The Alley Piano Bar & Restaurant

The Alley is a piano bar and restaurant on Grand Avenue in Oakland, known as one of the last remaining piano bars from the city's older tradition. Regulars gather around the piano to sing from the Great American Songbook, with singers waiting their turn to join the resident pianist or guitarist for the evening. The room is styled as a 1920s alley, with wood shingles, booths like a diner's, and walls covered with business cards left by visitors over decades.

The kitchen serves simple American classics such as steaks, hamburgers and cornmeal-breaded fried chicken, plus vegetarian plates and a vegan steak sandwich. Dinner runs nightly until 9:30 on most evenings, and the bar stays open later with open mic nights and karaoke on Sundays. Walk-ins are welcome, and the bar sits near the Grand Lake Theatre and Lake Merritt.