Sable Lounge quietly opened late last month on Grand Avenue in Oakland’s Grand Lake neighborhood, sliding into the former home of the Barbary. The new bar keeps things simple, pairing a tight cocktail list with a pool table, shelves of board games and an easygoing, regulars-first feel. With Thursday D&D nights, low-key cocktails and a bring-your-own-food policy, the owners are clearly leaning into the no-fuss neighborhood hangout lane.
State licensing records show a status change for a license doing business as Sable Lounge at 3332 Grand Ave., with the change logged April 22, according to the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The listing connects the Sable Lounge DBA to the Grand Avenue address that previously housed the Barbary, confirming the new operation in that space.
Co-owners Chris Woodcoff and Tinah Bean, both longtime East Bay bar pros, quietly opened Sable in late April. Per Berkeleyside, Bean has spent roughly 14 years behind the bar and Woodcoff has worked at several neighborhood spots, and the pair say they were more interested in creating a welcoming local room than a high-fuss cocktail destination…