On Friday, a slow but steady stream of curious neighbors wandered into West Oakland’s new food hall in search of lunch. The crowd was all over the map: young families pushing strollers, remote workers typing on laptops, a group of construction workers, and even a Great Dane. The sun shone down cheerfully on beer drinkers in the courtyard, right next to children playing in a large sandbox.
Prescott Market celebrated its grand opening on April 5, ushering seven new food and drink businesses into the often overlooked Oakland neighborhood: Almanac Beer Co., Fast Times Burgers, Highwire Coffee Roasters , Pizzeria Violetta, Prescott Meats and Delicatessen, Woo Can Cook and Cafe Noir.
Joe Ernst, whose real estate development firm srmErnst Development Partners is behind the 12,000-square-foot new food hall, couldn’t help but see the potential of West Oakland for a project like this.
“I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to Emeryville or Berkeley and gone up Mandela and just thought, ‘This is so convenient,’” Ernst told SFGATE. “It’s such a great location. It’s quick to downtown, it’s so fast to San Francisco, you’ve got the freeways, BART.”…