The owner of What Ales You has announced on social media that the 54-year-old downtown Burlington college bar will move out of its St. Paul Street basement to a new spot around the block. Syd Eren said he will continue serving for another week or so in the original bar location. He hopes to open in the former home of Manhattan Pizza & Pub, on the corner of Church and Main streets, around August 22, where the bar will serve a full menu, including pizza.
Eren could not be reached for further comment but Burlington’s city clerk’s office confirmed that he has applied for a liquor license for 167 Main Street .
Manhattan’s, as it was commonly known, was another multi-decade downtown bar staple. It closed in January after a couple of changes in ownership and a brief stint as Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar.
In his post, Eren wrote that he never expected to move What Ales You. He detailed several reasons that compelled him to do so to keep the business viable.
He cited steep increases in general and liquor liability insurance along with lower revenue from alcohol sales. Eren explained that serving food and catering will grow business income and also lower insurance costs, but it was not practical to add a kitchen in the bar’s St. Paul Street location. The former Manhattan Pizza space already had a kitchen.
Eren noted that he sees a personal benefit in the move from the basement to a ground-level space: “I thought a little bit of daylight would be good for me.”