Last week we mentioned that BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE’s new Oakland location opened in the W.C. Morse Building, and now we have some purty pictures of the 2,000-square-foot space for you to look at. The corner location in Temescal is airy and full of light from all the floor-to-ceiling windows (and high ceilings to boot). There are two communal seating areas: a round table and a rectangular high-top table.
You can read the specs on the equipment they’re using to pull espresso and more in this Sprudge article, along with some notes about the high-end audio equipment (considering how much my ex was into espresso and high-end audio, the two really do go hand-in-hand). I’m worried about looking at their selection of home machines that are for sale (temptations!), but am loving that their technicians will soon be providing instruction and machine demos (and repairs!) on all kinds of machines.
On the drinks menu, you will find an Italian Shakerato (espresso, ice, and simple syrup) and a Cascara Fizz (cascara tea, sparkling water, simple syrup, and a lemon wedge). Here’s a peek at the menu as well, which includes their Liège-style waffle, Valrhona chocolate pudding, a couple of simple sandwiches, and more. Hours are Mon-Fri 7am-6pm, Sat-Sun 8am-6pm. 4296 Broadway at 42nd, Oakland.
Another Oakland café that just opened is GRAND FARE, the first project from Claro (Doug Washington and Stellah De Ville) that’s just next door to Penrose in the former Monkey Forest Road. For now, they are serving coffee (Linea Caffe), tea (Five Mountains), and pastries from La Fournée. The room has been styled with eclectic furnishings—ranging from comfortable couches to communal kitchen tables—encouraging you to hang out and stay awhile.
Coming soon will be wine and beer, plus soup, salads, charcuterie, and cheese plates. Each week, the offerings will expand, including some upcoming music and events. The site also mentions: “We also know that sooner than later we’ll need to build out a big kitchen for our chef. In four to six months we’ll move coffee out to the parking lot for a bit while we do construction. After that, the sky’s the limit! Cheese cave, charcuterie counter, olive bar, amazing breads and pastries, prepared foods, ice cream, coffee, tea, wine, beer, and much more. We’ll also have plenty of seating in a setting like no other.” Hours for now are daily 7am-8pm. 3265 Grand Ave. at Lakewood, Oakland.
The counter at the new Blue Bottle Oakland. Photo: Clay McLachlan/Claypix.com.
