On April 17, the texts and whispers started broadcasting from Piedmont Avenue. Closed since the end of January, cherished neighborhood bar The Lodge had reopened.
3758 Piedmont Ave, Oakland; The Lodge Instagram
Hours: Sunday to Thursday, noon to midnight; Fridays and Saturdays noon to 2 a.m.
When Lexi Filipello announced that her beloved watering hole was closing at the beginning of the year, regulars and neighbors mourned. But within weeks, grief turned to elation as new owners Chris Cashin and Kris Gordon announced they would be re-opening the bar, taxidermy and all.
Cashin had been a regular for a dozen years in the neighborhood and really loved the spot’s vibe.
“You go there, and it seems like a local spot, as opposed to a special occasion spot or a theme spot,” he said. “When I heard through the grapevine that Lexi was going to close The Lodge, I got really excited about talking to Kris about it.”
He reached out to Filipello through social media and, even though other parties had been first to express interest, in the end, Cashin and Gordon made a deal with the landlord to continue The Lodge’s legacy.
“I’m not sure exactly why we got so lucky,” said Cashin.
After a few months to upgrade the kitchen, Cashin, also owner of Oakland’s The Boathouse, and Gordon, who’s been bartending at Alameda’s Lucky 13 for 11 years, decided it was time for a soft opening. With little fanfare, they turned on the open sign and opened the door.
“We opened the doors Friday as a soft open to do a stress test on everything,” said Gordon, who is a first-time bar owner with The Lodge. “Lexi was willing to come down and bartend a little.”
And within hours, the joint was hopping. “At one point, there were well over 80 people,” said Gordon.
And it’s safe to say their new menu was a hit: They sold 100 burgers the first night.
Addison Cho, who was there for the soft opening, was back on the bar’s patio with a group of friends and his dog Daisy on Wednesday night. He said he lives about a block away and is delighted that the bar is back open, with much of its previous staff on board.
“It’s nice you can have a consistent home base you can come to,” he said.
He’s hoping the bar will continue its tradition of restaurant popups, which previous owner Filipello had fostered.
Although the new owners have kept the interior almost entirely intact — an unpretentious mix of taxidermized deer heads, a big fireplace, and wood accents that call to mind a cozy Tahoe cabin — Cashin and Gordon have big plans for an affordable, reliable menu that will cater to both the regulars and families, whom they hope will be new customers.
(Left) Both human and canine regulars have already begun returning to The Lodge. Credit: Elise Proulx for East Bay Nosh; (Right) The Lodge menu includes an all-day breakfast sandwich along with burgers and more. Credit: Courtesy of The Lodge
Their new menu, heavy on bar classics like the abovementioned burger, a Chicago-style hot dog, an all-day egg sandwich, and an elevated grilled cheese with white cheddar and brie, ranges from $6 to $12. And the kid’s menu maxes out at $8. The new Lodge will open at noon daily for now, eventually moving up to 10 a.m., making its back patio a great place for the family.
Parents can grab a drink while everyone gets to enjoy a budget-friendly casual lunch.
“It makes sense to have a business model that would allow families to come and enjoy our establishment together,” said Gordon, who is pleased to see families are already feeling welcome.
“Around 5 p.m. [Tuesday] night, there were four families in here with little kids,” he said.
Gordon and Cashin expect the menu to continue to expand and hope to bring back the popups over the summer, along with backyard patio barbecues. Follow the Instagram account for daily food specials and more.
They will also be building up their own stock behind the bar. “We’d like to curate a really good whiskey collection,” said Cashin. “Kris and I really like whiskey. It goes with the lodge theme.”
As they grow into the space, they hope to start hosting special events, something creative that would be a draw for both new and old customers, though they are still deciding exactly what those will look like.
For now, The Lodge is open daily at noon, closing at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. Families are welcome until 8 p.m.
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