Photo: QueensPost
May 13, 2013 By Bill Parry
Thunderstorms wreaked havoc on the long-awaited grand opening of Jack’s Sunnyside Ale House on Saturday afternoon.
Young families scattered from the beer garden of the 39-46 Skillman Avenue pub upon hearing the sound of thunder.
“We knew the storm was coming,” said Jimmy McGowan, one of the three McGowan brothers (all firefighters) who own the bar. “We had to cancel the band we had booked to play out back ahead of time.”
Nevertheless, the McGowans did not want to cancel the grand opening, so they went ahead with the festivities that included giveaways and drink specials.
While the afternoon was a washout, the McGowans said their evening business was strong. “It was worth the wait,” Jimmy said.
Jack’s Sunnyside Ale House, formerly known as the Firewater Inn, was closed by the McGowans two years ago for renovations. The delay in the reopening was due, in part, to their architect who was unfamiliar with the new zoning code.
Once the construction was complete, the McGowans had to wait for all the permits before they could open their new kitchen.
“Starting today everything is moving forward,” Jimmy said. The kitchen is open and the pub is offering burgers and steak sandwiches, as well as fish & chips and salads, he said.
The bar offers a large selection of beers on tap, including craft beers from several microbreweries. There are 10 TV screens placed throughout the pub—with one to be added outside in the beer garden.
The brothers are planning to add a raw bar in the early summer.
“We still have a couple of things to do,” Jimmy said. However, “We’re really excited to be open again.”
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12 Comments
Finally, a place where a grown man can wear sandals and their baseball cap on backwards and not feel like a real dork!
Hopefully they’ve turned the music down since their first opening back in March. I went to that and it was LOUD.
I am honestly surprised at the number of negative, downright mean people that comment on this blog. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. I mean, if you want peace & quiet with no places to gather publicly, NYC doesn’t seem to be the place for you. I, for one, am looking forward to having another patio/food/bar place in the neighborhood and am excited to go by and visit soon!
Went by there late yesterday and I see they have several interesting drink specials. For example, present your SUDS membership card and you get a PurinaOne cocktail at half price.
The weather was gloomy, but the spirits and festivities were a pleasant distraction (typical McGowan style). Great to have a place to go in the neighborhood that is bright and open so you can actually enjoy the weather and the hospitality. I’m not a huge drinker, so I can say with honesty there is more here than great drinks if your looking to get out and not feel like your in a typical dark, enclosed bar listening to the same boring conversations.
Imagine if XIO was located here instead of Jack’s Ale House.
IMAGINE!!!
The neighbors should be glad for a little life in that area. It’s downright frightening over there at night.
Roxy, it is possible to walk down Skillman and not enter a bar if that’s not your thing.
Yet another reason to avoid Skillman Avenue!
The best of luck to you! Local bars for local people!
Well, nobody expects a bar to be dry.
Residents across the streets must be very excited.