{"id":430059,"date":"2026-08-11T20:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/430059\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T20:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T20:30:17","slug":"alameda-dining-burgers-and-cocktails-star-at-the-late-night-mix-bar-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/430059\/","title":{"rendered":"Alameda dining: Burgers and cocktails star at the late-night Mix Bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

A big ol\u2019 cheeseburger, washed down with an Old Fashioned on the rocks \u2013 that\u2019s the kind of beautiful night you can have at Alameda\u2019s Mix Bar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The island\u2019s<\/a> newest watering hole<\/a> opened in late spring at 2320 Santa Clara Ave., conveniently right next to a bicycle shop for cyclists in need of carb-loading. It is run by the same team behind Somar Bar, a popular lounge in Uptown Oakland that closed in 2023.<\/p>\n

The beverage menu at Mix Bar is minimalist yet creative. The bar\u2019s Instagram page chronicles a number of \u201chits and misses\u201d in its development, including a drink with what appears to be a lime stuffed with boba pearls and a foamy, possibly ube-based concoction with beans and jelly cubes.<\/p>\n

The real, current menu is divided into \u201cClassics\u201d (whiskey highball, Old Fashioned, Negroni), \u201cShaken Not Stirred\u201d (lychee and espresso martinis) and \u201cMix\u2019d Cocktails\u201d like a Pressed in Pink (vodka, guava, ginger, lime) and a Spice Runner (rum, pineapple Amaro, lime, dark-rum float).<\/p>\n

There are also intriguing \u201cSummer Cocktails\u201d that take advantage of fresh ingredients. A Snap Pea Gimlet mixes lime juice with pea syrup, for instance, and a Summer in Alameda pairs gin with chamomile syrup and lemon. Folks who prefer a mocktail can go with a lychee\/elderflower soda or a pandan sparkler \u2013 pandan shows up on the menu a couple of times, including in a variation of an Old Fashioned.<\/p>\n

Things have been getting exciting this summer from 5-9:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. That\u2019s when the pop-up Pound4Pound Grilled Burgers<\/a> typically arrives to grill up some fabulous-looking \u2018burgs.<\/p>\n

The menu seems to change, but for now, there\u2019s a Hellraiser for a person who\u2019s a bit of a heat-seeker with bacon, blue cheese, mozzarella and jalapeno-pistachio jam. The pop-up has offered a Juicy Lucy stuffed with cheddar and accessorized with fried pickles and shallots, caramelized onions and Parmesan. A Crouching Tiger pairs a siu-mai<\/a> patty with cilantro, cucumber-chili slaw and (sharp intake of breath) century egg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These are definitely not boring smash burgers the thickness of a nickel. In case anybody\u2019s confused, the pop-up has posted its cooking process on Instagram<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Sear beef and hear the sizzle
\nForm that crust and lock in the juices
\nSalted from up high
\nFlip once
\nTop with desired cheese
\nCover
\nRemove from heat
\nRest beef
\nFeast<\/p>\n

Details: Open 4 p.m.-midnight Tuesdays-Saturdays at 2320 \u00bd Santa Clara Ave., Alameda; instagram.com\/mixbar.alameda<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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