Asbury Park Festhalle, Biergarten​ Closes For Good: Report

ASBURY PARK, NJ — The Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten will be closing for good, the Asbury Park Press was first to report. It is unknown what the building will become.

The popular German beer garden and rooftop bar was a mainstay of Asbury Park, but it never reopened after it suffered flood damage on Sept. 29, 2023. That is a date now infamous in Asbury: Nearly seven inches of rain fell in New Jersey over a multi-day period as the remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia hit the state, and Wesley Lake — located right across the street from the beer hall — breached its banks.

Lake water flooded dozens of shops, restaurants and other businesses, and the beer hall had water on its first floor and basement, Patch reported at the time. The beer hall owners said they were unable to get insurance to cover all the flooding losses, and they were hoping FEMA could help pay for repairs.

"We could see the water just running through the basement like it was a river," Festhall general manager Nick Falco told News 12 in 2023. "A lot of the chef's equipment was flipped upside down. A foot of water inside. Completely decimated."

The beer hall has been closed since then, and it was unable to host Oktoberfest 2023 and then St. Patrick's Day 2024, both of which are vital money-makers. Then the property owner increased the rent, according to the Asbury Park Press. This week, Falco told the APP the bar is "closed for good."

Kayakers could be seen gliding down Lake Avenue after Wesley Lake flooded. Popular nearby eatery Talulah's said they had four feet of water in their basement.

Initial Patch report: Asbury Park Businesses Rebuilding After 'Devastating' Flood Damage (Oct. 2023)