{"id":383077,"date":"2026-07-02T03:31:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T03:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383077\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T03:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T03:31:19","slug":"bar-skula-a-lukas-remix-opens-on-grand-avenue-across-from-lake-merritt-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/383077\/","title":{"rendered":"Bar Skula \u2014 a \u2018Luka\u2019s remix\u2019 \u2014 opens on Grand Avenue, across from Lake Merritt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maria Alderete is up on a ladder hanging up a papier-mache sea creature by the kitchen while her husband and business partner, Rick Mitchell, is sitting at the bar with his laptop, replying to emails and updating a spreadsheet. In the kitchen, chef Wilson Mendez is testing the fryer. Each member of the crew, who have worked in concert for close to two decades, knows their part well and is relishing having the band back together. Back at the bar, Jared Hirsch is fixing a pesky mint leaf garnish, part of an amber colored gin tonic, in a ribbed balloon glass. The team is putting the finishing touches on 542 Grand Ave., where Bar Skula<\/a> opens today, July 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For 15 years Alderete and Mitchell were at the helm of Luka\u2019s, a restaurant often credited with catapulting the revitalization of Uptown Oakland. <\/a>In January of 2022, after they were unable to negotiate a new lease with the landlord, they closed the restaurant.<\/a><\/p>\n

The Grand Avenue space across from the Lake Merritt pergola, which until early 2024 housed Sidebar, a popular restaurant, has been gradually revamped since Alderete and Mitchell signed the lease in November of 2025. Besides Alderete, Mitchell, Mendez, and Hirsch, other faces patrons familiar with Luka\u2019s will recognize at Bar Skula include Jacob Alioto, the founding chef at Luka\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_029\"\/Bar Skula occupies the Grand Avenue storefront where Sidebar used to be. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\"\"Bar Skula\u2019s bartender Aaron Ortiz squeezes grapefruit juice for cocktails. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\u201cRick, Wilson and Jake have been cooking every week for the last six months refining the menu,\u201d Alderete told Nosh.<\/p>\n

On the day Nosh visited, the crew was fine-tuning details two days before the soft opening of the project that Alderete and Mitchell are calling a \u201cLuka\u2019s remix.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitchell said that the storefront on Grand Avenue has been their dream location dating back to when it housed Trio Bistro and Grill, before Sidecar or Luka\u2019s opened.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal in life is to own my local so I always have a restaurant to go to,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cWe have a little cabin on the Russian River. So now that I\u2019m getting this place open, my life will be complete.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The couple, who live walking distance from the new restaurant, were regulars at Sidebar and knew Hirsch was the perfect bar consultant to help them develop the cocktail menu at Skula.<\/p>\n

On the menu, both Luka\u2019s and Sidecar regulars will find recognizable drinks and dishes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, there is a new take on the \u201cCaged Heat\u201d cocktail. Departing from Sidebar\u2019s version with Four Roses Bourbon, Hirsch remixed it with tequila and mezcal for Skula, still using one key ingredient: the Caged Heat syrup made out of tamarind, cardamon and chili (which can be purchased next door at Oaktown Spice Shop).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other cocktails Hirsch is excited about are the three distinct gin tonics including the \u201cReckless on Paper,\u201d which pays homage to espresso tonics<\/a> and is made with Nordes, a gin from Spain, plus coffee liquor and manzanilla sherry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of these cocktails lean into the Iberian diaspora, as does most of the food menu,\u201d Hirsch said. \u201cThe journey that started off in Spain and Portugal, and then migrated into Latin America, South America, us here, and what used to be called Alta California. There\u2019s a lineage through the cocktails and a lineage from the food that traces that drink.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_011\"\/Bar consultant Jared Hirsch designed Bar Skula\u2019s cocktail menu. He was previously the bar manager at Sidebar. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_016\"\/Two of Bar Skula\u2019s gin tonics: \u201cPio Pico\u201d (top) and the \u201cReckless on Paper.\u201d The cocktail menu was designed by bar consultant Jared Hirsch, who was previously the bar manager at Sidebar. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_007\"\/The bar\u2019s anchor items are three refreshing gin tonics served in intricate glassware. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Alderete and Mitchell have also brought back Luka\u2019s fan-favorite fries with various sauces like lemon-garlic, aji verde and chipotle aioli. The classic Lukas\u2019 burger, oysters, and the wings are also on the menu.<\/p>\n

New items that will be unveiled at the restaurant\u2019s soft-opening on July 1 include two types of agua chile and four ceviches, shrimp and beef dishes, salads, and four desserts.<\/p>\n

The menu is more than revisiting old hits, and includes some enticing vegetarian items as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my favorite dishes is the corona beans in aguachile verde,\u201d Alderete said. \u201cIt\u2019s vegan, and it\u2019s so bright and beautiful. The bean really carries the flavors.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Corona beans are a type of large legume with a creamy interior and a meaty and nutty texture.<\/p>\n

A lot of the items on the menu, the couple said, were inspired by their travels through Mexico, Central and South America.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRick and I drove down through Sinaloa [Mexico] to a town called Topolobampo where you can catch the ferry and head to Baja California where there are amazing mariscos,\u201d Alderete said.<\/p>\n

From the ceviches, Alderete\u2019s favorite is the Nayarit, made with albacore, mango, coconut milk and leche de tigre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mendez created the shrimp, rajas and cheese dobladas that pay homage to the cuisine of Guatemala, his home country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWilson was our first employee, and he was with us the entire 18 years we were open,\u201d Alderete said. \u201cHaving him come back and run this kitchen under the guidance of Rick and our founding chef Jake, and giving him the opportunity to shine and celebrate his culture is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides the appetizing menu, Alderete and Mitchell were inspired by Lake Merritt when deciding the decor and ambience they wanted.<\/p>\n

Alderete told Nosh that part of the inspiration was Googling \u201cunderwater Lake Merritt creatures\u201d and coming across a 2020 Oaklandside article titled \u201cWhat\u2019s lurking beneath Lake Merritt? More than you think.\u201d<\/a> The story, by former Berkeleyside journalist Ally Markovich, reported on the \u201ccreatures\u201d like bat rays, otters and leopard sharks that have found their way into the man-made lagoon. She was also inspired by the urban legend of the Lake Merritt Monster<\/a>, a serpent-like creature that once inhabited the lake.\u00a0<\/p>\n

All these sea creatures inspired the murals that embellish the ocean-blue-colored walls. In order to accomplish her vision, Alderete enlisted the help of Oakland-based Chilean muralist Pancho Pescador, known for his colorful work around town including the Love Letter to Oakland mural series<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pescador painted two murals inside the restaurant. One depicts a battle between the Lake Merritt Monster and a giant octopus. On the other side of the restaurant, a colorful leopard shark shares the depths of Lake Merritt with a blowfish and an axolotl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI know these are not Lake Merritt creatures,\u201d Alderete said of the blowfish and the axolotl, \u201cBut I love them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally, Aldete reached out to citizen scientist Damon Tighe<\/a> for permission to print some of his underwater creature photos, which are framed and hung around the restaurant. Alderete also worked with artist Daniel Camacho to create paper mache versions of three of Tighe\u2019s photos.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put together all these images of the creatures and sent them to Pancho [Pescador,]\u201d Alderete said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always worked on projects where I tell Pancho \u2018this is what I want.\u2019 For this one, I wanted to give him the ability to be creative and actually bring himself into the piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_013\"\/Oakland-based muralist Pancho Pescador poses for a portrait with his finished mural inside Bar Skula. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_018\"\/A mural by artist Pancho Pescador depicts Lake Merritt scene with both real and mythical underwater creatures. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

Pescador and Alderete exchanged phone calls, text messages and sketches for about two months until both their visions were ready to be transferred to the walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sketch was the most difficult part of the process, Pescador told NOSH. For the mural, he enlisted the help of Bolivian muralist Pablito Something<\/a>, a San Francisco-based artist known for his bright and colorful designs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been wanting to paint an octopus for a long time,\u201d Pescador said. \u201cAnd then the idea of the battle between the octopus and the monster came because of the movie \u2018Godzilla vs. King Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pescador worked on the mural while other renovations were being done.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were putting epoxy on the floor and it was so stinky,\u201d Pescador said. \u201cWe had to wear masks and open all the windows.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other features, like the bar that overlooks Lake Merritt through the restaurant\u2019s large windows, were kept intact.<\/p>\n

Hirsch said that the Sidebar was always a community hub, and hopes that Skula is embraced in the same way. The murals, he said, add to the community feel inside the restaurant.<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_005\"\/Front-of-house staff at Bar Skula go over the menu and drink options ahead of a friends and family dinner service on June 29, 2026. Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\"NATERA_NOSH_BAR-SKULA_027\"\/Maria Alderete and Rick Mitchell are calling their new venture a \u201cLuka\u2019s remix.\u201d Credit: Ximena Natera for East Bay Nosh<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always something about me sitting in different seats around the restaurant just to see what drew our attention,\u201d Hirsch said. \u201cEvery time you look up, there\u2019s another layer of interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, the restaurant will be walk-ins only, and, once the crew nails down the pacing, Mitchell said, they\u2019ll start taking reservations. The bar will remain first-come-first-served.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Alderete and Mitchell hope that the community embraces this \u201cLuka\u2019s remix.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting back into the restaurant business seems crazy,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard times all around. But, it\u2019s what I do and what I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRelated stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\u2018Gooooool\u2019:\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Gooooool\u2019: 29 bars, restaurants and other venues to watch the World Cup around the East Bay<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tJune 11, 2026June 12, 2026, 12:22 p.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Reem\u2019s\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tReem\u2019s ready to debut worker-owned flagship in Jack London Square<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tJune 24, 2026\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Recounting\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tRecounting The Cheese Board\u2019s early days: Manure-cured cheese, 25-hour work weeks, and bungled bread<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tJune 25, 2026June 30, 2026, 2:23 p.m.\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

“*” indicates required fields<\/p>\n

\t