White Christmas lights behind the bar, a painting of an overweight child in a bob, mismatched chairs, and mason jars, mason jars and more mason jars. There isn’t much else inside of Skytown, the hipster central of Bushwick, BK. There isn’t much else outside of the restaurant either—at least nothing that stands out. Delis and pizza joints dot both sides of Skytown, each claiming to be the best or most famous in the world. Hidden gems are typical of the Bushwick neighborhood; Skytown seems to be a special one.
These trendy hidden gems scattered across Bushwick, run by 20-somethings who identify with the job they want, not the job they have. When entering a restaurant in Brooklyn, you are often hit with an atmosphere that is too cool for you and anyone you know. The staff has better things to do than acknowledge that someone has entered the restaurant. This is not the case at Skytown, which has become a regular place for me to go to write due to the welcoming atmosphere I received from the first time I visited. I sat down and heard from behind the bar, “don’t worry, I see you there!” Looking up, I saw a girl on her tiptoes waving at me. On my second visit, the staff greeted me by name. This service was a pleasant surprise compared with my experiences in other trendy Brooklyn restaurants.
Skytown has a set menu throughout the week, meaning no brunch menu. At first, this disappointed me. Then I realized that Skytown is probably the only restaurant in NYC that doesn’t offer a brunch menu, which means that Skytown is the only restaurant in NYC that isn’t loud, crowded and rushing you out the door all weekend. If a break from all the hustle and bustle of NYC is needed and it’s a weekend, Skytown is the place to be.
The menu is short and simple, which means that what is on the menu is done well. Two of my favorite items are the zucchini bread and mushroom sandwich. If you are looking for something sweat with your morning coffee, order the zucchini bread. It is baked fresh daily and tastes like warm sugar. It is about the size of a hefty slice of cake and is only $3, butter on the side. The mushroom sandwich is my regular. Wine mushrooms, Swiss cheese on a milk and honey bun. I tend to substitute the Swiss cheese for goat cheese, and the chef is happy to do it. One taste, and you will be craving this sandwich while falling asleep at night.
