Close to a year ago, we reported on the closure of Oakland’s Warehouse Bar and Grill, a favorite watering hole for Oakland Police Department employees. The bar had been sold to a small group of local investors who were planning to renovate the historic Victorian building in which the bar was housed. It is reopening tomorrow as Seawolf Public House, just in time to fit in a SF Beek Week event with Sierra Nevada.
Seawolf’s owner, Monica Plazola, said in a statement that she is excited to make the space more of a neighborhood pub. “I wanted to have a place where folks could relax, feel welcome, have excellent beer and food, and not feel pressure to leave,” she said.
The pub will feature beer from local breweries and new American pub food from chef Jason Moniz, who helped open Flora in Uptown. Menu items will include beef and Guinness chili, Korean fried chicken sandwiches, beef shanks with tater tots, and cheddar cheese curds. According to the statement, Moniz will also bring back Warehouse’s popular chicken wings.
Last February, Plazola told the East Bay Express that she planned to keep at least some of Warehouse Bar and Grill’s “existing flavor” intact. From what we can tell from photographs on Facebook, the building has at least gotten a fresh coat of paint on the exterior, dark wood flooring and new sheetrock on the walls.
Plazola clearly does, however, want to emphasis the Seawolf’s historic character. The pub is partnering with the Oakland Heritage Alliance for its Beer Week event on Friday and will donate a portion of its proceeds to the organization. Plus, much of the decor includes photographs and other artifacts “highlighting the rich history of the building, of Oakland and of Jack London, according to the statement.
Seawolf will be open with limited hours, from 3 p.m. to midnight through March 15. Starting March 16, it will be open for lunch and weekend brunch.
Only time will tell if the bar will remain popular with the OPD.
