There/There

Is There/There worth visiting in Oakland?

Yes, with the right expectations. There/There is a neighborhood bar in Oakland that keeps things accessible: affordable food, a cocktail program that takes itself seriously without demanding your full attention, and non-alcoholic options that aren't an afterthought. If you're looking for a place to land after work on a weekday or set up for a low-key evening, this is a strong call in the East Bay bar scene. It won't out-perform a destination cocktail bar on pure technical ambition, but that's not what it's trying to do.

What the drink program tells you about this place

The cocktail list at There/There is the clearest signal of what the bar is about. Bars that include well-developed non-alcoholic options alongside their cocktail program are signaling something deliberate: they're building for a room of regulars with different needs, not just chasing a drinks-forward reputation. That approach tends to produce menus that are approachable and honest rather than showy. If you've been once and ordered something safe, come back and commit to the cocktail menu proper — that's where the bar's actual intentions are visible. The NA options are worth noting if you're with someone who doesn't drink; Oakland has bars where that's an awkward afterthought, and this isn't one of them.

On timing: weekday evenings give you the leading version of There/There. The room is more conversational, the bar staff have more bandwidth, and the affordable food menu is easier to share without the crowd pressure of a Friday or Saturday. If you're returning as a semi-regular, a Tuesday or Wednesday visit in the early evening is the call. For those exploring Oakland's broader bar scene, our full Oakland bars guide covers the category in more depth.

The food is supporting cast, not the reason to go

There/There bills itself as a bar with affordable food, and that framing is accurate. The kitchen exists to keep you at the bar longer, not to be a destination on its own. That's a feature, not a flaw — it keeps prices down and the focus where it belongs. If you're deciding between this and somewhere like alaMar Dominican Kitchen, which leads with its food program, the answer depends on whether you're eating first or drinking first. For a bar-first evening with snacks, There/There holds up. For a dinner-anchored night out, look elsewhere and then stop here after.

Practical details

Booking is easy , walk-in friendly and no reservation required for most visits. There are no published hours or pricing in our current data, so check directly before you go. There/There sits within Oakland's broader bar ecosystem; for a fuller picture of the neighborhood's options, see our Oakland restaurants guide, our Oakland hotels guide, our Oakland wineries guide, and our Oakland experiences guide. If you're comparing cocktail-forward bars at a national level, Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, Jewel of the South in New Orleans, and Julep in Houston represent the benchmark for program depth in their respective cities.

Quick reference: Walk-in friendly, affordable price point, bar-first venue with food and NA options.

How It Compares