Last week, The Onion ran an article with the headline: “Phantom Diner Appears Only To Those In Their Drunkest Hour.” For some in the neighborhood, the Bushwick version of such a place may be Tina’s Restaurant on Wilson and Flushing. Tina’s, which opens every day at 3:30 in the morning, often serves as the knockout punch in an all night bout of unhealthy consumption for locals from the nearby Morgantown lofts and beyond.

Tina’s is more than just a place to get drunken Friday night eats, however; it’s a neighborhood fixture that caters to just about every type in Bushwick. Go there at any time and you will see an eclectic mix of people — yes, hipsters, but also workers starting or ending their shifts, long time Bushwick residents, and policemen taking a coffee break.

Tina Skermo has been running the counter there since 1969. A resident of Long Island, she works seven days a week, open to close — 3:30 AM to 4:30 PM. I asked her if much had changed since ’69. She replied that the neighborhood had experienced good and bad times but that “now is very good.” Indeed, the diner itself is a bit like a large time capsule. The wooden paneled walls are straight out of the Brady Bunch and faded family portraits featuring girls in perms stand on shelves behind the counter.

All of this adds to the experience of eating a meal there which — if you like diner food — is great. The menu at Tina’s is typical of any diner. They cook up a hell of a pancake which I usually complement with home fries and a delicious vanilla milkshake. My only beef is with the home fries, which taste a bit like they’ve been fried in bacon grease. I order them anyway because I love potatoes, but I usually top them with hot sauce. You can get lunch too — an assortment of hot and cold sandwiches, hamburgers, etc. Oh yeah, and it’s real cheap: an order of pancakes will set you back three dollars while you can nab breakfast and lunch specials for around five.

Tina’s Restaurant
1002 Flushing Ave. | 718-821-9595 (they deliver)

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