Enjoy Oakland’s Inexpensive and Renowned Venue For Live Music

You just can’t beat sushi and a show at Yoshi’s.

OpenTable

The reviewer on OpenTable got it right. When my partner Anita and I go to Yoshi’s in Oakland by Jack London Square for dinner followed by a concert, the evening has three separate phases, each a real pleasure.

Dinner

The first phase of the evening is Yoshi’s Restaurant, which has been serving finely prepared Japanese dishes since its founding in 1972. Along with entrees, Genmai Brown Rice, and salads we order, if available, Shichimi Brussel Sprouts with cauliflower puree. Brussels to die for!

The restaurant is on the pricey side; figure about $60 per person without drinks. A money saving tip: dishes on the menu are easily shared. menu 

Dining at Yoshi’s instead of elsewhere does have advantages: the wait staff assigns seats to the show for ticket holders and handles validated parking, and most importantly, the food is delicious.

Live Music

The second pleasure is music in the 310 seat club, which is located next to the bar that separates it from the restaurant. Long a renowned venue for major jazz musicians, it now includes other music besides jazz.

At Yoshi’s we have seen soul and R&B performers (Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, Rick Estrin, and Tower of Power), folk (Judy Collins), and of course jazz (Ann Hampton Callaway, Larry Coryell, Joey DeFrancesco, and Gerald Albright). 

Ticket prices at Yoshi’s are inexpensive. The performances listed above cost between $25 and $50 per ticket. How often have you heard that? More typical is paying three times the amount with excessive “convenience charges” in order to sit in the third deck and watch with binoculars.

Because the venue is small all seats are closer to the musicians than the norm. In fact, at the Booker T. Jones show, we were extra close—we sat in the front row up against the stage and could have grabbed the bass player’s six eyelet wingtip boots.

A criticism of Yoshi’s is the club’s cramped seating. Four people share a small cocktail table and by necessity sit close together. Because of the smallness of the tables, eating dinner in the club isn’t very practical, although it is an option. A positive of the snug seating is the sociable conversations we’ve had before the show with table mates.

Yoshi’s is hassle-free compared to shows at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Concord Pavilion, stadiums, and indoor arenas. Parking in the structure next door is easy and close, and the traffic generated by 310 concert goers is nothing compared to 40,000 Deadheads at Oracle Park in San Francisco.

Nightcap

And the third pleasure?  Across the street from Yoshi’s is Ben & Jerry’s. A cup of Coconut Seven Layer Bar or Cherry Garcia ice cream is the perfect nightcap.

For more information about Yoshi’s including hours, location, venue information, and the upcoming calendar of performers see https://yoshis.com/