Buchner’s Bierhalle, a German bar, opened in Murray Hill two weeks ago. But aside from a chalkboard outside Blackhat Vapor Company, it may not be immediately clear.
Guests enter the bar by walking through Blackhat Vapor, at 1188 Edgewood Ave. S., or by using the bar’s back entrance.
Owner Jason Grimes said so far, the backroom bar has been busy, and has received a strong response from Murray Hill residents. Most of the business so far, he said, has been through word of mouth.
Buchner’s serves 13 German beers on draft, as well as wines from Germany, Italy, Spain and France. A half-liter of beer is $7, and a full liter is $13. The bar also offers German food, including bar snacks, wurst, cheese and charcuterie boards, soups, sandwiches and desserts.
Grimes said his business partner, Glen Newman, who owns Black Hat Vapor Company, wanted to turn the space behind his store into a bar for several years. And Grimes had always wanted to open a German bar, since his mother’s family is German and he’d done some of his schooling there.
The bar's name is inspired by his great-grandfather, whose last name is Buchner, and also owned a restaurant in Germany.
Before this venture, Grimes owned Club TSI Downtown for 13 years before closing in 2015. The plans for Buchner’s were in the works for three or four years and evolved through different changes to the menu, beers and design elements before the build-out started last fall.
“We’ve always been interested in interesting spaces, something that’s not traditional,” Grimes said. “This was the perfect space for it.”
In the future, Grimes said he plans to turn the space behind the bar, which currently has some seating and is used for parking, into a biergarten with market lights and additional seating.
Buchner’s Bierhalle is open 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday-Saturday. It's closed Sunday.
