So often going to see a concert or checking out that one friend of a friend's DJ set means choosing between a good time and decent food—there's only so many sad fries and buffalo wings we can eat. But, thankfully, 2019 New York nightlife values food and drink as much as any performance. The dual forms of entertainment work in tandem to create the ultimate vibe with menus that no longer lack innovation.
Bushwick’s newest music venue, The Sultan Room, opened last weekend—part of a trio of projects which includes the Turk’s Inn and Döner Kebab—by owners, Varun Kataria and Tyler Erickson. The childhood friends who grew up working at Erickson's family's famous Minneapolis jazz club (which hosted Prince and Philip Glass, among others) went onto start their own recording space and see this project as a return to form. The Sultan Room brings a level of kitsch to both the venue's listening room and its attached space for food. In fact, the neighboring restaurant, which opens to the public today, is a near-exact recreation of a beloved Wisconsin spot they used to dine at, using decor the duo bought at auction after the restaurant closed. The to-go area, Döner Kebab, is inspired by revelers of Berlin's clubs who often hit up Kreuzberg döner spots in the late-night.
Featuring a state-of-the-art sound system, technicolored lighting, wall decals inspired by mosques and a sunken dance floor, The Sultan Room will offer both live concerts and DJ sets, influenced by global sounds. Expert music curation even extends to The Sultan Room's trippy black and gold glitter bathrooms, which have audio clips telling the history of the original Midwest spot.
