New Bohemia Wurst & Bier Haus will open a location in the former Seven Corner Hardware site in St. Paul later this month, just a block away from Xcel Energy Center.
CEO of New Bohemia, Brian Ingram, said the bar and restaurant will open Jan. 27. It will be part of the new Opus Group six-story retail-apartment development at 222 7th Ave. W.
Ingram said this New Bohemia will be one of the first to incorporate cocktails alongside its beer and wine selections. New Bohemia partnered with Tattersall Distilling in Minneapolis for its drink menu.
With the restaurant so close to Xcel Energy Center, Ingram said the location will have a large focus on the Minnesota Wild.
"We're designed tables and chairs to look like a penalty box," he said. "There will also be shuffleboard courts, bocce courts and other fun games."
The restaurant will have close to 5,000 square feet with 40 employees. There will be seating for 200 inside, along with seating for 75 in an outdoor patio running along Chestnut Avenue.
There will also be no shortage of TVs to take in hockey games, Ingram said there will be around a couple dozen, along with a 30 foot tall projection screen.
"It will literally look like you’re in a drive-in theater," he said. "If you don’t have tickets to the game you’ll feel like you’re there."
This will be the seventh Minnesota New Bohemia (it also has a food truck) and more are on the way. Ingram wasn't able to confirm any other lease signings, but said New Bohemia was actively exploring Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Rochester, Duluth and Hudson, Wis.
"Sometime this year we will have two to three more," he said.
New Bohemia Wurst & Bier Haus started in Northeast Minneapolis in 2012. The restaurant is known for its sausage, pretzel and local craft beer offerings.