Diners' Choice: Best Ambience restaurants in East Bay

OpenTable

Updated 05 March 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best ambience in East Bay? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyses nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favourite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you book, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Commis Bar

5.0

5 (40)

$50 and over

Californian

Oakland

About the restaurant

With only 10 bar height chairs at the cocktail bar, the COMMIS BAR experience offers a fixed 4-course menu highlighting some the best seasonal Northern California ingredients through modern and classic cooking techniques.

Diners at the bar are invited for 1.5 to 2 hours over the entire course of the meal with the shorter fixed menu compared to our full length DINING ROOM menu experience.

Top review

DanielVIP

Dined on 19 Feb 2025

I love Commis Bar. The service is friendly and top notch. The food is excellent and the wine pairings are perfect. It ain’t cheap, though cheaper than the adjoining dining room. But what the hell! Treat yourself once in a while.

Sun Moon Studio

5.0

5 (37)

$50 and over

Californian

Oakland

About the restaurant

Sun Moon Studio is a farmer and producer-driven restaurant in West Oakland by Chefs Alan Hsu and Sarah Cooper.

We offer a multi-course tasting menu for $150 per person in our intimate 4 table dining room. An optional beverage pairing is available for $90 per person.The focus of our menu is to highlight the bounty of local producers and farmers through the lens of our life experiences.

We are happy to adjust our menu to dietary restrictions, but require advanced notice. Please let us of your party's dietary restrictions when making a reservation so we may plan for your arrival.

We are looking forward to cooking for you!

Alan and Sarah

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 4 days ago

Tasting menu was phenomenal. Will be thinking about this meal for a long time.

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Experience

Sun Moon Studio Tasting Menu

Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge

4.9

4.9 (430)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Alameda

About the restaurant

About
Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge is a tropical vacation spot right in the middle of your hometown! Serving award-winning, world famous classic and exotic cocktails along with many original recipes, along with some tasty snacks, Forbidden Island is a retro-oasis in the desert of your busy modern day! Now open indoors (seated capacity only) as well as outdoors in our Tiki Garden/ Patio, 7 days a week.

* Please note that all reservations are limited to 90 minutes for groups of 1-3 and 2 hours for groups of 4-8.

Top review

Rochelle

Dined on 1 Mar 2025

We had a fantastic time. Great drinks. Perfect combo of bar snacks. Clean, including the restrooms. Can’t wait to go back!

Noka Ramen

4.8

4.8 (171)

$30 and under

Ramen

Oakland

About the restaurant

Hello Gorgeous,
At NōKA Ramen, our mission is to introduce Bay Area with our “Hakata” Tonkotsu style — creamy and rich pork broth; pairing with HOMEMADE artisan noodles — smooth, firm and bouncy texture; using Japanese techniques to deliver our guests the golden experience.

Come for noods, stay for cocktails!

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined on 1 Mar 2025

Such amazing ambience and the fastest service we’ve ever had. Our waiter was amazing. He took our photos and gave us the best recommendations for food and hangouts in the area too. We had the best time.

Shadowbrook Winery

4.8

4.8 (574)

$50 and over

Winery

Walnut Creek

About the restaurant

Shadowbrook Winery has become the East Bay’s most decorated winery with over 75 medals. Shadowbrook is a small production family-owned winery located in the foothills of Mt. Diablo. We offer a diverse selection of exceptional red wines, along with some fantastic white wine options. Whether you're looking for a wine tasting experience, a glass or bottle to enjoy, or even a variety of local beers on draft, we’ve got something for everyone. Pair it all with our excellent food menu for the perfect experience.
We offer various seating options all with beautiful views of Mt. Diablo and our vineyards. There truly isn't a bad seat in the house! Most seating is outdoors to enjoy the scenery, with covered patios, shade, and umbrellas for warm days, plus heaters, a fireplace, and fire pits for cooler weather. We also offer indoor seating, though it does not have the same views. All seating is first-come, first-served. Please note we are reservation-only, so plan ahead!

Top review

Kazuko

Dined 2 days ago

It was my first time visiting this place. The view of the vineyard was beautiful and we enjoyed the wine and food very much. They helped us select a red wine and dishes for us. The weather was great and time passed quickly.

Pizzaiolo - Oakland

4.9

4.9 (667)

$31 to $50

Italian

Oakland

About the restaurant

**Please note we are walk-ins only**

We at Pizzaiolo believe that the simple act of feeding people is at the core of what it is to be human. We focus on the ritual of taking life from the world around us and presenting it to you to sustain your own life.

When the day is done, the thinking that seems to matter most is that we are taking part in a web of human interaction. The food you eat at Pizzaiolo is 100% down-home human-made.

Top review

AustinVIP

Dined on 15 Feb 2025

One of our favorite restaurants in Oakland. Every time we go, Pizzaiolo always wows us with their food. They have a rotating seasonal menu, but if you are lucky enough to be there the same day they have their meatballs, you will not regret ordering them. So good! I always seek out less spirit forward drinks from their bar since they can be quite strong, but any server we have has been more than willing to help us out. And save room for desert - never disappointed!

Claremont Lobby Bar

4.6

4.6 (38)

$50 and over

American

Berkeley

About the restaurant

The historic Claremont Lobby Lounge & Bar sets the tone for a sophisticated evening, serving up signature craft cocktails, light bites and a selection of local craft beer and wine. Join us after dinner for a nightcap, or gather with friends over a glass of champagne while you take in the sweeping San Francisco Bay views.

Top review

Mackenzie

Dined on 29 Dec 2024

We had a wonderful experience enjoying holiday tea at the Claremont Hotel. It is a pricey treat, but we really enjoyed every minute. The rainy day outside made the vibe even more cozy and comfortable. Food was lovely and enjoyable and varied. Tea was really magical! Hope to do again someday.

Bardo Lounge & Supper Club

4.9

4.9 (510)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Oakland

About the restaurant

Recommended in the MICHELIN Guide for California 2021-2023. Located in Oakland’s historic Grand Lake District, Bardo is a neighborhood lounge and restaurant inspired by the comfort and camaraderie of a mid-century dinner party. Drawing on the celebration and elegance of old school entertaining, we envisioned a space for friends and neighbors to enjoy amazing food, cocktails, conversation and great music.

Our lounge is a swank living room, furnished with hand-picked finds from antique and vintage markets from Palm Springs to Portland. Our mezzanine dining room features a rotating menu of fresh, seasonal supper-fare with local and sustainably sourced meats, fish and produce. While we think the food, drinks and atmosphere are all great reasons to visit us, it’s the relationships with our friends, neighbors and guests that is the driving force behind Bardo.

Top review

Denise

Dined on 20 Feb 2025

It was excellent- great food, service and ambience

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4.8

4.8 (623)

$31 to $50

Contemporary American

Hayward

About the restaurant

Welcome to our beautifully restored Victorian with a contemporary twist. Neumanali opened fifteen years ago and quickly became a neighborhood favorite.

We are open for indoor dining. Patio seating is available. We are not requiring masks for those who have been vaccinated, however, we appreciate your adherence to the state masking requirements for those not vaccinated.

The menu features both fresh and seasonal entrees in addition to a selection of fun and unusual small plates. Perennial favorites are the pan-seared day boat scallops, grilled ribeye and pan seared pork chop. The wine list is a bit eclectic and features smaller, more difficult to find winery selections. Lush garden dining is available now.

Top review

MattJ

Dined 4 days ago

Great for a special occasion. We had the prosciutto wrapped shrimp, dayboat scallops, and the rack of lamb. The food was very good. Service was very good. We plan to try the ribeye and and filet mignon next time.

Jaji

4.7

4.7 (45)

$31 to $50

Afghan

Oakland

About the restaurant

Founded by Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias. It marks their debut Afghan concept and is a celebration of the rich flavors and traditions of Afghan culture, reimagined for today’s world. The restaurant is a tribute to Akbar’s ancestral Pashtun tribe and her grandfather’s last name, honoring the resilience and stories of Afghan-American heritage.

Top review

OpenTable Diner

Dined 2 days ago

Absolutely amazing. The ambience is really nice, we got the best seats in the house for a party of two. Parking was a bit tough so I had to valet at Kissel, I communicated with the staff and they were really understanding. The service was first class, our waiter walked us through the menu and gave us good food and drink recommendations. I highly recommend and i will be back.

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