Merchant’s Saloon

Stumbled into Merchant’s Saloon after drinking down the street. Yep, this place is a true dive bar! Vomit mixed with old beer smell, dance pole, graffiti on the walls, usual interesting dive bar crowd, loud music, STRONG cheap drinks. Seriously, I mean it when I say CHEAP, I could’t believe how affordable this place was.
Minus 1 star for the bartender rolling her eyes when my friend asked what the well vodka was and wanted to upgrade. The people next to us started laughing too. Sorry, but, 1. yes we know we’re at a dive bar and 2. not all of us can stomach vodka poured from a plastic bottle. I’m not as classy as her and stuck with the well gin for my gin and tonic. Can’t beat $ 3.50 for a strong drink, especially since I decided to use the rest of my money on photos in their photobooth ($ 5)
You’ll find a pool table here, plenty of seating, and when we came they were playing football on a giant projector screen.

This place is insanity. It’s super old school and authentic. Definitely a classic dive bar. There is a trough running along the length of the bar from back in the day when patrons used to piss on the floor while the held court at the bar. There is a big screen for projection events and a pool table in the back. Merchant’s is an awesome place to get blacked out. However, I’ve also popped in here on nights when some real HARD CORE death metal is being played by a live band, and that’s not my scene AT ALL. Go check this spot out, but have a backup in mind

UPDATE!!! Now I’m getting Unilocal messages that are saying «im insane and that it’s not true» wow you guys are running an awesome establishment over there. They really made a FAKE ACCOUNT just to send me a message
Came in last night and never in my life have I been kicked out of a bar because a bartender lacks customer service! Makes no sense right? I understand it’s Christmas but it’s no excuse for bad service. I asked the bartender for two shots of remy if not anything that was close to cognac she went on to grab her coat and belongings and said «wow your really cute» and I was confused and I said ok are you going to get my drinks she kept starring at me and working the bar. She kept walking around the bar and I was confused and asked her then she repeated I was cute and said she didn’t understand why I was starting at her. I told her all she had to say was she wasn’t going to help me. Either way I still wanted a drink and she was a complete bitch. She ends up telling the bouncer and I get kicked out for saying she has bad customer service. She follows me outside with her fat ugly boyfriend and she keeps taunting me and I go bad on her ass. Her boyfriend takes out a KNIFE! yes people a KNIFE! and she keeps circling me. All my friends are inside this tacky run down bar and the bouncer won’t let me tell them.
I’m 5’2 and clearly I’m prettier than you and have eyebrows it’s not my fault this white girl feels like a baddie bcuz she has a big fat black guy bouncer watching her back. I love Oakland but hate white people who think it’s okay to be racist in the Bay Area!!! In conclusion I will never return to a bar where it’s acceptable to treat customers like shit
ps the bouncer was clearly not trained right and had a few drinks. fool kept changing his story around about me not being kicked out when I had been escorted out for «mistreating a bartender»

After a year and a half I feel I needed to update my review of Merchants. I have been in bars from Modesto to Moscow and I have to tell you that this is one of the scuzziest, run down places I have ever been in. It has deteriorated a whole bunch since my first review, to the point I don’t come very often. The problems are numerous. Starting with the smell. The stale beer and mildew smell when you enter is bad enough, but you quickly realize why everyone sits at one end of the bar — it’s to be as far away from the smelly bathrooms as possible. As the night goes on, the piss smell moves further and further down the bar. So nice. Then, the clientele. Usual dive bar crowd, but they over serve here — if you can manage to get money on the bar you can drink, so there is commonly one or more people with way too much booze in them barely conscious, raising hell and being obnoxious, or passed out on the sidewalk in front of the place. The place is generally filthy, so much so that I won’t get a shot or a cocktail here because I don’t trust the glassware. Just a can of beer and I am sure to wipe the top of the can. Anyway, the bartenders are OK, a couple are really good looking, the drinks are cheap and they give a good pour, but still, I avoid the place when I can. I love a good dive bar, but this place is just a pit. I have been in dirt floor bars with no electricity that are better kept than this place.

One of the worst bar experiences I have ever had. One of our friends wanted to play the piano, which is free and available for anyone to play. The bartender did not like his choice of song. Rather than asking him politely not to play it, he went on a tirade that included a threat to «slap the shit out of him» if he didn’t stop playing it. It was completely over the top and the entire bar went silent in awkwardness after his rant. There is absolutely no situation in which that is an acceptable response. Incredibly disappointing experience.

I love coming here! Most of the customers are locals or waiters in the JLS area! Waiters and bartenders are so cute because they don’t make much money as I do but they are still cute because they like me and my big ass tipping and the fact that I don’t ever make fun of people making minimum wage to get by or go to school to become better one day. I get it I was just smarter and did it sooner and it matters because everyone can see how happy I am with my life. I am always inviting my rich friends her to experience the shitty Oakland JLS life so that we can all appreciate our happy awesome rich lives even more. This place is so cool. they never judge me because I am rich. Super rich! And so are my parents! They serve strong cocktails at a decent price. They accept credit cards, which I appreciate since I hardly ever carry cash. They often have bands that are awesome. The big screen TV’s are great for NFL season. I have met so many friends here and I love the vibe. I am a low key person, not a snobby person, and the crowd seems to be the same way as I am. The bartenders are nice and efficient. I recommend this place to anyone that is into dive bars. If you are a stuck up, then this is not the place for you. You can play pool, watch a game, or hang out with chill folks. The drinks are strong and the atmosphere is friendly! I am so glad I can stumble home from here. JLS is the only place to be in Oakland, everywhere else sucks!

Inexpensive cocktails do not excuse inconsiderate bartenders. Four years coming here and sad to say, the service is sorely lacking with obvious notice.

One of my absolute favorite places to stop into! Love the band’s that play here. They have pool tables, karaōke, and a girl that is obsessed with playing mudvayne and marilyn manson (me!). I had so much fun saturday night. we had the whole place dancing to the jukebox before the metal band came out! Looking forward to the next time we go back! Prices are right here. Service is great.

Work nearby. Perfect «neighborhood» bar for hanging out or grabbing a pre/​mid/​post work cocktail!

Damn, when they save dive bar they really mean it. Came here to pass some time on a Friday night around 1 am, older crowd, late 20s to 40s. Jukebox kicks, good sound. Drinks are cheap, the right kind of strong. Worth checking out with some peeps, can definitely spend a couple hours here. Drunken debauchery, sleeve and grime is welcome here. If that’s what gets you going, this is definitely the place for that.

Your standard dive bar. Eclectic mix of patrons and friendly/​witty bartenders. Let’s face it, I’m just a fan of telling people I spent part of my evening/​night at a saloon. Also a fan of any place that plays The Clash. Next time I hope the see the stripper pole in action.

Not our cup of tea. Much older crowd (30s through 40s) and despite the amazingly cheap drinks, the place is super grimey…

Rough night at Merchant’s. One of the bartenders was clearly drunk/​high and swore at us several times as we ordered a round of drinks, aside from being shirtless and yelling when we walked in. I’ve had positive experiences here in the past but unfortunate experience especially after the Warriors’ win

It’s always there when traffic is backed up in the tunnel.

Best place for drinks! I got a great sized gin and tonic for $ 3.00!!! Best prices for drinks in the bay!

This place was lots of fun. Went there on a Sunday night. The crowd is very chill. There’s a pool table and good music and even a stripper pole. What more could you want?

This is definitely my main bar in Oakland, they have have a great location, drinks that are cheap in price but strong in alcohol content, and an atmosphere that suits all people (Bikers to Hipsters). I love that they open early and close late everyday of the week, it makes it easy to catch an early morning drink before heading to the city. The beer selection here is kinda small, but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in quality. Also, be sure to have Sammy make you a drink, he is one hella good bartender, his drinks are strong but still taste smooth enough to sip.

When it comes to dive bars in the East Bay, Merchant’s rules.
Maybe it’s the ear-​bleedingly loud music in that tiny space.
Maybe it’s the piss trough along the side of the bar.
Maybe because it’s a hopping place for the day drinker.
Definitely because the drinks are cheap, strong and the bartenders won’t take any crap from you.
It’s all of these things, without an ounce of pretension. Crusty punks, out on the towners, locals, tourists, dweebies, bloods, motorheads: they all adore it. It is number on my list of east bay dives, with good reason. You should go.

Just gonna be honest I’ve only really only been here after I’ve already had two too many but i havent had any bad experiences here i mean other than the bathroom sitch. Its a dive. It smells. But this place has some good music on the jukebox, interesting people and good pours. Enjoy yerself!

Punk-​Rock Kneipe zum Wohlfühlen. Leckers Bier (selbst alkoholfreies Bier für den Fahrer ;-)) und ungewöhnliche Magaritas.
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Ab und zu spielen Bands.

I love dive bars. When you walk in you catch a whiff of stale beer, tequila and urinal cakes. Half drank tall boys cover the counter. A mix of young and old, barflies, blue collars and hipsters run amok in here.
The porcelain spit gutter under the bar looks like it’s a pee trough. Might have to try it out sometime. Merchant’s Saloon has character and characters. Come by for a drink, or not, leaving more for me.