Just a couple weeks ago we brought you an updated list of the best outdoor and patio bars in San Francisco, and now it's time to give some similar attention to al fresco drinking options to our north and east, where it's actually warmer much of the year. Beer gardens have proliferated in Oakland the last few years, a couple of which we've included below, and Sausalito and Tiburon have always been good sunny weather bets for day-imbibing. So now that spring is here (i.e. our month of "summer" before summer comes), this list should come in handy.
Bar Bocce
It's a truth commonly known among experienced day-trippers in SF that on frigid and foggy summer days in San Francisco, it's often magically sunny and warm just across the Golden Gate Bridge and down by the water in Sausalito, protected as that harbor town sometimes is from the fog banks that roll in. And one of the better spots to waste an afternoon, either playing bocce, watching others play bocce, or just sitting down by the rocky shore with some wine, is Bar Bocce. The pizzas are solid, the wine and beer selection is good, and the atmosphere always feels like a beach party. Jay Barmann
1250 Bridgeway, Sausalito
Comal
If this needs any explaining, let me just point out that Downtown Berkeley is a 25-minute trip from downtown SF on a normal BART day, and just like that you can be transported to this bustling, food-obsessed college town across the Bay where California cuisine was born. A few years ago, former Delfina chef de cuisine Matt Gandin busted out on his own with this contemporary Mexican spot, which has good, well sourced food options and a truly excellent bar program. Out in back on the spacious and comfortable, unenclosed patio complete with heat lamps and crape myrtle tree you can't get a full dinner, but you can enjoy some fresh air, chips and salsa, and some really solid Margaritas, not to mention a bunch of other intriguing options including a mezcal-based Paloma and seasonally changing specials. Jay Barmann
2020 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
Drake’s Dealership
The craft beer pioneers at Drake's have a strong contender for the Bay Area's best beer garden in their 350-seat, 10,000-square-foot "Dealership" located in Oakland's mixed-use Hive development it's in a former car dealership on Oakland's dwindling Auto Row. Dozens of fire pits and 32 beers on tap, including lots you won't find in bottles, will keep you plenty warm. Bonus: The New Haven style pizza is delicious, but bears only a passing resemblance to that fine town's miraculous pies (I know because I'm from there). —Caleb Pershan
2325 Broadway Auto Row, Oakland, between 23rd and 24th Streets
Eli's Mile High Club
Eli's has been many things since its opening in 1974 — a blues club until the original owner died in 1992, and after permit problems stymied live music plans for years it reemerged as a punk dive in 2011. The joint changed hands last year and shuttered for a comprehensive renovation, which co-owner Billy Agan tells SFist includes a major expansion for their outdoor area. After purchasing an adjoining piece of property, the back area has tripled in size, now rivaling Zeitgeist's dimensions, Agan says, and includes an extra bar nestled inside a shipping container. The new Eli's will also have food — think burgers and taqueria-style stuff, like a "fancier Del Taco," Agan says, "but with better ingredients." The venue's live music will continue, Agan says, with a new sound system, and there's also a private room complete with its own deck on the second floor. You can check it all out, Agan says, when Eli's reopens mid-June. — Eve Batey
3929 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Oakland
Photo: Facebook
Hopmonk Tavern
Live music and brewpub Hopmonk Tavern has three locations, with two others in Sonoma and Novato, but the original Sebastopol location is most known for its big beer garden and events. Expect flights of house brews as well as a big selection of local craft beer, and a relaxed, very dog-friendly environment where the Sonoma County crew loves to kick back on weeknights and weekends. And they've got a full, beer-friendly food menu featuring some good mussels and some great chili verde. Jay Barmann
230 Petaluma Avenue, Sebastopol
Jupiter
Operated out of an 1890s-era livery stable, this Berkeley standby is known as much for its decor as for its wood-fired pizzas and 12 house beers. Inside, you'll find pressed-tin walls as well as seating and lights straight from a defunct area church. Outside, there's a massive, two-level heated beer garden with a central fire pit, which is toasty enough that nighttime patrons many of them Cal students can still comfortably enjoy the live outdoor music the venue hosts nearly every night. — Eve Batey
2181 Shattuck Avenue at Center Street, Berkeley
Lost & Found
"Outdoor beer drinking... without the fog" is as promised at this sprawling beer garden where there's room for a little bit of everything. Even if lesser weather manages to make its way to Oakland, inside you'll find the full bar and some beer hall tables. Out on the patio, you've got ping pong, corn hole, and tables and benches by the dozen — Lost & Found is an ideal spot for a birthday or gathering for which you might otherwise want to rent a room or something extravagant like that. Beer selection is eclectic and extensive but mines the treasure trove of East Bay breweries, and whatever bar bites you see fit to order — there's a full menu of dishes from small to large — don't miss the thai curry popcorn. —Caleb Pershan. 2040 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, between 21st and 20th Streets
Photo: Facebook
Ninebark
The rooftop patio lounge at Ninebark, where you can just have drinks or enjoy brunch or dinner, is a rad spot all around. It overlooks the Napa River, and the newly revamped restaurant in the historic Fagiani's bar building at the hands of chef Matthew Lightner, who comes by way of Portland and New York, Michelin stars and all has been winning fans for months. Michael Bauer raved in a December review, "the clues, both overt and subliminal, were everywhere that this Napa restaurant is special." While the dining room and open kitchen are cool, and the ground floor bar historic and cozy, it's the third-story patio that's the crowning jewel, and where you should definitely make a pit stop the next time you're wine tasting up north. Jay Barmann
813 Main Street, Napa
Portal
Oakland's Portal is a fine beer garden that boasts plenty of seating, a great beer selection, and a view of the water just a block from Lake Merritt. The food menu offers a bunch of small plates to help fortify your stomach, and eating is communal (think big picnic tables), with some umbrellas to provide shade. The restaurant also does a bottomless mimosa brunch on Saturday, but unfortunately that ends strictly at 1:00 p.m. so you have to get yourself out of bed early to make the cutoff. Importantly, they don't have a full bar, so if you're looking to drink Margaritas in the sunshine you'll have to head someone else. Even with that knock against it, Portal will still do you very right on a pleasant afternoon. — Jack Morse
1611 2nd Avenue, near Foothill Boulevard
Prizefighter
Sometimes you just want to drink beer (or a nice cocktail) on a patio while you eat a burrito, and at that time Emeryville's Prizefighter has you covered. Although the full bar doesn't serve food, it welcomes you to bring it in (my kind of place), and the depth of the drink menu allows for a lot of different snack/booze pairings. No kids are allowed in the bar or on the back patio, which while possibly a bummer for some, means you won't risk offending any kiddos with your tales of debauchery and that you can rest here without the sound of children after a traumatic day in IKEA. Notably, the bartenders aim to make super high-quality cocktails in a relaxed environment, so if you like fancy drinks but not pretension, this spot is for you. — Jack Morse
6702 Hollis Street at 67th Street
Sam’s Anchor Cafe
When it comes to views, it's hard to beat what Sam's has to offer. The Tiburon bar, popular with boaters, has a big deck over the water, and the heat lamps mean it's a great spot to post up day or night. With truffle fries and vegetarian banh mis on the menu, the place offers more than just the standard fish and chips (although it offers that as well). A respectable wine list means that you can sip something local while you take in views of the Bay. Also, they offer a live-stream of their deck — allowing you the opportunity to know exactly what the weather is before heading over. Regardless, Sam's also serves cocktails, so you can order something stiff to warm up if you get hit with a chilly Bay breeze. — Jack Morse
27 Main Street near Eastview Avenue
