Oakland’s Mexican Oasis Nears Finish Line on Its Long-Delayed Margarita Garden

Nido’s Backyard, Oakland’s airy, mezcal-fueled extension of 6-year-old Mexican mainstay Nido, needs the public’s help in order to finally open this summer.

Nido’s colorful indoor-outdoor addition has been in the works for four years. A big blow to its budget came from a requirement to design and build a crosswalk on city-owned property, says husband-wife owners Cory and Silvia McCollow.

“We paid for a crosswalk — and it kinda tapped our funds ... now we’re asking for a little consideration,” write the owners. As of Friday, their weeks-old Go Fund Me campaign to complete the garden had met $4,670 of its $35,000 goal.

Donations will help “defray the cost” to “get back on track” and open Nido’s roomier sister spot next door, say the owners, billing the incoming wood-lined respite as the first margarita and agave garden in the Bay Area.

Nido, one of Eater SF’s 38 Essential East Bay restaurants, has risen as a reliable industrial-styled destination for all-day margaritas and tequila cocktails near Jack London Square (444 Oak Street). Regarded chef Jose Ramos, who helped open Nopalito in SF, whips up distinctive versions of Mexican classics with purslane, keffir crema, tatsoi, and other esoteric California ingredients.

Depending on the dollar amount, Nido promises to thank donors in various ways (think dinner and drinks for two, a piñata party for 12, or a branded mural by artist Christian Garcia on one of its shipping container walls).