The folks from a popular Cleveland Park hangout are going to try their luck with a new restaurant in downtown Bethesda.
St. Arnold’s Mussel Bar is bringing a new venture — Tyber Bierhaus — to 7528 Old Georgetown Rd., site of the failed Box Bar & Grill and Dry Fried Wings.
St. Arnold’s made the announcement on its website. Operating partner Mark Moore said workers are busy making interior changes and employees are training at Mussel Bar locations. Signage went up last week and if all goes well, Moore hopes to have the place open by the end of the month.
St. Arnold’s, with locations in Cleveland Park and Dupont Circle, is known for its large collection of Belgian Draught beer and menu of nearly 20 mussels recipes. Moore said the Tyber Bierhaus — named after D.C.’s defunct Tyber Creek — will offer four or five of the most popular mussel recipes and 20 taps featuring beers from Belgium, Germany and the Czech Republic.
It’s safe to say the Bierhaus will be quite the departure from the skimpy referee uniforms of Box Bar past.
Moore and co-owner Paul Uppole both grew up in Montgomery County, which Moore said made opening a cousin restaurant in Bethesda make sense.
“We’ve always been aware that Bethesda is a great area for restaurants,” Moore said. “There’s kind of a delineation. People from the county and farther back, they just won’t go into D.C. because Bethesda is there.”
Moore said the folks at St. Arnold’s consulted with past operators of the space and kept an eye on the spot once that operation fell through.
“We’ve had unbridled success at our two places, which we’re very fortunate for and which we’ve worked very hard for,” Moore said. “Not to put anybody else down, but it’s the management that matters, not so much the location.”
The Bierhaus will offer lunch specials aimed at the work lunch crowd.
