Crystal Wise
The Radler
Edward Gutierrez
When The Bearded Lady took its award-winning burgers, extensive beer list, and hip and friendly servers from Magnolia Avenue to South Main Street, it left a void on Magnolia that has yet to be filled.
The short-lived Magnolia Tree, which took over the nearly 100-year-old bungalow after The Bearded Lady moved, tried but fell, another restaurant put out of business by the ongoing pandemic.
Hopes are high, though, for the latest restaurant to open in the space. Called The Radler, it’s the latest concept from Morgan Roberts, Trey Floyd, and Brendan Willbanks — the team behind Durty Murphy’s Irish Pub, The Winchester Tavern, The Local, and Durty Crow. The Radler opened in December.
The restaurant specializes in gastropub fare with a heavy German bent. There’s a killer bratwurst dog, slathered in sauerkraut and served with German potato salad; large, unapologetically salty pretzels, waiting to be dunked in a pool of hot beer cheese; and, of course, plenty of German brews (in addition to national and local beers).
Elsewhere on the menu, there are burgers, fried pickles and cheese curds, a handful of salads, Black Forest ham sliders, and a steak fingers basket, The Radler’s take on the Dairy Queen classic.
The Radler team developed the menu with a little help from Edward Gutierrez, a chef-about-town who most recently worked at Roy Pope Grocery.
Bearded Lady regulars will notice a few updates have been made to the historic building, originally built in 1926. Décor now leans heavily on German imagery, from beer posters to German beer steins. More important, the patio has been expanded and now includes outdoor TVs.
Hanging from the ceiling is an old bicycle, a nod to the restaurant’s name. The word “radler” has two meanings: The beer often called a shandy in Great Britain is known as a radler in Germany, and also in Germany, radler sometimes means “cyclist,” of which, of course, there are many on Magnolia Avenue.
Says Morgan: “So many people bike in this area, we thought it was the perfect name.” The Radler, 1229 Seventh Ave., 817.501.1850
