, tons of tables, great appetizers and service. There’s few places like this in the bay that I know of for a quality pool hall.
Allen S.
Place rating: 1 Alameda, CA
Just so you know what happened yesterday, your staff is horrible! Treated me like crap. Review your video, please. If possible, five ZERO or Nil or Ø stars. SERIOUSLY! Walked in 05th April 2016 around 1535hr and there were 2 bartenders or workers behind the counter(female with dark hair): a guy with long hair fuzzy and scruffy ish face and the female were behind the bar, there was only one other guy at the customer side of the bar and me. The other customer was talking and the 2 staff ignored me, didn’t say hello, just kept talking even though I was in front of the male bartender. After about 1 – 2 minutes another customer gave the lady a bill folder and she took it, looked at me, and kept talking to the guy sitting at the bar. A minute or so later, some guy went to the front register and gave the pool balls back and the guy with long hair helped him out, came back and started talking to the guy while the lady watched. I politely asked if I were going to be served or not or if I needed to go to the register to order a drink, and the guy with long hair looked at me rolled his eyes and gave a rude noise from his breath and said that they were«busy dealing with a missing staff» and it was«more important to deal with this than to serve me a drink» and I said, «wow» and the he said«you don’t need to be rude» and I was taken aback. I replied that I only asked if I were to be served or should I still wait. He put on his psychologist hat and had the nerve to call me «passive aggressive» and so I asked how it was passive aggressive when I was ignored and he said he didn’t see me, though he saw everyone else, then proceeded to call me rude. I told him that it was rude to be ignored and having to ask for service then being told he didn’t see me and being called passive aggressive. He said I had no compassion. I said that though it’s bad there’s a missing person who worked there, it’s not really my business and he should not have told me as it was not my concern, though I felt bad. I even told him the days before I was at a funeral for someone who died and yet, would people there care? No. They have nothing to do with that, just like I have nothing to do with the dead person form the Broken Rack. Seriously, I feel bad, but it’s not something that should have affected me as a customer. In the end, we are people, and crap happens, but if you’re in the service industry, you should still be professional to those not directly involved in a bad or sad thing, and only tell us if it will directly affect being serviced. If so, then go home and don’t be at work as nobody wants a Debbie Downer or a Delusional Doug. As such, I quickly called my colleagues and we decided to change venue to a more appropriate and happy place and to which they will serve us! Seriously, why would you tell me that someone from your bar is missing and that it’s too important, more important than to serve me? Also, he served two other people BEFORE me, even though I had been waiting there first! In the end, I told him that we will never, ever go there again, and I would tell my friends/colleagues not to come anymore and started walking out. He stated, «I won’t serve you.» I laughed and I replied, «of course not, you idiot. I’m leaving!» What kind of people work there? Don’t believe me? Review your video. No stars.
Leslie H.
Place rating: 5 Emeryville, CA
Awesome place to watch the game, chill, catch up with a friend. Our bartender was kicking ass, he was super busy but managed to take care of us. Didn’t catch his name but he had a shaved head and white. lol. Great service. oh try their buffalo wings, they are cooked to perfection!
S. A. Y.
Place rating: 4 Pasadena, CA
This place does what it does well– pool, beer, and sports. Clean, friendly staff and good, chill atmosphere.
Temmara S.
Place rating: 5 Oakland, CA
This is probably one of my favorite places for billiards. This place is 21+. They have tons of really nice tables in a large area of space. The also have darts, food and a bar! They have several tvs hanging around as well as surround systems throughout the place. Great place to catch a game. The bar is really nice and prices are same as every other bar. The food is pretty decent. I really like their onion rings and garlic fries. The chicken strips were decent. The Irish nachos were super good and can feed about 4+ people! The portions are great, especially on the fries and such. Customer service is great. Every now and then you meet that one person who really isn’t in a good mood but for me that’s always been the same person. If you come on Fridays or Saturday’s they can be busy and the wait time for a table and be up to an hour, good thing they open really late! Make sure you bring your IDs! Get a table. Order food. Grab a drink. And watch the game.
David N.
Place rating: 3 Berkeley, CA
I was in Eville on a Sunday night and went to Honor Bar. Closed on Sunday’s, darn. Since I had already parked, I stopped into the Broken Rack. The drinks were short poured, but the Fish’nChips for $ 8 were pretty good. At least the three pieces of fish looked like real fish. Not a bad snack with fries. Just FYI.
Alex T.
Place rating: 4 Berkeley, CA
I used to always come here when the location was near the emeryville public market and i just loved everyone who worked there. Though their pool cost was so much i rarely played there. Now they have moved to a larger area the place is so spacious with plenty of pool tables. The bartenders and waitresses are super friendly and the drinks are pretty damn strong and not watered down. Its like a big venue with dive bar types of alcoholic portions. The food is decent for bar food i like the burgers and fries. For those who are in a pool team or want to get into a league this place does it.
Ryan L.
Place rating: 2 San Leandro, CA
I came here with someone for dinner. The first thing you see is a sign that says you’ll be charged $ 25 if you spill a drink on a table. What kind of restaurant charges people for spilling drinks? Upon further thought I realized they probably meant if you spill a drink on a *pool* table, which seems reasonable since they’re much more easily damaged and you shouldn’t really be eating on them, but it’d already started to negatively impact my impression of this place. We sat down and a waitress brought us some menus, and we started by ordering a drink. We said we want to share a drink and were brought two of them. The optimistic interpretation was that they split the drink into two cups for us. The pessimistic interpretation, which I felt was more likely to be correct, was that the waitress screwed up and brought us a second drink which we were going to be charged for(which of course is what ended up happening). I didn’t really feel like arguing(which is somewhat unusual for me). We ordered a cheeseburger with onion rings and a veggie burger with garlic fries. The food was good but it took quite a while to come out. We observed that our food was sitting ready at the counter for quite some time before it was brought to us. When we were done eating, I had to go up the counter and ask how to pay because the check didn’t appear to be in the process of being brought to us. We didn’t end up playing pool(which I guess is the main focus of this place), so I can’t evaluate that.
Lisa H.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
I’ve been looking for a great billiards bar since Thalassa’s in Berkeley shut down last year and this one is great! At $ 12/hr for 3 – 6 people its very affordable and the atmosphere is incredibly relaxed and chill. The tables, equipment and balls are all of great quality and seem relatively new or replaced regularly. They also have a bunch of tvs if you want to catch the game. Its fairly brightly lit so it resembles more of a sports bar in comparison to Thalassa’s which had a stronger nightlife allure to it. This place is also really close to Ironworks the climbing gym, so I will definitely be coming here with my friends after a hard night of climbing to grab a beer and relax more often!
Stephanie C.
Place rating: 4 East Bay, CA
Came out here on a rainy Sunday afternoon, and it is super chill! Lots of pool tables, there’s a bar, and pretty solid food(burgers, fries, sandwiches). It’s fairly cheap for day rates, I’d definitely come back.
Jacqueline B.
Place rating: 5 Hercules, CA
Omg they did it again. NORMA is amazing. She checked on us as soon as are drinks and food were done. She is amazing. We love her and would not be able to live with out her.
Lea M.
Place rating: 3 Fairfield, CA
Billiards was a game that I never really got into. I was never too savvy with pool, even o Yahoo Pool but I can appreciate an establishment for those that are enthusiasts. By far it’s a great place, pictures of great shooters posted on their walls, a handful of pool tables all though out the building, and a table that looked like a pool table but with only three balls. They had a good selection of brews on tap as well as bottled and from the looks of it a menu. The bartenders seems alright and their waitresses were on their game with picking up empty glasses. I think it’d be a great place for a team building. Maybe I’ll suggest i when that topic comes up at work.
Amber C.
Place rating: 3 Alameda, CA
I went to the Broken Rack recently to grab dinner and watch a Warriors basketball game. The place is huge with a ton of pool tables. The services was a little slow but the bartender and waitress were nice. I like it there… but its nothing to write home about. There is a small«lounge» area with a big screen TV and a few couches to watch the game away from all of the activity.
Ry B.
Place rating: 5 Martinez, CA
Patrick, our bartender rules. Wanted a smoky whiskey, he provided a sample of Monkey Shoulder which both the boyfriend and I loved. Even went above and beyond to find me a safety pin for my wardrobe malfunction. Very polite and attentive! We will be back to work on our pool game!
Laura L.
Place rating: 5 Hercules, CA
Strong vodka and cranberries. Irish Nachos were a great portion to share, yummy greasy bar food. Garlic Fries were a hit. Love the blue moon on tap! $ 12/hr pool, it was a fun affordable way of killing some time!
Dug H.
Place rating: 5 Richmond, CA
I had my retirement party here and they made me feel like a King! Service; outstanding food; delish employees; attentive and friendly
Nes o.
Place rating: 4 El Cerrito, CA
This was a really great upgrade. Love the openness and airiness of the new space. I didn’t get to try the food, but would love to next time. Looks like a great place to watch some sports, get a beer, and play some pool. Good for Emeryville! Also, make sure you check out the Honor Bar next door!
Robert C.
Place rating: 5 Emeryville, CA
I just moved in across the street and so glad to have this place close by. Very friendly staff who is always welcoming and polite. Pool tables, darts, fooseball, TV, food, and beer… what more can you ask for. I have always been able to get a pool table when I stop in after work or on the weekends which has been nice. I have tried the burgers, wings, and mozzarella sticks which have all been really good and priced well. Wasn’t the biggest fan of the fried pickles/jalapeños though. I will be stopping in regularly after work and highly recommend this place. –Bobby
Carol Y.
Place rating: 4 San Francisco, CA
Never played pool here but ate lunch and drinks a few times Great customer service and good is priced well Ordered blue cheese turkey burger and it was perfectly cooked – not dry! Season well and portions were very big. Totally satisfied my cravings for a burger and the fries were very crispy too My go to lunch place for a quick break from work
Amar T.
Place rating: 4 Berkeley, CA
Came here soley to watch the Warriors play in the NBA finals. Loved the $ 3.50 draft special for the games. Was able to drink Newcastle to my heart’s content. Never been to the one before at the public market, but friends that I were with said it was a vast improvement. Also had a chedder cheeseburger that was really good along with the chip and salsa/guac special. Really good prices and place I’d check about again. Wonder how much the beer costs on a normal night.
Candice J.
Place rating: 4 Richmond, CA
I like the new location and it isn’t very far from the old spot. A friend of mine reserved the corner, private room which was a nice space to hold our group. It had a huge TV and some comfortable sofas for people to lounge around in. It’s good for when you’re celebrating a special occasion. You can bring your own cake and decorations and the price to reserve is affordable. They have a full kitchen so the menu had Burgers, Calamari, Chicken Wings and more. Our server was very attentive; always made sure to check on our group. It’s for sure a good place to go with your friends or on a casual date with your boo. Good food and stiff drinks. Definitely coming back again!
Brenda H.
Place rating: 5 San Jose, CA
Came here for the New Year Tournament with my boyfriend and to my surprise it is one of the cleanest billiards I’ve ever stepped foot into. To my knowledge they just moved into this location a few months ago and it by far is a really great location. The location itself is really big and has a lot of room between tables for the players to play. The room itself is well lit and has seating areas for the spectators to watch. They have a full bar and kitchen which has really good food. I got the Irish Nachos and boy oh boy was the delicious. The serving was big enough for my boyfriend and I to share. Although I don’t drink that often plenty of the tournament players seemed to be enjoying their drinks. The Broken Rack is definitely one of the nicest and cleanest billiards I’ve been into and this included the restroom !
Susan M.
Place rating: 4 Pasadena, CA
Hmmm. Something about this new location that makes me miss the older one. I do appreciate the cleanliness and new car feeling when walking in here. But, maybe it doesn’t have that same old charm the past location had. Maybe the pool tables are much closer together and it’s harder to play on a packed night with cue sticks flying everywhere… Or is all the gray making me feel… gray? Who knows? Regardless, you won’t find a better pool hall in the area. It’s a lot larger than anything around now that Thalassa in Berkeley is closing and they are serious about their pool! I give it up to them for investing in another location that’s improved and updated. Go Broken Rack!
Reenson X.
Place rating: 2 Berlin, Germany
We came here before on a Saturday afternoon and it was quite alright. Nothing much was going on at the time so the service was good. We decided to come back, yesterday, to grab a beer and dinner. This time, however, it was atrocious, really. The bar was a little crowded, that is, the seats were taken but it was nowhere nearly crowded. The bartender was a little too busy attending the bar(a second bartender would have been better) but, again, the service was alright. There were two waitresses who were standing around at times, purposefully ignoring the bar guests. They were obviously treating the bar area as not their«territory». Once, I asked for a glass of water and because the bartender was not there, I hope the waitress would help me out. She rolled her eyes and said: «suuuuure.» Really? Yes! Then, she proceeded, without pouring a glass of water, which was right in front of her, but going to find the bartender, who was busy, to let him know that I asked for a glass of water. I was shocked. Later, when I was waiting for my food, I saw the chef(who was super super slow) had prepped it and it was waiting on the kitchen counter to be picked up by someone, however, again, all the waitresses ignored my food which was getting cold and I had to wait for the bartender to come back and pick it up just to literally give it to me and I was sitting two steps from the kitchen counter. I guess the waitresses do not get a share of the bartender’s tip and so they only«focus» on «their» guests. It was absolutely ridiculous. No, it was, as I said, atrocious to watch this attitude walking around. Not gonna be back.
Vivian D.
Place rating: 4 Oakland, CA
A bit more hip and young than the former Broken Rack. A nice upgrade… They still need to work out the kinks, but I’m sure in a few months things will be running smoothly. Service was great! Waiters are accommodating and nice. I got the chili cheese fries with waffles fries and I appreciated that the fries were super crispy and not very greasy. I think they were baked? They have Rockbot where you can choose the songs being played on your smartphone. Unfortunately, it was acting up but I was able to request one song. That was pretty neat and I appreciated the idea. Will come back.