Today at 4 p.m., Dacha Beer Garden re-opens after a winter hiatus, and the Dacha team has been busy improving the space. That row of porta-potties is gone, and in its place is an expanded bar with more canopy cover and larger areas for customers. There's an expanded beer menu, adding Weihenstephaner Pale Ale and All Day IPA from Founders Brewing Company, and a fancy self-serve water dispenser with flat and sparkling water.
But the new bathrooms at Dacha replacing the porta-potties might be the biggest upgrade. Dmitri Chekaldin, who owns Dacha along with Ilya Alter, showed them off to Eater yesterday. "It's going to blow your mind," he said. In the men's room, each urinal has a built-in sink, with partitions between them coming soon. The urinals are sourced from Latvia, and according to Chekaldin, Warner Bros. Studio is the only other place in U.S. that has them. Meanwhile, the ladies' room has three stalls. "For girls, the situation has improved a lot. They have more space," Chekaldin said.
Improvements are still to come at Dacha Beer Garden, which is currently renovating the China Express building next door. The kitchen will be fully functional by mid-April, and will offer an expanded menu for the beer garden. And in May, a market and deli will open in the building's first level, where customers can stop by for self-service drip coffee, breakfast sandwiches and pastries in the morning. The market will also stock sandwiches, occasional gourmet groceries, juices, milk, fresh bread and home made cold cuts. "It's going to be locally sourced, locally sold," Chekaldin said.
Want to check out Dacha today? As an added incentive, the first 50 customers at the beer garden will receive a free Dacha t-shirt.
