The Libertine

Awesome cocktail bar by Lake Merritt! Bartender was very friendly and attentive. The interior is dark and perfect as a night drinking spot (or way to escape the heat for some day drinking). They have a Happy Hour every day from 4 – 7 pm with $ 2 off most drinks and some special cocktails for $ 5 – 7 (other cocktails are $ 8 with the discount). I got the Abbey’s Garden, which was perfect and I’d highly recommend. BF got a Paloma, which was also good. It was nice and quiet when we visited but I bet it’s crowded on weekend nights.

Every neighborhood needs a local hang bar. This could be mine. I’ve had amazing hand crafted cocktails. The atmosphere is relaxed. Game is on while a 70 soundtrack plays. Strawberry 22. Love that they collaborate with local vendors. Best of all they have a Ms Pacman game. Need I say more.

They don’t carry Fireball or ginger ale — very odd.

A totally solid, sweetly priced bar with a simple and satisfying cocktail list and nicely social atmosphere.
I come here for the $ 5 Happy Hour Greyhounds with fresh squeezed juice and the free wifi.
There’s a great dance scene on the weekends.
A large screen if sportsball is your thing, or showing quirky movies when that suits.
Rotating art on the walls from local artists.
A beautiful long bar.
I have *always* had a good time here, meeting the random, interesting and friendly folks.
My new «go to» in the Grand area!

What a upgrade! Love this bar. The owner is awesome and his co workers are very friendly and helpful! The libertine is very spacious with great seating. Check it out !

Great décor; lots of cool artwork on the walls and fresh squeezed grapefruit in their drinks!!!
Dj on some nights — nice!
Update…absolutely the BEST madras I have ever tasted! Is it the fresh juice?
Update #2 — dj Ryan is dope!

Good update to the place that was in the same location. The drinks can be a little light on Alcohol for the price. Good atmosphere when the DJ is going. Nice projection TV.

My go to place! I love the energy and vibes here. They have a DJ Thurs-​Sun nights and the drinks are delicious!

Such a great find!!! These guy know how to make a beautiful cocktail!!! Love love love the wonderful selection of small batch liquor and specialty cocktails.

Two excellent bourbon drinks from the bearded dude behind the bar. Good music throughout the evening. Smallish but friendly, eclectic, and cool crowd.
It’s a bit funny how clean it is in here considering how nasty it was considered by many (not me though) when it was Lucky Lounge (i liked the LL)… It was that perma-​stained carpet (now sleekly polished cement) and the once-​vintage-​twice-​nappy cloth couches (now dark leather) that had people anxious, i guess… It’s as if Libertine overcompensated for years of neglect by completely scouring the place of all funk. Which is what you want, right? A clean bar? But in a way i sorta miss the funk (a metaphor for the direction Oakland is taking in general these days, i guess)… I dunno, maybe they just need more people in here to fill it out and soften it up.
Keep making those drinks and playing those classics, though, and exactly that will no doubt happen very soon.

Super chill bar with a friendly and experienced owner /​bartender. We came with a couple of friends on a Sunday evening and had a great experience despite the fact there was no music because of a device failure. All the drinks I had were really tasty — the dark n’ stormy was among the best I’ve had.
Tip: order an off the menu hot toddy — perfect for a cold wintry day or night.

Sorry to say that everything that was cool and sexy about Kingmans including the healthy pours is gone. We’ve been here 3 times since the change and each time we’ve been, early/​late, midweek/​weekend it’s been a ghost town.
The cocktails are silly and teeny but that’s the new standard for all Oakland bars these days. very annoying. We’ll just hang at The Alley. Cheaper and better drinks and insane wacky space.
From the other reviews it looks like people are digging it so I wish him the best of luck. We won’t be back.

This place is a gem. Great atmosphere and great service. This is a hard combo to find and I work in the customer service industry. They have a great variety of liquor, reasonable prices, and music you actually want to listen to. Oakland has a lot of great spots, but this should be one you rotate into your social calendar.

The drinks are $ 9 and well made. The bartender made a special coffee vodka drink that was great. Happy hour drinks are 7, beers 3 – 5. So it’s great for a small hidden spot for a fancy drink. Happy hour is on weekends also

#72
This place opened during the summer, it used to be the old Kingman’s Lucky Lounge. I have to admit, I loved Lucky’s. It was the first place I visited when I moved to the Lake Merritt area. It was a dive bar with rude bartenders, crazy red walls, dirty bathrooms and cheap drinks. Now, it is something very different.
Me and several friends went for the opening – ONE of the openings hosted by Aric, the new owner, who also owns and operates the Dirty Bird Lounge in Hayward. When he told me what he did to the place I was really apprehensive, I mean, I loved Lucky Lounge. We arrived late in the evening and you could hear the music playing from outside. Aric greeted us at the door with his bouncer and welcomed us in to see the Libertine.
It is really beautiful, considering I know how it looked before that evening. Dark green walls, a wonderful granite bar counter, delicious cocktails served in fun glasses and a great staff. Yvonne, one of the bartenders, I knew from the Dirty Bird. She greeted my guests and me and made amazing drinks and gave us a bunch of info on the new spot. She loved it, and promised we would see her when we visited again.
The bathrooms are remodeled; the interior is welcoming with big comfy couches and cool people littering the entire bar. I will be back and I will bring everyone I know. Great job Aric!
Stephani smiles for Libertine ;)

An nice improvement over kingmans lucky lounge. The cocktails are good, if a bit on the small side. The prices are reasonable. My biggest complaint is at certain hours (not Happy Hour) the music is so loud you can’t hear to whom you are speaking with! It doesn’t matter where you move. You can’t get away from it. It makes for a very unpleasant experience. A bar is for socializing, you can’t if your ears/​head hurt & you can’t hear anyone. This is especially true when at times, there are few people in the place. Myself and at least 3 other friends mentioned the very same thing. The owner Matt is a knowledgable and personable guy. I don’t know the other staff as of yet.

Libertine didn’t intially appeal to me. the dark interior, dim lighting didn’t click till later. Libertine is a smaller, classier version of the Red room near Lake Merritt that has been popular for years.
lots of artisan liquor on the shelf. a DJ may be around on weekends. the equipment is there
HH, 4 – 7
brew: baba black lager (4, can)
–out of state brew, interesting
draught: berkeley bison stout (4)
–bitter due to hops no doubt
–only 4 local beers on tap
on draught: —
–definitely party, dance place when DJ’s spinning
–various types of music played at other times.

A great addition to the neighborhood!!!
I’m so glad this is now here right next to my favorite restaurant!!!

Glad my friends and I decided to stop in on Saturday night. Friendly bouncers, knowledgeable and attentive bartenders, and a DJ spinning some favorites from the 90’s and 2000’s. Not sure if the DJ is a staple, but the music was good, imho! We were dancing up a storm, so if the operators read this: I recommend adding a few fans or installing some cross-​ventilation systems.
Décor is quite classy. I especially heart the copper bar and the narrow drink shelf along the back wall. It had purse hooks! I could sway to the music without spilling and keep an eye on my belongings. So functional.
We’ll be back for more drinks and merriment. Congratulations to the owners on this great addition to Grand Ave.

Wonderful addition to the neighborhood! Friendly bartenders were great — they can mix a solid cocktail and were very welcoming. The interior is a HUGE step up from what it was before.
The sangria was perfect for a warm afternoon and the beer+shot deal for $ 8 is hard to beat! Will definitely be back.

Great new place on Grand — dark interiors with room to stand, sit at the bar, or lounge on comfy leather couches in the back. Small cocktail menu at launch includes Moscow Mule, Last Word, Sailor Jerry Pubch, and Creole. Small, but well put together selected of beers including drafts and local brews.
Cocktails were $ 9 each. The Moscow Mule was refreshing but tart, and the Creole was certainly worth the price (large pour of Four Roses).