A popular eatery and watering hole will not return to Asbury Park following a devastating flood in the fall of 2023.

The Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten established itself as a center attraction for nearly a decade, but management says rebuilding after an insurance denial made returning impossible.  

On Sept. 29, 2023, 6 inches of rain fell in just a few hours and sent Wesley Lake up and over Lake Avenue into the Biergarten.  Former general manager Nick Falco tells News 12 that insurance denied their claims because they did not own the building.  

“Oktoberfest, that was one of the big draws for Biergarten and then not having it is a big blow to the community itself,” said Taylor Mennie, whose family runs River Street Sweets on Cookman Avenue behind the Biergarten.  

Her store escaped the damage. 

“Biergarten cultivated a time period for the surrounding businesses to survive and thrive too, and that was one of the biggest things I’ll miss about Biergarten,” said Mennie.  

Frequent Asbury Park tourist John Hanek, of Pennsylvania, hopes whatever comes next can fill the massive void left with the closure of Biergarten. 

“It was like a real beer garden and that draws people in. Unique areas draw people in,” said Hanek.  “They need to realize the locals and people that come for the mystique of Asbury Park is who they need to cater to."  

What’s left behind is nearly a decade of memories, good times, high school reunions and a fun, festive atmosphere. A little slice of Munich, 4,000 miles west across the pond here in the Dark City.  

“I’ll definitely miss what those people came in for. That’s what really helped their business, but also my business as well. We help each other out,” added Mennie.  

In a statement to News 12, the building’s owner, Morgan Sackman, says, “We recruited the Biergarten to come down back in 2014. We are extremely sad to see them gone. It’s my job to bring in another tenant to be just as influential to Asbury Park.”