Downtown Oakland Guide: Experiences from Social to Serene

Artifacts & interactive displays in a modern building focusing on state art, history & science.

The beautifully restored turn-of-the-century Arts Center, formerly known as the Alice Arts Center, is one of the area’s busiest performing arts facilities. Patrons can participate in a variety of arts programs or rent spaces for arts events and activities.

Mural

Comedy Oakland is live comedy experience at its best! Featuring funny, diverse, up-and-coming comedians alongside industry pros seen on Comedy Central & Late Night TV & performances around the world.

Great Western Power Company in Uptown Oakland has it all—Yoga, HIIT, and Cardio Boxing, plus 11,000 square feet of world-class rock climbing and bouldering. It’s the perfect spot for fitness and adventure in a vibrant community. If you’re ready to train, climb, and connect, GWPC is the place to be!

Pure Barre in Oakland is the spot for a low-impact, high-energy workout that strengthens, tones, and improves flexibility. With expert instructors and four class formats, there’s something for everyone. Whether you’re a beginner or a barre pro, you’ll leave feeling stronger and more energized.

Occitania is an approachable fine dining concept offering exciting regional cuisine from the Southern French Occitan linguistic region.

Singaporean Restaurant

A Tokyo-inspired cocktail den with high ceilings & an extensive, jazz-centric record collection.

Coffee. Libations. Music.

As the only 100% plant-based coffee roastery and bakery since 2012, the Timeless mission has been to share the company’s passion for great coffee and to expose customers to the positive benefits of being and eating vegan.

Timeless products are all made in-house daily. Subculture, community, social awareness, and a general interest in being and doing better make up the rich fabric of the Timeless employees and customers alike. The company acts as a good steward not only in the coffee and food industry but for animals, people, and the planet.

Cocktail Bar

Mindfulness meditation with a justice centered mission, serving BIPOC, LGBTQIA2+, lower income and Disability communities and more. “One of the most diverse urban meditation centers on the planet.”

Oakland’s Paramount Theatre is one of the finest remaining examples of Art Deco design in the United States. Designed by renowned San Francisco architect Timothy L. Pflueger and completed in late 1931, it was one of the first Depression-era buildings to incorporate and integrate the work of numerous creative artists into its architecture and is particularly noteworthy for its successful orchestration of the various artistic disciplines into an original and harmonious whole.After its initial brief blaze of “movie palace” glory in the 1930’s, this remarkable auditorium suffered three decades of neglect and decline until its rescue by the Oakland Symphony, the City of Oakland and numerous private donors. The building was purchased by the Board of Directors of the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association in 1972. A painstaking and authentic restoration was completed in 1973 and the theatre was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on August 14th of that year.In 1975 the City of Oakland, the present owner, assumed ownership from the Oakland Symphony Orchestra Association. The Paramount Theatre became a California Registered Historic Landmark in 1976, and on May 5, 1977, was declared a National Historic Landmark.Restored to its original splendor, meticulously maintained, and fully upgraded to modern technical standards, the Paramount now serves all the arts. The Paramount Theatre is the home of the Oakland East Bay Symphony and, as one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere performing arts facilities, hosts a year-round schedule of popular music concerts, variety shows, and theatrical plays.

Live music venue

Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is one of the most unique urban spaces in the United States. Its three mile shoreline in the center of an exceptionally diverse city is a special place where nature and nurture migrates and mingles daily. This tidal lagoon is home to the United States’ oldest designated wildlife refuge dating from 1870. In 2020, we celebrate its 150th anniversary. Lake Merrit is a “tidal lagoon is named after Dr. Samuel Merritt, a medical doctor who came west for the gold rush.” (Lake Merritt Institute) The lake is 3.5 miles around in circumference and 10 feet deep. So you can walk around it in about an hour. It’s also very close to BART, at the Lake Merritt Bart station, or 20th Street station in Uptown.

Joyce Gordon Gallery exhibits art that reflects the social and cultural diversity of the Bay Area and international artists.

Art

Fall in love with fitness by taking the ultimate mind-body challenge at TITLE Boxing Club Oakland Central! Our boxing-inspired exercise classes give people of all ages the most empowering workout of their lives.

Experience

Restaurant

Cocktail Bar & Desserts

Beer garden

American restaurant

Sobre Mesa offers a vibrant Afro-Latino kitchen, blending Chef Nelson German’s Dominican roots with flavors from Cuba, Puerto Rico, and beyond. The tapas menu, crafted from fresh, local ingredients, pairs perfectly with their refined cocktails. With lively music and lush surroundings, it’s a place to relax, chat, and savor every bite.

Aburaya keeps it loud and flavorful with Japanese fried chicken done right. This punk rock-inspired spot serves up crispy kara-age and creative izakaya bites, all made fresh in-house. With bold flavors, house-made sauces, and a fully gluten-free kitchen, it’s the perfect place to grab a bite, sip some sake, and soak in the good vibes.

Swan’s Market is a registered historical building built in 1917, and today is a popular community gathering place in Old Oakland. The vibe of Swan’s Market is casual, fresh, and affordable with dining options, gaming, and salon retail storefronts. The market indoor and outdoor market is and popular gather place for lunch. And a destination for new and creative restaurants and community events.

Botanical Garden

Boutique

Oaklands best kept secret. The underground bakery

Artifacts & interactive displays in a modern building focusing on state art, history & science.

Public preserve with trails, BBQs, an amphitheater & sweeping views of the bay & San Francisco.

Park

Science Museum

The site of an ancient volcano, this park offers self-guided tours & features many hiking trails.

Public Garden

Chapel

Located a stone’s throw from Lake Merritt, Grand Lake Kitchen defies easy categorization. It isn’t a traditional Jewish deli. It isn’t one of those places where every single item is made from scratch in-house. Nevertheless, the place fills at least three different niches for a neighborhood that didn’t have a great sandwich shop, a cozy diner, or a posh grocery store carrying obscure sodas and organic baby food. The house-made pickles are great, and the deli case is stocked with seasonal, mostly vegetarian sides. But Grand Lake Kitchen’s biggest selling point is its sandwiches. Best of all is the “Oyako”: an open-face egg salad sandwich topped with thin shards of crispy chicken skin.

Pizzeria and Cocktails

Kitchen, Bar & Market

Yakitori Restaurant

Wine Shop & Bar

Coastal Colombian Cuisine

Located in Oakland’s historic Grand Lake District, Bardo is a neighborhood lounge and restaurant inspired by the comfort and camaraderie of a mid-century dinner party. Borrowing the celebration and elegance of old school home entertaining, we envisioned a space for our Oakland friends and neighbors to enjoy amazing food, cocktails, conversation and music.

Enjoy classics-inspired cocktails and a rotating menu of fresh, seasonal supper-fare with local and sustainably sourced meats, fish and produce. While we think the food, drinks and atmosphere are all great reasons to visit us, it’s the relationships with all of you that is the driving force behind Bardo. Bardo is a home for building, growing and sustaining community. We are committed to sharing our space and skills to keep Oakland healthy and progressive.

We are taking reservations for all seating, including in the bar and lounge. Snag a spot by clicking here. Want to sit down for a dinner party-style spread? Opt for regular or bar seating, ready to sit back and relax with a cocktail and some small bites. Check out the lounge or home bar experience.

Filipino Food & Tropical Inspired Cocktails

Blk Girls Green House is the brainchild of two Oakland women—Kalkidan Gebreyohannes and J’Maica Roxanne—committed to collaborating with fellow Black-owned businesses and inspire conscious, local shopping and gathering.

The idea for the business grew from Kalu and J’Maica’s shared love of interiors, plants, and bringing joy to their living spaces, especially now that they are sheltering in place.

“Because of covid, people are spending so much more time in their homes,” explains Kalu. “For the first time in a long time, they are thinking—I should hang this, I should paint this, I should buy more plants. People are connecting with what their space makes them feel, they are wanting to make their home their sanctuary.”

At the 1,500-square-foot outdoor locale, customers can purchase plants, beautiful ceramic and clay pots, thoughtfully curated goods for the home (magazines, coffee table books, candles, wall hangings, speciality teas, and more!), and locally produced apparel, as well as experience a variety of pop-ups.

Botanical boutique offering unique, rare plants, custom floral design, natural flower arrangements, apothecary, fragrances and beautiful handmade goods.

Oaktown Spice Shop is a joyful stop on the errand routine. Named one of the world’s best spice shops by Food & Wine Magazine, Oaktown Spice Shop offers the freshest, most delicious, high-quality spices and hand-mixed spice blends in the Bay Area. Made locally in Oakland, CA.

Outdoor Gym

Live Music Venue