The area behind The Bodega Bar, which previously housed food truck The Diggs, is being transformed into an oasis filled with Brooklyn food and drink vendors, The Patio del Gato.
Launching this Friday, The Patio del Gato will be open on Fridays through Sundays from 5PM to 10PM, throughout the year, rain or shine and will include seasonally rotating food vendors. Moreover, the patrons will be able to order the food from The Patio through their own app, which is to be launched in the upcoming weeks.
In order to create The Patio del Gato, local foodies’ darling Galen Duncan of Duncan’s Burgers and Handpies has joined the forces with Bushwick bar mavens Ben Warren and Gina Leone of The Bodega Bar and Heavy Woods.
“I moved to Bushwick from the West Coast three years ago. I noticed many big, empty parking lots as soon as I got off the Jefferson L train stop,” Galen explained. “The first thing I thought was that we needed a food court area.”
“We are thrilled to work with Galen; he took second place only to us at Heavy Woods for Bushwick Daily’s Best Burger [throwdown],” told us Ben. “When we tried his handpies, we literally swooned! The sloppy joe handpie is absolutely delicious.”
The name “The Patio del Gato,” is Spanish for “the yard of the cat,” and it pays an homage to the Brooklyn bodega cats. But don’t worry, The Patio del Gato will also be dog friendly.
The Patio is currently being redecorated, and the owners appreciate its old Bushwick charm complete with laundry hanging in the backyard behind it.
“The Patio del Gato is going to be all about flexibility and consumer choice. We will have new vendors and food options on a regular basis. Of course, the vendors people love will stay, but we really want to keep our market interesting with great variety,” says Galen.
Every season the vendors will change, and so in the winter, The Patio del Gato will offer comfort foods like stews, soups, hot apple cider etc, and will also provide a cozy refuge with heat lamps and a tent.
The Patio del Gato will also deliver to bars in the Bushwick area through their own app, which will be launching in a few weekends–stay tuned!
For opening weekend, The Patio del Gato will feature Duncan’s Burgers and Handpies, ALP and Saltette and several other neighborhood favorites, featuring options like a beef stew ($2.50) or cheese handpie ($1.50) from Duncan’s Handpies, Caribbean “Bake n’ Shark” sandwiches for $8 and Jerk Chicken sandwiches for $7, as well as smoked South Texas-style sausage in a tortilla ($7) with German potato salad or sauerkraut ($4/side) from Saltette.
Vendors like Nikki Bartlett from Saltette are excited to join The Patio del Gato. Nikki told us, “It’s in the middle of such a cool area. there’s a lot of beautiful graffiti, restaurants and bars. I think it’s going to be a success and I’m excited to be a part of a new hip scene.”
Nikki began Saltette about two years ago when she noticed that true Texas-style smoked sausage was hard to find in New York City. Along with her smoked sausages, she will also be debuting her 12-hour smoked brisket, which is dry rubbed and served with Austin based Stub’s BBQ sauce on the side.
The Patio del Gato is actively seeking new vendors. If you are interested in being a vendor, contact Galen.Duncan[at]gmail.com.
The Patio del Gato, 432 Troutman St. (corner St. Nicholas Ave), Bushwick, opens this Friday. Hours Fridays through Sundays from 5PM to 10PM.