New Oakland Restaurants Keep Opening and Thriving

Oakland's entertainment and restaurant scene, already red hot in 2009 and 2010, continues to heat up even more in 2011.

Diablo Magazine spotlights several new Oakland restaurants and bars that soon are coming to the Uptown district. The East Bay mag also compares Oakland's incredibly burgeoning nightlife to that of the borough of Brooklyn in the Big Apple.

They're not the first to compare Oakland to Brooklyn, but the comparison has probably never been more accurate. Both areas are coming back strong with tons of new development and new residents, and both are overflowing with a rich baseball history and tradition.

Now, three Brooklyn guys who started the Weatherup bar back east are opening a new Oakland bar at 17th St. and Telegraph Ave., across the street from the Fox Theater. It's unclear what the bar's name is going to be, but it's going to have a floating island bar, an outdoor patio and two Bocce courts.

Also scheduled to open soon is Bar Dogwood, which will be at 1644 Telegraph, also near the Fox.

Already opened is the new downtown bar/restaurant at 14th & Webster called Disco Volante, which has great drink specials and live music almost every weekend.

Also, as Diablo notes, Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe will open a new eatery inside the Fox. Rudy's is co-owned by Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt -- the local boys live in Oakland and rumor has it that their practice space is in a warehouse in Oakland's Jingletown neighborhood.

Also, a new four-star restaurant, Plum, owned by gourmet legend Daniel Patterson, has opened up at Franklin Square, near Grand and Broadway in Uptown. And next to Plum will be The Punchdown, a natural wine bar.

Flora, one Oakland's hottest restaurants, looks like something out of an old Humphrey Bogart movie. Now, its owners are planning to open Xolo Taqueria two doors down, and in-between Flora and Xolo will be a new 2,000-square-foot bar, according to Diablo.

The Temescal neighborhood, already revitalized in north Oakland with popular spots like Pizzaiolo, Bakesale Betty's, Barlata, and Burma Superstar, is getting a new restaurant in mid-February. It will be called Homeroom. Check it out here.

And in Rockridge, Rich and Rebekah Wood (of Wood Tavern fame) recently opened Southie just a few doors down from Wood Tavern.

A new Italian restaurant, Baia, is coming to Old Oakland, the great downtown neighborhood nestled between Jack London Square and City Hall. (And just a crosscourt pass away from the Warriors' hoops training facility.)

All of these new hotspots come on top of Oakland's recent successes -- whether it's new places like Commis and Boot & Shoe Service or old standbys like BayWolf and Oliveto.

And check out the locations for all of those new restaurants -- they're not only opening, but also thriving in very different neighborhoods all over Oakland: Temescal, Old Oakland, Rockridge, Uptown, and Downtown.

There's a true renaissance going on within The Town. It's just one of many reasons why Oakland is our favorite city in the world and a place we proudly call home.