Long-awaited Eataly rooftop brewpub looking at May opening

We’ve said before that when it comes to the Dogfish Head/Baladin/Birra del Borgo collaboration brewpub on the roof of Eataly (200 Fifth Ave., at 23rd St., Flatiron), the waiting is the hardest part. The delays have really piled on. When it was first announced over a year ago, we expected a late summer opening last year. Then, it became November, January, and then March. Well, it’s late March, and we’re still waiting, but we’re pretty sure that the wait won’t be much longer.

Eater is reporting that the brewpub, La Birreria, is hiring staff and could be open in “about a month.” The deck, the retractable roof, and the brewing equipment - which was hoisted onto the roof by a crane - are now in place for the 300-seat garden. Via Twitter, Dogfish Head said they’re “hoping” for a May opening, which is the first they’ve really hinted at an opening date, so we’ll stick with that projection for now.

Of course, there’s always that dastardly permitting and final inspection and approval, and despite the fact that there’s already a full liquor license approved by the Community Board for the rooftop, anything can and will go wrong in a city that seems hell-bent on making it as difficult as possible to open a place where people drink alcohol. So, stay tuned.

March 25, 2011

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