Bar re-opens in downtown Hayward: Dirty Bird flies from South to North
April 19, 2017
Originally located on Mission Blvd. between Industrial Boulevard and Tennyson Road in South Hayward, The Dirty Bird Lounge’s dimly lit neon lights were barely visible from the street. The dark atmosphere inside boasted a long red bar top, pool tables, and a small courtyard out back.
After nearly a decade in business there, the Dirty Bird closed down in late December, and is being torn down to make room for condos. This provided an opportunity for owner Aric Yeverino to rebrand with a larger space, which opened in early March.
The outside appearance of the new Dirty Bird is modern. The inside features two televisions and cozy booths, which create a comfortable ambiance.
Yeverino who is a fan of architecture and design, re-vamped a walk-in tunnel with Ryan Francis, who he describes as his “Handyman”, that is located past the lobby and leads to the Lounge & Restaurant. This time, it is now illuminated with light bulbs around it which allows customers to see the bar and two TV’s straight ahead. Reaching the end of the tunnel, you are welcomed with tall brick walls and options to sit in booths or tables that are spread throughout the room.
The old location had no formal food menu, but the new Dirty Bird Lounge & Restaurant will now serve Argentinian dishes. Javier Sandes is the main chef of the new location and the owner of “Javi’s Cooking” catering services. “[Just] To try something different,” said Yeverino, “It’s something you haven’t seen in Hayward.”
Yeverino plans to open up a cafe in the lobby that will offer Latin-based drinks and hot coffee with beans originating from Cuba and Argentina. Starbucks, Eko Coffee Bar and Tea House, and Peet’s Coffee also have locations in Downtown Hayward,
As a five-year Hayward resident, I noticed that I’ve recently become more involved with the downtown scene, attending the farmers market some Saturdays and going to Eko Coffee Bar and Tea Shop to do my homework. With Dirty Bird being a CSUEB shuttle away, I now have an excuse to spend my Friday nights with my friends.
From March 14 to 18, Hayward residents were asked to take part of a five-day interactive workshop called Design Charrette, created by the City of Hayward as an effort to elicit community feedback on what they would like to see in Hayward. The event had over 90 participants including City Council, Task Force, Business Owners, Planning Commission and residents according to the City of Hayward website.
“Downtown is where things happen,” said Kim Huggett, President and CEO at the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. “If you have people downtown it stimulates the economy. Shopping, going out to eat, banking and entertainment.”
The opening of the new Dirty Bird comes at a time when Hayward aims to increase jobs, housing and make transportation more accessible downtown, according to city officials.
“The development goals for downtown are to increase the number of residents and resident-serving businesses that can open and operate successfully.” According to Public Information Officer for the City of Hayward, Chuck Finnie. “The transportation goals for the area are to make it more conducive to being a destination and a more walkable residential and commercial district.”
Yevenerio stated that he was not allowed by the City of Hayward to not have a pool table in an effort to have it not appear as a night club. Huggett said that the overall goal of downtown is to make it family friendly but also at night suitable for adults, where they can enjoy bars and live music at night at places like the Bistro on B street.
