No disrespect to the other great outdoor drinking spots in Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area — and there are many. But Drake’s Dealership may be the new standard for what we think of when we say “beergarden.”
I was invited to a media/friends preview, so my experience was colored by knowing a lot of people there and not having to pay. It’s notable, though, that a bunch of jaded beer insiders were still impressed. I heard a lot of “this really is beautiful” and “I can see why this took them so long” and “I didn’t know it would be this BIG.” When the sun set I think the collected group might have made Instagram explode.
Just another crappy day in the Bay Area
The space, the parts and service department of an old Dodge dealership (hence the name) seats hundreds but will probably still be crowded a lot of the time. In contrast to the vibe at Drake’s brewery, which they proudly call “more gritty than pretty,” this is a spot for the hip Oakland of now. Which means some people may find it too cool for regular consumption, but even those people have occasional out-of-town guests to impress, right? And if your friends love beer, you can be sure you will be invited to gatherings here. A lot.
Don’t call it a brewpub (no beer is brewed onsite) but this is very much a beer destination and not just another pretty face. The early days featured all Drake’s beers, but in the future the 32 taps will include guest breweries. The following Drake’s beers are intended to be on tap year-round, forming a crowd-pleasing base for an otherwise rotating taplist: Oaklander Weisse, Hella Helles, Hefe, Blonde, Amber, Red Eye, 1500 pale, IPA, 7×70 IPA, Denogginizer double IPA, Nitro Stout, Black Robusto porter, and Drakonic imperial stout. Beers are a reasonable $6 for 20 oz or 12 ounce glasses, depending on style and strength, and 4 ounce pours are available for $2. And yes, they fill growlers (starting next week), as well as selling six-packs and bombers of bottled beers.
Like the beer list, the food menu covers many bases…burgers, salads, fries, snacks, and some really tasty wood-oven pizza. Mains are mostly in that moderate $10-14 price range the Bay Area does so well, though the duck leg confit sounds worth every bit of its $18.
Drake’s Dealership is at 2325 Broadway in Oakland, a short walk from 19th Street BART, at the back left of the massive new Hive complex. What do you mean you haven’t been there yet? Get going! Bring the kids, bring the dogs (outside only), hell, bring your gluten-free friend for wine on tap. You can follow the Dealership on Facebook.
Geez, yet another entry for the “must-visit” list. Falling further and further behind. Finally just made it to the Hop Grenade only a few weeks ago, for cripes sake. Still haven’t been to Mare Island, or Fieldwork, or Altamont, or Linden Street, or…
I haven’t been to Mare Island or Altamont yet either!