ACRE KITCHEN & BAR
Oakland, California
7,200 sq ft
Acre Restaurant & Bar is located in the renowned Market Hall in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, CA. Our clients, veteran restaurateur Pete Sittnick (Waterbar, SF & Epic Steak, SF) & Chef Dirk Tolsma, wanted to create a place that the locals would find stylish and cool, fun and energetic but not stuffy and pretentious. The two-floor space of an irregular-shaped corner building provides many experiences: The street level offers a casual cafe with a pizza oven and a small bar. The much larger second floor has a bar, dining room, and main kitchen, with its massive wood-burning hearth facing the guests as they come up the staircase from below.
Prior to our clients taking the space, the restaurant had been the beloved Oliveto Restaurant for decades, so we knew it would be under the microscope. The first goal was to lighten up the restaurant and bring some life to the spaces. We opened up the staircase to create a greater connection between the two floors and let more natural light in. We added a new bar upstairs where previously had been an under-utilized storage room (with a great view!). The new bar features cozy nooks to hide with your date, unique hand-painted wood tile, and the custom glass and brass back bar with built-in lights made by a local fabricator. In the main dining space an existing, closed-off back room was opened up to the main area and given bi-folding wood & glass doors that can be closed during private events. We chose a wide plank, white oak floor and lightened up the walls and ceiling. We then found a set of vintage, orange, Peill & Putzler glass pendants from a small shop in Amsterdam to bring love and fun to the main dining room.
Regarding art, we wanted to be bold and it became an essential part of the concept - from the central 16-foot wide, 5-foot tall piece painted by artist Freya Prowe for the entire back wall of the dining room to the small framed pieces on the ceiling beams. On the long, recessed dining room banquette wall, we hung a 20-foot-wide painting by Creative Growth Gallery artist Donald Mitchell. Between the food, the warm hospitality and a design we are proud of - it is no wonder they won Best New Restaurant the year they opened!