On Oct. 14, the 16th anniversary of Bier Markt, Sam McNulty announced on Twitter and in a newsletter that his forward-thinking West 25th Street restaurants Bier Markt and Bar Cento would close permanently.
The plan, McNulty says, is to launch new concepts in the same space. Speakeasy, the company’s in-the-know basement club, will remain open during the transition.
”The good news is we will be reopening after a few months of construction with a whole new, fresh, and exciting concept,” McNulty wrote. “Every single one of our wonderful team members will remain employed throughout and will be ready to rock out a huge Grand Opening Week of celebrations.”
Bier Markt launched in 2005, and Bar Cento soon followed in 2007. Bier Markt burst onto the scene as a beer head’s oasis and a place for Clevelanders to expand their palates with a Belgian brew-focused menu of more than 80 beers. Meanwhile Bar Cento, started with chef Jonathon Sawyer, plated some of the city’s best bites and continued to hire up-and-coming chefs after Sawyer’s departure to The Greenhouse Tavern. It received glowing reviews, including this one in Cleveland Magazine from 2008.
“It was a rough neighborhood in need of improvement, but we love this Fair City and saw so much potential at every turn,” wrote McNulty in his statement yesterday. “In the 16 years that followed, we've enjoyed every magical moment with our guests, families, friends, colleagues, and neighbors.”
With Market Garden Brewery opening across the street in 2011, Bier Markt was the launchpad for McNulty and Priemer’s dedication to Ohio City. In fact, McNulty was so dedicated to the street’s success he turned down a chance to host a Travel Channel show exploring other city’s bar cultures, he told us in this 2011 profile
“I wouldn’t leave my three babies — especially when I have another one on the way,” he told us back then. "[Here,] you get all walks of life, all demographics. It's a microcosm of all the crazy things we have in Cleveland, all distilled down into a dense, walkable neighborhood."
With construction set to start in 2022, a grand opening celebration is expected sometime late next year.
“Thanks so much for being such an important part of our adventure,” says McNulty. “The magic moments and warm memories we've made over the years have been the best part of everything we do. We invite you to join us for all the great things we have coming next.”
