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University of California - Berkeley - Nightlife - Nightlife - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Nightlife

B
Where does this grade come from?View all Nightlife rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Nightlife Grades:

Quick Stats

Primary Areas with Nightlife
  • Broadway
  • College Avenue
  • Durant Avenue
  • San Pablo Avenue
  • Shattuck Avenue
  • Telegraph Avenue
Student Favorites
  • The Bear’s Lair Pub
  • Blakes
  • Henry’s
  • Kip’s
  • Raleigh’s
Other Places to Check Out
  • The Alley
  • Oasis
  • Radio
  • The Ruby Room
Local Specialties
  • Because Berkeley is home to Pyramid Alehouse, beers such as Hefe Weizen and Apricot Weizen are both very popular at bars.:
  • Bison Brewery hard iced tea kegs:
Favorite Drinking Games
  • Beirut
  • Flip cup
  • King's cup
  • Power Hour
Useful Resources for Nightlife
  • Diablo Magazine
  • San Francisco Magazine
  • SF Weekly (free)
  • www.bestofberkeley.com
  • www.mecurynews.com
  • www.sfbg.com
  • www.sfstation.com

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Berkeley’s nightlife is quaint. There are a few popular bars that almost always promise the same lot of people every night. Then there are the few choice bars, farther off the path, that Berkeley kids who are sick of the tired local scene often escape to. But, according to the majority of students interviewed, being involved in the Greek scene is the easiest and most surefire way to have a rocking social life, though an awesome night out is entirely possible if you aren’t in a sorority or a fraternity.

If you’re not going Greek and you’re tired of the same bar-goers you see every night at Kip’s and Blakes, then your best bet is to head on over to the most romantic and arguably hip city in the U.S.—San Francisco. Anything that you could want to do—have a nice dinner, watch an indie movie, go to a rave, get crazy at a strip club, get nasty on the dance floor, just grab a beer with your friends—you’ll find a perfect place to do it in some nook of the city. In some ways, you have the best of both worlds—you have the convenience of college town dives to zip into and grab a cheap drink, yet you also have the glitz and glam of city bars and clubs at your fingertips.

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UC Berkeley Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Nightlife at University of California - Berkeley

anonymousstudent123

Business '15

3.1
B-

Frat Parties but Nothing Else

Berkeley has a ridiculously large number of social fraternities. This means multiple frat parties every Friday and Saturday night, which means a lot of free alcohol and a easily-accesible way to party for anyone of any age. However, frat parties often get crowded really fast and eventually they stop letting people in unless they know a brother in the frat personally. Besides, most people get sick of random frat parties after just a few weeks.

Apart from a lot of frat parties, there is virtually no nightlife around UC Berkeley. There are no clubs or bars nearby unless you want to go all the way to San Francisco. Eventually most people just start having private parties with their friends or people in their clubs/organizations.

Feb 20, 2012

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Nightlife at University of California - Berkeley

CalGuy

Business Administration and Management '14

2.7
C+

This Is a School, Not a Club Place

Not really many clubs to go to, and even if you do, they aren't that great. Best bet is to head over to SF and party over there, Berkeley is reserved for the boring and studious.

Jan 16, 2012

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Nightlife at University of California - Berkeley

shanonoden

Physics '15

3.8
B+

Very Fun

If you can find a good place to hang out the nightlife can be very fun. Whether if you are at the frat parties or house parties as long as you are with friends it will be fun. You also have to option to going to clubs in San Francisco which I have heard are fun.

Jan 05, 2012

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Page 1 of 16
User rating for University of California - Berkeley - Nightlife is 3.5 out of 5 based on 46 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the off-campus bar and club scene on the following topics

What is the party scene like on campus?

What’s the best way to get to the popular nightlife spots?

Facts

Club Crawler

The club scene is not prominent in Berkeley; most people head to Oakland or San Francisco for clubbing or dancing.

Bar Prowler

Due to the lack of other nightlife options in the immediate area, Berkeley students often find themselves at the same handful of local bars. Though many complain that the Berkeley bar scene is predictable and overwrought with drunken frat boys, it’s still the most convenient and affordable place to party.

Closing Time

12:30 a.m.–2 a.m.

Cheapest Place to Get a Drink

Blakes

Henry’s

Raleigh’s

Organization Parties

Residence Hall Dance Parties, Residence Hall End-of-the-Year Boat Party, ASUC Winter Ball, UCB-sponsored movie/preview nights at Wheeler Auditorium

Club ListingsWhat's This?

Shattuck Downlow

Shattuck Downlow is probably the only real club in Berkeley; every night has a particular theme ranging from salsa, to karaoke, to hip hop. Most patrons are older and not UCB students. The bar and club are actually pretty swank, with plush couches and subtle lighting, but the Downlow has yet to escape its cheesy reputation.

2284 Shattuck Ave.

(510) 548-1159

Whisper Lounge

San Francisco’s premiere up-scale dance lounge for 18-and-over. The lounge provides electronic dance music in a unique multi-level venue.

535 Florida St.

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Center

Ashkenaz is a popular dance club and show venue, featuring music and artists of Balkan, Blues, Cajun/Zydeco, Middle Eastern, African, Caribbean, and Reggae persuasion. Ashkenaz is family/child friendly.

1317 San Pablo Ave.

(510) 525-5054

www.ashkenaz.com

City Nights

An 18-and-over San Francisco club, City Nights is one of the few clubbing options. The club generally plays hip hop, Top 40, and dance music, and is only open Saturdays, 9:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.

715 Harrison St.

(415) 339-8686

www.sfclubs.com

Bar ListingsWhat's This?

Henry’s Publick House & Grille

Henry’s attracts an older crowd on most nights, but at around 9 p.m. on Tuesdays, it transforms into a sweaty, crowded meat market. Their infamous “Two for Tuesdays” drink specials aren’t so special once you take a look at the size of their cocktails, but it’s still fun to think you’ve drank six long islands instead of three.

2600 Durant Ave.

(510) 845-8981

Kip’s

The favorite for late-night (if you can call 1:30 a.m. late night) drinkers, Kip’s is where everyone ends up when all the other bars close. Drinks are cheap, girls look cheaper, and everyone is having a good, drunk ole time.

2439 Durant Ave.

(510) 848-4340

Raleigh’s

Most people will say that Raleigh’s has the least obnoxious and most laid-back scene out of all thebars, but it closes at midnight (sorry night owls)

2438 Telegraph Ave.

(510) 848-8652

The Bear’s Lair Pub

The Bear’s Lair attracts a wide variety of students with its cheap drink specials and event nights. On most weekend nights, you’ll find athletes, Greek scenesters, and groups of students and adults just hanging out.

2475 Bancroft Way

(510) 843-5247

Beckett's

By far the most popular reason students attend this dark Irish pub is Trivia Tuesdays, the weekly trivia competition that begins at 10 p.m.

2271 Shattuck Ave.

(510) 647-1790

Blakes on Telegraph

Attempting at a little more style than the other bars, Blakes is a tri-level bar and dance club that has drinks on the second and third levels and live music in the basement. The clientele is diverse, ranging from Berkeley townies to underage lushes.

2367 Telegraph Ave.

(510) 848-0886

What to Do if You're Not 21What's This?

Paragon

This bar and jazz lounge was built for the ritzy Claremont crowd but is also open to the public. With comfortable furniture and sexy, dark lighting, it doesn’t feel tacky and immature like most other places that welcome 18-year-olds.

41 Tunnel Rd.

(510) 843-3000

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Meegan Brooks
Hometown
Granite Bay, CA
Major
Political science

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
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