West Oakland is getting a new food hall. Here’s what we know so far.
New details — including an Almanac Beer Co. taproom and a night market — were announced this week for the Prescott Market project, a new 12,000-square-foot food hall set to open in West Oakland later this year.
The food hall, which will be located at 1620-1640 18th St. in Oakland, will open an Almanac Beer Co. taproom this summer with indoor and outdoor seating. Seven more food and beverage offerings are expected to open by the end of the year.
Bay Area foodies and baseball fans can get a sneak peek, when the a monthly Prescott Night Market launches in June. The first three market dates — June 6, July 11 and Aug. 15 — coincide with Oakland Ballers home games. The new baseball team will play its first season at Raimondi Park just across the street.
Prescott Market hopes to help up-and-coming restaurants experiment and grow, says founder Joe Ernst. Its modular spaces will help operators manage the costs usually associated with brick-and-mortar restaurants while expanding high-quality food options in a neighborhood long considered to be a food desert.
“Prescott Market is fulfilling a genuine need in an underserved area, where access to good food is limited,” Ernst says.
Alameda’s Almanac Beer Co. will pour everything from IPAs to Czech pilsner and fruited sour beers at the new West Oakland taproom, as well as wine, hard cider, hard kombucha and non-alcoholic options. Brewery co-founder Damian Fagan says the brewery’s name is a nod to the Farmer’s Almanac, the old-school agriculture reference guide, and an homage to the beer company’s California agriculture-inspired brews.
“We are fans of traditional styles and methods of brewing, as well as exploring new ways of doing things,” he says. “We like to keep open minds, so we don’t have a lot of hard rules when it comes to brewing.”
West Oakland’s feel and history remind him of his Detroit hometown. “There is a rare sense of deep heritage and a legacy of creativity you get just walking around, which you don’t get in a lot of cities and neighborhoods anymore,” Fagan says. “We are honored to play some small part in West Oakland’s future story.”
Part of the idea behind Prescott Market is to expand on the community-rooted food access initiatives already in place in the neighborhood, including the West Oakland Farmers Market and the Prescott Night Market, according to market director Harvindar Singh.
The hall will have “a farmers market vibe but in a permanent structure, serving as a commons for shared experiences,” Singh says.
Details: The market hall will open later this year, but the West Oakland Farmers Market is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays at 18th and Peralta Streets; www.westoaklandfarmersmarket.org/ The Prescott Night Market will run from 4 to 8 p.m. on June 6, July 11, Aug. 15, Sept. 5 and Oct. 3 at 1620 18th St. in Oakland.