Former Luka's owners Maria Alderete and Rick Mitchell open Bar Skula on Grand Avenue, mixing seafood focus with their Uptown Oakland classics.

Bar Skula opens today at 542 Grand Ave., Oakland, across from Lake Merritt. The new raw bar and seafood spot comes from Maria Alderete and Rick Mitchell, the couple behind Luka's Taproom & Lounge, which closed in January 2022 after 15 years in Uptown Oakland.

The Grand Avenue space, formerly home to Sidebar until early 2024, has been gradually revamped since Alderete and Mitchell signed the lease in November 2024. The location sits directly across from the Lake Merritt pergola on a corridor that's seen steady foot traffic from both residents and lake visitors.

In the kitchen, chef Wilson Mendez runs the show. Mendez was the team's first employee at Luka's and stayed with them for the full 18 years they were open. At the bar, Jared Hirsch, who previously served as Sidebar's bar manager, designed a cocktail program that leans into the Iberian diaspora, with three distinct gin tonics as the anchor.

The menu balances Luka's classics with new seafood-forward dishes. Regulars will recognize the burger, oysters, and fries with various sauces like lemon-garlic, aji verde and chipotle aioli. New items include two types of aguachile, four ceviches (including a Nayarit with albacore, mango and coconut milk), shrimp and beef dishes, salads, and four desserts. The corona beans in aguachile verde, a vegan dish Alderete calls out as a favorite, shows the kitchen's lighter touch.

Bar Skula soft-opens Thursday to Monday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. The project represents something personal for the couple, who live walking distance from the space. "My goal in life is to own my local so I always have a restaurant to go to," Mitchell told The Oaklandside. The Grand Avenue storefront has been his dream location dating back to when it housed Trio Bistro and Grill, before Sidecar or Luka's opened.