Arsimona

We ate here quite awhile ago, but I never posted this review. To summarize, cool décor and lots of potential squandered by HORRIBLE slow, rude service, mediocre food and drinks, overly loud music that made conversation impossible, and a bill that we realized was quite a bit higher than menu prices when we got out to our car (and were never refunded as promised when management was contacted.)
Skip.

This place is horrible! LADIES BEWARE!!! The solely male staffed security is sexist and overly aggressive with women! They find any reason to man-​handle you and beat on you! Join the club/​night life there at your own risk.

Arsimona used to be my jam. I would come here frequently on Tuesdays and have a good time. Tonight my friend had a really bad experience and I requested the manager’s name so I could make a formal complaint. The security guard was incredibly sexist, facetious and would not give me a manager’s name to make a formal complaint. Another gentleman approached me and said that he «wouldn’t let his bitch talk like that» (regarding my increased anger at the lack of empathy from the security guard). I was not inappropriately loud until I realized that all 4’9″ of me was being dominated by large sexist pigs, at which point I walked the eff away. Ladies, be warned, this is not a safe space.

Came here for a birthday party and far as overall experience, the place is alright.
I believe this venue should remain as an evening restaurant because when it turns into an nightclub, the building itself was not properly designed to host that sort of festivity.
The venue is VERY small.
Gets crowded fast (unfortunately with females, I thought I was at an Lesbian club for 2 seconds — Where are the fellas?)
There is NO VENTILATION whatsoever. Its possible to have an asthma attack when its gets crowded and you dont even have to be an asthmatic…
Overly crowded. poorly ventilated clubs usually have, sweaty people (ewww) so BEWARE because the dance floor is the size of an 3ft by 2ft corridor.
The drinks at the bar taste like corn syrup juice. The female bartender makes HORRIBLE drinks. Waste of time because she had a lemon face (sour attitude) as if she was angry that she had to work that night.
…BUT the latin guy made THE BEST drinks, SUPER friendly. He’s a real mixologist that makes you return for more =)
PS– There are TVs randomly dispersed around the area showing commercials that you would see at home, and it gives off the feeling that your at a bar instead of a dance club. There are tables and couches everywhere so it also gives off a lounge/​dining vibe…
FYR to the Guys (for your reference):
No shoes that has a rubber sole are allowed, hard bottom shoes only…

I came here for my sister’s birthday and she had a vip booth for the night. Me and my friends arrived early a little before 11 so that they would only have to pay $ 10. I was free because my sister had about 6 people she could get in for free with the booth.
When we arrived I told the security we were with a party that had a booth and they came over and showed us to the booth. Then the guy who was supposed to be taking care of us in the booth came over and told us he wasn’t bringing out the bottle of alcohol until my sister arrived. We all just looked at him like umm ok… why would we even open her bottle before she arrives?
When she did arrive he brings out the bottle with no ice, no ice scooper and no glasses. We waited to see when he would bring these neccessary items and he never did. While my sister was graciously going around thanking all her guest for coming, my friends I arrived with both got up to ask where the items were.
I was so embarrased that they even felt the need to get up and address the issue and they were guest at the party. After awhile of still no service several other guest begin doing the same and saying how terrible it was that we had no ice or anything on our tables when all the other tables were being taken care of. We asked to speak to the manager and were told that since we weren’t the bday girl our complaints didn’t matter. So someone found out who the owner was and he happened to be there that night. Once he was told all of a sudden our server was more than attentive.
We still had a great night and didn’t let something so small ruin our night but for the price you pay for a booth that should never happen.

The bartenders were skilled. The drinks were strong and it was a good crowd of people on a Tuesday night. They were bring down the house tonight. I had fun. Good job!

First time I came here was for the Pacman fight a few years ago. Had a great time — good crowd.
I don’t know what happened recently, but the crowd definitely seems like it changed. I came here with a friend Friday night @ about 10:30 pm. Cover was $ 20. Seriously!?? I noticed that no one was in there, so we hesitated. Then the girl says she’ll drop it to $ 10. We decided to take the elevator back down with a bunch of girls and the bouncer says, «it’s still early — c’mon, you all can come in for free.»
Well… I’m so glad I did not pay! I hate admitting that I was even there that night. Later on, more people came (no one was dancing though — it was still pretty quiet and majority was women). But dang, some of the things the women were wearing! Apparently some left their clothes at home…
It’s a nice place inside. Great music. But the crowd kills it…

Okay… don’t judge, but me and my friend went here for a night out. BOY were we surprised how hood this place was. From the crowd, to the bouncers, to the bartenders… WOW.
A side from being hood, the below items are things that occurred and might be worth noting:
1) Ass grabbed
2) Ass grabbed by friend of previously mentioned grabber.
3) Group at bar next to me ordered $ 150 in drinks and then ran to the middle of the dance floor to hide.
4) Saw multiple girl’s underwear from the front. *NOTE* None were dancing on a table, speaker or stage. Nor was I laying on the floor (duh?).
5) Woman asked me to order a drink at the bar for her (see below for more details), After the drink arrived she informed me that she didn’t have enough cash to pay me so proceeded to an ATM.
Lastly, I think the wait at the bar was ABSURD. We got there at 11:30ish and were able to order 2 times before closing because we had to wait so long. We easily waited 20 – 30 mins each time. Needless to say we ordered several drinks each time, but still!
Will we go back? Maybe… big fat maybe. But it was kinda fun and really dumb, so why not? But there is no rush… AT ALL. Really. Not even kinda.

If you want to have a good time, STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. What happens at Arsimona is surreal. I was verbally and physically assaulted by the security and management, and my belongings were stolen.
I had decided to get some air because some people were smoking inside the club.
After being out for less than 5 minutes, I showed my ticket to the first bouncer who let me in but then the second bouncer pushed me away and said I could not get back in. I told her that I had my purse and my jacket inside but she yelled that I needed to leave.
During the next 3 hours, I kept begging them to let me in to get my belongings, but all they did is curse me out and ask me to leave.
Finally, around 3 am, some guy let me back in but I was unable to find my purse and my jacket. Note that as I was looking for my stuff, the security was on my back harassing me.
At that point, I bursted into tears and the owner (Tem K.) and the manager came over. I asked them why I was being treated like dirt for no reason. They started yelling at me and the owner told me: «Bitch, get out.»
I am still confused by what happened… I have never experienced this type of «customer service»!!

I have been to this location in the past and had an «okay» time for the most part, which is why I did not give this review one star. I went to this club two weeks ago and had a very bad experience. It was so hot and stuffy inside that you could barely breath. The dance floor was so packed that you could not move or navigate through to the bar or bathroom. It took at least 30 minutes to get to a bartender to get a drink. There was a fight in the bathroom and supposedly outside afterward. There is no seating at all unless you have reserved a group or VIP area.
The one good thing is the music. The music was really good however you could not dance on the extremely crowded dance floor. Go figure.
Upon leaving, security directed us toward the elevator. There were a total of maybe 12 people on this elevator and unfortunately it got stuck. We had to call the fire department to get us out. Fun stuff.

My experience with Arsimonas was pretty cool. I read the reviews so I was prepared for the watered down alcohol, which was true. I was also prepared for issues with our order since there were more than 20 of us. We called a week early to find out what to expect since we had a large party and we had our own cake. First of all the service was impeccable. Management was not so much. We spent more than anyone there between 4−7pm and they had the audacity to mention a $ 20 fee to cut the cake. Really? On top of that the bartender did not fill your drinks to the rim.
I give them 4 stars cause the service was great and I would go again.

There is a reason this place was not sold out on New Year’s Eve, one hour prior to opening.
1. They opened 45 minutes late. This is not a place with a waiting area because is not a restaurant. This was December 31 so no one awaiting Arsimona’s opening was warm.
2. The advertised dinner consisted of 3 appetizers and two entrees. There were no sides (vegetables). Silverware had to be requested.
However, this did all come at $ 57 for last minute, reserved seating. The bartender, whose name escapes me was quite nice and helpful to high maintenance me. I don’t particularly like spirits and have little to no business in a bar. He started emptying the shelves, literally to find something I might like! He single-​handedly salvaged this Unilocal rating.

same owners as Air Lounge. pretty much the same review except for Arsimona isnt as bad as Air Lounge. They also put cheap liquor in there more expensive bottles, so they can charge you for better quality liquor that you are not actually getting.
i think they allow in to many people/​they have no air circulation aside from a few open windows. i came in looking nice, in 2.5minutes my hair was totally sweated out. everyone was sweating and stickey.
i’ve been there for friends birthdays several times. they’ve paid for a «VIP BOOTH», and to have a few friends come in free of charge. but EVERYTIME you get to the door, theres some sort of issue, or they cant find your name, and they bullshit you into paying there $ 20 cover, even if its past midnight. I’m no cheapskate, but I really dont feel Arsimona OR Air Lounge are the type of places that I would pay a cover for. Especially with Downtown Oakland/​Uptown coming up with so many nice/​free places.
also a little too hood for my taste. rather check out Radio, Somar, Ruby Room, Bar 355, Make Westing, New Parish, or The Uptown, all in the same area but no cover, so much more fun and a better crowd.

I love this spot! I got bottle service on July 22^nd for my sister’s birthday and would do it again for any occasion. The owner was really nice and our server was very attentive. Security made sure to keep random people from wandering into our area in VIP so that was nice.
I come here on Friday nights for their weekly party promoted by Big Dave Presents/​Essence Entertainment and always have fun. Arsimona is the place to be on a Friday in the East Bay. There is always a cool vibe here. everyone comes dressed up and has a good time, there’s great music, and most importantly it’s drama free. I haven’t seen or experienced any fights so far (which is typical for Oakland) and have yet to see any white T’s or Jordans in this place. The crowd is controlled well and the management takes pride in their reputation so I’ll be coming back regularly.

The place itself has a pretty good setup. Lots of TVs with sports playing, and a good happy hour menu…
Buuuut, they were out of mint for the mojitos on a friday afternoon and the waiter had somehow overcharged us on the happy hour items which took a bit of time to resolve.
Would I go back again? Probably not anytime soon.

I haven’t been her for over a year and I came here on a Friday night. Good music, friendly people, nice bouncers. Pretty ladies with tight dresses all fixed up and well dressed good looking black men. What more can you ask for.
I had a really good time and will for sure be coming back in the future. Bartenders are also really down to earth and pleasant. I had a really good time. =)

I was taken aback when I attended a birthday party at this establishment and saw how the hired security treated my friend like a common criminal. After my friend spent over $ 700 plus dollars at this place in the so called VIP section, with no place to dance within the section, and nor was there any seating space for paying customers not seatied in VIP. No one wants to stand all night long.
I cannot believe that men working security here could be so utterly disrespectful to woman. This shows signs that they were not loved by their mothers to be putting their hands on females (in an aggressive form and fashion) when they should have some sort of female staff to assist in situations that arise, if needed.
I will never patron this place ever again. I hope that this situation will never happen to any other beautiful female (s) that step foot in the door of this horrific place with such poor management that cannot keep the hired help in check and lack of interpersonal skills thereof.

where is the «no star» button when you need one???
This place has to be one of the worst places that i’ve ever been to. The staff (mainly security) is very rude & disrespectful. I don’t know if it’s a power trip or what, but what makes a BIG 270+ pound security guard manhandle a FEMALE?
Yes, on 6÷25÷11 a security guard rough-​housed a petite female to the ground (i kid you not).
I should have know that this place was SUSPECT after security supposedly broke up a fight between two males & allowed them to stay on the premises. Security didn’t even touch the two guys who were brawling. They just shined their cheap flashlights on the guys & told them to break it up. But an hour later, a female is forced to the ground & treated like a rag doll.
As a patron, i couldn’t believe what i witnessed that night. To make matters even worse, the manager was just as bad as his security. Mangement added fuel to the fire by being insulting & standing behind the decision that his security team made in regards to dealing with the female that was basically «assaulted» by security at the establishment.
This incident did not personally involve me but after seeing how they treat their paying customers, i will never go back there.
After reading prior reviews, i see that this behavior is common at this wack establishment…

I just reluctantly hosted a Retirement party at Arsimona’s and the evening was OK-​ish I’m going to give them 3 stars because no one complained and some of the confusion may have been my fault for going thru a friend and not dealing directly with the owners.
First of all let me say that all the employees were very nice and helpful and the food was actually OK.
My only 3 problems are the event was suppose to start at 6:00 p.m. but when I arrived at 5:30 no one seemed to no what I was talking about.
Seating was a little disorganized we had to play musical chairs moving from one section to another.
Also their was a live band that was supposed to play chicago style step music and they weren’t really good at all. I thought that the band would have some type of following but they didn’t, most of the people there were there for the retirement party I was hosting.
Now I must also say that even though Arisimona had plenty of time to plan for my event (I think, I dealt with a go between and not directly with club) things were throwed together at the very last minute, but I must also say we paid them at the very last minute too and they were willing to work with us on pricing.
Really all in all I think most of the miss comunication came from me and not them but there were a few things they could have also done better.

They’re a great happy hour/​sports bar spot. It’s a pretty cool place to lounge around with a chill décor.
They have a good set of flat screens good for watching games, and I believe they have the NFL subscription during football season. I’ve enjoyed their happy hour appetizers menu like their sliders and wings and a decent set of cocktails. Good beer selection too.
I’ve had one experience during last year’s NBA Playoffs when it was packed and it took forever to get served. I do want to give them a little slack because it was abnormally packed, but they should have figured that when they show the games and are known as being a sports bar in the afternoon.

OK, Arsimona you get 3 stars because I dig your modern décor, and because the Boston Celtics won the day I patronized your establishment.
We sat down and after our order is taken the server asks to «hold» a credit card. We had not even been served our food… rude.
I will say they do have a number of large screen TVs throughout the bar for your viewing convenience. Arsimona if you have to ask your patrons for a credit card before their food arrives due to your problem with dine and dashers, perhaps you need to beef up your security. Rude… very.very.rude.