It’s midnight at the Oasis. Soulful singer Maria Muldaur is nowhere to be found, but if she were, she’d surely approve of the body-moving sounds of dancehall reggae coming out of the speakers, and the island-themed patio with an open-air ceiling.

Behind the back bar, DJs Smoke One and Young Fyah spin 45’s of current Jamaican hits, while a gaggle of girls groove in the center of the dance floor and male onlookers slyly lurk nearby. On the back patio, people smoke cigarettes and hang out amidst comfy couches and green-leaved tropical flora. An Indian woman ladles out plates of chicken curry for those with late-night munchies. And an image of a lion is projected onto a tall concrete wall.

On this particular evening, the crowd is far from full capacity, but that just means more room to move around. And while the folks who came through for a weeknight reggae session might represent the hardcore dancehall faithful, there’s plenty of summer nights to come and plenty of time for word of mouth to circulate.

After an extended hiatus enforced by the city of Oakland, the Oasis Restaurant & Bar is open for business once again.

That’s good news for the reggae aficionados who’ve been coming to “Lion Rock,” the Wednesday night party, for years. There are other reggae weeklies in Oakland — most notably at Shashamane and Karibbean City — but none so beloved as Lion Rock, a fixture at the Oasis since 2002. The night has near-foundational significance in the Bay Area reggae community, particularly in the East Bay, where it’s been the longest-running weekly dancehall party. The region’s reigning champion sound, Jah Warrior Shelter Hi-Fi, cut its teeth at the Oasis, and its alumni include a who’s who of local selectas: Smoke One, DJ Riddim, Kurious Jorge, Common Sensi, Doogie, Toks and up-and-coming star Young Fyah.

Owner David Mebrahtu, a pleasant Ethiopian-born chap who operates the establishment along with his brother and sister, says he went through quite the ordeal maneuvering through various city departments and navigating a maze of bureaucratic red tape. But now, “everything is up to code,” he says.

Among other changes: the building’s foundation has been upgraded, fire exits are clearly marked and there are now ramps for disabled access. At first glance, the club doesn’t look much different — it’s still got the funky, down-home vibe people have come to love so much, but it feels roomier and airier.

Oasis returns to the scene at a time when Oakland’s downtown bar and club scene is on the rise, with many new venues recently opening — from Era to Mua to Somar to Geisha to the Layover. Yet Mebrahtu welcomes the company.

“New clubs bring more business,” Mebrahtu says, matter-of-factly. “But we’ve been here 12 years. We have history. It’s a family vibe here.”

Oasis, which serves the downtown business crowd lunch and dinner by day before transforming into a club in the evening, first opened in 1998 — a time when many of the people skanking on the dance floor at “Lion Rock” were still in junior high school. It’s survived several iterations of Oakland nightlife. 

Besides “Lion Rock,” Mebrahtu points out that several other seminal Oakland parties began their life at Oasis, like the women-of-color-themed “Butter” and the pioneering deep-house throwdown “The People.”

“We do African music, international, house, indie rock, spoken word.” Mebrahtu says. “We’re very open-minded.”

Since reopening about a month ago, Mebrahtu says response from his regulars has been good, though he hopes to attract new clientele as well. Future plans for the club include more live music, more daytime events and BBQs. Also, a long-overdue website is reportedly in the works.

The current Oasis weekly lineup includes reggae on Wednesdays; live punk and indie rock on Thursdays; reggae, soul and soca on Fridays; and house on Sundays. Each night brings a different, diverse crowd. Thursdays are popular with the bicycle-riding hipster contingent, Mebrahtu says, adding “People can put their bikes on the patio and not have to worry about locking them up on the street.”

Mebrahtu touts the venue’s overall reputation as a safe place, pointing out “there have been no incidents” of violence over the Oasis’ history. There have, however, been plenty of instances of cultural vibes, good music and good people.

And it looks like plenty more to come.

Oasis Restaurant & Bar is located at 135 12th St. in Oakland. Phone: (510) 763-0404.