Beckett's Replacement Not Received Well by All

An ivy-covered brick building still stands at 2271 Shattuck Ave., just as it has for over a decade. It’s what recently changed inside that has some members of the Berkeley nightlife waxing nostalgic.

As recently as February, gold lettering spelled out Beckett’s above the storefront windows of the Irish-style pub. In March, it was replaced with an oval sign for BEC’s Bar & Bistro.

When owners Martin and Mary Connolly decided to close down Beckett’s last fall due to business issues — they also operate Johnny Foley’s Irish House in San Francisco — they sold the location to Les Copains d’Abord.

The company shot for a different crowd, installing a diverse menu that ranges from a farmers market soup to sliders, and comparing the bistro to a 1960s cafe. During BEC’s ribbon-cutting ceremony in mid-April, John Caner, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association, said the changes were “taking it to the next level.”

Not everyone has been eager to get on that level. Reactions have been particularly unkind on Yelp.com, a review site that owes nearly half its user base to those in the 18-29 age group. Beckett’s, which logged 325 reviews, averaged 3.5 stars on the five-star rating system. BEC’s is currently resting at an abysmal 1.5 after 23 reviews.

In striving to offer a different experience, BEC’s appears to have driven some bar-goers elsewhere in downtown Berkeley.

“When I went to Beckett's before, I could expect some people from Cal, which made it more appealing to me,” said UC Berkeley senior Rick Chen. “I'd rather be there with a lot of friends or bump into some people I knew from class or haven't seen in a while.”

Chen, who said he went to Beckett’s roughly every other weekend, now frequents Thalassa, located near the corner of Shattuck and Haste, and Albatross on San Pablo.

He echoed many of the BEC’s negative reviews on Yelp.com, some of which compare the bistro unfavorably to the Beckett’s they were familiar with. The most common complaint was related to the new restaurant’s atmosphere. The new bistro retained elements of the old pub, but painted the walls, changed the lights and added a disco ball. One user compared it to an “airport theme bar.”

“It’s cool if you want to get drinks quickly because it’s not too crowded, but one weekend I went, everyone was much older,” said Aemal Zaman, a former student at Berkeley City College.

Added Chen: “BEC's, consciously or not, has been appealing more to townies."

And it might be this older, local crowd that is edging out the former clientele. For some who had never visited Beckett's, however, the reactions are a little different.

"The people here are nice. They're not stuck up or anything. This place is really friendly," said Mai Valentine, the stage name of an 18-year-old guitarist from Oakland who performs at BEC's open mics every week. "The food is really good. It's a little pricey, but you're getting really good food.

"It's one of those restaurants/bars that are worth it."