New in Town: Growlers Bringing Craft Movement to Tuckahoe

Only a few hours after opening its doors for business for the very first time on Monday night, Growlers Beer Bistro in Tuckahoe was already packed with a healthy crowd of what owners are hoping will quickly turn into a loyal crew of regulars, celebrating the arrival of a truly unique hangout spot with something for people of literally all tastes and preferences.

Growlers, which offers 20 different tap lines and, for now, 20 different bottled beers from all around the world, opened on Labor Day at 25 Main Street in Tuckahoe in a formerly abandoned railroad substation that dates back to 1906. First time patrons quickly filled up all available seating at Monday’s opening, before gobbling down cheese-covered sliders and savoring Belgian Tripels at what is being called the latest outpost of the increasingly popular “craft beer” movement.

“It's exceeding all expectations,” said Brian Duffy, a bartender at Growlers, which also serves a variety of wines and “craft” sodas. “Tuckahoe is a small town, tucked away, but just the fact that craft beer is growing [as an industry] means people have been waiting to get in on it.”

Tuckahoe’s newest restaurant and bar is named for the “growler,” a half-gallon, refillable jug that customers can purchase, take home with them, and bring back to re-fill with their favorite beer. In recent years, the growler has come to be synonymous with the growing craft beer movement – which emphasizes local and gourmet brews – although the owners of Growlers (the restaurant) are confident that locals will be regularly stopping by for much more than just their half-gallon refills.

As part-owner Eric Lorberfeld puts it, “we do all the basics: really good craft beer and really good food,” everything from hot artichoke dip to customizable bruschetta and in-house-made fries, without forgetting about the wide range of IPAs and American brown ales, of course. 

If you haven’t guessed yet, there is no place quite like Growlers yet in the area. According to Lorberfeld, Growlers is also the first tenant at 25 Main Street in close to 50 years, which is another reason why its owners believe it has the potential to be a big hit with local residents.

“Westchester is either really fancy, or down and dirty,” said Carrie Cullen of Tuckahoe, who studied at the French Culinary Institute and is another of Growlers' owners. “It's hard to find a simple place that's inspired and authentic. Growlers are all the rage in the City, but maybe not in Westchester. I think we're bringing something new. It's a niche that's underserved.” 

Cullen first got the idea for the restaurant after she saw the empty building from Tuckahoe's nearby Metro-North station, where she used to catch the train to her job in New York City every day. Despite the building's derelict appearance at the time, “you could see the bones were beautiful,” she said. 

From the very beginning, friends and family have been instrumental in getting Growlers off the ground and running, with all involved contributing in their area of expertize. With the help of her husband, Ciaran Cullen, who is the chef and also a part owner of Growlers, Cullen first recruited her good friend Lorberfeld, whose family was originally in the sign business. Ciaran’s sister, Dierdre, also was included into the project, as she served as head designer and decorated the restaurant’s interior. In addition, Lorberfeld's son, Ian, works as a runner in the restaurant, and business partner Jamie Villarie, a minority owner of Growlers, was the contractor who helped create the space.

Despite Growlers being the first restaurant venture for all owners involved, knowledge of the product sold will be far from lacking. Both Cullens have studied at the French Culinary Institute in New York, and Lorberfeld, Ciaran Cullen and Duffy have all earned a “Certified Beer Server” certification from the famous Cicerone Certification Program.

“I’d say we’re all related somehow,” Lorberfeld said.