Parlour

I really wanted to like Parlour.
The fried chicken’s coating was so salty it was inedible (they agreed and deducted it from our bill). The pork was good once you got through the overly salty skin. The risotto looked great but ironically was under salted and had no flavor.
Not sure if this was a bad night or how they typically deliver. Unfortunately, with the amount of restaurants in the Bay Area, you have basically one chance to create the experience where one would say «Yes, I’d go back» or «yes, you should go».
I couldn’t say either.

Parlour is a great addition to Uptown. Its a sexy restaurant with inventive cocktails. The design is impressive from the openable front windows to the restroom. I love that they have booths which add a touch of intimacy. The only drawback is that the dining room gets insanely loud.
My first visit right after they opened was underwhelming, but last night the food was delicious. We went for Oakland restaurant week and loved the menu. Squash soup, chicory salad with buttermilk dressing, amazing fried chicken and olive oil cake. The fried chicken is served on barley. It is pounded thin and must be marinated for hours, it was so juicy and delicious. The coating was nicely spiced and perfectly crunchy yet not greasy. #SignatureDish
Next time I will get the Mal Suerte, tequila cocktail, I just got a sip of it and would love to indulge in the whole shebang.
Parlour has hit its stride an is a great option for dinner and drinks in Uptown. Highly recommend.

Good food and good service. We went there yesterday. They weren’t very busy that time. Food came out quick and was very delicious.

Sometimes a menu will be agonizing because I want to try everything on it. But Parlour is the opposite. I kept futilely hoping more items would appear if I kept looking, but finally had to accept that there were very few options. Parlour, please expand your menu!
The food I settled on and the atmosphere of the restaurant were still pretty good. Probably the best thing I had was the hanger steak which almost melted in my mouth. The fried Brussels sprouts were also crispy and delicious. But the mainstay of the menu is pizza — upscale and pricy pizza. I probably wouldn’t race back here unless there’s an update to the menu.

Sometimes Oakland nails it, sometimes they just seem like pretentious yokles. This time was the latter. They have a tiny little menu with pretentious dishes that they can’t really deliver on. For example, they have house-​made charcuterie, only some of which is pleasant to eat. They have only 3 entrees, no specials and all of them are pretty bland. Seriously, if your friend picks this place to eat and you, for example wanted to have a non-​seafood option with meat, you’re limited to a single option. If you’re not all that into it, you’re screwed.
Given that the food is pretty flavorless and given that it’s in a fairly nondescript part of Oakland, I feel they are far too expensive. Even the appetizers are around $ 15.

Home-​made pastries, friendly staff, a nicely foamed latte and free wifi come together to make a light breakfast or brunch when I want to take my laptop and get out of the house. I’m sure the bartender would make you a mimosa if that’s your morning brew.

Sadly I was not impressed.
The environment is super chill and romantic– but the food did not meet expectations.
We started with bread that was okay. Then had a salad that was extremely bitter.
Lastly we had a Panna pizza that was just ok. There was a large amount of red onions that overpowered the other flavors.
For these 3 items our total was 46 (excluding tip) the quality of the food did not match the prices at all.
Very disappointed !

Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with Parlour as I had hoped coming in. I heard good things about it, but left feeling a bit underwhelmed. Ambiance and décor is nice enough. Ended up sitting at the counters near the bar, which wasn’t bad, a bit awkward as we are facing table customers, but still OK.
Tried the octopus appetizer, which was OK. It had little bits of octopus that tasted fine, but I wasn’t really into the potatoes and olives in the dish. The aioli sauce to dip in was good but overall this dish lacked substance– not enough substantial octopus pieces.
My entrée of squid ink gnocchi was good. Very fluffy and melt in your mouth, small portions, but the fresh plum tomatoes was a nice addition to the meal.
The panna cotta dessert was not so good. The texture tasted like chinese almond jelly, which I normally like but I wasn’t expecting it so it was a weird experience.
Overall, I probably won’t come back.

So hipster.
Great drink selection and a fabulously delicious smelling food menu.
Came here for a quick bite and drinks before a show at the fox and it did not disappoint. My friend ordered a pasta carbanara dish and the noodles were waaaaayyyy too undercooked for his liking. I, on the other hand, stuck to spirits and both of my cocktails were delicious.
The pricing was fair for the area and the service was pretty stellar, I would definitely come back if I was attending another show or just roaming around lake merritt.
The funny thing is, I think they are in the process of remodeling, half the walls are… well walls, the others are wood.

I normally rate on a combination of food, service, and ambiance. This hits four starts on all of those.
Warning: it is a trendy place and the food portions are on the small side (pasta) dishes for the price. For me, it was ok, but the first time I went, I was with friends who were on a budget and the portion size was their biggest complaint.
This time, my husband and I came here for dessert and a cocktail. For drinks, they do have quite an offering on cocktails. We are more wine fans and their wine selection was not bad.
We shared the artisanal cheese plate and the panna cotta. Yes on both! The cheese platter had a local blue cheese, perfectly ripe sliced pears, a mild, more firm cheese (forgot the name), toasted crostini, a drizzle of honey down the middle of the plate and some toasted almonds. The combination of the tart blue cheese with the sweetness of the pear and honey, and the crunchiness of the almonds was exquisite! Flavorful but not overly pungent. My type of cheese plate.
The panna cotta was rich and creamy buttermilk and paired well with our glasses of Sauternes.
We will be coming back for the pizzas and also found out that they will be starting lunch service sometime in the next few months!

Carbonara was delicious! Whole egg yolk brought to you to mix in. so the creaminess really doesn’t get cooked up.
Margherita pizza wood fired, light, greatly cheesy. so easy to eat the whole pizza by yourself!
Chopped salad, full of flavor,
Strong but delicious drinks.

Really wish a decent family restaurant would open in the neighborhood. This place has overpriced trendy food for the most part, the other part is that gross cardboardy crust pizza with barely any sauce, few ingredients, etc… same kind of pizza that is happening everywhere in the Bay Area these days.
Dated, indierock décor. Trendy food was small portions, my dish was cold but apparently wasn’t supposed to be. Still paid a lot for it.
Furthermore, I was walking by one day and the manager came out to tell me not to walk by the giant open doors with a cigarette. Sorry, it’s the sidewalk and you have giant open doors in downtown Oakland. Dumb.

The menu seems to change quite often. There were a few things I wanted to try but our server told us that if the ingredients aren’t fresh and readily available, then they won’t have it. Sad at the moment but great that it’s constantly changing.
What we ordered:
To drink: old pal + gin and tonic — On the stiffer side (which is always a good thing ;))
Octopus — on the small side portion wise. Octopus had a little bit of a crispy exterior and chewy interior. Flavors were simple and didn’t mask the natural taste of the octopus.
House made Sausage Pizza — SO DELICIOUS. Crispy yet chewy crust. LOVE the cheese. Favorite of the night!
Marigold Pappardelle — looking at the current menu, the description of the dish is different than the one we had. The one we had was with calamari and sea urchin butter The calamari was tender. Sea urchin taste was subtle. Pasta was fresh and delicious.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Prices are a bit high for the portion sizes, but worth checking out if you’re in the area looking for a nice meal.

Overall great experience. Friendly service, upscale but relaxed vibe– love the open space and décor, though I agree with my friend it can be rather cacophonous.
Short, simple and elegant menu (pricy side but good quality stuff): beautiful carbs and liquor! (All a lady needs in life, am I right?)
Pastas are all al dente, pizza is a thin crust but without the hard crunchy crust, a little lacking on ingredients, even for margarita. The servings for pasta are smaller (probably a proper serving anywhere outside the U.S.), so be prepared to order dessert, or go elsewhere for a snack later on. Delicious though, and I really enjoyed the corn agnolotti and the tomato pappardelle, but the carbonara was also solid.

It really pains me to see such a nice space with a great décor hold such terrible customer service; not from the amazing staff I interacted with (servers especially were kind), mind you — but rather from management. Service can make or break an experience, but if I could rate the support staff alone they would get 4 stars easy.
Backstory: I came here with my family to celebrate my triplet sister’s birthday (June 1^st) and my mother’s (June 2^nd) — and also kind of my own since I live in NYC and haven’t seen them in years (May 16^th). My sister made a reservation for 12 people, however the hostess insisted that we should make it for 8 because anything more requires a pre-​fixe menu and since there are 4 vegans in the group they were unable to accommodate everyone. She assured us there would be no issues and she has done it before.
Okay, arrive us. Instantly the manager is visually upset and instructs us to break the party into two separate areas with 10 at the long table (that easily supports 12 without any issue) and 2 at another. His reason was that «the table is uneven» however we were evenly spaced out (???). He obtusely refused to reason with us, even telling me (verbatim) that I «don’t know anything, and just need to trust (him)» although the table clearly would have sat all of us fine. His attitude was one of snide remarks and obvious malice without any attempt to hide this.
What’s his issue? That we might spend too much money at his restaurant? If it’s a problem with the hostess, that should not be deflected upon us; as we were only following her advice.
So we pay (and tip generously to the servers) for the cocktails and appetizers we had already ordered and move on down the street to a great Thai place that’s both famous and amazing that agreed to seat us all with 40 minutes notice. Score!
On our merry little way, the manager (Scott) followed us out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk to accost us verbally hurling insults toward us and making sure to spell his name out — although giving it to us prior several times (because there are so many variations!), calling us morons.
I have had some interesting experiences as a patron of a restaurant, but never have I been directly and so decidedly insulted by a representative of an establishment who’s main focus should be customer satisfaction. Never.

Beautiful airy energetic space. Look up and you will see succulents!
Personable and professional staff.
If you are sensitive to noise, this may not be the dining experience for you. Loved the space between the tables and the acoustics of the room. Conversations were kept secluded to the table.
Meal was splendid:
–county line greens, lightly dressed, simple
–chopped salad, a fun rendition on a classic, with burrata, green olives, pickled green strawberries, fennel, chickpeas and salami
–meatballs, so amazing w/​a combo of veal, pork and beef, huge, soft, moist, cheesy, some of the best
–duck egg chittarra, so flavorful
–sausage pizza, great chewy bubbly crust, perfectly seasoned, housemade sausage, would have been nice with some chili oil or flakes, but lovely on it’s own
One miss:
–bodega bay salmon, slightly over seasoned, dry and lacking a fresh pop of flavor
Portions are big, we wrapped up half our meal. Quality ingredients, well executed and priced accordingly.
Great addition to Uptown. Will be on my rotation.

Came in on a weeknight for dinner. I was impressed with the interior (recycled wood and high ceilings) and the SPACE! Nice.
I ordered the housemade sausage pizza with added arugula — first off it was pretty but it had the right amount of sauce and meat and of course arugula. Also had the swordfish dish which was cooked to perfection.
I want to come back and try some of the appetizers (Octopus, meatballs to name a few).
I hope that the menu changes up often enough.
Will definitely be back.

Parlour had a lot of associates on the floor when i arrived 5ish. a bit unusual until a review states Parlour is packed by 8. was given a choice, i took a seat at the bar.
menu offerings: appetitzers, salads, pizza, mains, wood fired sides, imbibes…
eats: margherita pizza (13)
-«uncooked sugo, basil, burrata, parmesan»
–thin crust perfecto, best had since boot & shoe
–nice flavor, «14, not personal size, wood fired too.
drink: gin (brooker’s) and homemade tonic with cucumber (10)
–strong drink, buzzed by the end of the drink
–gin & tonic is the only cocktail i drink, i luv this one.
foodnotes:
–went with my favs, not perceived eateries’ best, WOWED!
–service über friendly, coming and going. friendly chatter with barristas
–amicable idea exchanges with barristas, fellow patron next to me
–items ordered priced at the market price
other items (swordfish/​29) seem high. maybe market rate too.
–heartell reservations may be needed.
–lots of space in dining area, not cramped, tall ceiling, relaxed ambience.
–opens evenings only
–4.5 stars, nothing disappointing at all. so 5 stars

It’s antithetical to have tried to avoid the May Day vandals and the First Friday crowd, and still have traveled Uptown to grab a drink and nosh on food, but that’s exactly what we did. Parlour is the latest venture from the fine folks that operate Bar 355 (right next door). The entrance is a series of wood framed glass doors with little signage other than a small blurb on a single door marked ‘Parlour’.
The interior is all wood and concrete and high ceilings, as is the rage in Portland, Brooklyn and yes, Oakland. The hostess was ready to turn us away without reservations, but the bar was wide open, so we decided to have a seat there.
Our bartender Ali provided friendly service and promptly attended to our drinks (and refills). I had a gin and house made tonic. Wonderfully refreshing for this unseasonally warm weather. We shared the cheese and charcuterie plate. Twenty bucks for a smattering of cheese and meats. I won’t lie, I would never had ordered this on my own. It wasn’t of my choosing. It was a pretty sparse plate with only two tiny pieces of toast for cheese, prosciutto, and a big pile of chicken liver pâté. The bread was smaller than the end pieces on your loaf of bread that you feed to your dog.
I had to order some extra bread just so I could finish this plate. We received a warm, toasty, single slice with some whipped butter. The extra bread was nice. But it wasn’t five dollars nice. Fuckin’ hipsters have ruined bread with this dang five dollar toast crap.
We were ready to order more food, but some guy, his girlfriend and his unwashed armpits sat next to us and I was unwilling to suffer through the stench of his onion and garlic B.O. The bill with tip was $ 76 for four drinks and a mediocre cheese and meat plate (the chicken liver, it was good). Still, this place has a lot of potential and we would definitely come back despite my gripes. The restaurant was full by 8PM, nary a seat to be had. Luckily we didn’t take Broadway home because the anarchists were wandering around breaking store windows and burning down the local Hyundai dealer.
Five dollar toast. For fuck sake. Also, get off my lawn!

I’m in love with Parlour. Really, this is my new favorite restaurant in downtown Oakland, by far.
My friend and I shared the Meatballs ($ 12), Porchetta di Testa ($ 14) and Duck Egg Chitarra ($ 24) and we each tried the Rutherford Hill Sauvignon Blanc ($ 7).
Everything was delicious. I’ve never had anything that tasted like the Porchetta before, I highly recommend trying this. We got plenty of food and it really didn’t break our wallet.
Their desserts are also very good. We tried the Olive Oil Cake ($ 7) and Smoked Pear Crostata ($ 8). I personally liked the Smoked Pear, it was very flavorful and you could really taste the smokiness.
We had such a great time that we ended up being the last people in the restaurant. The ambiance is really warm and the décor has a midcentury modern feel. I’m really happy that we have this new addition to the neighborhood. I’ll definitely be going back.