Previews

More Details on Hopscotch, Opening in Oakland’s Uptown

They're aiming for a May opening.
They’re aiming for a May opening. Photo: iStock Photo

Grub Street broke the news a few weeks back about Hopscotch (1915 San Pablo Avenue), a new restaurant on its way to Oakland from former Yoshi’s cook Kyle Itani, who more recently has been working at the Meatball Shop in in New York. Today we get the official release from the team, which also includes partner Jenny Schwarz, which details some more about the restaurant, which sounds like a cool amalgam of California bistro fare with Japanese influences both in the food and service.

The menu will feature “creative interpretations of global bistro fare and American classics featuring hyper-local ingredients,” as well as a full bar featuring craft beer, wine, and a cocktail list focused on small-batch spirits, Scotch in particular. (Japanese whiskey seems a likely feature as well.) Example dishes include asari frites; Kirin beer-steamed clams with house Merguez sausage and duck-fat potato chips; and an escargot and bone marrow gratin.

Service-wise, they’re aiming for “meticulous but accessible” with a Japanese sensibility. Itani spent some time in Japan and, incidentally, was staying in Sendai during last year’s devastating tsunami.

Look for Hopscotch to debut in May, in what was the former Chef Edwards Bar-B-Que space, with more info to follow. And along with Duende, Camber, Sweet Bar, and the newly relocated, as yet unopened Parkway Theater, Uptown will be pretty booming by year’s end.

Earlier: Another New Bar-Restaurant Coming to Oakland’s Uptown: Hopscotch

More Details on Hopscotch, Opening in Oakland’s Uptown