Lot 68 Bar & Café

badass. picture a bar in a church basement. absolutely no one would ever go out of their way to come here at all for any reason. no ambiance. food is bad. lighting sucks. nothing to do.
BUT, that means it’s the ONLY totally unpretentious, non-​douchey actual neighborhood bar in downtown berkeley. only locals/​regulars. awesome barkeeps. no nonsense, but plenty of frivolity and hilarity all around. good stuff.

I don’t know how a bar manages an upscale look with a laid back feel but Lot 68 does both beautifully. Looking for a quick cocktail before our reservation and stepped in real quick. The bartender was very friendly and accommodating and the drinks were amazing. Two tvs showing the game was just extra bonus. It’s also right next to the theater so it’s a good pit stop before or after a show.

Surprisingly decent cocktails without any sticker shock. kind of a dive, indoors next to the theater, but no crowds and service with a smile. I ordered this funky take on a bloody mary which was a kind of a spicy tomatoey martini served with two olives and plenty of horseradish. It was really good!
We had some bar apps as well — and while they might not win any James Beard awards, they weren’t half bad. Chicken wings, sweet potato fries and some veggie egg rolls.
Cool lil spot for some pre drinking.

Nice place to grab a few drinks while catching a 21+ movie. The food is good, service is fast, and drinks are strong. Average prices for most drinks, not cheap, but you don’t feel overcharged.
They have a very large selection of liquors along with a good amount of bottled beers available. Great place to have inside of the local movie theater!

Bar in a cinema? Who thought of this ingenious idea?
Even better, they let you bring your surprisingly well-​made and delicious drinks (for a movie theater bar) into certain 21+ screenings of films in their special viewing room, complete with plush Lovesac couches and large cup holders. Score!
I watched an intimate screening of Spike Jonze’s «Her» here and really enjoyed the festive crowd and mood during Oscar season.
«Will Spike Jonze win Best Director?»
«Will Joaquin Phoenix be nominated?»
«That’s Scar Jo’s voice as the computer»
Just some of the whispery breath fodder that I amusedly overheard that night.
They do card you at the ticket booth, at the bar and once again when you pick up your drinks before you enter the theater so young’ns, don’t get any funny ideas.
However, I did see one bearded gentleman waltz in with none of this fuss or hoopla so it’s probably cuz I look young (it’s true, I do).
Lot 68 makes this friendly neighborhood theater on Shattuck (a personal favorite of mine) even more refreshing and unique amidst the highly commercialized industry of cookie cutter Regals and Century Theatres.
If you want something different in your movie-​going experience, or perhaps need a night cap without the film, look no further.
Booze and a movie. What’s not to love?

Solid spot! Good drink selection, good food, the bartenders are friendly, and I can always watch the game! Wish they could stay open later, but I guess the theater thing makes it not so. One of my favorite watering holes in Berkeley, albeit a small one.

Nice ambiance. Food is good. Price is reasonable. And you can take your food inside Shattuck Cinema. Great deal!

A severe word of caution about LOT 68, this a ‘snake pit’ posing as a place to have conversations and beverages about films after viewing them or you can carry drinks into designated cinemas at the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas.
The owner/​manager and staff of LOT 68 are rude, offensive, discriminatory and disruptive to their clients, especially to filmmakers and their associates.
The owner, is a real piece of work, if you like a bullying, intimidating, confrontational, low IQ’d, conversation, then this your kind of place and bartender/​manager, which caters to the sports bar mentality.
If you mistakenly enter this despicable pit, with world class filmmakers, professors, lawyers and cine philes, you are in for a real treat.
These jerks will ethnically profile you, especially if you are Hawaiian, brown skinned or have an IQ higher than 90. The barkeep and owner will then harass, bully and intimidate you, despite the fact that you have purchased their overpriced, bad tasting tap beer and watered down drinks.
The blaring music and flat screens disallow any normal conversation;
when you ask them to lower the volume then the discrimination begins.
I have been a patron of the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas for over 20 years, with Berkeley being the home of the Free Speech Movement,
be very careful what you say in this snake pit, especially if your conversation deals with racial prejudice, the anglo bar keep will then accuse you of disturbing the only other 1 or 2 patrons, that really can’t over hear any other conversation due to the 110 decibel ear crushing music and tv’s.
Landmark needs to seriously review and purge this reprehensible management, as the current format may fly in red neck cracker Texas, but in Berkeley, LOT 68 is a miserable, embarrassing and total failure.

Good place to get a drink the best deal is the $ 6.00 Long Islands the burger and chips is pretty good John the manager will make you feel right at home Jeremy and Ricky the assistants are very friendly and all the regular customers are to great spot.

Friendly bartenders, and a bar full of regulars. Nice for a couple drinks and some interesting conversation. I’ve only tried the food a couple of times, but it was good.

This place has the friendliest bartenders. Plus you can bring food and drinks into the movies… which actually cost less money then popcorn and soda. Can’t beat this place.

ok, this place is def for those who are looking to kill time while waiting for your movie to begin or something. the staff is ok, the food is mediocre. cool place to watch the game i suppose…

The UC Berkeley Alumni group that I’m part of (Cal Alumni Pride) was planning on having a Big Game tailgate outside this year… until the weather took an ugly turn. Less than 12 hours before our event, we were scrambling to find an indoor location in Berkeley that could accommodate all of our guests and that would be serving food/​alcohol and that would have TVs broadcasting the game. I remembered that Lot 68 had been advertising a watch party for this year’s Big Game but wasn’t sure if they’d be open early enough for a pre-​game tailgate or if we’d all be able to congregate here.
The manager (John) and staff were really friendly and incredibly flexible and offered to open a full hour before they were originally scheduled to. They had plenty of drink specials and got into the spirit of the game (let’s not talk about the end result and score — I’m still pissed about it) and didn’t mind some our group’s rowdier tendencies (The Stanford Pride alums had a lot to celebrate, unfortunately).
Totally mellow atmosphere (until we got there) and really friendly people running the place. The next time I’m in Berkeley and have time before a movie at Shattuck Cinemas, I’m definitely stopping at Lot 68 for a beer.

I absolutely love this place! It’s quiet enough that I can go hang out with a friend, but it gets busy on the weekends. The bartender is great and even remembered my friend and my drink orders after weeks of not going. Great service, great vibe, and you can take your drinks into screenings. My favorite bar right now.

I’m sorry to see that people are not liking this place. It is a difficult and awkward location for a bar and I pity the wonderful manager John for his valiant efforts to make it work. The quesadilla was a bit dry, but the drinks were ok for happy hour prices. They extended the happy hour prices for our group, but mainly because we were the only people in the place. I heard that the City gave them the permit on condition that they do not advertise that they serve hard alcohol. Now, that’s a hard pill to swallow for any business. Ya gotta hand it to Berkeley politicos.

Thanks to the Parkway (RIP), we all know how magical it is to view a flick on a comfy couch, beer in hand, pizza in the belly. Since my visit to Sundance Cinema’s Kabuki in SF after their gorgeous renovation, I’ve had fantasies of watching current films while getting tipsy in my very own backyard. I hoped that Lot 68 would be the answer to my prayers.
To my dismay, there was zero ambiance, the spirits selection bored us to tears, drinks were pricey ($ 10 for a cosmo in Berk?!), but most disappointing, libations can only be taken into the theaters on special showings. There goes my Lovesac and whiskey dreams. Shattuck Cinemas, how you tease me so!