Haute 100 Update: André Balazs Opens Rooftop Biergarten at the Standard LA

Renowned hotelier André Balazs and chef Kurt Gutenbrunner have joined forces to convert the rooftop of downtown LA’s Standard hotel into a retreat-like biergarten – just in time for Oktoberfest!

“The whole premise behind the Standard is that it’s an affordable boutique hotel,” explained Balaz. “Similarly, with a biergarten it’s fun, high-quality, and available to everybody.”

Much like its sister rooftop biergarten in NYC’s Standard, the LA counterpart offers an open-air space with gorgeous views of downtown, and still offers plenty of hedging and plant life to make it feel as if you’re away from it all. A grassy knoll houses communal tables capable of seating up to 105, a foosball table, and a ticket booth. Each $8 ticket is good for two sausages, two salad options, a large soft pretzel, and a beer or glass of German soda or wine.

The menu features tasty, traditional German fare crafted by the Austrian chef Gutenbrunner, like currywurst, Bavarian weisswurst, sauerkraut with Riesling, red cabbage salad with apples and walnuts, and an extensive beer menu to enjoy it with.  Beers include Bitburger Premium Pils, Licher (a German hefeweizen), and a Kostritzer dark beer.

“It feels just like Bavaria,” said Gutenbrunner. “We took this idea of the German street food –- dishes like the currywurst, which is hugely popular in the Cologne area, and weisswurst, a very classic Bavarian sausage. The beers –- I’m a strong believer that beer tastes the best if the keg is fresh and it doesn’t sit around too long. I have only three beers which cover the range of German beers -– pilsner, unfiltered wheat beer and a dark beer…. That’s the way we do it — every beer garden has a commitment to their own beer.”

The Standard is located at 550 S. Flower St., Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 892-8080 or visit www.standardhotels.com/los-angeles/. Hours are noon to 1 a.m.

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