SKA Bar

"Adams Avenue’s largest restaurant and bar opens to the public on Wednesday, anchoring a mixed-use building in Normal Heights with a 4,500-square-foot dining room and bar on the ground floor and an additional 2,500-square-foot panoramic patio on the rooftop. SKA Bar and Restaurant adds another all-day eatery to the neighborhood; open at 11:30 a.m. daily, it will operate until midnight Sunday through Wednesday and until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday with a late night menu. When the project was first announced, owner and developer Louie Chau, who also runs City Heights’ Lotus Garden restaurant, said that SKA’s menu would be a combination of “Pan Asian dishes with American bar food”. The global selection includes appetizers ranging from fried dumplings and duck wings to bulgogi-topped fries, vegetarian spring rolls, and chicken lettuce wraps and features entrees priced between $11 and $24 that run the gamut from mac and cheese with Asian sausage to teriyaki salmon and a Vietnamese pork chop. Even the burgers get an Asian twist with kung pao sauce and crispy cheese won tons. The centerpiece of the downstairs space is a 40-foot bar — the domain of bar director Elliott Mizuki. Entrenched in the community, having helped run Polite Provisions for the past six years, Mizuki along with his team has built a menu that’s full of Asian influences. The drinks (priced from $9 to $11) hit the full gamut of styles, from a tropical take on a low ABV Sherry Cobbler with roasted pineapple and creme de noyaux to a draft Gin and Tonic made with Japanese gin and watermelon. The Abnormal Heights is a boozy rendition of Thai tea, with cognac, creme de cacao, and Jägermeister-soaked boba while the Dark Magician is a swirling mix of white rum, Singani 63, rhubarb liqueur, taro, Indian yogurt, and plum bitters. Ska’s rooftop will be activated soon, offering a dim sum menu on weekends paired with brunch-appropriate cocktails like kimchi Bloody Marys." - Candice Woo

"A large two-level Asian restaurant and bar is coming to Normal Heights as part of a mixed-use building that’s nearing completion. Owner Louie Chau is developing the project, which includes 11 apartment units and will feature a 4,500-square-foot ground floor and a 2,500-square-foot rooftop. SKA will feature a menu that combines Pan Asian dishes with American bar food; expect ramen and fried rice along with salads, wings, and burgers. The downstairs dining room, with garage doors that roll up onto Adams Avenue, will include a 40-foot bar that spans the length of the restaurant. Food will be sent via dumbwaiter up to the rooftop lounge, where tables will sit on raised platforms to allow for panoramic city views. SKA will likely serve brunch from Thursday to Sunday." - Candice Woo