<!> *IF YOU HAVE PERSONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF PLACES TO EAT NEAR OAKLAND PLEASE ADD THEM* (!)
Oakland (Walking Distance Of Hotel)
Le Cheval www.lecheval.com is great for groups. Good French-influenced Vietnamese food served fast at low prices (one of my favorites is the watercress salad). There's often a wait on Friday/Saturday night, but it's a large (and sometimes noisy) place, and they turn the tables over pretty fast. Good drink selection (solid beer and wine list backed by a full bar).
Levende East http://www.levendeeast.com/, a swanky restaurant and bar best for smaller parties.
Tamarindo http://www.tamarindoantojeria.com/, a small restaurant with elegant decor and friendly staff serving upscale Latin American-style food and aguas frescas.
Breads of India http://www.breadsofindia.com/ opened a large location in downtown a couple years back. I've only been to their Berkeley location, which puts out excellent food at only slightly higher than market price.
For breakfast, check out the Cockadoodle Cafe http://www.cockadoodlecafe.com/ (+wireless), or Cafe 817 http://www.cafe817.com/ (best espresso in town, flaky wireless can sometimes be picked up near the door from the brew pub).
For a pub feel, you might consider Pacific Coast Brewing Co. http://www.pacificcoastbrewing.com/ for okay beer and terrible food, and flaky wireless.
Or, if you just want excellent beer, try The Trappist http://thetrappist.com/ with over 160 beers, 20 on tap.
Oakland/Berkeley/Emeryville (Bart-able / short drive)
Camino http://www.caminorestaurant.com/ would be good for a larger group, serving up food and cocktails you just won't find anywhere else. However, it's a bit too far to walk on foot (over to Lake Merritt and up Grand Ave.).
Yoshi's http://www.yoshis.com/ sushi restaurant and jazz club can make for a fun night out (could end up on the pricier side).
But better might be Luka's tap room & lounge http://www.lukasoakland.com/, which well less pub-y has surprisingly excellent food. And I hear dancing in the evenings too, if you're into that sort of thing. 
You can take the BART (local mass trainsit train, 12th St. stop right near the hotel) for even better food and bars to nearby College Ave. (Rockridge stop, absolutely filthy with great food and bars)
Take a very short drive (or a medium walk from the MacArthur Bart station) to the Piedmont area for a real pub (Cato's, with solid wireless and soccer on the TV) or some high end dining (Bay Wolf)
The Rockridge area of North Oakland features several excellent pubs and restaurants, and its only a short BART ride away (since the conference hotel is sitting on top of the 12th Street/City Center BART stop). Some favorites include Somerset http;//www.somersetrestaurant.com on College Avenue for lunch and dinner and weekend brunch, tiny but great tiki bar the Conga Lounge http://congalounge.com/ open evenings and weekends, and Zachary's Chicago Pizza http://www.zacharys.com open when pizza places should be open...Barclay's Pub on College Avenue http://www.barclayspub.com is another with excellent local microbrewed beer on tap (30 varieties at a time on tap) but pretty crummy food. Nick's Bar & Grill nearby http://www.yelp.com/biz/ben-and-nicks-bar-and-grill-oakland has great food but not such a good selection of beers (sigh).