The Ruby Room

Grimy dive that is just my cup of tea, although by the time I got there, around 1030, everyone was already completely hammered. Wasn’t too packed but by the time 1130-​12 hit, it was like a swarm of ants came in and it got insanely crowded. Still cool spot, but loud.

Oh ruby room. Definitely my favorite joint to meet MC’s, SC’s, and other organizations. The east bay rays MC has deep roots here and by proxy makes this a great joint to meet interesting folk. One of the owners is the president and Co founder of the mc. Great staff. The smoking room is dope. Every Wednesday is rockabilly, country western, and rock n roll vinyl night from hawk valentine. Be sure to check it out.

5 stars for the drinks. They are strong and CHEAP. $ 4 for a gin and tonic. That’s cheaper than a beer at most places!
I went on a Friday night and the music was an interesting mix of early 2000’s R&B and some stuffs that I had never heard before. It was sort of hit or miss. It would start off with Shaggy «Wasn’t Me» then would abruptly change to some tribal beat type deal. Maybe I’m ignorant to good music or not cultured. Maybe cultured people enjoy the music more. All I know is I’m most happy when old school Nelly is playing uninterrupted for the entire night but maybe that’s just me.
Plea to the manager: PLEASE stop letting people in when the place is saturated. The bar is tiny. By 11 pm it was nearly impossible to move yet I noticed the bouncer letting more and more people in. We ended up leaving because it was so crowded and hot and not worth it :/​
Still, I give the place the 4 stars because I like the laidback vibe, the cheap drinks, and the hip hop/R&B jams.

Props to bartender Tyler for perfect pours on the two Rye whisky’s I ordered. Also kick ass selections on the taps with the two IPA’s, Line 51 Dub Nation & Ghost Town Citra IPA. I hope you guys advertise what the DJ is playing on each day of the week. Just primarily into Rock, Goth, Post Punk, Metal.

This place is about as divey as it gets. Thanks to the (almost) total darkness, you gotta expect all kinds of interesting and vulgar things are going on in this bar. The vibe is down and dirty and I dig it.

I dig it here. Cheap happy hour from 4−9pm, they have Manhattan (my kinda drink), Martini, Lemon drop and Margarita all for $ 5. It’s really dark when you first walk in but your eyes will adjust eventually and all you see is the red lighting. There are pool tables all the way in the back but it’s also where the smokers are which I’m not a fan of cigarette smoke so I stay away from there. DJ plays music after 10 or something like that and there’s a small dancefloor so it gets packed around that time. Bartenders and security were pretty friendly. I don’t like that the bathroom only has one stall and can get pretty nasty but hey, it’s to be expected at any bars right! It’s a good spot to go to after work to decompress or meet up with friends for a good night and parking is always easy to find.

I Iove the ambience of this place. The bartenders are very friendly and serve some delicious drinks. The crowd is also very relaxed and friendly. Hadn’t been there in a while and it seems like the place did some serious upgrades. This is the best dive bar in Oakland, hands down.

This place was great. Kinda crowd you had forgotten about think lower haight in the mid 1990’s with prices to boot. They also have a backroom for smokers and tokers will appreciate. The music was very good hit hop.

Really rad place! Definitely will come back again. Seemed like a chill Punk Bar, good vibes, when I was there. Service was good, prices were reasonable. Would definitely recommend it if I knew someone was in the area!

Creepers creeping in a way too smokey room, and I’m a smoker. Good music and good drinks though.

Hands down the best bar I’ve been to in Oakland. Dark, smoky, & cheap. This is everything a bar should be.

Always a nice crowd in the Ruby Room. What’s even better than a nice crowd? A nice fire ON THE BAR! That’s right folks, the bartender lights the bar on fire… very dramatic. They also have pool and a juke box. Bartenders are chill and skilled. Check it out; Ruby won’t disappoint :)

We didn’t make it into the annual Autumn Lights Festival and were waiting in line in the cold with 1,000+ people. We left and took a stroll on Lake Merrit and decided to continue the night in a better fashion. We weren’t sure what to expect and I didn’t brush up on my Unilocal reviews of this place, however, didn’t think it was too bad of an idea.
We walked in and the place is completely dark. You can literally piss or barf in the corner somewhere of at the bar, and no one would even notice it. The light bulbs were all red tinted, which made the whole place blood red. It’s def. appropriate for it’s name… and for Halloween.
There was no music that night, unfortunately, because drinking and dancing is always a great pair. The drinks were cheap, the bartender was friendly, and clientele was «freakish». Maybe it was just the lighting. The place is small in size, not sure where the dance floor would have taken place if there was a DJ playing that night.
We grabbed drinks and headed to a closed off back side where pool and chain smoking took place. The crowd was decent, mostly groups of friends hanging out. However, the tables were mostly covered in grossness and the seats weren’t too clean either, but it’s a dive bar– that’s how they get the label right?
I can see this place as a good stop on a night of bar hopping, maybe to pre-​game and have smokes indoors, but definitely not a place to just hang out at all night.

A hipsterish establishment that’s super, super dark. So dark, in fact, that you’d half expect to see the Milky Way galaxy hovering overhead as if you were on a middle school stargazing trek somewhere super remote.
But instead of worrying about zombies popping out of the forest like you did on those dark stargazing treks, you’ll have to deal with, well, hipsters and other more borderline types, who for all you know could indeed be walking zombies after a drink or a joint or two. The dim red lighting doesn’t accentuate people’s best features, and you never know if people are staring at you just because they’re also having a hard time seeing, or if they really really are creepy.
I appreciate that there are divey places like this in Oakland, but I also appreciate that there are many other places in Oakland to choose from that are more happening and more my style.

How have I not reviewed The Ruby Room yet? This is the place I always end up at the end of the night if I want to dance. Kinda seedy but always fun.

Hey, Bartender chick socializing with her friends with her back to me. (For over 10 mins)
You suck and you’re not as cool as you think. You saw us and went about hooking your friends up with free drinks. You should be fired.
As for the bar, loved the dingy vibe with the added hip hop. Usually, dives like this play metal which is what I’m used to.
Too bad they didn’t know who I was.

Favorite bar of all time. Lolololol to all the people who gave this place a bad review. Stay away then, yuppies.
Cheap drinks, great music, diverse crowd, efficient bartenders. Don’t listen to what anyone else says.

Horrible. Requested fun dance music for the ladies completely crowded AROUND the deserted dance floor. The DJ took a full 15 MIN to transition to dance party tunes that filled the dance floor for half an hour. Everyone was so happy! Then the dirge of indulgent «ni**a ni**a blessed pu*sy» — you can’t make this up, music that cleared the floor. When asked WTF I was told there was a ‘formula’ to get people to the bar. Horrible club. Terrible drinks. If you want to dance, look elsewhere. The DJ is faaaaaaaar too into himself to keep the peeps happy to dance :(

Dropped in on a Sunday night. Had my typical hankering for some quality whisky. No disappointment here! Top shelf is just that. The Irish Redbreast has its place, along with Japan’s most renown, globally recognized, Yamazaki 12 yr/​old. Beyond that, they also has Mac 12 and Bushmills. Can’t go wrong with that!
There must be a real brain hiding behind this operation. As the Japanese might put it: !

Great «dive bar»! Wouldn’t have known about this place if I wasn’t brought here. No sign on the outside so you wouldn’t think to come in. So dark inside. There is a smoking lounge (did we go back in time??) But you can stay clear of that and just hang by the bar and the front area, no detection of any smoke so no problem! Drinks are affordable. Music is a throwback, but overall a good place to start/​end the night!