Past issues
RSS feeds
Print edition (PDF)
The Paper in print
Twitter
Facebook
Email newsletter Twitter Facebook RSS Feeds
Williamsburg’s beloved beer garden, Radegast Hall on N. Third Street, will expanding into an adjacent building around the corner on Berry Street — but the same good times will continue.
“The whole idea is to be a beer-and sausage-place [like] the existing bar,” said Radegast owner Ivan Kohut, a Slovak native who moved to Brooklyn in 1996. “We’re still staying within this 1890s-style beer garden, where people meet, eat casual grilled meals and sip on large beers.”
The need for a new location was clear. Unlike the mantra during the Wall Street bailout — “too big to fail” — Kohut’s existing joint was too small to succeed.
An average Saturday night would see 700 to 800 customers — clearly a mandate to expand. With more space, Kohut says he’ll be able to do weddings, even (if the bride allows it, of course).
Beer gardens are a relatively new phenomenon to the city, but Radegast has proved popular since it opened in 2007. Kohut credits his communal benches, which put strangers cheek-by-jowl, as opposed to sitting at their own tables.
“Strangers sitting next to strangers means there is more of a chance for conversation,” said Kohut. “Also, not having a host [to seat customers] to tell you what to do gives you a free environment.”
Radegast Hall [113 N. Third St. at Berry Street in Williamsburg, (718) 963-3973].
©2010 Community Newspaper Group
By submitting this comment, you agree to the following terms:
You agree that you, and not BrooklynPaper.com or its affiliates, are fully responsible for the content that you post. You agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening or sexually-oriented material or any material that may violate applicable law; doing so may lead to the removal of your post and to your being permanently banned from posting to the site. You grant to BrooklynPaper.com the royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual and fully sublicensable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform and display such content in whole or in part world-wide and to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or later developed.
Print this story
Digg
Del.icio.us