Oakland’s Uptown nightlife is about to get a familiar face back, just with a new name and a tighter game plan. After Friends and Family poured its last drinks at the end of 2025, former chef Alli Li is stepping in to reclaim the 25th Street space with There/There, a more streamlined, bar-forward spot centered on the city’s queer community and its allies. The goal is to keep the cozy, regulars-first energy people loved, while trimming the costs that helped sink the previous business.
What There/There Will Offer
There/There is expected to debut in May at 468 25th St., where Li plans to lean into affordable twists on classic cocktails and a serious nonalcoholic lineup. Prices are intentionally capped: Li is aiming for a menu where the cheapest drinks do not climb above $12 and nothing crosses the $17 mark. Food will skew toward casual, mostly hand-held bar snacks that fit the space’s “bar-first” setup, since the kitchen is compact. The large back patio is slated to host a rotating cast of local popups. All of these plans were outlined in reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Funding and Community Plans
To get the doors open, Li has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover rent and buildout costs. The GoFundMe lists a $50,000 target; as of this week, it shows about $3,864 raised toward that goal. The fundraiser sketches out a Tuesday through Saturday schedule with a steady calendar of community-focused programming, including artist talks, chess club nights and weekend dance parties, along with a promise to make the back patio available to neighborhood popups. Those details come from Li’s GoFundMe fundraiser.
Friends and Family's Legacy
Friends and Family was not just another neighborhood bar; it punched well above its weight on the national stage. It appeared on the inaugural North America's 50 Best Bars list and was a 2022 semifinalist for Outstanding Bar Program from the James Beard Foundation. Those accolades help explain why its shutdown last year hit so hard across the Bay Area, and why Li’s decision to step back into the same address feels like a meaningful moment for Oakland’s nightlife. The bar’s recognition is a big part of what turned Friends and Family into a local touchstone in its prime.
Why This Matters For Oakland's Nightlife
When Friends and Family went dark late in 2025, it underscored how precarious even acclaimed neighborhood bars have become as rents, labor costs and shifting drinking habits squeeze margins around the Bay Area. Local coverage and industry analysis have linked those pressures to a broader erosion of queer nightlife spaces, and Li has said that keeping prices accessible and programming consistent is central to trying to avoid a repeat of that fate. Reporting from KALW and coverage of queer bar culture at Eater SF add context to those broader trends.
What's Next
Li told the San Francisco Chronicle that “this is the third space that it always wanted to be,” describing the leaner concept as a way to make the business financially sustainable over the long haul. There/There is set to open in May, with Li planning to rely on weeknight community events and a steady flow of patio popups to keep people coming through the door. Regulars from the Friends and Family days, along with a new generation of Uptown barflies, will be watching to see whether the mix of budget-conscious cocktails and community programming is enough to keep the place buzzing all year.
