|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
During October, I heard from several folks that the Fat Pigeon in Livermore was the place to get into the Halloween spirit. They were right.
From the sidewalk, the bar looked tame. But the placard by the door stated, “It’s just a bunch of Hocus Pocus.” Stepping inside, you quickly realize the theme refers to the 1993 Disney movie, “Hocus Pocus” where three women transform into witches and plot to kidnap kids in Salem, Mass. On the wall are framed posters of the witches and Mr. Binx, the immortal black cat. Guest witches are attracted to Fat Pigeon.
We will explain the bar’s name, the drinks, and food shortly. First, a warning that reservations are recommended. Co-owner Raj Judge told me Fat Pigeon is a “craft cocktail lounge.” Whatever the official description, Fat Pigeon is a go-to, scene-to-be-seen, bar with seating at a premium, both inside or on the patio. If the Halloween ghouls are with you, a seat may open at the bar.
Once seated, expect semi-pandemonium regarding service. The front page of the website proclaims, “Now hiring…bartenders, servers, and hosts.” Most patrons are not ordering simple drinks like gin and tonic. The themed cocktails, with multiple ingredients, take time to craft and garnish with seasonal specialties. Also, Monday is the cook’s night off, and food may not be available.
One friend gave up flagging their server who darted around at warp speed and ordered drinks at the bar. You may also spot co-owner Raj Judge in high gear expediting service and caring for customers.
The buzz around Fat Pigeon starts with the ambiance of the rotating themes which manifest in the cocktail list and the décor. Ali Jones and her friend Kayla Harriel from the East Bay were lured to Fat Pigeon by the Hocus Pocus theme. Harriel noted, “The drinks were not only creatively named but were also delicious and well-thought out. The Hocus Pocus décor was charming and created an immersive atmosphere.”
When Tiffany Hughes and other drinking age friends met up in hometown Pleasanton, there weren’t any immersive bars to visit. Now she and her family live in Livermore and frequently dine downtown. “If we have a girl’s night out, we stop at the Fat Pigeon for a cocktail. The place that was once kind of a dive bar [the Livermore Saloon], amongst many others in downtown Livermore, has turned into a fun, lounge-type bar that brings in people of all ages to enjoy their themed décor. Hocus Pocus is very nostalgic and my favorite theme so far.”
A previous popular theme was based on the Golden Girls TV series. Owners Raj and his brother Harpreet Judge have a creative knack for turning pop culture into bar décor and cocktails. They also have the liquor businesses in their family heritage. Their father first worked at Perry’s Liquors in Pleasanton and then bought that store and the Perry’s in Livermore. After the two stores were sold, the family purchased the Livermore Saloon.
The sons soon turned Livermore Saloon into the first Beer Baron Bar & Kitchen in 2011. They named the bar after the 18th episode in series eight of the TV show, “The Simpsons,” entitled “Homer vs. the 18th Amendment.” Lead character Homer became a bootlegger “beer baron” during the episode for Moe’s Speakeasy. Raj noted that in the early days, he would drive home from other states with small quantities of beer that were not available in Calif.
With the Judges in a quasi-bootlegger role at the time, customers liked the hard-to-find beers. Though the Livermore Beer Baron closed in October 2023, the brothers still own the rebranded Beer Baron Whiskey Bar & Kitchens in Pleasanton, Santa Rosa, and Oakland.
The Judges reimagined the space as Fat Pigeon and re-opened the same month. A few weeks later, Fat Pigeon hosted The Miracle, a national program with an immersive holiday theme and a charity component.
What about the name? If you Google “drunk, fat pigeons in New Zealand,” you learn about the fat, kererū pigeons there who gouge on overripe, fermenting fruit, get drunk, and fall from trees, a factoid that does not appear on the website.
The cocktails are cleverly named for characters, incidents or quotes in the series of three “Hocus Pocus” movies. There are 15 cocktails and four non-alcoholic cocktails, including “I Smell A Child.”
Venturing to Fat Pigeon with a friend, I chose the Skeleton’s Sorcery with white rum, pomegranate, peach liqueur, lime, grenadine and coconut cream. I was misled by the cream; the drink was more like a Margarita with pomegranate seeds scattered around a big (plastic) black bug. My friend immediately said, “There’s a fly in your soup!”
My friend chose the Wicked Wake Up with tequila, espresso, coffee liqueur with a butterscotch sugared rim and butterscotch-coated marshmallow. The table décor was a jar labelled “Sanderson Sisters’ Dead Man’s Toe,” another reference to “Hocus Pocus.”
Our server Brigit Calderon, who is also a lead bartender, told us that guests favor the Skeleton’s Sorcery, the Mr. Binx with caramel vodka and crisp tart apple “in a bold, dark look,” and the Enchanted, Jones’ favorite drink, with blackberry honey syrup, strawberry gin, mint, lemon and orange. The small wine list included several local wineries.
Later I saw server Jill Landry carrying the Life Potion multi-person punch in a cauldron targeted for a Happy Hour group on the patio. The punch changes with each theme. The Hocus Pocus option features three rums, peach Bourbon, peaches, lime cordial, and a dash of cinnamon which set the mix afire briefly.
Fortunately we arrived on a Thursday when oysters are a mere $2 a piece with a half-dozen minimum. We also secured Happy Hour pricing for food and drinks offered Monday to Thursday. Chef Luis Aldana oversees the kitchen for the Beer Baron Pleasanton and Fat Pigeon. I paused to admire how the shape of the peach hot honey flatbread with prosciutto matched its wooden platter. Judge said they developed the flatbread shape first, and then found the platters online.
The flatbread crust was crispy and flavorful, and the topping, a pleasing blend of textures with a sweet-savory profile. We chose baked chicken meatballs from the Small Bites menu, but the serving was large. The meatballs, plump and delicious, rested on a bed of marinara sauce. I dipped the crusts from the flatbread in the sauce. Grazing charcuterie boards and desserts are also available.
“It is special when people walk in and say, ‘It’s so cool here. What is the next theme?’” said Landry. Both Jones and Hughes said they look forward to the holiday theme. The Hocus Pocus theme lasts until Nov. 10th, and on Nov. 15th, the holiday pop-up theme of Miracle begins. The owners collaborate with Miracle, a national program that supports the Seva Foundation, a global eye care organization from a percentage of sales from holiday themed mugs shaped such as Santa pants.
Meanwhile, I am more than ready to get out my black hat, brush away the cobwebs with my broomstick and celebrate Halloween.
Pleasanton police vehicle, other car involved in injury collision at intersection near downtownJanuary 17, 2026 8:21 pm