April 20, 2018 By Tara Law
Sunnyside bar The Dog and Duck will reopen today with a fresh menu and a new look.
The Dog and Duck, which has been located at 45-20 Skillman Ave since 2011, will open at 4 p.m. under new ownership today after closing Monday for renovations.
The bar was purchased by first-time bar owners Michael Coyle and neighborhood resident John Fitzpatrick, who are partners at a Brooklyn-based construction company. One of the bar’s previous co-owners, Padraigh Connolly, said that he sold the bar in order to move upstate.
Fitzpatrick joked in an interview Friday that the rapid changes to the bar over the last five days have been like an episode of the television show Bar Rescue.
Prior to purchasing the business, the pair reached out to the community to get a sense of what was working at the bar, and what needed improvement. The biggest issues, Fitzpatrick said, appeared to be the service and the food.
“People have said to us, ‘You need to get the food back on track’,” Fitzpatrick said.
The new menu, which is shorter than the previous rendition, will feature hearty comfort food such as grass fed black angus steak; drunken mussels; and pork chops with fingerling potatoes and red cabbage, as well as light appetizers such as salads and bruschetta.
The bar will also debut a new wine, beer and cocktail list.
Customers who visit the bar will also discover that the space’s appearance has changed. In just the last few days, a team of 25 people had painted the walls and ceiling, refinished the floors, replaced the lighting and bathroom fixtures and brought in new tables and chairs.
“The bar is going to look totally different,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s more modern.”
