USA, CT: Elicit Brewing Co. to open its third Connecticut location in May

A new brewpub is on track to open as planned this spring in the Danbury Square shopping plaza’s former Barnes & Noble bookstore space, The Register Citizen reported on April 2.

Elicit Brewing Co., which launched construction in the shopping plaza at 19 Backus Ave. this winter, confirmed it is expected to open its third Connecticut location in Danbury in May.

Elicit Brewing Co. operates as a “beer hall, restaurant, biergarten, cocktail bar, arcade, lounge and private event space all rolled into one,” according to tits website. In addition to the new Danbury location, it also has locations in Manchester and Fairfield.

The brewpub is expected to employ 40 to 50 full- and part-time employees, including front-of-house, kitchen and event staff, when fully operational, according to Ellis Reilly, director of business development for Eli’s Restaurant Group, which owns Elicit Brewing.

Barnes & Noble relocated in April 2023 from its longtime home in the Danbury Square plaza to a two-level space next door at the Danbury Fair mall that was previously occupied by the furniture store Arhaus. In addition to offering its own outdoor entrance, the new Barnes & Noble location at the mall features a café for customers, among other amenities.

Elicit Brewing Co. obtained a lease for the former Barnes & Noble space in Danbury Square in the fall of 2023. Both the permitting process and the underground utility work for the new brewpub were completed this past fall.