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German beer house, restaurant to open downtown Youngstown
YOUNGSTOWN
A German beer house and restaurant is expected to open downtown by the end of September.
The city’s Design Review Committee approved a proposal Tuesday from Christian Rinehart to renovate an unoccupied building and turn it into the Rhine Haus Bier Hall at 40 N. Phelps St., next door to Suzie’s Dogs and Drafts, which he also owns.
Rinehart said he’s spending $250,000 on the 2,700-square-foot establishment.
“It will be a traditional German beer house and deli serving German food with polka, pretzels and pirogies,” Rinehart said. “We’ll have traditional 8-foot-long tables in a big, open room.”
The location has been vacant for at least 25 years.
During the 1920s, the space also was a German restaurant.
As to how he came up with the idea for the business, Rinehart said, “I’m German. My wife and I traveled to Germany to get a look at traditional German beer houses. We did a lot of research and are re-creating it here.”
There will be an open area between Rhine Haus and Suzie’s allowing people to go between the two locations.
There will be garage doors installed at the front of the building that can be opened when the weather permits it.