10-Year-Old Chop Bar Graduates to Bigger Digs in Oakland

Chop Bar, a decade-old Oakland gathering spot, has moved from 247 4th Street in Jack London Square to a new, larger space a half a block away at 190 4th street. “The space will give a chance to grow as a restaurant,” says owner Chris Pastena, “giving us a large kitchen space to expand our menu and a private dinning room to have some great events.”

It’s a symbolic move for Chop Bar, which has grown up alongside Jack London Square and its budding crop of food businesses, as well as a practical decision for Chop Bar. The new space seats 60, with outdoor seating for 14, and features a larger bar with a bigger selection of spirits. Pastena — also the restaurateur behind Calavera, Tribune Tavern, and until recently, Lungomare, which he sold — designed the new space himself, focused on recycled materials.

In the new kitchen, Chop Bar chef Lev Delany, who has been with the restaurant since it opened in 2009, is busy playing around with some new dishes for sharing. But he’s also keeping old standbys like a Marin Sun Farms burger (with bacon, tomato, avocado, and aioli on an Acme Kaiser roll) and meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and trotter gravy.

Chop Bar’s hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday from 8:00 a.m to 11:00 p.m. Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.