July 24, 2021
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Hank Dietle s Tavern in North Bethesda reopened on Friday after a fire destroyed it more than three years ago.
Photos by Dan Schere
It’s been more than three years since beers were served at Hank Dietle’s Tavern on Rockville Pike in North Bethesda. But with the bar’s official reopening on Friday, fans are recalling the old times and welcoming a few changes that have been made since a fire destroyed it in 2018.
The bar held its grand opening concert on Friday, hosting the southern soul band King Soul in a sold-out fundraising event.
Dietle’s was 102 years old when it burned down in a massive fire on Valentines Day 2018 due to a discarded cigarette that was lit. The bar was the first establishment in Montgomery County to receive a liquor license after Prohibition, with the license bearing the number 001.
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Hank Dietle s Tavern on Rockville Pike could reopen later this month, more than three years after it was destroyed by a fire.
Photo by Dan Schere
Hank Dietle’s Tavern in North Bethesda could reopen later this month, more than three years after the bar was destroyed by a fire.
Dietele’s, a roadside bar that opened in 1916, became engulfed in smoke and flames on Valentines Day 2018 due to a discarded cigarette that was still lit. The bar was the first in Montgomery County to receive a beer and wine license.
After the fire, many in the community said they wanted to save Dietle’s. In September 2019, former band booker Thomas Bowes, his wife Sarah Bonner and photographer Alan Kresse signed a 10-year-lease on the property along Rockville Pike in North Bethesda. Since then, they have been coordinating the efforts to rebuild the tavern.