The Castaway, Oakland, CA (restaurant)

Name:The Castaway
Type:restaurant
Street:Jack London Square
City:Oakland
State:CA
Zip:
country:USA
Phone:
Status:defunct

Description:

Trad'r Bill recently posted this clip from the Gourment Guide under the Zombie Village thread.

On 2011-07-09 18:53, Trad'r Bill wrote:
and here's a little mention in this "Gourmet Guide":

I couldn't help notice The Castaway restaurant reference in the Gourmet Guide. Turns out this was another one of the Specialty Restaurant Castaway locations to go along with San Mateo, Burbank and Stockton. Found this postcard and matchbook online that confirm affiliation with the same logo and font.

Funny how things pop up.

DC

Found a newspaper reference to The Castaway, it was scheduled for construction in late 1962.

Oakland Tribune 11/30/1962 Page 23
by Perry Phillips

CLOSE ON THE heels of the new Mikado opening!
comes word that shortly another fine restaurant will
grace Jack London Square. Located in the Port of Oakland
building, as is the Japanese dinery, the new addition,
called the Castaway, will feature Polynesian dishes.
An outside elevator will take diners to the rooftop restaurant
which will overlook the Estuary and San Francisco
skyline.

These two new restaurants should do much to help
make the Square the type of dining area it is supposed
to be. After all, if a reputation for being a restaurant
area is to be enjoyed down there, then the more eating
places the better, providing that variety in foods and
settings is followed through. I can't help but feel that
there has been something missing on Jack London Square
in the past and now with the Mikado and Castaway part
of the scene the Square won't be so square.

I also found this reference to the location of The Castaway within Jack London Square.

Castaway Restaurant and Bar was on one of the upper floors of the Haslett Warehouse Company building on Franklin and Embarcadero.

You can see the Haslett Warehouse Company building in this old postcard map.

I found an article discussing The Castaway that was dated 1980, so it was around for a long time. Wonder why we have never seen it here on TC before.

DC

Great info DC!

With all his finds on the subject, Dusty Cajun is quickly becoming "Castaway Cajun"!

On 2011-07-10 03:54, Dustycajun wrote:
Found a newspaper reference to The Castaway, it was scheduled for construction in late 1962.

These two new restaurants should do much to help
make the Square the type of dining area it is supposed
to be. After all, if a reputation for being a restaurant
area is to be enjoyed down there, then the more eating
places the better, providing that variety in foods and
settings is followed through. I can't help but feel that
there has been something missing on Jack London Square
in the past and now with the Mikado and Castaway part
of the scene the Square won't be so square.

Wow! It's 2011 and they're still saying the same thing!

Great work TB & DC! now it's expedition time!

Here is a nice little tropical drink menu from the Castaway in Jack London Square spotted on ebay.

DC

I noticed that local Oakland supporters Oaklandish made a shirt for the Castaway!?!?
http://oaklandish.com/fall-2014/men-s-tiki-bar.html

and I'm assuming this is a shot of the interior though no caption is given?

this is what is located at that address now
http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/15189035/66-Jack-London-Square-Oakland-CA/

They ripped that photo from the Kon Tki in Tuscon: https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/aloha75/sets/72157643432530713/
Cool shirt - I kinda want one!

-Trad'r Bill

The mug image shown on the T-shirt is also "borrowed" from somewhere else.

I agree, it is a cool looking shirt.

DC

Here is a clip from the Oakland Tribune on the opening.

Oakland Tribune 11/30/1962 Page 23
by Perry Phillips

CLOSE ON THE heels of the new Mikado opening
comes word that shortly another fine restaurant will
grace Jack London Square. Located in the Port of Oakland
building, as is the Japanese dinery, the new addition,
called the Castaway, will feature Polynesian dishes.
An outside elevator will take diners to the rooftop restaurant
which will overlook the Estuary and San Francisco
skyline.

Here is a photo of the Port of Oakland Building with the outside elevator and the Castaway sign. Some great views from the top floor.

And a menu featuring the ship logo that was also used at the Pieces of Eight Restaurant.

DC

good sleuthing Trader Bill and Dusty Cajun!

Two more matchbook styles from the Castaway in Jack London Square.

DC

Dusty
Found this today
Same as above

Worst sound ever, slurp of an empty tiki mug through my straw!!!

[ Edited by: hang10tiki 2016-03-03 17:58 ]

Excerpt from a 1977 Jack London Square wine and dine cruise brochure. Trader Simon?!

[ Edited by: clayfran 2016-06-30 08:21 ]

Great memories of this restaurant as a kid; they had tiki torches and a tropical garden on the ground floor, and the entrance ro the elevator was done up like some sort of mauri war or other polynesian hut with bamboo all around the outside of the glass elevator, so you rose up out of the hut, got a great view of Oakland and slid up into the Tiki Bar.

[ Edited by FlashGumby on 2023-04-16 11:45:03 ]

[ Edited by FlashGumby on 2023-04-16 11:45:25 ]