Place to catch up with friends over after-dinner drinks snacks/dessert , Berkeley/Oakland

[Ruth Lafler]

I'm getting together Wednesday with a couple of friends with the primary purpose of chatting over drinks and snacks and/or dessert. One lives in Rockridge and the other is staying with her parents in Montclair.

Plum looks like it might be the ticket, but I don't know whether the noise levels there are conducive to conversation. Also looking at A Cote. I'm thinking maybe some places (Pizzaiolo?) that are normally on the noisy side might not be too bad on a Wednesday in January. Other suggestions? Can be a bar with decent bar food and comfortable seating or even a cafe (alcohol not required).

-----
A Cote
5478 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

[hhc]

Ruth, where did you end up & how did it go?

[Ruth Lafler]

We ended up at Common Wealth. It's a funky and friendly little place, and the food was pretty good. One of my friends flaked, so we just had a quick bite and left.

[Robert Lauriston]

It's a great pub. Could get noisy.

-----
CommonWealth Cafe & Public House
2882 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

[Ruth Lafler]

I'd note that it's not very big (half a dozen small tables a few seats at the bar) and doesn't really have much in the way of comfy seating -- mostly stools, even at some of the tables.

[Eugene Park]

Adesso if you want salty snacks. Pretty much equidistant from Rockridge and Montclair. Hit their late happy hour, and the snacks are complimentary!

-----
Adesso
4395 Piedmont Ave, Oakland, CA

[Robert Lauriston]

Adesso's free food doesn't go out until 10:30 or 11:00, and by that time they often have music playing pretty loud.

[Spatlese]

Adesso's good, but a place for chatting? Not unless one's idea of chatting involves screaming in each other's ears (at least, that's what it seems like to me whenever the place is remotely close to full).

[Eugene Park]

My wife & I have brought our 3 year old to the 5PM happy hour on a number of occasions. No problems with conversation. Maybe it does get louder as night falls. Wife & I did the late happy hour once a few weeks ago. We didn't notice it as being overly loud then.

[Spatlese]

Perhaps the Claremont? Don't remember the names of the eating/drinking spots on site, but location-wise, it's central to where your friends are located.

[Robert Lauriston]

A Cote is good so long as you get seated in the back room.

Barlata and Sea Salt are often quiet later in the evening. Actually, I don't think the side room at Sea Salt ever gets too loud.

Commonwealth Pub.

-----
Sea Salt
2512 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702

A Cote
5478 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

Barlata
4901 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

CommonWealth Cafe & Public House
2882 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

[Ruth Lafler]

CommonWealth is an interesting idea. Any comments on the noise level?

[myst]

Pican was pretty quiet when I went. Side room and full restaurant that night. But they did run out of Pecan Pie :(

-----
Pican Restaurant
2295 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612

[Robert Lauriston]

I've been to Commonwealth when it was full and didn't find conversation a problem.

[JasmineG]

A Cote would be better than Plum, I think, partly because it'll be less noisy, especially if you get one of the seats on the back patio, and partly because Plum is still a very hot reservation, so if you don't have reservations now it might be hard to get in as a walk in, even on the late side. Also, at Plum, basically all of the tables are communal tables (unless you have a large enough party for the whole table) so that could make catching up not totally comfortable.

-----
A Cote
5478 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618

[wally]

As one who has only been to Pizzaiolo on odd weeknights, it has been pretty noisy. On the other hand, the two of us could converse.

-----
Pizzaiolo
5008 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609

[bbulkow]

The noise level at plum is very low, lower than almost every restaurant I've been to recently. The times I've been there, every table has been hanging out and talking.

[susancinsf]

I think the bar at Flora is terrific, though perhaps a bit further downtown than you had in mind (?). Outstanding drinks, decent food, comfortable seating at the bar and in the bar area, shouldn't be too noisy.