The Next Generation of This Oakland Ethiopian Restaurant Is Opening a Cocktail Bar

After 39 years in Oakland as Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant Asmara, the owners are spinning off the restaurant’s adjacent bar into a new place of its own, led by the next generation of the Yohannes family. Located at 5018 Telegraph Avenue in the Temescal neighborhood, brothers Benyam and Yonathan Yohannes will open 51 & Tel on Wednesday, September 11. The bar operated as an extension of the restaurant and a hub for the Ethiopian and Eritrean communities of Oakland for years, but now the Yohannes brothers want to create a cocktail bar that speaks to younger generations. “It was very community-based,” Yonathan Yohannes says, “but now we want to be open for everybody, so we’re building this for the whole neighborhood and we’re hoping to stay open late.”

The takeover by the brothers coincides with a boom in new business for the neighborhood, as new businesses like Poppy Bagels, Small Change, and others have moved in over the past year or so. Yonathan and Benyam weren’t always interested in continuing the family business, with each trying a career outside of restaurants, but eventually, they found it wasn’t for them. Instead, they came back to working at the family restaurant, plotting out a plan for the adjacent bar and finally seeing it come to fruition this year. The space will take advantage of a backyard patio and introduce a brand-new cocktail menu.

51 & Tel

The bar menu was conceived with help from Rachelle Merlo, previously of Berkeley’s Tupper and Reed, as a consultant. It will feature classic cocktails, “but a little more complex,” Yonathan Yohannes explains. Temescal Punch is a mix of rum, kiwi, bergamot, lime, lemon, seltzer, and mint. The Mistadobalina drink, a nod to Del the Funky Homosapien, is made with a choice of tequila or mezcal, with Aperol, mango, lime, and lava salt. The house espresso martini, meanwhile, folds vodka with espresso, a dose of vanilla, and Luxardo espresso liqueur. There are a handful of beer options, while wine is served by the glass, carafe, or bottle; specialty non-alcoholic options are also available, such as Never Too Much, a mix of tamarind, pineapple, lime, thyme, and ginger. Drinks don’t go much over $14, and a happy hour is already planned for 5-7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, for even deeper discounts.

Once the team gets settled, the brothers already have plans in the works to expand their offerings. Already, they’re trying to turn some of Asmara’s dishes into bar-appropriate bites, such as a rolled-up injera with lentils, something Yonathan Yohannes calls an “injera-rrito,” playing off the name of the Ethiopian flatbread and a burrito. They’re also hoping to host food pop-ups, and have local vendors sell wares on the patio while the bar is open. “Some people want to open up restaurants,” Yonathan Yohannes says, “I know how tough it is to open up, so if you get a chance, come here, make your money. We’ll make money on the bar sales. Everyone’s happy.”

51 & Tel

Those who’ve walked into the space previously will notice a major change from the Yohannes brothers: They’ve installed two major murals from artist Natty Rebel, plus neon signage declaring, “We met at 51 & Tel.” The patio in the back is also expected to be a major plus while the weather’s comfortable, and the brothers plan to install heaters for when temperatures cool off. It’s a major change from the family restaurant, but a moment the brothers have been anticipating for years.

“The people are ready for a really nice cocktail lounge,” Benyam Yohannes says. “Sometimes change is not as quick as you like it to be, but we’re finally here and I’m ready to show off my skills and to show people in the neighborhood that yeah, we’re a business, but me, my brother, we’re family. When people come here, we don’t treat people like you’re a customer. We treat you like family and we treat you with respect.”

51 & Tel (5018 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland) debuts Wednesday, September 11. The bar is open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

51 & Tel

51 & Tel

51 & Tel

51 & Tel

51 & Tel