So I debated on where to go for Happy Hour tonight. As I was leaving Starbucks, I ran into a friend of mine who had just stopped at Shakewell. After looking around, I saw that I had just missed Happy Hour, but decided to stop in anyway.
When I first stepped inside, I noticed that the restaurant was intimate, which isn't a bad thing for a restaurant, just not a great thing for a Happy Hour spot. Shakewell does have offer a table for outside seating, which would be nice for a small group on a nice Spring or Summer evening. There was a cute little host/ess station right by the door. The bar area had a decent amount of seating and a TV (after all, the Warriors are trying to make history). One thing that I like about Shakewell is that it's wheelchair friendly. During Happy Hour, Shakewell offers half price on appetizers (or bar bites) as well as $5 and $6 drinks. Shakewell offers Happy Hour between 4pm and 6pm Tuesday through Sunday. They also serve brunch (yee!). One knock I have is that while I appreciate that there are low rails, the servers reaching over the rails didn't sit well with me. The other knock that I have is that there wasn't a lot of diversity among the patrons, which let's me know that Shakewell may be more of a New Oakland spot (shrug). I did happen to run into two beautiful brown familiar faces, but generally speaking I don't see a lot of melanin flowing through this place. I appreciate that the staff seemed friendly. Kyla was my server and it was her first day (good job). She even asked about the blog...
I ordered four items; Paper Plane (drink), Jamon Croquetas (bar bite), Little Gems (salad), Tempura Roasted Cauliflower (bar bite). Let's take a deeper dive into each item.
Paper Plane
I initially was going to order a sidecar (my new favorite drink) but something about the Paper Plane called out. It was tasty (so much so that I ordered two), but at the same time, it was a little pricey ($13).
Little Gems
This salad had THEE perfect avocado. I thought I'd be bothered by pistachios but I wasn't. I thought the salad was refreshing but maybe not a "traditional Happy Hour food".
Tempura Roasted Cauliflower
Quite possibly the hidden gem on the menu. It was a good sized portion to be a vegetable dish and paired well with the Little Gems.
Jamon Crocquetas
I wasn't a huge fan. I picked them up at Kyla's recommendation. She said that they reminded her of mozzarella sticks, but they didn't for me. I think I ordered too much food because I didn't finish these.
All in all, Shakewell would be a great place for a dinner date or a small girlfriend get together, but not the spot for Happy Hour. For pictures from Shakewell, check me out on Instagram or Facebook.
Until next time...
Cheers!
