Luka’s Taproom

Came here for a Warriors game, so it was packed. Which was fun and nice to see. Place is easy to get to, parking sometimes can be a bit tricky in this area but no issues that night despite the game, and being a Friday night. Beer and liquor was priced average. 4 stars for having lots of TV’s, good beer selection and a projector!

I love this spot! We dine here everytime we see a show at the Fox or Paramount. Food is unique, service is awesome, place is bubbling with excitement!!!
I had the ribs with panzanella salad, yum!

The food was good but the service was so so although it could’ve been the time of day. it’s doesn’t seem like the kind of place you really want to go for a sitdown meal more of a bar with a bar feeling that happens to have tables is kind of the feeling I got from the place. I mean I’ll go back but I haven’t been back yet.

I went here with a friend for dinner it is kinda loud and the service was slow but it was pre warriors final game to be fair. My friend had the 10 oz hamburger which he said was and looked delicious but was to much for me. I settle for appetizers so I had macaroni and cheese balls, shrimp Ceviche and catfish my friend had oysters and everything was delicious even though this friend didn’t care for the macaroni and cheese balls. I went back the very next day with another friend The service was better but it was still loud I had to crusted salmon and my friend the 10 oz steak and we shared Mac and cheese balls which we both enjoyed, all that was very good as well. I just wish they had smaller portions size of the steak and hamburger. I discovered they also have dance floor. Oh yeah they also have generous pours as they filled my wine glass to the top.

This place has been my Launching Pad for a Night in Oakland for years. It’s like my Cheers… I walk through the door, and by the time I get to the door my drink is waiting for me. Fantastic food and drinks at a reasonable price, given the quality. They have quite the extensive beer selection, and their cocktails are exquisite. Food-​wise, they’re known for their burgers, clam chowder, salads, and Sunday Brunch, although they have much more! Speaking of Sundays, all bottles of wine and bubbles are half-​off all day. If that isn’t enough, they have Monday Dollar Oysters, which are all day and until they run out.
There are DJs spinning every night, so later in the evening things get loud.
Check this place out! You won’t be disappointed!

Boy how an uptown bellwether has fallen.
This place is still fine for a weekday lunch, but supreme wackness after 10pm on a weekend night when the music hits. I’ve honestly never seen a more organically-​unattractive crowd, whom at the same tries soooo hard not to be… amongst the backdrop of an equally-​awful DJ spinning some of the worst rap you’ve ever heard.
And by worst, I mean bay area MC’s.
Admit, they kinda suck here.
Save yourself the overpriced bar and bad weaves on the dance floor… head somewhere else.

I came here for game 3 of the Warriors-​Cavs series. Got a bud light after ordering an IPA and then a shot that CLEARLY half water. Could barely smell the alcohol before I took it. Never again.

I work with AT&T and we had planned on having our end of the year party with this bar since I frequented this place for many years now. After many back-​and-​forth emails with the manager The price kept climbing for our event so we chose a different venue. They had the nerve to charge us $ 150 cancellation fee and wasn’t even following their own contract in doing so. I will never visit this location again and neither will any of the 200 coworkers
Shame on you Lucas.

First time here. The service was great and the menu had something for everyone e. My wife and ordered cocktails and split the wedge salad and the shrimp cocktail for appetizers. For entrée, I had the mussels and she had the burger. The mussels needed a tad more richness in the sauce. Perhaps some butter and more wine. The beer selection was great and the entire neighborhood is wonderful. There are some solid, positive changes going on in that part of Oakland. We are very happy to finally see this happening.

I’ve been here on several occasions. Consistently good experience every time. The food is great and service is great. The food takes a while to come, but well worth the wait. I highly recommend their burgers (gluten free bun is available) and their salmon salad. The dressing is divine! My wife got a grilled cheese tomato soup combo that made me drool. She said it was a fantastic meal.

Lukas turned out to be a disappointment. They had a few quality beers on tap, which was nice. But when it came down to food, it went downhill. We ordered a couple burgers, all ordered medium. But all but one were cooked well. No big deal. But the produce on all the burgers were terrible. The server comped us a meal. I know we won’t be back.

Currently here, enjoying my Golden State Cider. At first I was like wtf is this??? But, I gave it a shot and am actually enjoying myself. Had the yellowtail which was super good. My Man had the steak, he enjoyed it. For dessert we had the pineapple upside down cake which is very small, not good for sharing but does taste rather good with some vanilla ice cream on the side. Ambience isn’t the nicest but the food and drinks are good. Crowd is mixed and the large windows let’s in a lot of natural light. Good times!

Had lunch here today with 2 friends. Service was good, food was good, but I have a problem when I pay $ 12 for a Long Island and then you taste it and can’t even tell if there’s booze in it. It tasted more like lemonade than anything else.

If I could give this place negative stars, I would. My friend and I walked in since it looked like a cool place, and were given a table right away, however the sever is horrible at her job. This place isn’t packed, so I’m not sure why there is ridiculously slow service.
As I am currently writing this, I can only attest to the ceviche, which was pretty good (and since I’m waiting on my food, and server to come by for another round of drinks).

Excellent sit-​down lunch spot in Uptown Oakland with a good selection of American fare on the menu.
I met up with my foodie friends C and N at Luka’s Taproom for lunch yesterday. This place came highly recommended by C, as she’d eaten there a few times. I was pretty excited to try them out since I had heard many good things about their food and ambiance. As it turned out, our lunch confirmed all that I heard.
We arrived just before 11:30am. We were greeted immediately by the host. As he was trying to figure out where to seat us, I took a quick look around the front dining area. It had a great old school feel (wood bar counter, white table cloth on every table, big windows so everyone walking by can see what you are eating etc). The host informed us that he had to seat us in the lounge area since the front dining area was all booked. We were all okay with that arrangement and were led to our table by the host.
The lounge area looked completely different from the front. The interior was dark with dimmed lighting. Walls were decorated with several pieces of artwork and a couple chalkboards advertising different restaurant promotions. Bar stools and tables made up most of the seating. We were seated at a bar table immediately to the right of the lounge entrance. For me, it was a little uncomfortable since I have a bad back. But there’s nothing much I could do at that point.
Our server came by and introduced herself a couple minutes later. She was very friendly. For drinks, C and N ordered the mango spritzer ($ 3.50) and ginger lime mojito ($ 4.50). Our server came back with the drinks a few minutes later. They looked pretty good.
For food, we ordered the following:
— Carolina Shrimp and Grits ($ 19, white hominy grits with shrimp in a spicy bacon-​infused gravy with kale, cherry tomatoes, and a sunny side up egg)
— Luka’s Burger with Fries X2 ($ 14 + $ 1 for cheese, N added bacon too for an extra $ 2)
— Mini Churros ($ 7, served with chocolate dipping sauce)
All the food except for the churros arrived at the same time. They were all presented nicely. C’s shrimp and grits looked amazing. She told us everything was fresh and well prepared. My burger was definitely solid. I ordered it medium and I got medium. The patty, made with ground chuck, was seasoned well and charred nicely on the outside while the inside remained juicy. The toasted bun was light but held up despite the juiciness of the burger. Produce items (lettuce/​tomato/​sliced red onion) were all fresh. The thick cut fries were crispy. The garlic mayo that came with the dish was the perfect condiment for them (I spread some on the burger bun too). If I had to nitpick, I’d say shredded lettuce would probably work better than the big pieces that came with the burger.
The mini churros were served as soon as we finished our food. They were hot and crispy. The chocolate dipping sauce was made with high quality chocolate. It was a very nice way to finish a great meal.
As I mentioned earlier, our server was very friendly and took care of us during the meal. With T/​T the bill came out to $ 83. It was not too bad in my opinion. I think a 4-​star rating is fair for this establishment since the food and service we got were great. I will go back if I am in the area.
BONUS MATERIAL:
— They take reservations.

I was on my way to First Friday and since I was a bit early, I stopped into Luka’s to see if this place may be worth coming to afterwards.
The bar seating was mostly packed but I did find a seat at the bar. I sat right next to the beer taps, perfect! From a quantity standpoint, Luka’s doesn’t have a HUGE selection of taps, the standard 15 based on my rough count with a few specialty selections, like the Fieldwork Double IPA that I got that day. The place was pretty lively and the bartenders were all over the place covering tables and bar patrons. I even got a ringside seat of a few bartender accidents in front of me, specifically spilled drinks near me as well as a broken shaker glass. Usually you see stuff like this on TV but I got to see it live!
Otherwise I had a good time as my fellow bar patrons near me were very chatty and conversational. I heard plenty of screams and lively shouts during my hour here. I read some posted reviews that the staff was not friendly and I didn’t get that vibe. I think they were a bit busy and trying their best to stay ahead of the orders. My stool neighbor actually bought a beer and gave me half of it because he had to drive and didn’t want to waste it!
I think I’ll be back to Luka’s because for the environment and atmosphere of the people who patronize this place.

Been coming here on and off for years. James T. said it best.
«Good burger. Bad waiters.
Good drinks. Bad bartenders.
Good dancing. Bad crowd.
Good DJs. Bad bouncers.
Good pool table. Bad bathrooms.»
EXACTLY! The food and drinks are good. The handsome redhead make the best margaritas and hit helps that he’s nice. I forget what night it is but 90’s hip hop night is the best! It might be called something else but when it’s nonstop 90s Hip Hop I just dance all night long. I can do without the trouble makers or the security who obviously take tips at the door to let people in but for the most part I still have fun here when I do come.

Was here for a surprise birthday dinner on a Tuesday night and it was half price burger night so how could we pass that up? I ordered a ginger beer and burger and it was great! The only down side is they no longer make their own ginger beer! It was the best

Went here on a Monday night to catch the game plus burgers and beer! I really enjoy the atmosphere. The waitress was very attentive to us.
Burger. Middle with grilled onions and cheese. Definitely overpriced! It was averaged at most.
Can never go wrong with a racer 5 IPA!
we sat at a high chair table by the pool table. The dude that was playing, kept stabbing my friend with the stick. So he bought us a game of pool upon leaving. I would come here again for pool and drinks. Not the overpriced food.

The service, the service, the service!
Even if the food was mediocre, which is not, the service alone would warrant 5 stars but I digress.
I have been there several times, for lunch, happy hour, dinner, et cetera and the food has always been excellent, the drinks also very good and the service. Did I mention the service already?

#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning#foodpoisoning

I liked this spot stopped by during my tour de Oakland. Had a few beers some churros which was an awesome twist. Was able to get a round of Billiards that’s in the back end of the bar. Friendly staff I would return again.

Short but simple. Lukas cannot handle restaurant week in the amazing city of Oakland. Reservations made, service was crappy at best and after an hour and a half. 1 dish arrived for a table of 5. I won’t bore Unilocal with the rest of the their short comings!

We stopped by Luka’s by fluke and it turned out to be pretty nice. There is a large bar and also a pretty big dancing floor. Drinks are pretty well priced, pretty normal. We got in I guess early enough to where we didn’t have to pay, but I think on weekends at night they do charge like $ 5 or $ 10, can’t remember how much. It did turn into more of a club scene though after maybe 10pm. We had parked in the paid parking nearby however, and the car did get broken into which was not a good experience to have to hassle with after a night out. Next time, will definitely take an Über.

Pretty cool bar/​restaurant in downtown Oakland near the lake. The catfish appetizer was really good! The batter could use a little more seasoning, but the fish was fried perfectly. It was flavorful, fluffy, and not overcooked! Gold star in my book.
The burger was pretty decent. The only thing that threw me off was the lettuce. It was basically a big wedge of iceberg stuck at the bottom of the burger (weird placement), which made everything uneven and difficult to hold.
On a side note, this seems like a popular date spot because two separate first dates got sat on either side of us towards the end of our meal. So much fun…

Was recommended this spot by a friend for lunch and I’m glad to have stopped by! Quick service and solid American fare with a happy selection of beer/​sweets? Definitely a winning combo for me. The fact the Luka’s is so close to the 19^th St Bart station stop makes it even better.
Brussel sprouts– Though not the best I’ve ever had, I was definitely impressed at the portion for a $ 5 side. Great vinegary tang and just the right soft bite without being overcooked.
Fresh churros– My eyeballs probably almost popped outta my head when I saw these offered here! 7 half foot long, freshly fried dough sticks of sugary cinnamony goodness…*droolzzzzz* Did I mention it comes with a charming little pot of chocolate sauce for dipping too? So damn good. So. good.
Other things of note:
1. Gluten free (burger) bread substitution available for only $ 1 extra. That’s AWESOME.
2. Tuesday special is half off burgers. That’s like. $ 7 for a decent sized burger with fries. DOUBLE AWESOME.
3. What’s this I hear about Luka’s being a dance spot on some nights? You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention. There may be cover, but the positive reviews I’ve heard of the music have me itching to come back to this place and check it out in a whole new light~!

YES. I’ve been here a few times since my original visit, each time has been excellent. Today was no exception.
Brunch was excellent. Service on point, food… whaaat…rueben eggs benedict? So tasty, not greasy. Waffle. Ugh, so good. Thanks for consistently being rad. Now, if I just lived in Oakland so I could get some more Luka’s.

My sis, cousin and me were heading out for a girls night out of dinner and drinks. What piqued my interest in Laka’s Taproom is the location. I have an on going interest in Hof Braus, and this location here at Grand and Broadway in downtown Oakland is the location of the original Hof Brau in Oakland from back in the 50’s. Well, no longer a Hof Brau, the Taproom does serve beer and food. This is sort of sketch part of Oakland, but not too bad at night, not like further down Broadway.
Entering, it does have the newish trendy look to it. We’re seated and drink orders taken. The mixed cocktails were around $ 10 and the tap beers were $ 5 – 6 bucks, so we started with beers. I can’t remember what the other girls had, but I had a Sierra Nevada… yeah, common, but that’s what I got.
Just to get things going we started with an order of the Luka Fries, a Belgian rendition served with a trio of dipping sauces. ($ 7.00). The sauces were chipotle aioli, smoked paprika ketchup & herbed aioli, very trendy! They weren’t exactly like the frites we get back in Europe, but still tasty enough and went with the beers.
For food we saw, …oh my, these prices aren’t exactly cheap or casual. Sis got the clam chowder ($ 12.00!), I saw the duck breast, but I didn’t feel like paying $ 22 for a girls casual night out dinner, so I went with the Fish and Chips ($ 17.00!) and Cuz had the Luka Burger with bacon and mushrooms added ($ 18.00). I shared some of my fish with sis cause all she got was the soup.
Looking around the place is pretty slow on a Tuesday night. Our server brings another round of beers. Then our food arrives in not too much more time.
My sister’s clam chowder is a big bowl and looks tasty. My fish and chips, well, look like fish and chips, no surprises here and the Cuz’s burger looks OK as well. My fish was fine, nothing to write home about, I thought there might be for $ 17 bucks! My Cuz thought her burger was fine and good, nothing to really complain about either, but not what you’d expect for an $ 18 burger. The burger was $ 14 and the bacon and mushrooms were 2 bucks each.
Service was fine and competent as was the food, just not commensurate with the pricing, cause Oakland ain’t Beverly Hills. OK, off to another bar!

We came here on a Sunday with a party of 8, and were told the only room available was in the pool room in the back. That was no problem, there were pinball machines, a pool table and a TV playing football. There actually was only a table for 5, we pulled up a loose chair to make it 6, but 2 people still had to sit separately.
Then I saw the prices, $ 10 for cocktails, $ 5 for beers, $ 15 – 20 for food. I figured they must have amazing food & drinks for this price. I dont drink alcohol so I just ordered a virgin mint mojito, which was $ 3.50 on the menu, and I shared fries with a friend. We were taking turns moving to the other table so the 2 stuck alone weren’t totally ignored.
The waiter was very nice, and that’s the last positive thing I have to say about it all. The TV was BLASTING right above our heads so I could barely hear anyone in my party. My drink tasted like horrible tap water. I asked a friend how her drink was, and she said I will probably think she’s crazy but she can taste the tap water in it from the ice, and it’s really bad. I told her no, I can taste it too!
No one was really happy with their food. It’s bar food at exorbitant prices. Then the bill came and I was charged $ 4.50 for my drink, overcharged by $ 1. I didn’t want to make a stink over $ 1 when we were splitting the bill, so I ended up paying $ 6.50 for a gross drink.
The place was packed, I don’t get it.

Great get service — knowledgable staff explained the vegan burger — and a yummy martini !

My coworker chose Luka’s Taproom for happy hour. Horrible mistake! Both service & food were terrible. There is no excuse for poor service. Our waitress was rude, impatient, & had a really bad attitude. It’s not like we were wasting her time. We already knew what we wanted to order. What a waste of money! First & last time here.

Lori C and I decided this is our new place in downtown Oakland. The service (damn, I wish I got the name of the server) was superb. His recommendations were spot on. My steak was perfect and Lori loved her fried chicken sandwich but, truth be told, wishes she would have gotten the steak as well. The burgers everyone around us were eating looked great as well. We started with a dozen oysters that were wonderful and word is they’re a half-​price happy hour special on Mondays. Love the vibe of this place. We started out across the street at Plum Bar where said vibe was not present and decided to leave after one drink. Luka’s was staring us in the face so we walked across the street and from the time we opened the door, the relaxed energy was absolutely flowing. It was one of those times when as soon as we walked in, we almost said in unison, «Please don’t let the food suck. We want to love this place.» Good news. We did! And aside from the great service, food and atmosphere, the diners around us were wonderful to chat with. Really diverse crowd. I’ll stop. Eat here.

The morning after Halloween festivities:
My roommates at 10am: «Hey, wanna go to brunch?»
Me: «ghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgggggggghhgugh…yea»
Me: *silently struggles to find the ability to get out of bed for an hour*
An hour and a shower later, and I’m very about this brunch life. I was so happy to walk into Luka’s and not be blinded by bright lights or loud, non contemporary music. It’s literally the perfect place to come after a night out, when you’re still collecting yourself and your life but also wanna keep it cute.
When you sit down, they give you this small plate of cornbread which is actually hilarious and so I chose to ignore it because I love cornbread and I would’ve devoured the whole thing but I didn’t want my roommates to see that side of me (I once finished an entire pan of cornbread and now I’m committed to being more balanced and shit.) Anyways.
I ordered the french toast without apples and lowkey the waitress was like fuck all your fruit options and it arrived without berries as well — no worries, I was way too tired to even really ask for a lil cup of strawberries but I certainly did notice. I also got the pomegranate lemonade, which is literally angel tears in a cup, it was the most crisp and fresh beverage I’ve had in a while, and listen… I’m a fruit beverage connoisseur. Try the side of hash browns if you can, they were perfectly crisp and warm, which is how I usually like my potatoes. Shout outs to Luka’s. My meal came to less than $ 20 with tip included, so I was like omg yes I’m coming back. I’m literally always down for brunch that doesn’t break my budget.

Came for lunch. Didn’t enjoy sitting in the dark lounge on such a nice day out. My husband met me for lunch with our toddler and they didn’t have a high chair. Not mad about it, just annoying.
Food is actually pretty good, better than expected. I like their house made ginger beer. Catfish po boy was flavorful and crispy. I’d recommend it. The side it came with was alright, farro maybe?
Mac and cheese was good but for $ 16?! Before toppings like bacon and onion. Wasn’t $ 16+ good. Fries were yummy but I didn’t care for the sauces much. None were my fave.

This is for the weekend brunch as the fried chicken wings are only available on the weekends.
We came here after our exercise class and wanted to share something so we ordered the fried chicken and eggs with a side of bacon. It came with 3 delicious and crispy chicken wings, a large portion of lumpy but tasty grits, a sumptuous bisquit and Mango spritzer and real ginger beer! It was the perfect way to end the afternoon!

Great place to go in the heart of Oakland. The bar area in the back, makes the place great to watch sports event. I went there to watched one of the playoff games of the Warriors-​Oakland and it was perfect.
We ordered burgers, side of the fries, mac and cheese and beers. The burger was cooked perfectly, not to dry and not to tender. The fries were very crispy and the sauces were really good. And the mac and cheese it was great. About the beers, I like my beer very cold. The ones that we had were ok.
In general, this is a great local bar with a great food, beer and atmosphere to watch a local game.

Came here to watch the Warriors game. Tried the Rosemary Cocktail $ 10 and French fries $ 7
Cocktail was delicious and the fries were big Belgian style fries that came with three dipping sauces. The service was pretty good given how busy they were. There are two TVs by the bar, a projector in the adjacent room and two more TVs in the back by the pool table. The vibe was pretty chill and much less crowded than Era.

Zero service, unpleasant, and it wasn’t even busy. A friend and I came in at about 10pm on a Tuesday to have a beer. The bar didn’t have 2 open seats beside each other so we sat at some tables in the bar area.
We waited about 15 minutes while the server with the bald head walked back and forth passed us to go chat with the greeter, and then back to the tables he was serving. I even made a point to make eye contact with him, nod & smile to get his attention, to which he gave me a smug look, and just kept on walking! Ha-​ha.
Okay, so then I got up from our table, and sat at the bar to get our beers. I sat there for another 10 minutes while the lady bartender avoided looking my direction with amazing skill. Then I saw a male bartender, who was oh so busy wiping glasses and stuff, and also pretty darn good at not looking my direction — but not as good as his counterpart, as alas I caught his attention when and he finally came over to me! «We’re gonna get a couple of beers» I said. «Beers?» he asked.
Yeah, beers you useless turd. Have you ever heard of beers, I thought?
So I told him what beers we wanted, and got 2 shots of Crown Royal to go with. 5 – 6 bucks for each beer.9 dollars for each shot of your very basic whiskey!$ 30.00 later we have our drinks.
Later on my buddy wanted a burger, so I went up to bar and ordered, since I knew that none of the employees were interested in generating any kind of revenue for this place by oh I don’t know, approaching customers about food and beverage options. I will say, the burger was a solid 5. But sorry, when you have no concept of service, the food won’t save you.
The first thing I heard coming in was definitely my kind of music playing, 90’s Hip Hop like Nas, Talib Kweli, De La Soul, etc. Nice right? No, not when everyone is too cool to do the job they are paid to do.
On the way out, for whatever reason I smiled at the bartender (it’s what friendly people do when you come into or leave a place I guess), to which he literally glared back at me, like he thought he was some kind of tough guy.
I don’t know, if I owned a pub, and knew I was paying people who were this lazy, and standoffish to my customers; heads would roll.