West Oakland is about to go whole hog, so to speak. Lev Delany, former executive chef of trendy gastropub Chop Bar, plans to open a gourmet butcher shop in the Prescott neighborhood on 18th and Peralta streets. If all goes according to plan, Delany’s Meats will debut at the Prescott West marketplace when it opens this summer. The project’s planners hope the food hall will be ready by August.
In partnership with East Bay restaurateur Chris Pastena, Delany said he sold Chop Bar to a group of managers on Jan. 1.
Delany said his butchery will occupy one of five food stalls in the indoor marketplace. It will include a small grocery section, sandwiches, beer and wine in addition to a meat counter with a butcher’s block in plain view. Delany said he plans to offer chicken, pork, beef, lamb, guinea hens and, potentially, goat.
According to Delany, the director of the West Oakland Farmers Market, Harvindar Singh, is leading the initiative to open a food hall in the neighborhood. Situated between Raimondi Park and Mandela Parkway, Prescott West will join an emerging enclave of dining destinations that includes Kowbird and Kilovolt Coffee. A craft brewery called Brix Factory is slated to open nearby this spring.
Though Chop Bar has been a staple of Jack London Square’s dining scene since it opened in 2009, Delany said he’s excited to focus on a completely different project.
“I’m looking forward to a simpler and smaller business,” he said.