Off the Grid Food Trucks Come to Uptown Oakland

By Jean Lee
Oakland Local

San Francisco-based food truck organizer Off the Grid launched a new dinner market Monday in Uptown this week, expanding its presence in Oakland.

Off the Grid has gained significant popularity in the Bay Area with its concept of public lunch and dinner markets and diversity of food vendors. The opening night for Off the Grid: Uptown Oakland featured local Bay Area food trucks like El Porteño, Roderick’s BBQ and J-Shack. Other trucks that will participate on a rotating basis are Doc’s of the Bay, Garden Creamery, Out of the Cave, Whip Out, Frozen Kuhsterd, Ebbett’s Good to Go and SAJJ.

Through a partnership with the developer Forest City, the trucks can be found outside The Uptown apartments on Williams Street and Telegraph Avenue every Friday night.

Monday’s event brought in around 1,000 guests, according to Off the Grid spokeswoman Marla McLaughlin.

“We’re really happy about that,” McLaughlin said. “For the course of four hours, that feels really comfortable.”

According to a company press release, Off the Grid embraces Uptown’s “rich musical history” and will work to bring more Oakland music to the area, which already has a strong musical presence through venues such as the the Fox Theater, Paramount Theatre, The New Parish and The Uptown Nightclub. Through partnerships with local organizations, Off the Grid strives to emphasize youth music in particular. Local partners for Off the Grid include Oakland Museum of California, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, The Museum of Art and Digital Entertainment and Funky Soul Stop Records.

Off the Grid’s introduction to Oakland began last January through a partnership with the Oakland Museum of California. Off the Grid: Lake Merritt @ OMCA is part of the OMCA’s Friday Nights program, where visitors can choose from a variety of gourmet food vendors, get drinks at the Blue Oak beer garden, participate in family-friendly workshops and dance lessons, listen to live music and get half off museum admission for adults.

Off the Grid’s Uptown location marked its 35th space since its inception in 2010. Other East Bay locations include Alameda, North Berkeley, Hayward and El Cerrito.

Off the Grid: Uptown Oakland will be held every Friday night, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. All ages are welcome.

This post originally appeared on KQED's News Associate site Oakland Local.