Detroit’s long-standing Dakota Inn Rathskeller is under new ownership
The nearly century-old German beer hall is now owned by Paddy Lynch, who also owns The Schvitz, Convent Detroit, and Dutch Girl Donuts
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The Dakota Inn Rathskeller, a nearly century-old German style restaurant and beer hall in Detroit that has been owned by the Kurz family since 1933, has a new owner.
The restaurant is now owned by Paddy Lynch, a funeral director-turned-developer who has also acquired The Schvitz, Convent Detroit, and Dutch Girl Donuts in recent years.
According to a press release, Lynch has tapped Les Molnar of popular restaurants Johnny Noodle King and Green Dot Stables to serve as culinary director, and Jarred Gild of The Schvitz and the Pash & Glou wine store in Rochesterwine store as beverage director and special programs manager.
In the release, Lynch said that “little to nothing will change in the Dakota Inn’s main dining room,” but plans to breath life into the underutilized downstairs Rathskeller bar room with private parties, wine tastings, and other events.
“I’ve loved the wines of Germany and Central Europe for years and local wine drinkers have shown they do too,” Gild said in a statement. “This will be the best place to explore the diverse styles of the region, from centuries old traditional estates all the way to the hippest natural wine upstarts. There is going to be something for everyone here, and so many cool wines that you can hang out with us every week. Being a regular here is going to be really rewarding.”
The new owners say they also want to better utilize the Dakota Inn’s backyard for a year-round biergarten. Other plans include a gift shop, a specialty market, and “even overnight accommodations in the vintage apartments upstairs.”
While the Dakota Inn typically closed in July, the new owners say they want to keep the backyard biergarten open all summer and reopen the dining room for an anniversary party in the first week of August.
The Dakota Inn is located at 17324 John R St, Detroit. Operating hours are 4-11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, with plans to expand hours in the fall.
