Opinion
Using Neon to Accent your Restaurant & Bar Decor
Neon signs provide your restaurant/bar with a unique personality and will get customers sharing photos.
by Kenny Chung
Opinion
Using Neon to Accent your Restaurant & Bar Decor
Neon signs provide your restaurant/bar with a unique personality and will get customers sharing photos.
by Kenny Chung
Neon signs are experiencing a resurgence lately. What was once deemed an expensive business expense meant to attract users from the street or the highway are now increasingly being used indoors as an interior design choice.
For the past year, I’ve run an Instagram dedicated to my favorite neon signs found in restaurants and bars, located at @neonistubular. Here are some of my favorites of 2019, and why I think they work well.
1) Buttermilk Bakeshop (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Any fan of Parks and Recreation will recognize this phrase as one of the most quotable lines of the series. Combine that with the fact that they sell sweets, and this is a very on-brand sign. I love the color choice and the script handwriting style chosen.
2) PhoBar (Chinatown, NYC)
Okay, maybe this won’t be as recognizable in a few years from now (hopefully because more films featuring Asian actors become the norm), but for now, this is an incredibly clever take on the book/movie title “Crazy Rich Asians.” It makes sense because pho broth is typically cooked upwards of 8-10 hours, leading to a wonderfully rich and complex flavor. I’m not 100% sure that “PhoBar” is a pun on “Fubar,” but if it is, that adds a whole other layer to the wordplay at this restaurant.
3) Village Square Pizza (East Village, NYC)
If you follow any Instagram accounts dedicated to pizza or New York food, then you’ve probably been seeing Village Square quite a bit. In addition to having one of the most ridiculously loaded pepperoni square slices (to rival Prince Street Pizza), they also have three clever and instantly recognizable neon signs. The square pepperoni slice is especially a great one, since that also helps customers decide what to order.
4) Eastpoint NYC (Alphabet City, NYC)
Eastpoint is a relative newcomer. I only stopped by because it was on the way to another destination, but I was attracted to this neon sign like a moth to a flame. I went downstairs to find a whole different bar/lounge/dance floor area. Now there’s a sign with some utility. A real throwback to when neon signs actually conveyed information!
5) Parkside (Prospect Lefferts Garden, Brooklyn)
I’m from Brooklyn, so this sign needs to be on this list.
