WIESBADEN, Germany, March 16, 2022 - Freshly baked bread and pastries, 12 different kinds of mueslis, all natural food choices, traditional German and international lunch items – just a few of the options available at Wiesbaden MWR’s newest food and beverage operation.

Conveniently located in the Sports and Fitness Center on Wiesbaden’s Clay Kaserne, the Barbell Bistro promises a range of fresh-made sandwiches, wraps, soups, hot foods, snacks, beverages and more – all available by walk-in or ordering online.

“This is Clay Kaserne’s quick and friendly fresh-food option,” said Jeff Merenkov, Barbell Bistro assistant manager.

“We wanted to bring something else than just the chain foods,” said Michael Malhotra, manager of the Barbell Bistro. “All of the products are natural – including the ice cream.”

The idea was to offer “fresh ingredients – not just a bunch of pre-packaged” food choices, Malhotra said, adding that the bread and pastry items are baked fresh on site.

“We also change the soup offering every day so that people have more choices throughout the week – and our mueslis – 12 different varieties – are from a really great start-up company,” he said.

Menu items reflect the diversity of the local population (U.S. civilian, military and host nation) – with Indian, Turkish and traditional German food selections – including samosas, spinach and cheese rolls, curry wurst and Fleischkaese.

“We’re going to adjust the menu, based on customer demand,” said Merenkov.

“The emphasis is on everything being fresh and hopefully served quickly,” said Wiesbaden Family and MWR’s Business Operation Division Chief Mark Smith. “Through synergy, we wanted to compliment what’s already available at the fitness center at the Juice Bar.”

With the population of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden continuing to grow, having a wide range of food and beverage options is vital, said MWR’s BOD chief. “It’s also the first bistro in the Army that has online ordering available – matched up with a fitness center.”

Customers can visit https://barbellbistro.com to place their orders online. “They can order and pay online and then simply pick up their freshly made order at the Barbell Bistro,” said Merenkov.

The new MWR eatery was jointly funded as part of a NAF Capital Purchase Minor Construction project with support from the Directorate of Public Works.

“It was a herculean effort to get everything done on time, but we got there and now we’re just finetuning,” said Merenkov.

“The support from the garrison’s leaders and boots-on-the-ground work by DPW and MWR allowed us to successfully complete this project, added Smith.

While the Barbell Bistro opened earlier this month, a Grand Opening is scheduled to be held on March 22 at 10:30 a.m. Patrons are invited to stop by for some free cake (while supplies last) and to help celebrate the opening.

The Barbell Bistro is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information and to view the menu visit https://wiesbaden.armymwr.com/programs/barbell-bistro.