Osten Beerhall’s metamorphosis into Bernie’s Tavern

A Cannon Street East bar and restaurant has swapped its Euro-style beer hall theme with a tavern concept for the exact pandemic-related reason one might expect.

Dan Hawkins, co-owner of Shorty's Pizza, 1101 Convenience and the bar formerly known as Osten Beerhall, said the beer hall environment very much depends on large gatherings; big groups of people sitting together and enjoying food, beer and atmosphere. That just wasn't in the cards for the last two and a half years."

Bernie's Tavern, the new restaurant, as of the beginning of June, focuses more on a food menu that is deliverable, can be picked up easily, and is more appropriate for outdoor summer dining, Hawkins said.

As much as we all love eastern European food," Hawkins says, dumplings and goulash are a little bit more wintery comfort foods."

During pandemic shutdowns, Osten was doing more burgers, sandwiches and wings and they added a pizza oven to the kitchen to add capacity for Shorty's takeout.

Now lunchtime customers of the 1103 Cannon St. E. tavern can get one of three varieties of Shorty's pizza before the pizza restaurant next door opens for dinner service.

All of those menu and seating style changes over the pandemic - changes the neighbourhood has been enjoying - meant the restaurant changeover was more organic, not so much a hard stop and start, Hawkins said.

Now a big grand opening is planned for June 25 (also known as Arkells Rally night) when the neighbourhood will be full of people and the restaurant will be 100 per cent switched over," Hawkins said.

Maybe they'll open up a beer hall again, Hawkins added, but this just made more sense for what we became."

Jeremy Kemeny is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jkemeny@thespec.com