The famous patio at Eli’s Mile High
Since November 2024 legendary venue and dive bar, Eli’s Mile High Club, has been in a fight for its life.
And in an announcement today on Instagram, Eli’s has said they have tragically lost that fight and are closing at the end of October.
The short of it is that club’s back patio got red tagged for zoning issues that had gone unnoticed for over 50 years, which sparked a GoFundMe and warnings the venue was "in danger of closing its doors." The core issue was that the city of Oakland says the red tag was for "safety and encroachment issues" from unpermitted structures built on the patio, and reapplying for permits would strip Eli's of decades of grandfathered-in rights. This seems like the epitome of bureaucratic fuckery to me.
From Eli’s IG post
Losing the patio cost Eli’s over 60% of their business since the patio drove a lot of the food/drink revenue.
This is a heartbreaking day for the culture of the Bay Area.
But Eli’s says it is “not giving up hope” and plans to reopen as soon as they can.
From their Instagram post:
Hello beloved community, it is hard to announce that Eli’s Mile High Club will be closing its doors at the end of October. We could still use your support, by writing to the Oakland city council and the Mayor’s office. Let them know how much this place means to you. If you have ever played a show, thrown a benefit, been an artist in our markets, adopted a dog from OAS, watched the baseball team “the Beers”, danced at Blues nights, played pool, grabbed a bite to eat with friends, are homies with this amazing staff, or simply slapped your sticker or tag on our walls, let them know that 50years of community culture is important and you DO NOT want to see another Oakland treasure disappear!
We will be working hard to REOPEN, but your continuous support would help us keep going! With LOVE, all of us at Eli’s Thank you 🩷
As occasional BAS contributor Kit Friday notes in the comment section “Carroll Fife is the City Council rep for District 3 (where Eli's is). You can email her directly at: [email protected]”
So if you want to save a special part of the Bay Area that has been holding it down for over 50 years, reach out to to City Council Member Carroll Fife and Mayor Barbara Lee and let them know how much this place means to you.
