ACRE Kitchen and Bar

4.5

741 Reviews

$30 and under

Mediterranean

5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618

Make a reservation

2 people

Apr 17, 2025

April 2025

10:30 PM

Booked 57 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions
Good for business meals

Right in the heart of Rockridge, Oakland, ACRE Kitchen & Bar is all about simple, seasonal food done right. Led by Chef Dirk Tolsma, we source from the best Northern California farms and purveyors to create dishes that are fresh, honest, and made to be shared.

Our fresh ground brisket burger on a house-baked bun? A local favorite. The berbere-spiced fried chicken? Crispy, bold, and packed with flavor. Some dishes rotate with the seasons, but the commitment to great ingredients never changes.

We work with FEED Sonoma Co-Op, Star Route Farms, Full Belly Farm, Monterey Fish, and Rocky’s Chicken to bring you the best of what’s local.

Proudly awarded Gold for Best New Restaurant in the East Bay Express Best of the East Bay Awards, we’re here to serve up great food with a true taste of Northern California.

*20% gratuity will be added to all parties 8 or more.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Elegant
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Mediterranean, Californian, American
Hours of operation
Cafe Daily 11:30 am–2:00 pm Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Restaurant Mon–Fri 11:30 am–2:00 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Restaurant Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Upstairs Bar Mon–Thu, Sun 5:00 pm–8:30 pm Fri, Sat 5:00 pm–9:00 pm
Phone number
(510) 250-3790
Website
https://www.acrekitchenandbar.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Carte Blanche, Diners Club, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress
Executive chef
Dirk Tolsma
Catering
Enhance your home celebrations and office gatherings with ACRE Catering. Chef-curated menus and ACRE classics are all available for pick-up and delivery. Let ACRE do the cooking while you entertain and mingle with colleagues, friends, and family.
Private party facilities
We love a good party! Our private Mockingbird Room seats 25 guests with personalized service and a custom menu. The downstairs Café hosts 32 seated or 50 standing for lively gatherings. Need more space? Partial and full restaurant buyouts are available. Let’s make it happen!
Delivery & takeout
Order direct

Location
5655 College Ave., Oakland, CA 94618
Neighborhood
Oakland
Cross street
Shafter
Parking details
In the evening, there is free parking in the BART parking lot. During the day, parking is available in the Market Hall parking lot.
Public transit
Rockridge BART stop is across the street
Additional
Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Cafe, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Dog Friendly, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Vegan, View, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Experiences

ACRE After Hours (Southern Comfort Night)
May 1, 2025 only
Join us for the launch of ACRE After Hours—a new late-night series at ACRE Kitchen & Bar where the lights dim, the music flows, and the cocktails keep coming. Our first installment, Southern Comfort, invites you to kick back and soak in the sounds of The Wallers with Sandy Rothman, a celebrated local bluegrass band bringing foot-stomping, soul-soothing energy to the heart of Rockridge. Doors open at 10PM, and the vibe rolls until 1AM—or whenever the evening winds down. Whether you're capping off your night or just getting started, come sip, snack, and sway with us at ACRE After Hours.
Neighborhood Night on Wednesdays!
Multiple dates available
Enjoy live jazz music every Wednesday, from 5:30pm-8:30pm, in our upstairs dining area!

Offers

Cheers to Brunch: $30 Mimosa Pitchers Available!
Multiple dates available
Sun - 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM,Sat - 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
We offer $30 pitchers of mimosas every brunch service (Grapefruit, Orange Juice, Pineapple Juice, Cranberry).
Tuesdays Uncorked
Multiple dates available
Tue - 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Enjoy 1/2 off bottles of select wines every Tuesday after 5pm!
Varsity Hour in our Cafe & Upstairs Bar
Multiple dates available
Sun - Sat - 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Paying homage to Oakland history-about 100 years ago there was a lounge and club called the VARSITY LOUNGE located in our same location, who knew! In digging up old Oakland memorabilia, we found an old menu. To our surprise-they were well known for two things the Varsity Martini and Conga Lines!! While we aren’t ready for a conga, we are ready for the Varsity Martini and other drink specials. Come join us every day from 4pm-6pm in our cafe and 5pm-6pm at our upstairs bar.

Popular dishes

What 741 people are saying

ACRE Kitchen and Bar reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.5Food
4.5Service
4.6Ambience
4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

East Bay
Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

ACRE Kitchen and Bar offers a "fantastic restaurant for special occasions or just because," with its "amazing food and exceptional service" in a "beautiful setting." The menu features inventive dishes like lamb merguez pizza and tiramisu. Guests enjoy a cozy atmosphere, making it a "hidden gem" that's "always festive and amazing!"

741 Reviews

G
Gabrielle VIP
New York City2 reviews
5.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful place and wonderful good and friendly atmosphere. Come here often
1 person found this helpful
A
Augusta Saulys
San Francisco8 reviews
4.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Interesting menu, with unique spins on many 'usual' entrees. Excellent service - attentive, efficient. Nice surroundings. Wish they opened earlier for breakfast....
1 person found this helpful
S
Steph VIP
San Francisco6 reviews
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Would recommend for food especially. Waiter was ok. Maybe the waiter was tired end of shift. Everything was good overall.
1 person found this helpful
M
Manal
Unspecified1 review
5.0
Dined 6 days ago
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food and service was amazingggggg!!! Definitely would go again!
1 person found this helpful
K
Ken VIP
San Francisco17 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Wonderful food, perfect service and a great overall dining experience.
1 person found this helpful
R
Ron VIP
San Francisco8 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We love dining at Acre. The food is fresh, skillfully prepared and oh so delicious. Whether it’s the pastas, pizzas (lamb merguez pizza!), or entrees, all is excellent. The tiramisu is to die for & the cocktail & wine list are top notch.
1 person found this helpful
P
Peter VIP
San Francisco6 reviews
3.0
Dined on April 7, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
Had to look around for a waiter a number of times. Braised greens were the only part of the meal that were actually tasty. Shrimp scampi could have been plastic for all the taste it had. Crispy olives were just ok.
Is this helpful?
M
Marcia
San Francisco70 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fresh, deliciously prepared ingredients served by friendly staff. Though we were originally seated in a fairly loud section of the restaurant, they were happily able to find us a more suitable location. Very enjoyable dining experience and good for celebrating special occasions .
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R
Rhonda VIP
San Francisco53 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 2, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Beautiful setting and delicious food along with terrific drinks and wine selection.
1 person found this helpful
R
Renee
San Francisco5 reviews
1.0
Dined on March 30, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
While celebrating 2 birthdays. The four of us had high hopes for our meal. Our waitress, Marissa was lovely & efficient in our service. As it being Restaurant week 3 of us opted for the 3 course meal. Two ordered the shrimp scampi which they enjoyed, however commented that it was light on the garlic. I ordered the roasted chicken, I had to request a steak knife to cut a bite off, as the table knife was useless. The chicken is tough & tasted like rubber. The 4th meal was the steak, which was also inedible, as the majority of it was all fat… The asparagus & meatballs as appetizers along with the focaccia bread were enjoyed by all. If we do go back we would all order the pizza & keep our fingers crossed for something we all would enjoy…
2 people found this helpful

FAQs

ACRE Kitchen and Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (510) 250-3790.

ACRE Kitchen and Bar is rated 4.5 stars by 741 OpenTable diners.

ACRE Kitchen and Bar does offer gift cards which you can purchase here.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.