Here's the latest in Oakland food news. In this edition: Señor Sisig gets its first semi-permanent Oakland location; a Rockridge coffeehouse changes hands; and a Mediterranean restaurant rebrands and shifts its menu.
Opening
Downtown
Señor Sisig pop-up at Spice Monkey (1628 Webster St.)
Spice Monkey, the downtown Oakland spot known for its lineup of live music and comedy shows, has been struggling since the pandemic started — especially since its lease was already up for renewal. A post on its website says it's still in negotiations with its landlord.
In the meantime, help has arrived in the form of popular food truck Señor Sisig, which has debuted a pop-up in Spice Monkey's parklet. While Señor Sisig has a brick-and-mortar location in the Mission, this marks its first expansion into Oakland beyond its trucks.
Set to remain open through the summer, the pop-up will feature all of Señor Sisig's signature food items, like burritos, nachos, fries and the "crunch-a-dilla." Spice Monkey will also dish up cocktails to go, with occasional live music shows in the parklet. Order online for pickup or at the window — and be sure to bring your mask.
Hours for the pop-up are 11 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Monday; 1:15 - 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday; and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Sunday.
As for Spice Monkey, if you want to lend a hand, it's currently running a GoFundMe campaign.
Fusion Mediterranean (475 14th St.)
Also downtown, 9-to-5 mainstay 475 Café has reopened under a new moniker: Fusion Mediterranean.
According to Berkeleyside, it debuted on June 9 for takeout, with similar offerings to its predecessor — salads, sandwiches, juices and smoothies, many of them vegetarian and/or halal.
While 475 had some Mediterranean options, like hummus and falafel, Fusion has gone even further in that direction, with dishes like dolmas, shawarma and roasted eggplant. There's also a bit of Indian influence on the menu — think chicken tikka masala and chana masala.
Customers can order online for pickup, or get delivery via DoorDash.
Rockridge
Ain't Normal (5701 College Ave.)
Over in Rockridge, our veteran tipster Al M. says that the former Bica Coffeehouse space has found a new taker — Ain't Normal.
Founded as a catering company, Ain't Normal typically brings on-the-go baristas to serve espresso at corporate and private events, with clients ranging from Sephora to Salesforce to the Golden State Warriors. According to its website, this will be its first public-facing café.
Al says construction on the space has yet to begin. There's no word on a potential opening date or what the café will offer beyond coffee; a request for comment was not returned at press time.
Update 7/6: Ain't Normal founder Faunus Luca reached out and said that he is "hoping to open as soon as we can." Luca said that with the café he wants "to deepen our connection to the community over delicious coffees, teas, and simple food." He tells Hoodline that the dream of opening a fixed location came after several years of frequenting cafés in college.
"But it probably wasn't fixed in my heart until after I took a job washing dishes at [Berkeley’s] Bartavelle," Luca explained, adding that spending a lot of time there as both a customer and employee got him "hooked on the community that a café is capable of facilitating."
Later, Luca said, he was able to organize a pop-up café with friends for art openings at San Francisco’s artist residency The Growlery. "It was rad," he explained. That was also the start of a series of pop-ups in the Bay Area. At the same time, he also began to look into the coffee catering business. “While the catering thing was jamming I was always looking for opportunities to open a fixed location," he said.
Thanks to our tipster Al M.! Have you noticed a new addition to (or subtraction from) Oakland's food landscape? Text a tip and a horizontal photo to (415) 200-3233, and we'll look into it.
