Lakeshore is working hard to serve the community during the pandemic and despite smoke from the fires. Find out what is happening in the way of expansions, new outdoor dining, and new neighbors. Enjoy your time at home with custom cocktails, drinks (and non-alcoholic versions). Find helpful items for the family and the (remote) back to school spirit. Support local businesses and win prizes with Lakeshore Love. Kudos to all the local businesses that keep finding ways to give back to the community even in these unprecedented times. This year is challenging and local businesses are struggling while they work to serve the community; they need your help so please support them by buying local whenever possible. Here is the spreadsheet of open businesses on Lake Park and Lakeshore Aves to make supporting local both convenient and fun.
New on Lakeshore
The Cat House Patio
Outdoor Corridor to The Cat House 
Learn Where to Find Them Below! 
The Cat House Outdoor Patio
Outdoor dining is picking up on Lakeshore! The Cat House finished their outdoor corridor and socially distanced outdoor patio (patio seating is first-come-first-served, groups of no more than 6 people per bubble). Enjoy a sweet lineup of food and drinks Thursday – Sunday. Enjoy tamales by Chancho’s tamales on Thursdays and Sundays from 4-9 pm and Miss Arepita Friday and Saturday 4-9 pm. This is in addition to their cocktails and drinks crafted with house-made syrups and tinctures with fresh & local produce and spices from Oaktown Spice Shop.
PS – If you miss Chancho’s tamales, they are also at Heart and Dagger Saloon on Saturdays from 2-8 pm.
Oakland Kosher Food Expansion
Oakland Kosher Foods has expanded into the vacant space next door (where Greetings was until March 2020). The expansion features a new hummus bar, numerous toppings such as shwarma, ground beef, and lamb, and plenty of vegetarian and vegan toppings. They also carry a selection of 25 or so prepared salads, rotisserie chickens, oven-roasted turkey, and house-made corned beef and a variety of pickles. The hummus is made in-house with special new machine to ensure its creaminess. For the meat, they have their own smoker. This in addition to the groceries and pre-made dishes that Oakland Kosher Food has carried for years. The new space allows for them to carry more variety and expand their bakery. Learn more about the expansion here.
Shakewell Parklet
Before 
After
You may have noticed the parklet that Shakewell is building on Lakeshore. The City of Oakland has a flex-streets program to assist businesses with parklets to encourage more (socially distanced) outdoor dining. Shakewell is participating in the program and you can see their industrious work building it and it is almost done. Now you can enjoy Shakewell’s delectable cuisine on Lakeshore, as pick-up or delivery.
Starbucks
Starbucks is moving into the 470 Lake Park Ave near the Grand Lake Theatre. This building has been vacant for over a year and is now being revamped and is expected to have a robust mobile-order component. The Lakeshore Starbucks is planning to keep serving coffee, so both Lake Park and Lakeshore Aves will be well caffeinated!
Creative Cocktails for Labor Day Weekend and More
Looking to add variety to your to-go options, weekends or evening at home routines? Lake Park and Lakeshore Aves have a variety of elegant and tasty drinks that will certainly delight one’s palette (and most have delicious non-alcoholic drinks available too).
Bardo Lounge and Supper Club
Picnic Box by Bardo
Get your stay-at-home groove on with a BARDO To Go-Go cocktail kit! Enjoy a DIY Classic Cocktail Kit (with gin) or a Signature Sampler Kit with five of their favorite house cocktails that range from boozy to savory to citrusy. All cocktails come pre-mixed and ready to enjoy. Serving instructions included in the box. Going on a picnic? Bardo’s Picnic Box includes a fancy grilled sandwich, a side of fries or house-made salt and vinegar potato chips, and a signature cocktail. Check out all the cocktail and food-to-go options here.
CANA
If you are craving Cuban cuisine and drinks, look no further. Along with Cuban Creole, Braised Ox-Tails, Cassava Wedges, and Sweet and Savory Plantains; Cana offers Mojito, Margarita, and Sangria Limonada pitchers, Sangria Tranquilo, Pina Coladas, and Strawberry Daquiri’s to-go and by delivery with Uber Eats. Learn more about getting your Cuban fix here.
Heart and Dagger Saloon
Heart and Dagger Saloon is partnering with several partners for a variety of local food pop-ups for you to enjoy on their large (social distance) patio. In the past month, they have featured the Oakland Smoke Shack, Blake’s Grillery Tacos, Chancho’s, Hausu Vegan Sushi, Arthur Mac’s Pizza, and more. This wide variety of cuisines complements Heart and Dagger‘s diverse selection of beer and liquor.
Shakewell
Shakewell is constantly adding to their menu, available for to-go and delivery and soon to be enjoyed in their parklet! Along with their newest Mediterranean Veggie Bowl and Watermelon and Feta Salad additions, they serve their signature Wood Oven Paellas, Chicken and Churros, Buttermilk French Toast and more.
To complement their divine cuisine, Shakewell has a variety of cocktails available such as Love at First Sip, Old Fashion, Paper Flower (“Shakewell’s variation of a Bees Knees.”, Fairlane, and even more. They also have beer & wine available — and 25% off bottles of wine!
Buckingham’s
Buckingham Wine and Spirits has a drink for every occasion. If you talk to the staff you will learn about their whiskeys, bourbons, vodkas, gins, ciders, and more. They carry over 1,338 products, including rare and sophisticated items and local craft beer. Buckingham Wine and Spirits is a store, everything is to-go or it can be delivered using drizly.com.
The Cat House
In addition to their patio, Arepas by Miss Arepita, and Chancho’s tamales, don’t miss out on The Cat House‘s finely crafted signature drinks! The Cat House makes sensational cocktails such as Dear Irene, Lady Killer, Low Hanging Fruit, 6 ft Shuffle and more. Imbibe on their spacious (social distancing) patio or as takeout.
Getting the Family Ready for Fall?
Adventure Toys 
Silver Moon Kids 
As we are in unprecedented times, we are heading into an unprecedented autumn with many families have the experience of going back to school remotely. As such, the usual “back to school” frenzy is a different sort of frenzy this year. Nonetheless, it may still feel good to have a few new items to get into the (remote) school spirit, find new tools to expand the mind (and maybe help with more quality time at home). As usual, Lakeshore has a plethora of ideas and choices to choose from.
Check out Adventure Toy’s website to peruse their science kits, books (including Spanish and bilingual), puzzles, activity books, arts and crafts, games, dinosaurs and more. A child’s imagination can be stimulated with all sorts of kits and activities. Open for indoor shopping (with safety protocols in place) and curb-side pickup.
Find clothes, shoes, accessories, toys, books, puzzles, strider balance bikes, scooters and more at Silver Moon Kids. You may find that special outfit to make remote classes easier or toy to keep a child company during the day. Open for indoor shopping (with safety protocols in place) and curb-side pickup and local delivery.
Attire at Silver Moon Kids 
Attire at Silver Moon Kids 
Hair Clips at Silver Moon Kids
Lakeshore Love
As an incentive to buy local, Summer Lovin’ Lakeshore Love is a campaign to lift our spirits and support local businesses. This campaign is a win-win for you and Lakeshore during this challenging time. To show your support (and enter to win!) shop at any of these Lakeshore, Lake Park or Rand Ave businesses and submit your coloring page, picture of your purchase and/or your receipts (or screenshots of e-receipts) for a chance to win one of two Grand Prize packets worth $100, or one of over 30 fabulous Lakeshore prizes! Remember, every business on Lakeshore counts as part of your entry! Congratulations to our previous Lakeshore Love Grand Prize winners Paul Yee and Bobby Brenman!
Entries for the drawing can be submitted by using this Lakeshore Love form (you need a gmail account to use the form), or email or postal mail by September 30, 2020. Learn more details and download the coloring page here.
Giving Back
Proposition Chicken
Proposition Kitchen donated 10% of their Monday sales to Head Over Heels Atheltic Arts – a non-profit working to improve students’ quality of life by helping them achieve athletic goals and building a lifelong practice of personal, social, and physical well-being. A huge kudos to Proposition Chicken for finding a way to keep giving with their Non-Profit Monday even in these tough times!
Maribel
Maribel put out an ask for the community to donate basic school supplies to help basic farm field worker families concerned about the school year coming up as they do not have school supplies and can not be available for their children when they are working in the fields. The community delivered and there were truckloads of supplies to deliver to families in need. This was done in collaboration with The Celebration Foundation and @flowerinspanish. Thank you, everyone, for your generous and kind donations. This helps farmworkers’ children have supplies and access to an education while they and their families also cope with these unprecedented times.
