A Farewell to Hem’s: Hemingway’s Cafe in Oakland is Closing After 43 Years

“OK, I might need a trip back to Pittsburgh to go to Hemingway’s and hang out.”

That’s the text message I received from my sorority sister last night, hours after the owner of Hemingway’s Cafe — the Oakland institution where we fell in love with cheap beer and chicken wings — announced that he’s shuttering the beloved bar in May.

My Gen X heart can’t take much more of this; I mean, I’m still reeling from the loss of Fuel and Fuddle three years ago!

Hem’s has been a haven for Pitt students and faculty since 1983. I arrived on campus in 1997 and was thrilled to discover the restaurant was located directly below my dorm.

A PAGE FROM MY COLLEGE SCRAPBOOK. PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

“We are incredibly sad to be closing this chapter, but we are deeply grateful for over 40 years of memories, laughter, late nights, friendships and traditions shared within these walls,” owner John Elavsky said in a heartfelt social media post.

It’s fitting that he used the word “chapter.”

Thanks to its namesake nod to author Ernest Hemingway, it was a popular spot for collegiate bookworms like me. My favorite professor, the late Bruce Dobler, used to conduct creative writing classes at a big table in the back. It’s no wonder I write so much about beer!

Together with fellow English department faculty member Ed Ochester, Dobler founded Hemingway’s Poetry Series. The long-running literary event lives on during the summer months at Lawrenceville’s Hop Farm Brewing Co.

PRO DOBLER GRAFFITI. PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

In his post, Elavsky asked fans to share their “Hems Mems” online and drop by the Forbes Avenue bar for one last round.

While you’re there, you can pay respects to the spirits of CJ Barney’s, Zelda’s Greenhouse, Peter’s Pub, the Beehive, The Decade, The Attic, the Upstage, The Original Hot Dog Shoppe and the original Mad Mex, then boost your mood by drinking an Old German at Gene’s Place (the venerable Louisa Street watering hole turns 21 on Feb. 11. I hope!).

If I had the money, I would swoop in and save this Oakland landmark the way my fellow Pitt alumni rescued Dave & Andy’s Homemade Ice Cream from extinction. Alas, I’m a writer, so all I can offer is a haiku for Hem’s:

Goodbye, Hemingways!
Thank you for the memories.
I’ll take a pitcher.