Ingleside's New Ocean Ale House Strives For Quality, Community

Ingleside's New Ocean Ale House Strives For Quality, CommunityMiles Escobedo. (Photos: Lupita Uribe/Hoodline)
Lupita Uribe
Published on June 30, 2016

On the main avenue caressing Ingleside’s northern boundary sits Ocean Ale House, a month-old establishment hoping to bring a sense of community to the neighborhood through beer, food and music.

The bar at 1314 Ocean Ave. is co-owner Miles Escobedo’s answer to a question he constantly had growing up in Ingleside: What is there to do here?

“Growing up here, I found that there wasn’t much offered,” said Escobedo.

Although The Ave Bar brought craft beer and spirits to the neighborhood years prior, Escobedo, who previously managed Chomp 'N Swig in the Richmond, still felt there was still a need to be fulfilled. When he got word of a space opening up on Ocean Avenue, he saw it as an opportunity to fill that void, while capitalizing on the college crowd and still-affordable neighborhood.

“There were so many young people moving into this neighborhood, [and] it was an up-and-coming neighborhood,” said Escobedo.“It seemed like the right place to create a community-based pub.”

Escobedo plans to eventually replace the individual tables with one or two large communal tables.

Since opening in May, Ocean Ale House has taken part in pub crawls, tap takeovers and several live music events. Escobedo hopes to have live music be a consistent component of what the bar has to offer, but he's hit a few obstacles. The bar currently doesn’t have a big budget to spend on live acts, so he's hoping to find some locals to play for little or no cost.

“We’re looking to tap into the community,” he said (no pun intended).

So far, Ocean Ale House has featured jazz, Cubano and salsa musicians, and they're looking to expand into more genres. Escobedo noted that indie artists and singer/songwriters have reached out to him as well through the bar's Facebook page, which is their best point of contact.

The bar is spacious, with a small stage in the corner closest to the door that houses a piano, left by the previous owner of the space. Though there is little room to dance around the stage, Escobedo encourages patrons to take up the space they need to enjoy the music.

The house piano, left by the previous owner, is out of tune, but that hasn't stopped it from being played during performances.

Parallel to the stage and piano is a large mural of barrels in the ocean, which sets the tone for the 10 craft beers on tap ($4-8), and a wine selection ranging between $7 to $12 per glass.

Escobedo's best friend and co-owner, Daniel Silberman, mans the kitchen, which offers typical pub food like burgers and fries ($12), as well as specialty items like porchetta pub fries ($12), which are made with cheese that has been mixed with some of the beer on tap.

“We want people to feel comfortable [and] we want people to know they’re getting high quality in everything that they get here,” Escobedo said, noting that he cleans his draft lines once a week and his faucets every two weeks. Silberman grinds his meat daily, to ensure it's fresh. 

Although business in his first month has been inconsistent, Escobedo says he isn't worried. “It’s picking up. People know we’re here, and people know that Ocean Avenue is doing better."

Hours for Ocean Ale House are Tuesday from 5-10:30pm, Wednesday from 4-10:30pm, Thursday through Saturday from 4pm-12am, and Sunday from 10am-11pm.