Last summer, NoMa came close to getting a beer garden in the vacant lot in between the NoMa-Gallaudet Metro station and the Flats 130 apartment building (at 150 M Street, NE). The large lot has previously been used as a construction staging area but is now vacant for the time being. At that time, negotiations between the potential business partners and Stonebridge Carras, the landowner, did not work out. Now, however, negotiations have resumed and it seems very likely that the beer garden will become a reality this spring.
Business partners, including the owner of L’Enfant Cafe in Adams Morgan, are planning a hybrid beer garden and park that will cater to guests of all ages (and will likely allow dogs as well). The fenced in lot will be leveled and landscaped in a way that maintains a large open area for recreational activities. The partners in Wunder Garten are working closely with the NoMa Business Improvement District on the design to maximize the park area as NoMa currently has a deficit of parks. There will be beer benches like one would find in a German beer garden and a significant portion of the space will have a tent over it for rain. They will have multiple beers on tap at the bar they will build on site that will mostly be German and Austrian, but they do plan on having a few local microbrews as well. The space will not have a kitchen (the nearby Harris Teeter that is technically on the same land restricts what kinds of food can be sold in the space); however, there will be 2-3 food trucks in the space that will rotate. High end portable restrooms will be available for customers. In all, the space will be designed to fit 200-300 people inside.
Wunder Garten will be open weekdays from early afternoon through 10 pm and on weekends from noon through midnight. To reduce the noise for nearby apartments, there will not be live or loud music and the owners plan to be very mindful of the nearby residents. Those who do not plan on buying drinks or food will still be welcome to hang out in the space during operating hours as the owners hope that it will double as a beer garden and a community park. The owners plan to encourage recreational activities like frisbee and football. Wunder Garten’s partners are also going to be working closely with REI–which is slated to open up less than a block away in the renovated Uline Arena in several years–to help promote REI’s addition to the neighborhood. REI representatives will be on site to provide information about the future REI store in NoMa.
The owners of Wunder Garten hope to open in mid-April, but the future of the space and how long the beer garden will remain are open questions. The operation of Wunder Garten is guaranteed through this September and then Stonebridge Carras will reevaluate the space and decide whether or not to allow Wunder Garten to keep operating (150 M Street is the future site of an office building). Regardless, the Wunder Garten partners hope to be able to operate the pop-up beer garden and park for as long as possible in the space.
District Cuisine 
Very exciting for the area. Too bad it might be temporary but at least we’ll have the summer to enjoy it.