Dubbed the Steele Center, 9 Steele Blvd., a new mixed-use property adjacent to the Berlin Train Station, is alive with activity.

Economic Development Director Chris Edge said the Steele Center "is shaping up to be a wonderful centerpiece" in that section of town.

On May 30, the Hop Haus restaurant opened at the Steele Center, joining Trio Home Care, Attorneys Brewer & Sargis and Eminence Lash & Aesthetics, LLC. The building also houses apartments.

Tony Valenti, of Newport Realty Group, and partner Mark Lovley, of Lovley Development, Inc., are the team behind the Steele Center.

“When we first opened, I told people that we were in the new development in Berlin,” Hop Haus owner Mike Miller said. “Now the people know we are near the train station.”

An "upbeat, casual craft eatery,” Hop Haus offers locally-sourced food, and beer and cocktails from the state’s “best brewers and distillers."

“We have hired a bunch of people from the Berlin Public Schools, and they have been wonderful,” said Miller. “We got some really good kids working hard for us.”

Earlier in the year, Miller, a Meriden native, told The Citizen, “I used to work in Berlin for a number of years and spent a lot of time growing up in town. I spent much of my youth here, so I know it’s a good town and geographical location for the restaurant.”

Miller runs another Hop Haus restaurant in Southington.

Hop Haus in Berlin can be reached at 860-357-4468. Or visit the website hophauscraftbeer.com/berlin.

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