Tribune Tavern

The food is good. I’ll give it that!
But the service is so amazingly bad that it overshadows the quality of the food entirely.
I’ve dined in the restaurant about 9 times, only because my boss likes to take the office to lunch there once in a while and hes paying. Every.time. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME .-the servers are basically ignoring you as much as they can get away with. I’ve decided they give you a big thing of water so they can forget about you.
The last time we came in the server came 1x to ask how things were. When we told her our food was fatty she just walked away. Eventually we had to ask another server for togo boxes and refills who then told our server. After our bill was paid we would have liked more water and some drink refills while we hung out a bit, but our waitress was not to be seen again. I don’t know. Ive never been a server so maybe thats how it goes. After a table pays the bill you just wait for them to leave?
I will get food to go. But I would never dine in here if I had to pay for service like this. Hopefully the owners will realize they need new servers ASAP. And more of them!
Maybe if you sit at the bar things would be better? I mean, I really hope it couldn’t get worse.

Things seemed pricey but once you try it, you understand why.

Very awesome fro groups, dinner is always crackin and done right. Drink slangers are all super cool and friendly!

Large bar area, friendly greeters and service, and delicious food round out the reasons I will keep coming back to Tribune Tavern. The drinks are not cheap ($ 8 for a well or $ 6 – 8 for a beer), so don’t show up for drinking.
If you can’t stomach spending $ 20 on an entrée, go for a salad or an appetizer. The portions are actually pretty big for the $ 10 price point — about the same size as the entrees for half the price. The kale salad was fantastic, and the portion was large enough that it kept me busy for a good 20 minutes munching away. I forgot to order the dressing on the side but they used exactly the right amount of dressing and distributed it perfectly evenly, so I didn’t even realize a dressing miracle had occurred until daydreaming about the kale salad days later.
They also have TVs above the bar if you want to watch some BBall while you dine.
Oh, and during Oakland restaurant week, you can add unlimited wine to your $ 35 prix fixe for $ 10!

We went here for restaurant week and couldn’t ask for a better experience.
Hostess started our experience off right, she moved us when someone wanted a particular seat and was very nice to chat with.
Our waiter was fantastic and very accommodating when we got sad and saw they had a different soup on the menu than their lobster bisque. He quickly switched that out for us. The soup was AMAZING, one of the best soups I’ve had in a while. My boyfriend who hates truffle (WHA?!) loved the soup as well. Our main was the short ribs which had a few pieces that were overcooked and some that were perfect hence the reduction in a star. The crème brûlée was fantastic and light… major compliments to the chef.
And the bottomless wine was a great deal and the waiter wasn’t stingy on refills which can definitely happen at some other places. I loved my beer recommendation and i’m on the hunt for it at the stores now.
The Manager was very friendly and checked on us a few times and said farewell as we left.
I was apprehensive about this place even though I’d been there for a happy hour but now i’m a fan and will be back!

I’ve always loved seeing the iconic Tribune building lit up at night in Oakland and had been wanting to try Tribune Tavern for a long time. I finally came with a friend for their special prix fixe menu during Oakland Restaurant Week. Oh my, the wait was both worth it and way too long! The 3-​course menu included a couple of choices for soup/​salad and entrée, and one dessert option. Every course was perfect. We started with lobster bisque which we’d originally seen online as one of the options, but which had been replaced by mushroom soup on the menu that was presented to us. Fortunately, we asked about it and were told that the restaurant had decided to make a change so there would be more vegetarian options on the limited prix fixe menu, but we could still get the lobster bisque if we liked. So glad we asked! Substantial portions of rich, velvety soup was served in a tureen with a puff pastry topping that was crispy and buttery but yet still melted away. This may have been my favorite part of the meal, but hard to compare to the pan-​fried sea bass served with creamy risotto. These were both perfectly seasoned with just the right texture to every component. The luscious crème brûlée was a nice, finishing touch to an excellent meal in this historical landmark.

Came here for restaurant week and got the 3-​course pre-​fixe dinner for $ 30. I started with the Mushroom soup, the sea bass, and the crème brûlée to finish it off. The sea bass was delicious and a pretty big portion, but the other 2 were just ok and not memorable.
The restaurant is a bit confusing to me, because the prices are alittle pricey and the ambiance nice, but it mixes in with big screen Tvs like a sports bar. The service was below expectation for a nice restaurant, but if it was going for the nice sport bar, then service meets the expectation. They didn’t really check up on us and they probably didnt care becuase for restaurant week, we were charged 18% gratuity on the invoice anyqays for good or bad service.
Would I be back, I doubt it. It was nice to try it our during restaurant week.

Came here for dinner with a couple friends, and damn, it was good. For starters, we had guilty fries, butternut squash ravioli, drunken shrimp, and a little gems salad. The salad was good, not overly dressed, and the cheese in there was super fresh. The drunken shrimp was amazing. The shrimp themselves were nothing super special, it was the combination with the beet tartar and lemon vinaigrette that made it phenomenal. I went into the dish thinking beet tartar??? How good could this be? And it went above and beyond what I thought. The ravioli was perfectly cooked, and the filling and butter sauce were great. The fries were crispy, even with the sauces on top of it.
For dinner, I had the kalbi braised short ribs. It was really tender, the marinade on it was well done, and not overpowering. The coconut rice was really good, and made for a better combination with the meat then regular rice would have.
Service was great, and all in all, I’d definitely come back here.

My favorite place to go for happy hour. Their margarita pitcher is the bomb and perfect to share. Their margaritas are the best in town. Hands down. Also, the guilty fries? Hmm mmm mmmmmmmmmmm! The wings too. So yeah, that’s basically my order: margarita pitcher, guilty fries and wings when I go with friends to chill or watch a Warriors game.
The spot is self is casual sexy. It’s a place I take out of town visitors and also a place I do business meetings when I want to leave a certain type of impression :) Hmm, also a good place for a first date you’re trying to impress.
Yeah…i like this spot.

Classy, energetic & vibrant. Food & service are great. Kale salad is very delicious. Perfect amount for 2 people. I always add a side of roast/​grill chicken to make it as an entrée. Sometimes the chicken is juicy. Sometimes the chicken is very dry. Fish & chips is also very good. 4 pieces of fresh fish & lightly battered. Prices are not too pricey. Plenty of large screen TV’s. We would definitely come back again.

This place has a wonderful happy hour! Came here for my sister’s birthday and, though everyone else was late getting there, the G&T’s I was ordering were not. House made tonic? Sign me up. And do yourself a favor and order the guilty fries, they were scrumptious. And I may have ordered two rounds, ahem.
Our waitress was super attentive and able to accommodate the odd request (See: Ordering a separate side of mashed potatoes for the birthday girl in secret to be delivered upon arrival of her dinner.)
Everything was tasty, and happy hour was from 3 — 7.
Though word to the wise, on a thursday, this place booked up, so I’d recommend making reservations if you’re not just there for happy hour!

Been here three times for brunch, and the last time was pretty mediocre. Service was extremely slow.
Easy parking on Sunday in downtown Oakland.
Pancakes were good, and you get a ton!
Won’t be back though. Any place that charges for refills on sodas and iced tea… no thanks.

Quite the large venue, Tribune does a number of things well. First, it was one of the official Warriors bars during the recent playoffs and could easily accommodate large crowds both from a service standpoint as well as a viewing perspective, with large screens everywhere in the establishment. Moreover, it’s quite a good bar too, with a large menu of quality cocktails like the Front Page and Vic’s Fix. Next, food offerings like the po’boy are quite decent as well, and are quite worth the price given what you get. Happy hour deals on both drinks and food are an added bonus.
When things aren’t extremely busy, like during sports playoffs, this would be a perfect venue to have a semi-​private gathering with a large group, as I did recently with an informal group happy hour, which the servers here were happy to accommodate. Definitely a solid choice in a downtown area that’s brimming with many good choices already.

Went to happy hour with a friend. The interior is gorgeous and our bartender made delicious margaritas. It was also nice to see solo people at the bar getting good service.
But after being really attentive at first, we hardly saw our bartender and his counterparts were lackluster.
Then, the food. We shared the guilty fries and pulled pork sliders. Portions were good but the food was so flavorless and greasy. If I’m going to indulge, at least make the food that will clog my arteries taste good.

I can mainly comment about them as a bar, not restaurant. I haven’t really tried. I’ve gone there for drinks and for Warriors watching parties. They have a good beer and whiskey selections (my drinks of choice).
During the Warriors playoff run they gave out a bunch of free swag (t-​shirts, posters, noise makers) and the room was packed and had a good atmosphere. To watch sports I love that they play the game audio instead of playing house music. As far as sports watching, they have plenty of TV’s.
My friend called a few days ahead and was able to reserve a table in the bar area.
For the last couple times I went there I tried their bar bites (cracker jacks, pretzels, calamari). Decent things to snack on, the pretzels are pretty large but they’re really salty.

Came in to watch the warriors game and the atmosphere was electric! However, be sure to make a reservation during finals season, or they won’t let you in. Happy hour menu had a lot of yummy options, the sliders were to die for an the calamari was amazing. Happy hour prices are not too bad and the waiter was always near. I’ll be comin back for sure to try more on the menu.

Amidst the GSW journey to the NBA Finals, friend and I ended up at Tribune Tavern to watch a game after work. TT is named one of the watch party locations and there was definitely enough Warriors swag to go around. Boom sticks were everywhere! More importantly, the place was packed with fans and the air was buzzing with energy! The place is smaller than most sports bars so I would recommend getting there well before tipoff unless you don’t mind standing around at the bar. There were enough flatscreens in the bar and main dining areas but if you were seated on the sides near the kitchen, may not be able to see the tvs.
What I liked most about TT was that they had a good selection of wines both from the bottle and on tap. I had a glass of Terra Divina Reds (Zinfandel/​Carignane/​Petit Sirah) and thought it was quite good. They are also a fully stocked top shelf bar along with lots of beers on tap as well. Friend ordered a Grey Hound. I thought the service was OK, considering that it was a packed house with lots of commotion going on. Expect noise level to be high during game time. The guy bartender was super awesome as he was hustling around taking orders and getting them out to patrons quickly.
As for the food, we only ordered three plates to nosh on. I’d say pretty standard bar fare. Deviled eggs were alright. I liked how they served it on a bed of lightly dressed (lemon vinaigrette) mixed greens. Buffalo wings were good as well. Wings were fried perfectly — not greasy. The chicken meat was tender and juicy. Buffalo sauce had a nice kick. Friend also had the kale salad, but I did not try it.
Overall, good place to go for food/​drinks. Fun to go watch the Warriors game with other fans. Wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to eat there normally, but would stop by if I was in the neighborhood. Great location in the heart of downtown Oakland. It’s walking distance to the Bart station as well. Street parking is available but there is also a garage across the street,. You can also park in the garage at the Renaissance Plaza 2 blocks away in Chinatown ($ 2 flat rate fee after 5pm on weekdays).

Dinner with some friends last week. Very convenient to BART although I recommend a buddy to walk with at night. The bar area was pretty crowded — obviously this is a hot spot for happy hour. We got there around 6:45 and it seemed like people were getting ready to leave. We didn’t have a reservation but were able to get a table in the dining room without issue.
I had a gin cocktail (the name of which I can’t recall) and the fish and chips.
The food portion was quite large. Another friend also got the fish and chips and a better plan would have been to get a salad and split 1 order. Hindsight is ²⁰⁄₂₀. Learn from my mistakes people.
Service was excellent. The atmosphere was lively but not too noisy (at least in the dining room) and comfortable. Would definitely return.

Nice spot on a sunny East Bay day for lunch with the available outdoor seating and big windows that open to the interior seating area. Good selection of items on the lunch menu and food was executed well. Also a well stocked being a school day I didn’t really peruse the drink menu.
Waitstaff and hostess were friendly and orders were brought out quickly.
Worth a try if you are in the area.

11÷7÷14. Dinner
Trying out new places in our new twin Oakland. Tribune has been recommended to me by different people. It’s a comfy food type of place in the historic Oakland Tribune building. They serve comfort food, lots (I mean lots, a full page) of beers on tap and wine.
*Tavern Burger ($ 14) Aged cheddar melted on pink interior medium patty. Neither of us was thrilled about that bacon jam/​spread with the weird sweet taste. Otherwise the burger was good
*Fish & Chips ($ 17) had four pieces of deep fried white cod. Fish is kept juicy underneath that thin batter. Well done. I just thought the portion should be bigger at this price.
Drinks were good – and they should be that they boast over 100 different kinds of vodka. Moscow Mule has perfect ratio between the Ginger ale and liquor. Stintsbury Pinot on tap ($ 12 a glass) is just ok, lacking body and the glass is awfully small, like no more than 4 oz. Really?
Overall a good place for happy hour and a light meal. I’m surprised the price is steeper than what I pay for for sane kind of food in San Francisco.