Low Bar

"The food operation inside Low Bar in Oakland is closing, with new plans for the bar's kitchen." - Paolo Bicchieri

"Every night, Chisme, a pop-up led by chef Manuel Bonilla of Palmetto, Commis, and Hawker Fare fame, serves up a casual Filipino-Salvadorean menu that’s perfect for a late-night crowd — a combo that’s hard to find anywhere else in the East Bay. The dishes rotate, but you can typically find standbys like the Nuggets de Pollo (aka chicken nuggets); a pupusa with fillings like Filipino-style brisket adobo, queso, and garlic chili vinegar, served with a cucumber curtido; or the popular Chisme Torta, a bolillo roll packed with refried black beans, pork belly, and topped with a refreshing escabeche aioli that helps brighten up the sandwich." - Lena Park

"Low Bar has served exciting food and drinks for three years at its Webster Street space, but as of March, the kitchen reins have been passed on to chef Manuel Bonilla. Expect fanciful dive bar food with nods to Bonilla’s Filipino and Salvadoran roots. There’s chile Colorado “Frito pie,” a beef brisket sisig, and a refreshing wedge salad. There’s a late-night happy hour and the kitchen stays open until last call, for those partying into the night." - Dianne de Guzman

"Chef Manuel Bonilla pioneered the burger over at the Kon-Tiki, with its stellar pineapple-Maui onion jam, but now he’s at Low Bar with his permanent pop-up Chisme — and a new Oakland burger to his name. The Mission Hamburguesa is a smash burger with two patties, escabeche aioli, caramelized onions, and peppers, topped with pepper jack cheese that the team makes in-house. Best of all? The kitchen is open until closing time." - Dianne de Guzman, Luke Tsai

"Chef Manuel Bonilla’s Oakland pop-up Chisme is dishing up a “Chef’s Late-Night Munchies” series this summer at Low Bar. As Bonilla wrote on Instagram, the series is an homage to what chefs crave at the end of their workdays — “After a hard service, totally depleted and just wanting something tasty, it’s most likely not healthy, but it’ll put a smile on their faces and let them forget about whatever BS they had to deal with that day.” Bonilla is inviting three chefs into the Low Bar space for the series, which takes place during their late-night happy hour: Anthony Salguero of Popoca from June 24 to 27; Janice Dulce of FOB Kitchen from July 29 to August 1; and Sincere Justice from Tacos Sincero from August 26 to 29." - Justine Jones