"I was walking down the street tonight and saw your cafe. It was already closed. I stopped dead. I couldn't believe it. Your cafe looked just like the place I'd spent many a night while I was a law student at the U [of Minnesota] in the late 90s in Minneapolis. I started jumping up and down and telling my husband about the hours I'd spent listening to music, smoking ( indoors! ), and drinking red wine at a place that felt like a lush architectural ruin. Then I went to your website when I got home only to find out it was the SAME Loring! That is so amazing. Some of the best memories of my young adult life were there. I'll be by for a drink soon."
Happy Hour: Half Off Appetizers and Select Beer and Wine by the Glass
3-6:00, Monday – Saturday
Bohemian Dining
The Loring dining experience is both casual and enchanting, characterized by an unpretentiously delicious and affordable menu, live music programming, friendly service, and an imaginative background. Our take on Bohemian dining combines the elegant and the everyday, on the menu and otherwise. Don’t be fooled by some of the fairytale finery. This is not uptight fine dining. At the Loring, Celebrity chefs are out, and the kitchen table is in.
New Culinary State of the Union
New American food is not afraid to combine great Mexican dishes, European bistro food, Asian flavors and nicely-done diner favorites-not all in one dish, but all on one menu. You’ll find that diversity in your city, your home cooking, and also at the Loring. Like in your home, the culinary state of the union also includes a turn to sustainable, local goods, and recycling, without that being advertised in every instance. What you will certainly notice is our commitment to pocketbook sustainability.
Photos
Gallery coming soon!
Loring Design
The Loring Design and Build Guild has been laying crooked bricks for Jason McLean productions since ’86. Using a variety of support mechanisms, the walls and arches are suspended in unlikely ways and topped with finishes and a few treasures. We think of the brickwork as one of the signature features of Loring venues, contributing to their whimsy and magic just as much as anything.
About Us
Welcome to the Loring
Once upon a time in ’86, the “Old Loring” opened on Loring Park in Minneapolis, attracting a mix of artists, writers, actors, and musicians from the local arts scene. From a hole in the wall to a full city block, a few sister venues later (Loring Playhouse, Loring Pasta Bar, Kitty Cat Klub, and Varsity Theater), and a few decades of friendships and folklore later, we’re taking the show on the road, residing in West Oakland, and ready to serve you favorite dishes from our home test kitchen.
When people ask what kind of cooking we serve, I say, “American, like at home.” My husband, Jason, calls it the “new culinary state of the union,” the state of great American home cooking today. It’s not high concept, but it’s not diner food. It’s American cooking that’s not afraid of vegetables or herbs and spices. It’s delicious. Affordable. You’ll find a mix of global flavors-not all in one dish, but all on one menu.
The industrial arts staging is a Loring signature style, invoking the comfort, history, and romance of the European cafe scene with a twist of surrealism. Jason designed the bells and whistles, built out of nuts and bolts with the help of the trusty carpenters, brick masons, and steel workers of the Loring Build Guild, each with their own distinctive mark. The enchanting handiwork and the warmth of longstanding friendships are at the heart of the Loring. Imagination, friendship, home cooking.
We hope you find a home away from home here. I look forward to your good company.
Sincerely,
Abby McLean
REGULAR HOURS OF OPERATION:
Monday – Friday:
Breakfast: 8:00-11:00
Lunch: 11:30 – 3:00
Happy Hour: 3:00-6:00
Dinner: 5:00 – 9:00/9:30
*
Saturday:
Lunch: 1:00 – 5:00
Dinner: 5:00 – 9:00/9:30
*
Sunday hours coming soon!
Driving directions to Loring Cafe | Oakland
From the West — San Francisco: Take I-80 East take the I-580 E to the Downtown Oakland exit 19C. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for27th St/W Grand Ave and merge onto Northgate Ave, turn Left onto Grand Ave, Continue on Grand past Broadway. The Cafe is on the right side of the street.
From the North — Berkeley: Head South on I-580 E to the Downtown Oakland exit 19C. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for27th St/W Grand Ave and merge onto Northgate Ave, turn Left onto Grand Ave, Continue on Grand past Broadway. The Cafe is on the right side of the street.
From the South and East — Oakland Airport: take I-880 N take a slight right onto I-980 E take exit 1B (17th Street) and continue north to Grand Ave. Turn right. The Cafe is on the right side of the street.
Loring Cafe, 37 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94612
Loring Cafe is located at the intersection of Grand + Broadway in Uptown Oakland.
Parking
Parking information Coming Soon!
Take the B.A.R.T.
The 19th Street Station is the closest stop to our location. Head North on Broadway upon exiting and continue 4 blocks north to Grand Ave. Take a right and we are nestled between Broadway and Webster. Approximately a 6 minute walk from the BART station.
SARA KLOTZ DE AGUILAR - ’30s Jazz, Piano, & Vocals
6:00-9:00
Thursday, 16 May:
TANGO NO. 9 - Modern Tango Orchestra
6:00-9:00
Friday, 17 May:
BLUEGRASS DUETS - Classic Bluegrass
6:00-9:00
Saturday, 18 May:
DIRTY CELLO - Modern Music on Cello
6:00-9:00
Tuesday, 21 May:
JD LIMELIGHT - Accordion
6:00-9:00
Thursday, 23 May:
TARA LINDA - Jazzy Blues + American Roots
6:00-9:00
Saturday, 25 May:
FRISKY FROLICS - Tin Pan Alley Jezz
6:00-9:00
Wednesday, 29 May:
SARA KLOTZ DE AGUILAR - ’30s Jazz, Piano, & Vocals
6:00-9:00
Thursday, 30 May:
THE RUSTY STRING EXPRESS - Traditional String Band
6:00-9:00
Contact
Reservations
We’re delighted to host reservations for parties of any number, from 1 to 40. For reservations, call (510) 839-3700. For private events and catering inquiries, e-mail Info@loringcafe.com
Please allow up to 48 hours for returned emails and phone messages.
Interested in performing at the Loring?
Dinner Musicians: Send us a link to your website / electronic pres kit along with samples of your work that we can listen to and a list of recent / upcoming gigs in the area.
Late Night: Send us a brief proposal of what you are planning, along with links to all the key players and samples of your work (MP3s, videos, etc) and any recent projects or upcoming gigs in the area.
