UPDATE: BierBeisl Imbiss has reopened from Wednesday to Sunday. See their website for details.

Last September, the first paragraph of L.A. Weekly restaurant critic Besha Rodell's review of BierBeisl Imbiss observed:

“BierBeisl Imbiss, Bernhard Mairinger's new Austrian restaurant downtown, deserves to have more customers lounging at its long, wooden tables. I mean that in the sense of the place being too good to sit half-empty, but also in the sense that the space itself is built to be packed with merrymakers, groups of people happily drinking beer out of giant steins, shoveling fat sausages into their maws, living out a Bavarian fantasy of extreme revelry.”

Those words ended up ringing too true: The casual beer and wurst joint — located inside the Spring Arcade in downtown's Historic Core — never quite found its footing, announcing yesterday that its last day of business will be April 16. 

Unlike Guisados DTLA and Gelateria Uli, both of which have prime Spring Street–adjacent locations, BierBeisl Imbiss was never able to gain the critical mass of customers it had hoped for, perhaps due to being tucked off the street, in the middle of the arcade. 

Chef Bernhard Mairinger, who first gained acclaimed for his Austrian cooking at Beverly Hills' BierBeisl (which, sadly, also meet an early demise back in 2013), had this to say:

“I’ve enjoyed introducing Angelenos to Austrian food and drink and thank you all for coming along with me on this wonderful journey. I am going to step back and rethink my concept for a casual European-style eatery. Meanwhile I am busy focusing on our thriving special events, catering and bakery divisions which will continue to grow in a new and larger location. Thanks again.”

One silver lining: Between now and April 16, the restaurant is hosting a special “blow-out party,” featuring $5 sausage sandwiches, $3 sides, $7 schnitzel sandwiches, $3 beers, $8 wine and other specials.

We guess it's auf wiederschauen until next time, BierBeisl.

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