The Alley

Returned to The Alley for the first time in a couple years. It was our go to place for many years but pandemic changed our patterns. We loved being back !

Adele was welcoming . She prepares a delicious cocktail. The place looks great!

My neighbor mentioned he had a delicious steak recently. We left happy and will be back.

Came here on a Friday night around 7:30PM or so, heard great things about it.
Seating is pick a spot and good luck, I suggest more in the back if you want to enjoy dinner and some music. Love the piano and singers honestly, adds so much to the atmosphere.
As soon as I sat down, I was also fortunately next to the server's main booth and she served me right away. Was super friendly and kind, mentioned I had a buddy coming so she checked up on me again at a later time to take our order.

Food was great, fried mushroom was amazing!
I enjoyed the steak, got the biggest ribeye there, it doesn't compare to an actual steakhouse but if you wanted a steak to hit your craving on a weekday and didn't want to leave town, this is a great substitute. Aside from the Ribeye there are other cuts of steaks that are a lot more affordable.
They also give you a lot of sides including really good cooked veggies, salad, and fries.
I do want to come back here since I want to try more of their menu. They have this crazy combo of Fried Chicken and a Burger at an affordable cost.

TLDR:
Great atmosphere
Great entertainment
Great food
I r8 a gr8 out of 8

There's nothing more agonizing than those moments when you're waiting for an indifferent bartender to take your order. I wouldn't have minded waiting if she was busy handling multiple orders from patrons in various states of drunkenness. What I can't tolerate is a bartender who ignores the bar to focus on her girlfriend for an extended period. Don't deny it!

She didn't even glance in Jamie's and my direction for a full ten minutes. When she finally realized I was waiting to make an order, she acted like I just arrived. I will only disclose the bartender was a young woman who brought new meaning to the term "self-entitlement". Jamie wanted to bolt right away, but I ordered two $10 Tequila Sunrises just to see if she had skillz.

Meh. They were on the watery side, which was too bad since the bar itself was rich in vintage atmosphere with shantytown decor and populated with worn out booths. We didn't stay long, missing the supposedly inimitable Rod Dibble at the 88. I just read the steak was great here, but alas, the who-cares bartender left a bad aftertaste for us, especially with the new Barbary across the street welcoming us with open arms.

DRINKS - 3 stars...middling at best
AMBIANCE - 4 stars...thick with mid-century atmosphere
SERVICE. - 1 star...well, I've made myself clear
TOTAL - 2 stars...barely

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It's a small cozy local (full) bar and restaurant. Live piano on Friday and Saturday nights.
Food is delicious authentic American cuisine.
Service is quick and responsive. Accept credit cards. ATM for cash inside.
Has a long bar seating with big screens (could be a good option for sport bar).
Has indoor seating with tables and booths.
Decoration is classic saloon type bar.
Since more weight goes to bar side than restaurant and small seatings, not good for kids.
Great for casual drinking, small gathering or meet up. Will go back for burgers, fried chicken and drinks for sure!

I'm a Big fan of bars with quality food and heavy on their character and themes that the local community will galvanize behind. This local establishment is situated in a great area and is heavily trafficked for dinner hours for good reason.

The business cards stapled anywhere you look are like badges of honor from the years of patrons frequenting this location and making memories. While it is dingy inside, it lacks the college bar alcohol smell you might expect it to have. The piano inside makes it a solidly obscure karaoke spot where you feel comfortable having a beer and bar food surrounded by other strangers and your closest friends.

The servers are very attentive to your needs despite how busy this place gets. They are working very hard to ensure you're having a good time. Food came out on a timely manner.

Food quality was surprisingly really good! We tried the fried chicken entree which comes complete with salad, garlic bread, baked potato, and mixed vegetables. The chicken quantity is pretty much half an entire bird (breast, thigh, leg, and wing) with a super crispy skin and juicy meat underneath. The dry rub is excellent, the chicken meat underneath was decent in flavor but certainly cooked well. I would highly suggest it. You can certainly share this entree with another person and leave satisfied.

The also surprisingly good menu item was the hamburger. It comes out looking very plain and standard but is extremely juicy and flavorful. This was my favorite of the two dishes we ordered and also nicely priced. Half pound of meat is a good portion to share with another entree or to have as a solo dish.

I will certainly come back to enjoy the environment and music which ranges from classic rock to other 80-90s songs.

I came across "the great" Rod Dibble's obituary just today. What a terrific guy! One of a kind! I was stationed aboard USS Hamner ('74-'76) and USS Coral Sea ('81-'82) in Alameda. And lived just down the street off Grand Ave. My 2 hangouts at the south end of Lake Merritt were Oscar's and The Alley. Without too much coaxing, Mr. Dibble would always get me to sing something! (And I was probably awful!) I had business cards made up just so I could put mine in among the thousands of others! In my 26 years in the Navy, I've traveled all over the world and have probably been in hundreds of "joints"! But The Alley and Rod Dibble are at the top of my list! I know it's a bit late, but my sincerest condolences to Rod's family, friends and fans!

I went here for my birthday and I was blown away by the beauty of this place. There's free condiments those being ketchup, mustard, horseradish, A1,and 1 other which I have not found out the name of. The waiter was overall very kind. The wait was 14 minutes long. There are very little bugs. I ordered a burger with fries and it was AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS .

I have delayed reviewing this place because I really don't want anyone else finding out about it! Ha! But alas I can't hold back on the praise any longer. Most people come to this cozy dive bar for the piano and singing, but I come for the atmosphere and the food.

The food is incredible. Steaks are high quality, seasoned well, cooked perfectly, and generously portioned. I've had the Alley Special and the Chopped Sirloin and both were fantastic. Both also come with baked potato and salad included in the price, which is rare these days.

I stick to vodka martinis here, but they are always on point. And the service has always been attentive and friendly. The first time I visited, the place got packed, and our poor server Kevin was really working his butt off but still managed to get us everything we asked for. Amazing! This most recent time, our server (forgot to get her name!) was very friendly, had great suggestions and made us feel very welcome.

At any rate ... if you're in the area and hankering for a great steak, just go in. It'll be worth it.

Came with friends on a Friday around 8pm. Immediately got a seat. Heard some karaoke but at around 9 they had someone on the piano and it was nice. Definitely a fun spot and will be back in the future.

Food 5/5
Burger was with no cheese but man it was good! We also got fries and onion rings. Both were good. Onion rings a bit oily . All came hot piping hot and quick.

Service 4/5
Few times it was hard to find our server which was odd because we're were ordering quite a few drinks. But when we did order it came quick.

Ambiance 4/5
Loved the live piano and lightning inside. It was busy but you didn't need to yell to chat with your table. My only issue is that the booths were a little small and not very comfortable. The backwards were shared and so you can feel when the person behind you is moving on it.

Pretty new bar, not very noticeable from the outside (as far as signage). Food options were good, kitchen closed early tho. Was hard to get service at the bar, long wait time.