Overview
History
Still shushing after all these years
The house rule at Burp Castle is a whisper: the signs say Please Whisper, and anyone who talks above one gets shushed1, 2, 3. It opened in 1992 as a monastery-themed beer bar, and in the 1990s the bartenders wore monks' robes2, 4. In 2010 Time Out counted 12 rotating taps and monastic tunes droning in the background1. In 2009 we said it invited you to worship at the altar of Belgian ale, and it still bills itself as a Belgian beer bar4.
In March 2015 the Second Avenue gas explosion destroyed three buildings, including the one right next door, and closed the bar5. It reopened 15 days later, one of three neighboring bars back in business together5.
An April 2025 review found it open at 41 East 7th Street, right where we left it2. The robes come out only occasionally now and the music sometimes strays from Gregorian chant, but the shushing is still vigorous2, 4.
Sources
Researched October 2026.