This fall, the space formerly occupied by dark, dirty, loud, graffiti-covered dive bar Wreck Room which exemplified all we love about Bushwick, will be the next door neighbor to a new spot called Tiltz Sports Bar and Arcade.
Tiltz’s Instagram page, which has been active for about a month, provides a few clues as to what from expect from this place, including an image of a bacon cheeseburger made with glazed doughnuts instead of buns.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this piece identified the former Wreck Room space at 940 Flushing Ave as the Space that will house Tiltz; Tiltz will be next door at 942 Flushing Ave, in the space formerly occupied by Bairlein Plumbing.
John Bairlein, the former owner of 942 Flushing, recently sold his building to Paul Toobian of Toobian Ventures Ltd., who also owns the spaces occupied by Maite, Le Garage and Alphaville. Beloved dumpling juggernaut Vanessa’s was among the list of businesses interested in the space, which leased for an amount close the $15,500 per month asking price, according to Shawn Mullahy, a senior vice president and broker at MySpaceNYC involved in the deal.
Toobian tells Bushwick Daily that “I am excited about the incoming tenant and confident that this new group will be a solid addition to the neighborhood as have been the other tenants Shawn has placed for me: Alphaville, Le Garage, Maite, and my new vintage clothing store tenant at 239 Stanhope. I work with Shawn at MySpace, a longtime Bushwick resident himself, to find me businesses that make sense to me as a property owner and for the neighborhood.”
Tiltz Proprietor Gregg Licata is a second generation Bushwick resident: his mother and father grew up in the neighborhood. Licata tells Bushwick Daily that 25 years ago, another bar at 942 once housed “the longest bar in Bushwick” before the space became a plumber’s shop; records for the space include an old cabaret license, and during renovations, the footprint of the old bar was visible along the floor.
Licata says that the space, which is around 3,000 square feet, will house as many as fifty arcade games, in addition to air hockey tables, foosball and darts, and will features fifteen television screens for watching sports. Licata hopes that he will be able to have access to space behind the bar to put in a patio for outdoor dining and an “old school” movie night.
The menu, which will feature all signature food and drinks and will include vegan options in addition to creations like the bacon cheeseburger doughnut, will be the work of Chef Barret Beyer, a contestant on season 11 of the television show Hell’s Kitchen.
Licata also hopes to make the arcade games available to local school kids in the afternoons, noting that it seems like it would be a natural fit during little league season when teams play on the diamond at Green Central Knoll right behind the bar.
Licata, who went to college for wresting and is also a veteran soccer and baseball player who roots for the Islanders, the Knicks and the Mets, says that he hopes that the space will bring the community back to childhood with is focus on games; he’s going for a chill, laid-back atmosphere that will become a “total neighborhood” spot.