Dogfather Tattoo

So happy! Amazing experience! Walked in on a whim hoping to get worked on, Jason helped us out and was great from beginning to end! I will definitely be coming back! Very reasonably priced with some amazing artists!

My mom and I came here as walk-​ins for her first tattoo and they were able to take her within the hour. Bobby was her artist and he was very patient and understanding when it came to her anxiety. He made sure she was as comfortable as possible and carried on a conversation with us throughout. They are reasonably priced for good quality work. A lot of tattoo shops are somewhat stuck-​up if you’re not tattooed but everyone here was very nice! I like how they provide the privacy of being tattooed in separate rooms too. This was the best experience I’ve had at any tattoo shop and I’ve been to several shops throughout the East Bay.

Had to do a cover up tattoo that I had on my left upper shoulder. I was very specific and picky on what exactly I wanted (as you should be for any tattoo) and I couldn’t find anybody to work with me (I guess because I had so many requests?). I seen about 3 other tattoo artists on what I wanted and nobody was entertaining what I wanted for a cover up. They kind of just threw their own ideas at me of what I could get when it was nothing I was interested in. After doing some research and calling around, I FINALLY found Yoyo. I checked out his artwork on Instagram and looked up his reviews, and it’s safe to say that I was not at all disappointed. He’s a great guy to work with and every little detail I wanted he worked with and was happy to do so. No matter how picky and detailed I got he fulfilled every need. He did an awesome job with my cover up. Not only is he a great guy and easy to get along with, but he’s patient and makes you laugh the entire time. I HIGHLY recommend Yoyo as a tattoo artist!

I got my septum pierced here by Kristel and she did an awesome job throughout the whole process. The place is very clean and they’re all very friendly.

YOYO IS THE BEST! They are usually closed on Sunday’s but he made an exception and opened for us on Mother’s Day! It was my moms and sisters first tattoo and YOYO made them feel very comfortable and the experience amazing! It took a lot of convincing to get my mom to get a tattoo and after being tatted by YOYO she now wants to come back and get more work done by him! Not only is his work amazing and flawless but he’s also such a nice guy with great customer service.

I walked in here expecting to get my belly button pierced and walked out with my first tattoo and my industrial bar. I never had the courage to get my industrial bar but since I am a swim instructor, Crystal advised me not to get my belly button. I love my industrial!!! It is completely healed and looks great! Crystal helped me stay calm and collected. After getting pierced, I got tatted. That hurt but YoYo soothed me and kept me distracted. Overall clean place and great customer service.

Got my first tattoo done by YoYo Ventura today and it was the best experience I could ask for. Very very talented artist. Before, I went to other tattoo shops around the area to talk to some artists, but no one was compared to YoYo honestly. This is the funniest guy out there that knows how to break the ice and keep the conversation going. Because to me, I look for artists that I can easily connect with and Yoyo was no doubt the one.
Other than his dopeass personality, he is also one hell of an artist. He sketched out the piece I wanted right in front of me and constantly asked me if this and that was okay. During the tatting process, he had a very soft touch and wasn’t heavy-​handed like a lot of artists out there, so it didn’t hurt as badly as I thought. Overall my tattoo took about 1 ½ hours, but it honestly did not feel like it because he was constantly making jokes and keeping the conversation alive during the process, the time just flew right by!
If I ever decide to get a second tattoo, no doubt I would come back and get it done by YoYo again. Couldn’t have asked for a better first tattoo experience.

I’ve been to Dogfather a few times its a welcoming and chill environment and all their art deco is pretty sweet. I go to Yoyo for my tattoos. I shoot him an idea and he makes it come to life… always a good time at Dogfather…

Husband and I decided to go on a whim and was only expecting a consultation. We were greeted by Yoyo and Jason. Fortunately for us they accepted walk ins and immediately listened to what we wanted. I wanted my tattoo to be a small simple piece. Yo-​yo (highly recommend) made sure he knew exactly what I wanted and made sure that the tattoo wasn’t too small. I also let him know about some anxiety issues and Yo-​yo was very reassuring by talking to me and was gentle.
Will definitely be coming back for possibly more tattoos. I might even come back for a piercing or two.

Chose to get a nose piercing on a whim here at Dogfather.
It’s a very clean and professional environment. Immediately greeted by Kristel (piercing artist).
She is very very friendly and professional. Upon my request of a piercing, she had everything already prepared in terms of contract, aftercare & information. The experience wasn’t that bad, though I was a bleeder, she assured me that everything was okay. It was a bittersweet experience.
Overall, would come to this shop for any piercing needs.

I have now had my nose pierced by Krystel on two different occasions, and each time was great. She’s such a sweetheart and is very attentive to detail. I also brought along a friend who was a newbie to piercing and Krystel was very patient and professional with her. She’s very thorough at explaining the piercing process as well as aftercare instructions. Thanks Krystel! I will def be seeing you again :)

Dogfather Tattoo were great! My friend and I walked in an hour before closing and we’re helped by Kristel. She did our cartilage piercings. Mind you, I’m extremely terrified of needles but Kristel did an amazing job making me comfortable. She was gentle and quick!
The whole procedure was quick. The place was very clean. Kristel was attentive and answered all my silly questions and more! I highly recommend this place to get your piercings :)

Went and had my tattoo fixed after it was running and lines had opened. It looks a million times better. They definitely took care of me after the struggle of it healing.

I had a rook piercing done by Krystel and it was oddly relaxing. That’s how good she was. It was so quick and painless that I didn’t even know it was over. Note: I wasn’t on drugs, drunk nor applied lidocaine. She’s the best!
Thanks you Krystel.

Sean is great! He is so friendly and so gentle since it’s my first tattoo and he’s so freakin funny. I really enjoyed my experience here. I got a sailboat on my ankle. I talked with Sean about my image and what it means to me and he drew up this amazing sailboat and added a star to symbolize the North Star. He drew up my cousin’s astrological symbol as well. Our visit, for both of our tattoos, took about an hour and a half and cost us a lot less than we thought it would ! I definitely have recommended Dogfather to many of my friends already who are looking to get tattoos and if I ever decide to get another one, I’d come back. I think the staff here are so cool and I really appreciate the chats!

Yes I finally decided to update my review, not because of any changes in my view of this place. It’s still as amazing as ever it’s been a wonderful 3 years of walking into this fine establishment. Tony Silva has been my tattoo artist for years now and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Tony Silva’s photo realism is hands down the greatest in this part of the Bay Area and truly for miles around. Take a look at his portfolio.
The other artists YoYo and Sean got the goods too, plenty of talent to chose from.
Between these three you won’t need to stop any where else!
Need a piercer? They have one Kristel is well versed and has tons of knowledge, check out there specials on piercings ! Stop by and see her.
It’s always an enjoyable place to stop in, get some wonderful pieces of artwork.
If you stop in post some photos I love to see all of the amazing work! Thanks for reading.

Love this place! Walked in and was immediately greeted and was able to get my piercing done in under an hour. Just got my ears freshly pierced by Kristel. She’s very knowledgable about piercings and will make you feel very relaxed before getting one. I was very nervous coming in to get my ear pierced, but she assured me it was all going to be okay. She is very easy to talk to and it helps take your mind off a needle going through your skin. She was very fast and took the time to sanitize everything. If you want to have a piercing done, this is the place to go!

If you ever want a piercing, come here! Krystal is AMAZING! She makes you feel so comfortable and she’s really sweet. Everyone there is so welcoming and nice. She made sure to give us a thorough talk about aftercare and the healing process. I have the biggest fear of needles and she made this process so smooth! Definitely recommend this place!

Got my first tattoo here! Thanks to Sean
So yeah i’m giving this 5 star for this Tattoo shop first and for all i didn’t have an appointment but they still let me get my tattoo that’s Amaaazing! And second the Shop itself is so clean and nice. And last but not the least the tattoo didn’t hurt that bad and it’s so fast. Plus the Price is reasonable and They explained to me everything and just so nice i looooove it and i will definitely be going back here!

Couple of months late on this one. but better late than never! I have always been one to be very impulsive when making decisions (which might not be the best when getting tattoos done) but Dogfather tattoo gave me an experience that was impossible to regret.
I was out with two of my girlfriends on a Saturday afternoon when we casually decide to get tattoos and instantly turned to Unilocal to find a place. I called a couple places but none of them were willing to do a thigh piece on the spot which, incidentally, was what I wanted to do. They all told me that I have to make an appointment to figure out what I wanted and whatnot but I was type to get what I want when I want it haha. When I called Dogfather tattoo, I told them I wanted a piece that would cover about half my thigh and they told me to come in right away. I was just happy to find a place that would take me.
We walked into the shop and I was greeted immediately. They asked me what I wanted to get, told me it was a lot larger than they expected (it was more of a whole thigh piece) and introduced me to the guy that would do the job for me. My tattooer, Yoyo, took a look at the two pictures I had and began drawing and mapping out my whole tattoo in front of me. The whole time he would ask me what I thought and if I wanted to make any changes so that was cool. After about three hours, he finished up the sketch and I was ready to go. During this whole time my girlfriends were being very indecisive about what to get and ended up not getting anything lol.
I have gotten two small tattoos and and very comfortable with pain so it really didn’t hurt that much at all. Yoyo was also very careful and patient and would check in with me every once in a while to see if I was doing okay. The feeling was so relaxing I almost fell asleep at some point. All in all, my whole tattoo took two sessions of about 3 hours each. I was planning to get some more work done on this piece in the future and nothing is stopping be from coming back here!
I feel like I was asking for a lot by walking in and asking for huge piece but I left with a lot more and I’m grateful for that!
S/​o to Yoyo for listening in and giving advice on all my girlfriends’ problems while they waited for me, we’ll be back!