The Side Project Cellar
Karen King's list here was nominated for a James Beard Outstanding Bar Program award in 2015.1
Why go
Cory and Karen King opened the Cellar on 11 November 2014, and it was Side Project's first room before there was a brewery to go with it.2 It runs as a Belgian-inspired beer, wine and spirits bar rather than a taproom.1 The deep stuff turns up here: for the tenth anniversary the Kings tapped their last kegs of old collaborations with Cycle, WeldWerks and Half Acre, and poured vintages of Beer : Barrel : Time back to 2021.2 Adam Altnether cooks the food under the Beers & Bites name.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: ask what the oldest keg on is. This is the room where the Kings pop their last kegs.2
- Order: a vintage of Beer : Barrel : Time if one is open. The Kings pour it by year.2
- Avoid: coming here for the brewery. The tanks and the patio are on Manchester Road, five minutes away.1
What locals & experts say
- Cory King on the room, to Feast Magazine (2024):
The Cellar has a special place in our story, as it was our original location when we opened our doors on Nov. 11, 2014. We couldn't be more proud of how loved this space has become by our customers and staff over the years.
2 - James Beard Foundation, 2015: nominee, Outstanding Bar Program, for the Cellar under Karen King.1
Good to know
- Where it sits: on Marietta Avenue in Maplewood. The street closes in front of the bar for the anniversary party in November.2
Verdict
should-visit — The James Beard Foundation nominated this bar's programme for Outstanding Bar Program in 2015, under Karen King, and that is a nomination for the LIST rather than for the brewery behind it. It opened on 11 November 2014 and was Side Project's first room, so the deep verticals of their own beer sit here rather than at the brewery. It stops short of the top rung because no critic has written about a specific pour here, and the newest witness is November 2024.