Elicit Brewing Co. coming to Black Rock Turnpike
FAIRFIELD — A brewpub and restaurant will be opening a second location in Fairfield after it received approval from the Town Plan and Zoning Commission.
Elicit Brewing Company, which has its first location in Manchester, got its zoning compliance application approved by the commission this week. According to documents filed with the town, the business plans to open at 111 Black Rock Tpke, right near the Fairfield Metro Station.
Jim Wendt, the town’s planning director, said it is the location of a former Planet Fitness Gym, adding it would be a good use for the site. He said the applicant was seeking to establish a brewery and restaurant in the existing building.
The building for the new Elicit location is about 26,000 square feet, with 16,000 square feet for patrons, documents say. That includes 2,000 square feet of outdoor space. Wendt said there are 130 parking spaces on site, noting customers would also have access to the 1,500 spaces at the nearby metro station.
Ellis Reilly, Elicit’s director of business development, said the company is excited to be coming to Fairfield, adding they aim to open the second location in the fall.
“The town has been great to work with and extremely welcoming,” he said. “Elicit, which is an all-encompassing hospitality concept with a full kitchen, beer hall, biergarten, cocktail bar, brewery, and entertainment, has been successful in Manchester and we felt that Fairfield was the perfect fit for our second location. We look forward to serving the greater Fairfield area and becoming a part of such a strong community.”
Elicit’s main location opened in late 2019, and is owned by Hamden’s Eli’s Restaurant Group. It opened at the former site of the Adams Mill Restaurant in Manchester and boasts 16,889 square feet of space for patrons to enjoy more than 40 different types of beer, as well as a
variety of food selections including pizza, sandwiches and wings. Elicit Brewing Co. also includes outdoor games, a fire pit, a large patio area and live music.
According to the plans, the west side of the building will have the beer production space, while the east side will have offices and a private event space.
“The hallway opens up to the main beer hall space with many different seating options to accommodate all sorts of different groups,” plans stated.
Patrons will be able to
order in-house beer options as well as other beers from Connecticut breweries, the proposal said. Elicit will also have a kitchen and cocktail bar space, which will offer craft cocktails, spirits and wine to customers.
In a letter of support for the application, Mark Barnhart, the town’s community and economic development director, said his staff has been in talks with representatives of Elicit Brewing Company for more than a year to identify a suitable location in Fairfield. He said the site is perfect for the proposed use.
Wendt said his office agrees with Barnhart’s letter, and thinks the plan is an exciting addition to the mixed-used residential and commercial neighborhood emerging around the Fairfield Metro.
The commission approved the proposal unanimously, adding the stipulation that Elicit would need to get approval from the Connecticut Department of Transportation to use the train station parking lot, as well as an easement from the neighboring property.