A new bar and restaurant has opened on West Grand Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Oakland, in the historic building that once housed Starline Social Club.
A Capella opened this week for cocktails and food service, and will host a grand opening on Friday, Feb. 7 with music by AdriantheDJ. Operations manager Robbie Conroy says that the venue’s small side room is currently undergoing a remodel, which could take up to six months, and will eventually become a jazz lounge with live music. The venue’s 400-person-capacity upstairs ballroom is also getting a facelift and will be ready to host concerts in a year.
As far as the vision for the space, Conroy says he’s going to let customers dictate A Capella’s direction. “We basically remodeled the downstairs first and wanted to get that open so we can kind of see … if people enjoy the cocktail lounge side of it or the more clubby side with DJs late-night on weekends,” Conroy said.
That flexible approach comes from past experience. Conroy has spent years working for A Capella’s owners, the Berkeley-based Hindustry Bar Group, which owns East Bay Spice Company, TipSea Bar and Tap In Lounge in Berkeley; Lemon Drop in Alameda; and Blue Rabbit Bar in San Pablo.
A Capella’s newly opened bar has a dimly lit, speakeasy look with mid-century design accents. The food menu includes eclectic fare like Thai noodles and fried chicken at an affordable price point of $10–$20 a dish.
