Brennan's is a Sports Bar and an Old Fashioned Hofbrau Restaurant in the heart of West Berkeley's vibrant Fourth Street Shopping District. Now in the hands of the 3rd generation of the Brennan family. We are known throughout the Bay Area as the place to go for our famous hand carved sandwiches, or hearty hot plates made from our great selection of freshly roasted meats. We have a full bar with over 20 different draft beers and a wide range of bottled beers. Our 8 Large Screen LCD HD satellite TVs always show the latest sporting events. We are the place to go for a Real Irish Coffee! Come in and enjoy it all as a group or as a getaway by yourself. Our entire menu is available To Go for lunch on the run or to solve your dinner dilemma.

John P. Brennan was born in Berkeley on January 16, 1890. His family had been in the area for generations. Michael Curtis, his grandfather, is the man for whom Curtis Street is named. There is a picture of Edward Brennan, Michael Curtis’ son-in-law and John Brennan’s father standing in front of a different, older Brennan’s (a brother’s establishment) on the West wall of the restaurant. He is the second gentleman from the right, wearing a vest with a pocket watch. Pictures of John Brennan, his wife and his children can be seen all around the dining room.

John Brennan lived and worked in Berkeley all his life, most notably as a contractor, being a builder of such landmarks as St. Mary's College in Moraga. After being retired for about five years, he got bored. In 1958 at age 68, with no previous experience in the food business, he decided to first build, then operate a restaurant that would serve the kind of food he liked. His family thought he was crazy and taking a terrible risk, but that didn't keep him from starting his newest venture. Brennan's, a gathering spot for five decades, opened on January 16, 1959, John Brennan's 69th birthday.

The Next Chapter: October 6, 2008 was our last day in our original building. On Tuesday, October 14, 2008 we opened in the lovely, historic Southern Pacific Railroad building. Built in 1913 and now a City of Berkeley Landmark, our new home is immediately next door to our original location. First converted to a restaurant in 1974, the building housed China Station Restaurant for two decades, and then a restaurant named Xanadu. The bathrooms with burgundy and gold tile work are a reminder of this part of the building's past. In the dining room the large arched windows were the original train station's arches along the exterior breezeway. The high ceilinged dining area still has the original beams in what was the station's main room. We look forward to having our historic business occupy this remarkable building for decades to come.