Officially opening on Thursday May 1st is ALAMAR from chef-owner Nelson German—it’s opening in the former Noble Café location in Uptown Oakland. We previously mentioned the project here, but to recap, German—a New York City native—was most recently the chef at Supperclub and Marbella. The restaurant’s name means “to the sea,” so you can expect a variety of seafood dishes. The primary theme is food that is meant to be eaten with your hands, including crustacean boils with Louisiana crawfish (there will also be a vegetarian boil with vegetables), soft-shell crab, peel-and-eat Gulf shrimp, and Penn Cove mussels. There are also plenty of small plates, some meaty large dishes, and lots of sides—even dessert will be meant to be eaten with your paws. Check out the menu here.
There’s also a full bar, with cocktails by Rob Wertheimer, which will include sno-cones, punch bowls, and housemade sodas. The interior is a bit industrial, melding with some nautical elements as well. There’s a cheerful turquoise wall, a high-top communal table, an intimate bar area, and plenty of light from the floor-to-ceiling windows. One fun touch: there’s a copper hand-washing station in the dining room, good for pre- and post-meal cleanup.
Lunch service will roll out in a couple of weeks, and will feature rustic sandwiches instead of seafood boils. All-day Sunday brunch will launch shortly after. Initial opening hours will be Mon-Wed 4:30pm-10pm, Thu-Fri 4:30pm-11pm, Sat 4pm-11pm; closed Sun. 100 Grand Ave. at Valdez, Oakland, 510-907-7555.
AlaMar’s dining room (with the hand-washing station in the back). Photo: Nicholas La.
