Inside Duende, Opening This Month; BONUS: The Menu

Grid View

• Commissioned art fills the super-high walls inside.
• Polished and unfinished woods mark the interior.
• This is Duende's signature wall mural.
• The kitchen.
• The wine.
• The loft.
• Future check presenters and water bottles
• A neon sign marks the spot.

Duende, Paul Canales' Uptown Oakland Spanish restaurant/bodega/music venue, is now looking at an opening on January 11 or 12 in the historic Floral Depot building across from the Fox Theater. As you can see above, the gorgeously designed interior is ready to rip. Canales and partner/GM Rocco Somazzi worked with Arcsine Architecture to build out the 84-seat restaurant, complete with a lounge in the middle, a bar on one side, and a wine-vending, Verve espresso-pulling shop next door. The gallery also includes a look at the semi-private event loft with a graffitied piano and lots of chairs.

Canales has completed the first menu too (revealed below). It includes sections organized according to size (pinxtos/tapas, raciones, platos familiares, dulces)—all of them honoring Canales' Basque roots and his deep appreciation for Northern Californian ingredients. Somazzi and wine director Gerard Maristany curated a list of Spanish wines, eight local wines on-tap, and "the best selection of Sherries in the East Bay" to go along with it:

· All Duende Coverage [~ ESF ~]