Otters opens new outdoor dining area

By KAITLIN McCALLUM
TORRINGTON — Just in time for warm weather, the first rooftop dining patio has opened up in Torrington.
Mayor Ryan Bingham cut the ribbon on the 1,600 square-foot patio on Otters Pub at 131 Water St. Thursday, joined by Otters co-owners Scott Kleczkowski and Bonnie McLoud, their eight-month-old daughter, Emma, and the building’s owner, Dave Kleczkowski.
“We do a ton of nighttime business and we really want to expand to more lunchtime and happy hour,” Scott Kleczkowski said.
The patio, which is enclosed with an intricate steel fence, is scattered with umbrella tables and lounge furniture.
He hopes the open-air patio will encourage people to come in and try out the pub’s new and expanded menu. The menu features “otterizers” which include fried pickles and home-made spinach and artichoke dip, flatbread sandwiches, homemade dressings and hamburgers.
The atmosphere is relaxed, Kleczkowski said, with a little bit of everybody coming in to have a good time.
The patio was designed by New Concepts in Winsted with custom floors and fences.
“This is the first rooftop dining in the downtown area,” the mayor said, admiring the space. “It’s incredible, a huge boost for downtown.”
With the birth of their daughter, and construction underway on the patio, the past year has been very busy for the couple.
“If you could name something that could have gone wrong, it did,” Kleczkowski said.
The process took a year and a half because of weather and construction delays, he said.
But with the construction behind them and a beautiful new rooftop space now open for business, McLoud said they are excited to have it done.
“Two years ago, it was in our thoughts and then it was in the process. It’s nice to have it finally done,” she said.
Otter Pub is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends.
Kaitlin McCallum is available by email at kmccallum@registercitizen.com.