Great Time at Luka's Taproom

When I heard that there was a new restaurant in the wasteland of Downtown Oakland, I was excited and skeptical at the same time.  Let's face it, Downtown Oakland is not exactly a destination one goes to on purpose, unless you need to go to Court or jail.  Growing up, we passed through Downtown on our way to other places, like Alameda or Jack London Square, but it appears the gentrification of Oakland has finally passed the Lake Merritt boundary.  Good or bad, it means that Luka's Taproom was packed on a Saturday night with people from all walks of life.

In the former Hofbrau location (RIP 1951-2003), Luka's Taproom is decorated bistro style, a long bar, bar tables for two with tall stools, and plenty of standing room.  The main dining room is quite small, with booths for four, and which is the entrance for one of the backrooms, complete with pool table, jukebox and various signs and other leftovers in homage to the Hofbrau.  In the other back room, is Luka's Lounge, with low, soft chairs, a DJ booth and space for groovin'. See the schedule for the haps for the Lounge.

I started with a lovely Sidecar, very good and a generous pour.  I moved on to trying a Belgian Ale, since that's basically what they are all about and WOW did I have a wonderful beer, Duchesse de Bourgogne.  Is it even in the same category as beer?  It had almost a tamarind cherry cola flavor but wasn't too sweet, and since I like sweet beer, I was in heaven.  We were informed by our server that they pour a lot of this beer, and I can see why. Yum.

Our starters were very good, a nice Duck Confit Salad paired well with Pomegranate Seeds and a Tuna Carpaccio (Ahi and Hamachi) with Arugula, Preserved Lemons & Black Olive Oil (and pickled red onions that were delicious).  The Ahi was great, the Hamachi was mostly flavorless, but we still enjoyed the dish.  The real winner was the Hamburger and Fries with an herbed Aioli, perfectly seasoned, and actually cooked the way we requested (medium).  I would go back just to have the hamburger and the perfect fries.  Dessert was a scrumptious Pineapple Upside Down Cake and a mediocre Cheese Plate that needed way more love or to remove it from the menu altogether.

Overall, I love this place and will likely go back very soon to eat a Hamburger and get my groove on.  Check it out.

Luka's Taproom
2221 Broadway at West Grand
Oakland, CA 94612
510-451-4677

Comments

[Fatemeh]

I love Lukas. We go there at LEAST twice a month since they've opened, and I even had my 30th bday party there a few weeks ago.

The manager closed off the back poolroom for us, and they did a great job of putting out a selection of cheeses, frites and charcuterie platters. Plus, he worked out an arrangement with drink tickets so our guests could pick up drinks at the bar or with our cocktail waitress.

[Amy]

Yay! Finally a place to eat when I go to the Paramount Theater. That hofbrau was a little scary...

[Chris]

That beer really is something special, I'd go there again just for that.

[santos]

ah, i am a sucker for a good belgian brew, and that sounds like a bewdy. i think i would go there just for the logo alone!

[Molly]

Yeah, that backroom was super cool, they had a private party going on, seems like a great place to have a birthday party.

And the beer was so good, and I don't even drink beer!

[Kevin]

I actually LIKED the Hofbrau. I liked it's crustiness.

I also saw one of the best shows of my life there when Citizen Fish played the upstairs, the water pipes broke, the ceiling almost collapsed, cops were called, and a tiny melay occured in the parking lot...and that was only one night. For a short time, the Hofbrau was one of the best places to see punk shows in the bay area, and if you were in the know, one of the best scenes to be in. It rivaled such stalwarts as Epicenter, Your Place Too, and Gilman in terms of great local, national, and international acts for punk/hardcore and a hipness factor that easily matched the early days of Sixteen at the Kat Club.

Excluding these things, it's sad to see the extinction of hofbraus happening before our eyes. We should realize that these are historic places, as much as diners are, that can be preserved if someone, anyone, came along with an innovative plan to revitalize them.

Luca's could've easily kept the Hofbrau theme with only a little creativity and imagination.

[Zanny]

Having worked next door to the Hofbrau for years I can hardly believe another eating establishment, especially a good one, could exist in the same space. Something must be masking the smell. I was sure it permeated the concrete out in front! I did miss the days Kevin's comments were addressed to - or maybe being there after dark and under the influence helped. Look forward to trying the Taproom.