<\/p>\n
Customers hang out on the patio at Athletic Club Oakland in 2020. The bar will reopen under new owners and with a new name after closing in February.<\/p>\n
Yalonda M. James\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n
When popular game day spot Athletic Club Oakland closed for good after a packed Super Bowl Sunday in February<\/a>, locals mourned the loss of one of the city\u2019s few sports bars. But now, a new group of owners is bringing it back.\u00a0<\/p>\n A six-person group incorporated as\u00a0OIAST, LLC\u00a0\u2014 an acronym that stands for \u201cOakland is a Sports Town\u201d\u00a0\u2014 hopes to reopen the Uptown bar ahead of the first match of the FIFA World Cup on June 11, said Angela Tsay, one of the new owners and majority owner of local apparel company Oaklandish. The bar\u2019s new operators, all Oakland residents, are Tsay; Chris Pastena, who owned shuttered restaurants Calavera and Chop Bar; Adi Taylor, co-owner of local bars Drexl and Sandbar; Oaklandish COO Aaron Higgins; and two other principals who opted to remain unnamed.<\/p>\n The revival reflects an optimistic shift in Oakland\u2019s bar scene. After a\u00a0flurry of prominent closures in recent months<\/a>, several spaces are being brought back to life, including dive bar the Lodge<\/a> and queer bar There\/There<\/a>, which is set to open soon in the former Friends and Family space<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cOakland needs places like this, now more than ever,\u201d a press release reads. \u201cThe city took its punches through the pandemic: small businesses closed, downtown thinned, the social fabric stretched. The recovery is real but uneven, and it happens building by building, room by room. Oakland Athletic Club is part of that resurgence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n When it reopens, the bar at 59 Grand Ave. will be mostly unchanged, with the same viewing areas and outdoor patio, though the new owners plan to build a mezzanine VIP area and a lounge dedicated to women\u2019s sports. The bar will still offer a straightforward list of local beers on tap and cocktails. But it will sport a new name: Oakland Athletic Club, a symbolic move that puts the Town\u2019s name in the front of the business. The new owners hope to create a gathering space that celebrates\u00a0Oakland sports, from the Ballers to the Roots<\/a>, despite the high-profile departures of the Raider\u2019s, A\u2019s and Golden State Warriors, a press release notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is a way to really galvanize Oakland back as a sports town,\u201d\u00a0Tsay said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The marquee at popular sports bar Athletic Club Oakland.<\/p>\n Yalonda M. James\/The Chronicle<\/p>\n Pastena, who will lead Oakland Athletic Club\u2019s food operations, said that dishes like carnitas nachos, a variety of salads and tacos with fillings like Baja-style battered fish or sweet potato with queso fresco will be available all day long. Larger items might include paprika-seared shrimp with brown rice and a spatchcocked chicken with black beans.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Taylor, who will manage the bar program, said that craft beers from local breweries, such as Ghost Town, Line 51 and Original Pattern, will be on tap.<\/p>\n The bar\u2019s previous iteration opened in 2018 and was a stop for fans of English Premier League side Arsenal, as well as basketball, baseball, football and combat sports fans. Despite its popularity, the bar was struggling. Former co-owner Miles\u00a0Palliser told the Chronicle that 2025 revenue was down 70% of what it was in 2019. He and business partner Ezra Berman\u00a0 launched a crowdfunding campaign<\/a> to transform the space into a restaurant and bar in partnership with the owners of nearby restaurants Parche and Jaji, but it did not meet its goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new operators hope to capitalize on other revenue streams like private events, catering, branded merchandise and sports partnerships.<\/p>\n Tsay said that business activity is good on the block where Oakland Athletic Club is located, as well as in Uptown, though she hasn\u2019t seen that same resurgence closer to the center of downtown. Still, she renewed the 10-year lease on Oaklandish\u2019s flagship store on Broadway, about half a mile from Oakland Athletic Club.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019re betting on Oakland and I think we\u2019re going to see a renaissance downtown,\u201d Tsay said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Customers hang out on the patio at Athletic Club Oakland in 2020. 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