Deliciously crispy broasted chicken, mouthwatering prime rib, and ice-cold beers are just some of the reasons people flock to Bierhaven.
“We wanted to make food we like to eat, which is how we came up with half the menu,” says Ken Calus. He and his best friend Mark Guzzardo are the owners of the chic yet homey restaurant in Woodhaven.
“We grew up together, went to middle school together on, so we’ve known each other for far too long,” jokes Guzzardo.
Bierhaven is actually the pair’s second restaurant. Their first is Bierkeller in Taylor. Both of them had worked in beer distributing for several years before they got the chance to open their own bar, something they’ve always dreamed of.
Bierkeller was doing so well they were ready to expand, so they started looking for another location. They came across an old video rental store at a strip mall in Woodhaven. The building was essentially a “blank canvas” they say with just four walls and a few movie posters, so they could really build the place to be their own.
The new building had tall ceilings and lots of natural light from its wall of windows, so the name Bierkeller, meaning beer cellar in German, didn’t really fit. In honor of the city of Woodhaven, they decided to call it Bierhaven instead, and they opened it in January of 2020.
While the menus share some similarities, they are different concepts. Bierkeller is German in theme and has traditional dishes like schnitzel and spaetzle. Bierhaven, on the other end, is more upscale American bar food. Since they built the restaurant, they were able to add in a broaster so they could offer broasted chicken, and a grill to cook up a mean steak. On Sundays, they serve brunch from 10AM to 2PM, and they also have prime rib on special all day! Other favorites include their honey garlic chicken bowl, their Nashville hot chicken sandwich, and their bacon-wrapped kielbasa bites, which you can actually get at both locations.
For more details, watch the video above.
Beirhaven is located in a strip mall at 20030 Vreeland Road on the corner with Allen Road in Woodhaven.