What to Eat

Check Out the Menu at Duende, Now Open in Oakland

Duende
Duende Photo: Lara Hoke/Grub Street

As Oaklanders likely know, Duende (19th and Telegraph) finally opened last week. We shared some photos of the handsome space two weeks back, and today we finally lay our hands on the opening menu. See it all below, including former Oliveto chef Paul Canales’s Spanish tapas and paella offerings, and the drink list as well from beverage director Rocco Somazzi.

The restaurant, as we’ve discussed, is actually a bit more than a restaurant, with an 84-seat dining room that includes a central lounge and bar, and an adjoining bodega (a daytime café and wine retail shop with pop-up art installations). There is also a semi-private loft that’s available for parties or events, and the place will play host to music events, like the Nels Cline Singers, who are performing this week, Wednesday through Saturday, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets available here.

As for the name, which can refer to a goblin or spirit, it’s also a Spanish word that has been used by the poet Federico Garcia Lorca in the phrase “tener duende,” loosely translated as “to have soul.” Canales says he sees Duende, the restaurant, as a place “where improvisation and collaboration can play out in our work and our daily lives, and where people can invent their own experience.”

MENU:


Duende - 468 19th Street at Telegraph, Oakland - 510-893-0174 - Open Wednesday to Monday at 5:30 p.m., serving until 10 p.m. on weeknights, and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesdays.

Earlier: Step Inside Duende, Opening (Hopefully) This Weekend in Oakland’s Uptown

Check Out the Menu at Duende, Now Open in Oakland