Paulaner Brauhaus Meets the Bowery Neighbors

Tempers were in attendance yesterday evening at 265-267 Bowery, formerly home to Attias Oven Corp./Cannon Co. As we first reported, it is here, straddling both addresses, that German-based Paulaner Brewery hopes to plant domestic roots with a 4,000 square-foot flagship beer hall. That’s enough room for over two hundred diners!

This gathering was a somewhat impromptu meet-and-greet with the neighbors in order to comply with the requisite “community outreach” component for Community Board 3 wine and beer approval. Only problem being that it seemed thrown together without much, ironically enough, notice to the neighborhood. Indeed, the dude living upstairs claimed he didn’t receive any communication from management, and street announcements didn’t go up until a couple days ago.

Nevertheless, frontman Rudy Tauscher (formerly of Mandarin Oriental) and his well-heeled cronies detailed the plans for the space, much of which was already disclosed at last month’s SLA meeting. Specific talk-time was given to explaining the intent of being a restaurant first and foremost (i.e. enormous basement kitchen, artisanal products, bakery), with early hours of operation (7 am – 12 am; 1 am on weekends) and state-of-the-art soundproofing. To that end, one architect living above Pulino’s became the de facto advocate for the group, arguing for transparency and even regaling the group with his McNally dealings.

Credit: Morali Architects

Many locals in attendance were simply jaded by the years of constant bait-and-switch tactics of other nightlife carpetbaggers, and questioned benefit to the community and so forth. Paulaner folks retorted that their establishment will clean the Bowery and provide jobs for locals. Pretty much the usual arguments on both sides of the aisle.

P.S. Tauscher said that he has a gentleman’s agreement with the building owners to serve matzo ball soup.