The Englander

 

 

 

 

I love the food, the atmosphere and the beer selection is crazy good. This is the worse service of any place that I have rated. Even if it is a slow night the servers spend more time talking with each other and taking breaks than caring for the customer. It is a shame because the food is great and the beer selection is out of this world. They have well over 30 beers on tap (Arogant Bastard, Chimay, Pliny the Elder, Old Rasputin, Kona Longboard, and Anchor Steam to name a few) and a large bottle selection.

We love coming here... amazing beer selection, with lots of our favorites on tap (Drakes seasonals, PtE, Old Rasputin on Nitro, Evil Cousin from Heretic, etc.), and really good food to boot (try the Tandoori nachos - you won't be sorry).

As stated in some of the other reviews, it is a bit of a funny vibe with the massive amounts of flat screen, sports-playing TVs mixed in with English Pub-turned-craft brew bar setting... but hey - a little quirkiness is part of the appeal. The vibe has always been friendly and service has been prompt (though the wait staff have NO idea about the beer they are serving, in my experience).

Now - full disclosure - this is the location I took my wife on our first 'date' (also the night I got her hooked on Old Rasputin)... so I may be just a tad biased. I can't guarantee you the same luck I had in snagging her - but don't hesitate to come here; you won't be sorry.

I travel to Oakland many times for work so I have the great benefit of visiting this wonderful bar. Not your typical, cozy English pub. It's actually more of a sports bar in my book. Either way, it doesn't matter because this place brings the beer.

Six, yes I said 6 cask engines flowing. A couple English regulars mixed in with Drakes, Russian River, and Firestone Walker all on cask. Amazing to see for an east coast guy. They also have tons of other beers on CO2. More RR, FW, Deschutes, Lagunitas, and a ton of Belgians.

I mentioned Sports Bar above as this place has tons of TV's all over the place. Sunday's during NFL season it is packed! Good crowd though. Don't be afraid, just try it.

The Englander has all the attributes of a traditional English-style pub. Beer tap selection is large and mainly Great Britain or local/craft breers. The menu is also good - traditional pub fare abounds on the menu. All the regulars will be there. It also has lots of tables and room so unlikely you will have a problem getting a seat. Sports bar also - lots of TVs that can be seen from any table. I went after work last year to watch a World Cup game which was of course broadcast. Suprising find in San Leandro!

Well shit, there are no parking spots left at the Englander. And I don't have any change to use the metered parking on the street. That means I'll need to drive until I can find an open space that doesn't charge. One block later, I found it. That wasn't so bad.

I came in with the expectations of a cozy, English style pub. What I came into was more American style than anything. Lots of TV's sit behind the bar showing all sorts of sporting events, including the Paulista championship between Corinthians and São Paulo which made me a happy champer. The bathroom was falling apart, but no one notices when you really need to use it. A seperate "banquet room" was closed off from the rest of the place.

Over 60 beers available on-tap, plus a dozen or so bottle, and get this, SIX beers on cask. Pouring from the taps were Shipyard, Redhook, Abbot Ale, Fullers (including Chiswick Bitter), North Coast, Lost Coast, Ballast Point, Steigl, Hacker Pschoor, Green Flash. My memory is clouded about the bottled beer specifics, some Belgians and macros. On cask were options like Drake's IPA, Dogfish Head 90 Minute, Double Barrel Ale, and Red Seal Ale.

The beer menu was a little bit different that what was actually on-tap, and when I found the Chiswick Bitter, I didn't hesitate to order one. It was served in an imperial pint glass, as were some of the other beers. My hope was that I wouldn't be paying too much for my imperial pint, because prices weren't listed alongside the beers. Luckily for me, it must had been happy hour, as I ended up paying just $4.30 for the beer.

The Englander name IMO is a little misleading to the overall package. It doesn't feel English. Nevertheless, there are some good beer being poured, and the six cask ales are an added bonus. I would have loved to stay longer and try Double Barrel ale from cask, but I didn't want to push my alcohol limit. Such is the life of a bar hopper...

I really enjoyed this place. Me and my wife decided to go there at 4pm for a late lunch/dinner on a Saturday night. The first thing the stuck out when we were walking up to the door was the authentic red english phone booth on the outside. Makes sense given the name of the establishment.

Once inside it is impossible not to notice the taps that line the back wall behind the bar. It seems endless. Flat screen televisions line the walls all around the place with various sporting events being shown. There are two separate rooms with approximately 10 tables in each as well as a separate banquet room.

It took a little while to be seated, understandable since there seemed to be quite a large march madness crowd. Our waiter seemed a bit aloof at first, but he warmed up as time went by. The beer selection in this place is unbelievable and the food was more than just pub grub. I had a hard time deciding what to order, but finally settled on Fullers London Porter on Nitro Tap and a chicken club sandwich. Sandwich was good and the beer was great.

Overall, I was happy with the service, beer, and grub. It was a little pricey but I will definitely be going back

In the Bay Area, there is the Toronado in SF, one of the top ten beer establishments in America. And then there is the Englander. Toronado has a zillion incredible rotating taps, and no food. The Englander has half a zillion rotating taps, and awesome food. The Toronado is staffed by beer priests serving to beer monks. The Englander is staffed by friendly East Bay folks who want you to have a good time. Just sayin. If you have not been down on Parrott St yet, it's high time. Don't pick a Sunday afternoon when the Raiders are on the road for your first visit.

Theirs was a fairly wide space set well back from the street in a small shopping plaza. The entry was in the center, flanked on both sides by a fenced-in patio area. Outside, extreme left, was a British phone booth. Coming in, I transited a short pathway before coming to the m.d.s. on the left. Standard tables and chairs filled both sides of the space with upholstered benches fronted by tables along the windows. Off to the extreme right was a semi-private dining room. Aft, right, down a pathway, were the lavs. The long, polished/ laminated dark wood bar started at the extreme left and ran about 2/3 of the space. The back bar was my fantasy - a bank of about 70 taps, around 10 of which were N2 and ranging in style from Belgian Maredsous 10 to English Young's Double Chocolate Stout to German Franzizkaner to the gamut of American micros. Sha-zam! Seven (7) cask engines, including Lagunitas Lucky 13, Drakes IPA, a house Englander ale, and Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale. Wow! Everyone should experience cask ale at least once.

Pricing: The food was spendy, but the beer was reasonable.

Staff: Friendly, standing by to answer any and all questions.

Caveat/Mom Test: TV monitors were everywhere. Granted, they bill themselves as a "Sports Pub and Restaurant", but there is such as thing as overkill.

This place has lost of outside seating. There are heaters outside keeping it warm. Inside, there are also lots of tables, and a long bar taking up an entire wall. There are about 25 big TV's on the walls, practically lining the entire place. They play all sports games. There is a smaller room where some comedians come and do stand up. The wall space not being used by TV's is full of beer decorations. Lots of macro stuff, but a fair amount of craft decorations.

The beer menu is pretty good. There are some macros, but a decent selection of craft beer on tap. They had Pliny, probably the hoppyest beer on tap. They had a well rounded selection, and they even had an English mild on cask.

The food selection was pretty good. Mostly English pub stuff, but they also had burgers. Everything we are was good.

The staff was friendly, and quick. They didnt have the most beer knowledge I have ever seen, but that isnt really a problem.

Overall: This place is cool because it is close to a bart station. I like the Bay Area because I dont have to drive or pay up ther ass for a cab. I will come back to this place next time I go bar hopping.

Approximately 65-70 beers on tap, in which there are hardly any macros. Defiantly a sports pub (as that is what I was looking for anyway... Tiger fan rooting on Detroit in Oakland due to traveling here for work), Above the large selection of beer are a handful of bobble-head dolls, and above that are about 8-10 flat screen televisions. Went to the bar twice, and got the same bartender both times. Mucho knowledge about his beer and directed me (out-of-towner) to the best of the best. About 5-8 casks up front that are worth looking at too... I was trying to look at all the beers in the back, I missed an entire row of cask beers up front.

The locals were kind to me, even though my Tigers were killing them. Had a sandwich both days, and it was decent bar food. Nothing great, but that is what I get when I order a sandwich. It was what I expected. I came for the beer, not the food.

The beer selection was superb, and that is the reason to hit this bar. Anytime I am in the Oakland area, I will make the trip back here.

Pints are about $4.25 a piece (at least they were all night for me and every othere beer I saw purchased).

The Englander is in a working classish San Francisco/Oakland suburb of San Leandro.

They have a lot of beers on tap. The have all the standards, a great selection of local/west coast beers and they mix in some great specials of beers from around the world.

The atmosphere is attempting to be an English pub, but there isn't enough wood and the place isn't quite old enough to look old world. The furature in the main room is nice and sturdy like an English pub. They show real football (soccer) as well as the rest of the sports on their many HD flat pannel TV's.

They serve the standard pub faire, bangers and mash, fish and chips as well as California type burgers with avacodo. The food is pretty good but kind of expensive, for pub food that isn't particularly special.

The service is always good, whether you go for lunch (they have a buffet, but I've never had it), or dinner. Dinner staff tends to be a little better than lunch staff... uhh, more tallented.

It's a geat place if you love sports and beer, just bring your wallet.

I came here to watch the opening ceremonies and partake of some delicious Pliny. I found the atmosphere to be above average and I liked the mixture of people. The overall quality of the establishment was well above average. Our servers were great and very helpful. They did take a little time in the beginning, but they were pretty on-task after we ordered our meals. The selection on-tap was great as well. They had plenty to choose from considering the differing styles my brewmate and I enjoy. I found the food to be pretty good. They had a pretty good selection of pubgrub to go along with their great selection of beer. I found the price to be reasonable for the quality of the establishment. It isn't a place I'd go on a budget, but then again it isn't overly priced by any means. Next time I'm in San Leandro I'll have to check it out. A quick caution I received before going was that it was more like a sportsbar than an english pub. I would have to agree with that assesment from where I was sitting.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this place yet! This used to be my stomping ground for 3 years when I lived in the East Bay. Where to start.

Atmosphere: Very good sized sports pub with a large room with about 30 tables or so and maybe 20 tv's scattered throughout. Nice large wooden bar with the nice brass rail at the bottom. If you ccome here during football season on Sunday, they open the bar at 9am rather than 11:00am. If you come during World Cup soccer matches, they will actually open the bar at those weird hours that soccer games are televised...3am in the morning. I take it they don't serve beer then, but hey....soccer rules over beer in most countries but ours. They also have a separate large room that is used for overflow and that can be rented out for parties or conferences. Attached next door they have an additional bar that supposedly has another 25 taps and liquor and wine. I haven't personally been inside though.

Quality: In both beer and food this place ranks up there with the best of them. More to follow.

Service- This place can be a madhouse with a long wait line, or it can be dead. It all depends on what sports season you come during and what day and time of day. They sell tickets for the televised soocer matches and if you come for NFL Sunday, be prepared to come at least 30 minutes before gametime to get a table. Thus, the service can be a bit slow at times. Sometimes they are understaffed. During an extreme rush time I saw only 5 wait staff for about 30-40 tables (that includes the 2 bartenders). So, you may be waiting a bit to get your order taken and brought to you. When they do wait on you though, they are very polite and attentive.

Selection- Their beer selection is pretty much unmatched in quantity in Northern Californina. I haven't been to any other bar that has as many as 80 or more taps going at one. Granted, many of them are macro's, but about 60 of them are micro's and imported brews. They have the complete Fuller's line plus about another 15 or so brews from England and the UK. The rest are mostly random micro's from the West Coast. They also have a beer club you can join where you can earn free goodies along the way. Plus you get a cool little plaque when you complete your card. An engraved one that stays on there walls of the establishement with your name on it.

Food- A large menu with lots of traditional pub fare. Bangers and Mash, cottage pie, etc...plus tons of appetizers and other main entrees. Their Califonia Burger is awesome and so is their crab and cheese stuffed prawns. Heck, everything is good.

Value- The food prices are a tad steep, although you do get a lot for what you pay for. And the beer prices are definitely high. The standard pint during regualr hours I believe is at least $5 now. Maybe $5.50. I think they are .50 cents to a buck off during happy hour.

Overall it's a good place to catch a ball game with some food and beer. Just bring your wallet and ATM card. An entree, and two beers with run you at least $20, probably more.

The atmosphere is like a sports bar with TV screens all around including a large one. So many TV screens that almost everyone can watch something different. The bar area is comfortable and the regulars are friendly. There are off setting areas for dining and the place seems spacious. Seems like there were people sitting out front in the patio area when I walked in. Sports and beer paraphenalia all around.

Good quality wooden tables chairs and bar. The restroom seemed spacious and clean. The TV screens seemed fairly new.

The bartender was knowledgable about Sports and Beer. The service was prompt, concerning, and not pushy.

Tremendous selection of Microbrew, European (World), Commercial, cask conditioned, and five or so handpump. The cask conditioned was Red Seal from North Coast and was not bad, some of their handpump was brewed by English Ales for the Englander (I've seen it in other bars, maybe their associated with) and were alright. Their selection on tap included Pliny the Elder, El Toro, and many others.

The bartender keeps one informed on how the on duty chef cooks a steak so one can make necessary adjustments. The steak I ordered was good. Most of the menu is British cuisin and there are some healthy options.

The value reasonable for their specialty.