Acme Bar & Company — Restaurant in Berkeley

Around six months before we got married in Berkeley in August, we started reaching out to possible welcome party venues for the night before the big day. We wanted to find a place that would allow for outside food at a reasonable cost, provide quality drinks for a fair price, and has a nice access-controlled event space on premises. As someone who has run a number of large events previously, I know well that this task can be somewhere between tough and impossible. The minute one uses the term “wedding” to any vendor, costs can go way up. Or venues can charge exorbitant fees for space reservations, or have minimum spends that are crazy. And, honestly, it is really hard to simply find venues that allow for outside food.

So we started the search, and emailed venues throughout the East Bay area (Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Albany, Alameda), At first, the only possible venues I could find were craft brewing establishments. The one with the best location for us charged a lot for space reservation, and for a space that was not access controlled, and without our own dedicated bar. So, in effect, we would be paying thousands for a craft beer spot to a few “reserved” signs on some random tables for us. Suffice to say, we were starting to get discouraged.

Then, after another internet search, I found a listing for Acme Bar in west Berkeley. Having never been there before (it has been a few years since I have lived in the East Bay), I asked around and realized that it’s a pretty cool bar with good service and great drinks. We checked in out in person, and was pretty impressed with the available event space. But our greatest surprise was when we actually emailed Acme, and got to know the owner of the bar. She must have had a previous life as an event planner or something, cause she was amazing. The prices she quoted were quite fair, and she helped identify possible outside food vendors that met our needs. She helped arrange special drinks for our event, which ended up being really tasty. The beer selection we ended up having was top notch as well, as was the wine selection. We arranged for our own dedicated space on a Friday evening, with our own bar. She helped identify our needs for us, and went out of her way – along with her great staff – to ensure we had a great event.

Some of my friends are quite experienced with events, and others are pretty hard to please, and everyone had a great time. The price quoted was on target, and there were absolutely no surprises, price-wise. I have never been more satisfied with a venue, or had a better event for the price. Working with Acme was, in two words, both fair and fun. We highly recommend working with them – you will not be...

Disappointed to discover that a whiskey sour cost $20 at the low key neighborhood watering hole... There are plenty of bars in Berkeley which will offer the same drink at

Recently hosted my partner's 30th birthday here. From beginning to end, Jennifer was extremely accommodating. She worked with me to figure out which of her several party packages would work best for me -- she truly offers something for every price range! Once we hammered out the basic details, Jennifer made sure to capture the smaller ones too. For example, the party I hosted was a surprise party. She asked me to share a photo of the guest of honor, to ensure that none of the staff accidentally ruined the surprise when we walked in. The music, drinks, staff, and atmosphere were all great. Loved the back patio as some extra space to grab some air. Since we came during the holiday season, the bar was beautifully decorated with ornaments and lights, which made everything feel so fun and festive. Overall, can't rate this place highly enough. Thank you, Jennifer...