CommonWealth Cafe & Pub

I go here for my EPL fix on weekend mornings. Friendly ambience, good food and nice ales on tap. A nice place to eat and talk football with fellow supporters. COYS!

Have tried the Sheppard pie, the lamb, brie sandwich with salad, scotch egg, pear cider and a few of their beers on tap. Highly recommended any and all of those choices. The little ones gobbles up the beans and toast every time.

Never a complaint when it comes to CommonWealth! Enjoy the people who work there and the people who come here — food is good and there are always great selections in drinks.

All hype. Looks cool and all the people working are pretty trendy looking with tattoos and all but the food menu was minimal, beer selection was pretty small, and my chai tea latte was very bland. Cool idea to have an espresso bar with an actual bar but poor execution. Not what I would call a gastro pub.

They have a house kombucha which looks just like beer! If you’re not drinking it’s a great option.

This place is a great Oakland surprise! Went here for some good beer and delicious small plates. Left quite satisfied and the ambiance has its quirky Oakland charm w/​a dash of an English pub. Love it! Oh, and the bathroom is clean. Really nice little spot to frequent for some early afternoon day drinking. Not to mention the service is good too. The lady up at the counter gave my boyfriend some great beer education. We will definitely go back!

I have passed this place hundreds of times. Finally went in for a meal. Very tiny pub. BUT their chick chicken salad wonderful and the chick pot pie… wow

Love the vibe, loved the Egg dish and the Onion Soup was pretty good as well, maybe a bit small. I will go back to eat this Scottish egg again. Yum.

After 2 tries, I finally got to sit down and order something!
My first time here was during the World Cup. My brother and I were trying to watch another game after leaving the New Parkway for a Brasil game. Well, we walked in and tried to order, but it wasn’t worth it since the place was PACKED. We ended up going to Tribune Tavern instead. The second time, I was suppose to go there to meet my friend. Well, my selfish drunk friend (yeah, I’m a little upset still) was leaving CommonWealth as I was arriving without telling me and was heading elsewhere.
So third time’s a charm. The bar was a little empty, which was perfect because I just wanted to read my book while having a beer. I got a Scotch ale, which was my first, and I really liked it.
Hoping I don’t run into any issues the next time I try to come here, I’m hoping to ordered something off of their food menu.

Extensive beer list spotlighting local and English Ales, IPAs and stouts galore. The menu is delectable and offers a comfort food for every palate. My friend enjoyed the French onion soup, while I devoured the savory Split Pea. We shared a Trout salad which was light and über fresh. Will definitely be a meal destination spot again soon!
Pub Style space with nooks and booths as well as bar tops for a casual experience. Price is exceptional for the quality offered.

Still getting to know the hood by my office. A colleague took me over to the CommonWealth for lunch. A cute little hipster place with an old school tap room vibe. I had the Steak Bake, which is beef stew in a pot pie. Pretty good, just wish there was more pastry shell to sop up the gravy. My friend has the Chicken Salad, which was huge. If I go there another time, I’m going with the salad.

Good friend introduced me to this spot when i first moved to Oakland 3 yrs ago (sorry such a late review…) since then i have been here many many times. Good environment, great service and great food! Never had a bad experience with this place. Keep it up!

Really enjoyed the vibes and atmosphere of the café except the pricing is a little much. A beer is basically $ 6 without tip. The food was really delicious and being inside made it really comfortable with the coolest things around you or on the wall. There’s parking outside except you have to pay before 6pm. It took cars which was nice.

No fish n chips. Instead, they offer a fish sandwich which has minimal fish, topped with 4 – 5 chips (which were limp and almost flavorless) on a small bun. Salad of mixed greens tasted incredibly of mold, though none could be seen; likely a box of greens had been picked through, with the bad lettuces thrown out, though the flavor of mustiness was unmistakable and overpowered the rest of the flavors. On the plus side, the pickled veggies were lovely.

I work around here, and this is one of the better options for lunch. I shared a ham and cheese sandwich with a coworker. Since she can’t have dairy, we ordered it without the cheese… so I guess it’s just a ham sandwich! It came with a side of salad and there were some onions in the sandwich. It wasn’t amazing… but that might be due to the lack of cheese. Price-​wise, it’s a little pricey in my opinion. I have definitely gotten better sandwiches for the same price. Next time, I’ll try their soup or chicken pot pie!
I believe they have internet here, but you will need to get the password. Parking is street parking.

English-​themed establishment that feels more like an airy warehouse loft than a dark, musty pub. The main bar/​dining area has high ceilings and lets in lots of natural light, while there’s also a smaller, more private dining/​drinking area off to the side.
While the beer offerings include several well-​known British favorites, there’s actually a good selection of local and Belgian brews too. Moreover, they offer several ciders, beer cocktails, and wines.
The food offerings are actually a surprise. Yes, there are typical pub comfort food items like chicken pot pie or scotch eggs, but they’re quite good. The sandwiches are rich and yummy too, and everything is quite reasonably priced given the quality and portion size.
The staff and crowd here borders somewhat on hipsterish, but service is nevertheless decent and the vibe casual and unpretentious — exactly what you’d expect of Oakland. Another great find thanks to Unilocal

I don’t usually associate English pubs with the word charming, but Commonwealth is the Prince Charming of pubs. I’ve never been disappointed here with the food, beer, or service.
The chicken pot pie is good. The flaky, fluffy, fabulous crust on the chicken pot pie is all of those things and more.
Bathroom note: one of the more interesting layouts I’ve seen, worth taking a gander.

I love the vibe here. It really feels like a ye olde pub, but importantly without trying too hard to be a ye olde pub. By that, I mean there’s not English stuff everywhere. Instead it’s got that cozy feel where you can kick back with a friend and a few beers while the cold wind blows outside, the true soul of a pub. They serve a mix of english beer and standard bay area craft brews.
All that being said, I kinda wish it had a proper pub name, like «The Rooster and the Tomato» or something to that effect. (watch peep show, i swear it’ll make sense)

Been here twice now and loved it both times. GREAT music selections have been playing both times I’ve been here. The food was outstanding and decently priced. They have multiple TVs for my NBA addiction and a good selection on tap. I just moved to the area but I’m thinking this will be my neighborhood bar. Really comfortable atmosphere.

This place is quite small, but can pack in quite a few people. The vibe is seriously hipster mixed with soccer fans. The beer is average priced, with some spendy options too. I’m not aware of any happy hour specials, which is a bummer. I would definitely go there more if there was.
The food is really really good. I love eating here, but can easily spend too much in a week if I get into that habit. The portions are healthy, meaning, you’ll never have left overs, but you probably won’t leave hungry either. I really enjoy the smoked trout salad, their veggie burger, and their panini type sandwiches. I’m vegetarian, so I haven’t tried the meat options, but I’m sure they are of equal quality. I’ve recommended this place to many people for lunch or dinner.
The bartenders aren’t overly cheery, but remember their regulars and become more and more friendly as they come to recognize you. Makes you feel special.
The one thing that’s not good: their drip coffee. Super weak. I haven’t had it in a few months because it was so bad, maybe they’ve improved since then?
Espresso drinks are hit or miss, depending on who makes it. I’ve often gotten lattes that were so hot the milk was scalded. They’ve had a few folks who are really good at it and produced perfect drinks.

Good beer, plus good food? That’s a winning combination!
Comfortable, spacious seating with a hipster feel makes for a great place to bring your laptop or to have a casual lunch date. This English pub serves up some of the best homey comfort foods and has great service to boot!
Dat scotch egg! If you don’t know what it is, you should just order it for the novelty because you’ll be hard pressed to find it (and cooked so well) anywhere else. It is essentially: a plain hard-​boiled egg, wrapped in pork sausage, coated with breadcrumbs and fried, then topped with curry ketchup. Goes well with beer! ;)
The chicken pot pie was my favorite entrée because it had that home-​cooked meal feel and it tasted freshly made. The bechamel sauce is not too heavy and the buttery flakey puff pastry crust was cooked perfectly. Inside, there’s huge chunks of chicken, peas, carrots, and mushrooms. Served with a small side salad topped with balsamic vinaigrette, it was the perfect lunch portion.
Another delicious homey option is the Shepherd’s pie, which my friend really liked because of the huge portions. If only they could swap out the lamb for beef…
The sandwiches are a smaller portion though and left me still hungry, even with the addition of the side salad. The chicken salad sandwich and the ham & cheese toasty, nevertheless, were both tasty options for a light lunch.

Food: 4
Drink (Almond milk latte): 4.5
Service: 5
Cleanliness: 4.5
Atmosphere: It’s a pub= loud, upbeat, spacious
Have you ever had Alcoholic Root Beer or even Alcoholic Ginger Beer?
Since they just started carrying this, your answer is probably the same as mine. No.
Crazy, huh? And for those of you, non-​alcoholics out there, yes they carry the traditional versions too.
This totally blew my mind! I suppose I’m easily amused… And also felt the need to share.
Any way, we came in for lunch, on break from class. As I stood at the bar reading the menu and trying to get my order in quickly, I stood perplexed.
Almost everything on the menu sounded not only appealing, but amazing!
I ordered the breakfast sandwich sans bacon, sub vegan sausage along with an almond milk latte.
My friend ordered the Chicken Pot Pie. Mine was good, but his looked better and came with fresh leafy greens on the side. If I were to do it all over again, I would order the Chicken Pot Pie for sure. It’s not every day that you see a pot pie that looks so fresh, healthy and alluring. Wow– doesn’t even belong in the same category as those mysterious pot pies in the freezer section at the grocery.
My latte was good and overall the rest of the tables’ food looked just amazing as the descriptions on the menu.
I would probably NOT go here on a diet or to relax, maybe more for an uplifting experience or to meet a few friends. There’s a upbeat energy about this place. It’s fun.
Enjoy yourself and try the Alcoholic Root Beer for both of us!

Quaint little bar with a nice selection of food.
I came here with a friend after checking out Drakes in the Hive. We ordered a kombucha beer fusion beverage and a champagne and beer fusion beverage. The staff were friendly and welcoming as they could tell it was my first time there.
The drinks were well balanced and quite refreshing so we each had too and were later joined by two more who ordered the goat cheese and pear sandwich which they said was quite tasty.
Seating is great and they have a side room were you can watch sports and enjoy your goodies.
I’ll be back.

Came here solely for lunch and not the pub experience, but we wish did!
As a cider lover, it’s challenging to come across a pub with an extensive list of cider options but CommonWealth offers 5 different ciders. This pub is already a winner in my book, that’s for sure.
I hoped that they were have more choices for food but what they’ve got going on is good. We tried the Pear and Brie Toasty ($ 9.50) and it’s darn good. Overpriced to some extent.

One of my go-​to places to work on Oakland weekends. An eclectic mix of everything you want. Want a booth? A table? A high-​top table? Yup, they’ve got them.
What about a cold-​brew coffee, or an espresso drink? Beer? Kombucha? A bloody mary? How about food? Yup, they have all of those. Throw in an always interesting local crowd and free wi-​fi. Not bad.

Solid english breakfast if that’s your thing. Have a porter and a scotch egg, and some breakfast sammy. Menu is limited, order at the counter.
Good casual pub.

Not many people know this, but this place has the best cold brew coffee –strong too! Who would’ve known they serve coffee at a pub?
This place is popular among students as it’s down the street from Samuel Merritt. Fun place to celebrate with a beer after midterms ;)
Tip: Opens at 10am

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this yet. I feel like I have and maybe it just was r Unilocal worthy to the « Unilocal heavens»… Anyway, this place is hipster central. I mean REAL HIPSTER CENTRAL. The other day I saw a lady with a perm dressing like a gypsy and get this, turquoise hair. She had the strongest aroma of peach and when you caught eyes with her you KNEW you just got owned.
I’ve been going here for a couple years now and it’s safe to say they never disappoint. Come enjoy their booth where you can take your date and have them with your crazy ways or bring a friend and go to the back and just gossip about people in your life and the ones that pass by here.
Not to mention their worthy craft beers that’s always brining the fun times. As for the meal, I love their shepards pie or lamb pie I forget. But it doesn’t disappoint. A must try for the local hipster in you