Four years in the making, West Village restaurant Slyde will be having its first pop-up carryout event “Slyde Thru” from 4-8 p.m. Saturday, July 25. After bouncing from location to location, Slyde has settled into its neighborhood and hopes to open full service by the fall.
Part owners Executive Chef Davante Burnley and General Manager Justice Akuezue (there are six owners total) say their new spot at 7960 Kercheval Ave. in West Village is the ideal place to open their restaurant, and in addition to occupying the ground floor of the historic bank building, they will also utilize their outdoor patio, carryout window and transform portions of the parking lot into a beer garden. They aim to fill the neighborhood hangout void left behind after Craft Work permanently closed in March.
“Due to what our theme is — which is very neighborhood, family-friendly — being in the middle of a neighborhood makes it work out well,” Burnley says. “With Craft Work leaving that neighborhood, there’s a necessity to have somewhere where people from the neighborhood can go and hang out and enjoy themselves.”
Slyde will have American-style bar food, craft beer, cocktails, and a rotating seasonal menu. This weekend at Slyde Thru, the menu includes five different types of sliders — including a salmon burger and black bean burger — as well as wings and fries. All of their sliders are $4.
With the goal of sharing their food with the community as soon as possible, the pop-up event is the first of many Slyde hopes to have throughout the summer until the opening of the restaurant. People can order ahead of time for curbside pickup or at the window.
This is the third location for Slyde after initial plans to locate on the Avenue of Fashion then Midtown fell through for the slider spot.
“It’s been a long time in making,” Akuezue says. “We’re trying to get in front of everything and make sure there are no more delays and make sure everything is as streamlined as possible so we can open.”
The delays included issues with lease contracts and landlords, as well as a change in personnel, Akuezue says.
While treading through COVID-19 setbacks has been difficult for most restaurants, Slyde saw a silver lining, as it gave them an opportunity to rethink their outdoor service plans to fit social distancing guidelines.
“One of the main things we’re going to be doing is creating a nice big green space,” Burnley says. “Right now, off of our patio, basically during the summer months it’s going to act as a beer garden. In the fall, we’re going to make it real fall-esque out there with a fire pit, things like that. And even in the winter, there will be an incorporation of some self-heating igloos, things like that so we’ll always be able to service people outdoors and give people that comfort of outdoor dining and seating and social distancing.”
The patio space is right outside Slyde’s main entrance, against the same wall as the colorful bird mural. The owners are planning to convert a portion of their parking lot into a bigger outdoor space to add more elements and expand seating beyond what the current patio provides.
Burnley and Akuezue want to fit the needs of their community in as many ways as possible. Following that local mentality, Slyde will have locally sourced ingredients and beer, as well as a rotating seasonal menu to keep things fresh. They also plan to make their menu as affordable as possible to stand apart from high-end competition.
Being “the friendly neighborhood spot” is the goal for Slyde, and Saturday’s Slyde Thru is a preview of what’s to come in West Village.
“[Slyde Thru will] let the people see that we’re bringing something really cool, something really affordable, very approachable, to the neighborhood,” Burnley says.
To preorder from Slyde Thru and stay updated on upcoming events and news, visit the event link or their social media pages.
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