HUNTERS POINT — At his newest pub, bar owner Pat Burke said he wanted his patrons to be engaged by good conversation — not by the nearest television screen.
That’s why he decided not to install any TVs at Woodbines, which opened last week at 47-10 Vernon Blvd. Burke says he designed the bar to be an intimate watering hole, something to match the small-town, friendly feel of Hunters Point.
“I felt it was a good fit for the neighborhood — a more rustic, smoky, local type of pub,” he said.
“It’s a really nice neighborhood. It’s a little like a village,” he added.
Woodbines is Burke’s fourth bar: he already owns the Courtyard Ale House in Sunnyside, Kent Ale House in Williamsburg and Brickyard Gastropub in Midtown West.
At Woodbines, he’s looking to offer quality craft beers paired with hearty Irish fare, including dishes he grew up eating in his hometown in County Cork.
The menu includes $5 bar snacks like Scotch Eggs, a hard boiled egg coated in breadcrumbs and wrapped in sausage.
Other Irish classics include fish and chips made with an IPA beer batter, or a traditional “Snackbox,” a cardboard box filled with fried chicken, potato wedges and Irish coleslaw.
The Woodbines Burger also comes with Irish coleslaw, Irish cheese and thick slices of Irish bacon sourced from The Butcher Block, a longtime Irish meat purveyor in Sunnyside.
The name of the new bar also alludes to Burke’s home country — Woodbines were a type of cigarette his grandfather used to smoke.
The bar serves 12 craft beers on tap and 50 craft beers in bottles. In the coming weeks, Astoria brewery SingleCut Beersmiths is set to release an exclusive pale ale which will be served at all of Burke's four locations.
Burke said he renovated Woodbines for about three months. The bar is in the space formerly occupied by Lounge 47, another restaurant which had been the subject of a heated neighborhood debated over noise in its back patio.
Burke said he agreed not to use the backyard space, and said he also had the bar itself soundproofed in an effort of goodwill towards his new neighbors.
And though there won't be televisions at Woodbines, there will still be some accommodations for the gadget-obsessed: Burke has outfitted the bars and tables with outlets so bar-goers can still charge up their laptops or smartphones, he said.
Woodbines is located at 47-10 Vernon Blvd. in Long Island City. It is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. The restaurant will start serving brunch this weekend.
