Cato's Ale House
Oakland, CA 94611
Phone: (510) 655-3349
- Cross Street:
- Vista Avenue
- Hours:
- Sat-Thu 11:30am-12pm, , Fri 11:30am-1am
Editorial Review for Cato's Ale House – by Amanda Scotese
The Scene
The bright lighting, historic boxing and baseball photos, and wood decor make for a laid-back watering hole. The crowd is diverse; college kids, couples, solo older men and off-duty professionals huddle around wooden tables. Unlike most standard bars, it's busiest after work and calm on the weekends. There's never a cover charge.
The Draw
On various nights of the week, the sounds of live jazz, bluegrass or Latin groups meld with the chatter into a loud, rumbling hum. Liquor isn't available, but there are 23 beers on tap (mostly American microbrews), hard cider and a decent wine selection--all possibilities that could go well with the house-made vegetarian chili, pizza and burgers.
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Insider Tips
Save MoneyEvery Tuesday, a certain beer is featured. Cato's may offer a free glass with the beer's logo when customers order a pint, in addition to discounted prices.
Know Before You GoLive groups usually play Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons. No cover.
The ExtrasCato's offers free Wi-Fi access, so bring your laptop and surf the Web while enjoying some brews.
User Reviews for Cato's Ale House
12/30/2005 Posted by beerandwineguy
Cato's has the best beer selection. Although it's not the biggest beer selection, it is eclectic and there is always something on draft that I love - like Lagunitas Czech Pils, Anderson Valley Belk's ESB, Jamaica Red, Drake's 1500 Pale Ale and Racer 5 IPA. If they don't have your favorite beer, take the opportunity to try something new (they let you taste beers if you want.) The winelist has some good wines for the price and it has a suprisingly varied selection. The pizzas kick butt, and I think their caesar dressing is the best I've ever had. Oh, and I love the Buffalo wings too. Overall, Cato's is a cool pub for those that know about it where you can see free live music a couple times a week. It's a good place if you are single too - lots of hot girls for some reason...
Pros: Beer Selection, Good Music, ComfortableAtmosphere
Cons: Parking, Can Get Crowded
12/15/2005 Posted by barbeedoo
I've been going to Cato's for years. It's part of life and I love the place. So I don't know what some of the other reviewers are talking about. Our experience is so different! For example, someone complained, among other things, that the clientele was diverse. This is bad???? I love the food, especially the salads and the pizza. According to a banner outside Cato's has been voted best bar food several times in the East Bay Express. As for the service and the speed with which food arrives, the kitchen does get backed up and sometimes, yes, stressed when things get busy. But that's the kicker. The place is generally packed at night, and sometimes during the day. And it's always full of regulars like me. So they must be doing something right.
Pros: Good value, Tasty food, beer selection
Cons: Scarce parking
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