A bird-themed bar? Whose only food is “custom pickles”? Sure, why not — it’s Oakland.
This November, Little Bird opened downtown in the former spot of the grimy treasure, Radio Bar. The late-night operation has updated the dive with primary colors that recall the plumage of macaws. There are also hanging, handmade bird cages, and hidden throughout the space birds painted in hidden places like a “visual scavenger hunt,” according to Jennifer Seidman, owner of Berkeley’s Acme Bar & Company.
Seidman consulted on the bar’s redesign for new owners Alfredo Botello, Trevor Latham and Tim Tolle. Folks who’ve been to Acme might recall Seidman’s penchant for pairing whisky with pickle backs. The briny theme is continued at Little Bird, whose only food offerings are pickles from Golden State Pickle Works. (Customers can also bring in their own grub.)
The bar Little Bird opened in downtown Oakland in the winter of 2024, replacing the dive Radio Bar. (Colin Peck)
Pickles permeate the menu, appearing as garnishes and mixers with pickle juice. There are plans for to-go pickles and, what sounds like a true delight for Germans and pregnant women, a complimentary happy-hour pickle bar.
Little Bird serves craft cocktails, local beer, California wine and zero-proof options that include a “Green Roots” with green bean-rutabaga brine and fish sauce and a “Caesar Caesar!” with Clamato, yellow pepper-brine, lemon and Worcestershire. The cocktails are — bucawk! — themed around avian species, like a “Birds Of Paradise” with gin or vodka, pomegranate liqueur and lime cordial and a “Murder” (of crows) that’s a martini made black with squid ink.
The bar Little Bird opened in downtown Oakland in the winter of 2024, replacing the dive Radio Bar. (Colin Peck)
The bar has a mezzanine that can be reserved for groups of 15 or more, for free, and also a happy hour every day from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Perhaps a callback to its divey history, there are also beer-and-shot specials for $10.
Details: Open daily from 4 p.m.-2 a.m. at 435 13th St., Oakland; littlebirdbar.com