Pre-Previews

Easy Creole and a New Nano-Brewery Coming to Berkeley This Fall

A rendering of the spaces.
A rendering of the spaces.

Two small but intriguing projects are inching closer to becoming reality on the Oakland-Berkeley border, in side-by-side storefronts at 1761-1763 Alcatraz Avenue. The first is an unnamed nano-brewery and brewpub from S.F. resident Viet Vu, which will take over a former retail space that’s been vacant for about 30 years. Vu is planning to have about 30 seats, with brew kettles in the back of the 600-square-foot space, and a light snack menu. He’s aiming for a fall opening, in give or take seven months. The other project is from the duo behind S.F. pop-up Easy Creole, Grant Gooding and Jess McCarter, who are currently appearing every Wednesday night at The Residence. They plan to open their brick-and-mortar spot in what was a Chinese restaurant next door, serving lunch and dinner daily, featuring their New Orleans signatures like gumbo, chicken Creole, and Red Stripe Jerk Etouffee (they also do vegetarian gumbo, and a veg-based etouffee). Their ETA is still “eventually,” but hopefully they’ll make it in time to join Vu in some opening festivities. [Berkeleyside]

Easy Creole and a New Nano-Brewery Coming to Berkeley This Fall