Think old school New York City diner with a modern twist and that’s Juno – bar stools, booths and all. Named after a Roman mythological goddess, manager Nic Fera explains, “Juno is an ode to classic New York City diners that are often named after Greek and Roman mythological characters.”
The new bar/restaurant, opened by Bossa Nova Civic Club’s John Barclay, is hosting their grand opening celebration today, December 10th. Coffee and pastries will be served all day starting at 8am along with dinner from 6-11 pm. Internationally renowned disc jokey Jacques Renault will be playing records beginning at 11 pm, and the party goes on until 2 am.
Juno’s seasonally rotating menu is rooted in New American diner cuisine and borrows inspiration from different worldly cuisines. The culinary team is led by Executive Chef Salvatore “Sal” Crisanti, a Bushwick native with quite the impressive resumé including stints at Five Leaves, Northeast Kingdom, Tabaré and Traif.
Sal Crisanti
Currently, a dinner and brunch menu are available at Juno but expect a breakfast, lunch and late night menu within a few weeks. At dinner, you’ll find creative dishes ($7-23) ranging from General TSal’s eggplant (get it?) with black rice and cauliflower ($17) to fish with a pumpkin crepe, apple and fennel ($23). Plus, there are some New York City diner staples like knish ($7) and cipollini onion soup ($7). During brunch, dishes range from classics like French toast with roasted squash, mascarpone and orange ($14) to veggie options like a squash salad with fennel, allspice and orange ($10).
The coffee program was designed by Fera who has over 15 years experience in the field. For the roaster, Juno decided on Miami-based Panther Coffee, a specialty company Fera found to be underrepresented in Brooklyn. The classic espresso drink menu ($2.50-4.50) is sure to be a hit paired alongside pastries from Bien Cuit.
We’re big fans of the classic cappuccino, which barista Joel Rubin happily prepared for us from Juno’s state-of-the-art Modbar brewing machine.
Joel Rubin
There’s also a to-go window for Juno’s busy patrons who want to pick up a coffee before heading to the Central Avenue subway stop, which is literally just a few feet away. We totally love that Juno is serving coffee drinks in the old school, iconic New York City blue cup. The cup’s classic tagline, “We’re happy to serve you” translates into Juno’s philosophy of “bringing friendly service and an increased level of customer interaction to Bushwick,” Fera explains.
Nic Fera
The beverage program at Juno is run by Jordan Schwartz, formerly of Raines Law Room, Milk & Honey and the Up & Up. The cocktails blend new and unique ingredients – like a house made cream sherry blend or acid-adjusted orange juice – into a classic style of cocktails ($12). You’ll even find coffee cocktails on the menu like the Affogato Al Cafe, Cut to Black and the Juno Irish Coffee.
During the grand opening, make sure to try one of the innovative cocktails on the menu. I’m definitely going back for the Soi Cowboy, which includes bourbon, cachaca, banana liqueur and chocolate bitters. For those of you who like beer and cider, draft ($5-7) and can ($9-12) selections are available. There’s also wine ($11/glass) with options sourced from France, Portugal, Spain and more.
Juno, 1264 Myrtle Ave., Bushwick; Hours: Sunday-Thursday 8 am-2 am, Friday-Saturday 8 am-4 am.