What do you get when you mix the interior designer of some of San Francisco’s coolest bars, the former bartender of a Belden Lane bar that once was popular with some of the Silicon Valley crowd, an owner who’s wanted to open a bar for a very long time, and a location that really needs a bar? You get Penelope – a small stylish bar where they pay attention to detail and make very interesting drinks. Ever had jicama or beets in your cocktail? I hadn’t. But the spicy Jicama Reposada was worth every one of the $9 I paid for it.  

For Lauren Geremia, a 27-year-old designer who has, in a relatively short span of time, become one of SF’s go-to designers for bar interiors, Penelope isn’t just another bar in her portfolio. This is her first Oakland bar. And it’s helped her realize that she wants to work a lot more in Oakland. “For me to grow as a designer, I need new perspectives,” she says. “It’s exciting to be here.”

And Penelope is certainly very different from her last venture, the rustic-themed Bloodhound, which won raves for its interiors. Here, the wallpaper is malachite. The concrete bar is decorated with pieces of the mineral Pyrite. Recycling gets a nod as the shelves behind the bar are decorated with spruced-up pieces from junkyards. The lighting is vintage. The overall result is chic, but not stuffy.

That’s exactly what Tung Tran, the owner, wanted. “I wanted a comfortable, modern kind of place, where you can hang out – which isn’t stuffy,” he says.

And it isn’t stuffy. In fact, it’s a rather inviting little nook in a building lined with offices. Barely a week after the soft launch, the bar starts filling up at 3.30 in the afternoon. The happy hours may bring people in, but it’s the ambience and drinks like Oaktown Heat (with habanero), Penelope (with beets), and various concoctions with apples, pears, and other fresh fruits that will probably keep them coming back.

Penelope
555 12th Street; ste 120 (11th@Clay)
510-529-5393