Santora’s has closed the 1927 Brew House at the Walden Galleria, opting not to renew their lease after five years. They were located in the former Gordon Biersch space.
Owner Paul Santora made the announcement via social media, citing recent changes in his personal life.
The bar featured 32 rotating beer taps, a large bourbon selection, and TVs scattered throughout the restaurant, including a 138” two-sided video wall visible from both the bar and dining area. There was also a full kitchen.
“We decided not to renew our five-year lease for our next term due to some mall constraints and some personal things in my life – I have my first grandchild and my daughter got married – so I’m trying to kick back a little bit and try not to have some much responsibility,” he said.
He added that they are also choosing not to move forward with their planned brewery location in Clarence Center, citing life changes and rising costs.
Santora’s announced its plans for the Clarence Center location in 2023, which would serve as a new standalone brewery and taproom in the former Old Lamplighter restaurant, located at 6260 Goodrich Road. The space was to include a production brewery, barrel room, outdoor beer garden with a self-pour system, a tapas-style restaurant, and a private event space.
Head brewer Rob Haag says he is grateful for his time spent brewing at the Galleria, which allowed him to dial in beer recipes and make them better. He is looking forward to what comes next.
“The Galleria was a great opportunity to get our 1927 Brew House brands established there for the last five years,” he said. “We brewed a lot of different styles there, honed the flavors and created our flagship beers there. Onto better, more modern equipment to elevate all our beers going forward.”
With the closure, Santora’s will move all of their brewing to their Transit location.
“I want to thank all of the staff and all of the patrons of the Galleria Mall and the Cheektowaga location who frequented our location and kept us strong and vibrant, so thank you very much for all of that,” Santora added. “Thank you very much for everything at the Walden Galleria. We had a great time here for our five years. We learned how to brew on the state-of-the-art brewhouse that we have dealt with for the last five years. Thank you very much and I hope to see you at Transit when you get a chance.”
For more information about Santora’s Pizza Pub & Grill, visit www.santoras.com.
Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on X (@buffbeerleague), Instagram, Threads and Untappd (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).
