Press
From July 2012's East Bay Express:
Less than ten months after it first opened, it's hard to imagine the corner of 18th and Telegraph without Make Westing: Without that bright-white neon sign out front or the gaggles of glassy-eyed revelers sitting and smoking on sidewalk furniture; without the occasional bocce ball-related yelp of cheer or despair sneaking out onto the street over the music; without, well, the energy. This is a bar that's instantly hospitable to everyone: The drinks are well made, never fussy, and entirely reasonably priced; the food is easy to eat and order and markedly, wonderfully, heavy on the animal fat; and the whole vibe is lively but not too loud, nicely appointed but not too trendy, a sort of everyman bar for the 21st-century Oaklander. Turns out, you don't need to be old to be an institution.
From Zagat:
“Roomy and good for groups”, this bar/lounge in a “prime uptown location” has become “one of Oakland’s more popular spots”; sporting a rustic/industrial look, it’s “always busy” thanks to a “nice assortment of local beers”, “delicious cocktails” and “gourmet snacks” – not to mention the “very cool” “indoor bocce ball courts”, conducive to “good ol’ drunken fun.”
From Oakland Magazine's Best of 2014:
Voted Friendliest Bar, Best Place to Meet Members of the Opposite Sex: It’s Friday night in downtown Oakland, and if you’re looking for a cocktail and a crowd, you’re at Make Westing. This wide-open, industrial-style space is wall-to-wall with 20- and 30-somethings who have one agenda in mind: drink and mingle. Whether it’s getting acquainted over bocce ball (the lounge boasts two venue-long courts) or chatting it up at the bar (with a side of artichokes or a Cuban sandwich), there’s ample opportunity to flaunt your game, and you’ll look cool doing it in the mood lighting cast by chic metallic fixtures. It’s low-brow enough to serve tall boys and has enough class to offer a fine martini. Words to date by: When the sun has set over the Fox Theater, you should be here.
Check out some of the other love Make Westing has been getting:
Oakland Magazine's Best of Oakland and the East Bay 2014 - Friendliest Bar
East Bay Express - Best New Bar 2012
Sunset Magazine (And an offline story in the December 2012 issue)
San Francisco Magazine - Best Bar for Grabbing Preshow Brews
AOL Travel - 48 hours in Oakland
7X7 - #34 on "Things to do in Oakland Before You Die"
East Bay Express - "Uptown's latest and greatest bar"
East Bay Express - Food Program Review