So tonight (correction: TOMORROW night – Thursday, thanks Veronica!) is the East Bay Express sponsored Pedal Powered Pub Crawl where hipster beer lovers can bike their way from pub to pub for bike friendly beer specials in Oaktown. First stop is Beer Revolution between 5 and 5:30 to pick up your beer passport… then on to Merchants, Somar Bar, The Uptown, and finally the Stork Club around 8pm to qualify for prizes and more.
Sounds like a whole lot of fun, but I’m feeling a bit too old for this event, especially after the hangover I received recently at the hands of a 7.5% alcohol IPA the other night. So delicious going down… so painful the next morning.
In any case, I was surprised to see that my new favorite pub isn’t on the list for tomorrow’s festivities… perhaps it’s a bit too small? CommonWealth Cafe & Pub. Introduced to me recently by a friend who proudly declared it her “favorite new place” discovered during the height of World Cup festivities, I have to admit, it’s now mine too. You can’t help but love this place, with its Euro-heritage blended with a more modern Californian sensibility.
Opened on a stretch of Telegraph I wrote about awhile back (A Transforming Stretch of Telegraph), this small Scottish styled pub with its warm decor of Victorian velvet wallpaper, vintage beer barrels, and European bottles, features a tidy and delicious selection of handcrafted brews on tap, and fantastic salads and sandwiches (toasties) for lunch and dinner, all reasonably priced too! Each day also features one or two traditional pub-fare specials like Shepard’s Pie or Bubbles & Squeak, as well as soups of the day.
I haven’t been for breakfast yet, though I did order one of their delectable scones with cream and jam for dessert one evening, and it was simply incredible. They also offer the full suite of espresso drinks pulled from their vintage Mr. Espresso machine, and other breakfasty offerings, not to mention a Sunday brunch that I can’t wait to try.
Located at 29th and Telegraph, just a hop skip and jump from my old loft, I can easily say this would be my new neighborhood joint if I still lived down the street. The owners Pete & Ross are super friendly, the vibe is chill, the beer is fine (like FINE!, not just ho-hum), and the food is simply delicious. In a neighborhood I previously referred to as a bit of a “no-man’s land,” CommonWealth is a more-than-welcome addition. Be sure to check their schedule (see link above) as they are closed some nights.
More reading here…
CommonWealth on East Bay Express
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