New York City seems to be a breeding ground for thematic bars and restaurants, like “Stay Classy New York,” a Will Ferrell-themed bar on the Lower East Side, The Darkside, a Star-Wars pop up bar, a recreation of Carnegie Deli for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and an Oscar Wilde-themed bar in NoMad. The newest addition is KillBar, a new bar and restaurant in Brooklyn that is everything Tarantino. Expect Tarantino-inspired blood-red colored drinks and food, along with Tarantino’s films displayed through posters and projected on the wall. Located in Williamsburg, just a few blocks away from the East River, KillBar is charmingly low key despite its over-the-top subject.
On our visit, with Reservoir Dogs streaming in the background, owner Mike Galkovich described KillBar not only as a bar and restaurant, but also an art gallery. The paintings decorating KillBar’s walls can all be purchased and there are print versions provided, for those who can’t afford the actual canvases.” Three instillations have already purchased by patrons, including a six-foot Uma Thurman as “The Bride,” Mike says.
Tarantino and his iconic films were the source of inspiration for KillBar’s cocktail and food menu, which sells items like the legendary 5 dollar silk milkshakes and the Big Kahuna Sliders, as well as selling original items like the “Bloody Bride” Mojito and “Texas Funeral” Toast Grilled Cheese.
Photo courtesy KillBar
KillBar’s chef, Nunn Betta, designed and created KillBar’s entire menu. Having worked in many restaurants and venues before, Nunn’s name has appeared in the New York Post, AM New York, and In New York. “The goal was to make bar food fun again: slightly bougie, but still at a nice Brooklyn price point,” Nunn says, “Even with the burgers I try to make them fun, like the ‘Kill It’ Burger, which is a pretzel bun burger coated in edible gold and our signature Kill Bill sauce.”
Photo courtesy KillBar
“The feedback on our dishes has just been amazing,” Nunn says. “People have been loving the “Hateful Eight” Wings and I really like the “Pussy Wagon” Tacos, which I make different every day. My favorite drink is the “Let’s Have A Threesome” margarita flight because you get to choose your flavors.”
“Our goal is to be a neighborhood bar for the community and a destination spot,” Mike says, “we want to be that bar that everyone wants to come check out and hopefully come back more than once. I’ve always been a huge Tarantino fan, and I did some market studies in the neighborhood and in New York City in general. We wanted to make sure it was a relevant enough a topic that people could relate to, and I got an overwhelmingly positive response, so we went with it.”
Mike is dedicated to keeping the bar “new and fresh.” “We’re hyper focused,” he says, “our menu is gonna change from time to time, we have outdoor seating so we’ll be doing lunch and brunch outside with a view of the river and we’re gonna be changing out aesthetic and décor twice a year, all while keeping it essential to Quentin Tarantino.”
Photo courtesy KillBar
Mike also has KillBar’s weekly event schedule already mapped out. “Mondays will be Movie Mondays from 8 to 12, Tuesdays will be Tarantino Trivia and from Thursday to Friday we will have themed parties: a Kill Bill party, Reservoir Dogs party, etc. We’re also gonna have local DJs from Brooklyn, so we’re hitting people from all angles – audio, visual, tongue and palate.”
The walls, covered with a special white paint made for projecting videos, will have movies playing on loop with an interactive element to them. “We’re setting up some technology that will allow you to do stuff like walk up to the wall, touch the images and have them move, and you’ll be able to use your phone to log into our app, learn about art on the wall and answer trivia on our Tuesday Trivia nights. We’re also gonna start selling merchandise on our website and in the bar itself.”
“We want to show people how enthusiastic we are,” he says, “you could come down here, get a drink and have a discussion about the true meanings of Tarantino’s movies. It’s wonderful place to sit down and talk, it feels like home.”
