Treadwell Park (at 1125 First Avenue on the southwest corner of 62nd Street) brings in a youthful crowd who enjoy a non-rushed atmosphere where you can sit at wooden benches and play board games, Foosball, pinball or ping pong while they eat and drink. The former site of the Neeley’s BBQ restaurant, the space is huge and loft-like with wood paneling and scattered beer barrels on the floor. Think of it as a huge neighborhood bar that makes their own brand of wildly popular beer and even creates ice cream sodas with it. (These are some of the most famous items on their menu.) There is also an old-fashioned carnival popcorn cart with free popcorn available to all in cute old-fashioned striped paper bags.
The service is friendly and the menu is diverse. They have traditional pork ribs that are perfectly seasoned with a sauce that is homemade and not too sweet and wonderful high end bar food like pulled pork nachos, fried calamari, fish and chips, super creamy mac ‘n cheese, Mexican street style “Elote” corn on the cob and Wagyu beef burgers. There is even a mega giant soft pretzel whose proceeds go to fighting breast cancer. The Treadwell Park kitchen staff also creates a few German favorites like bratwurst served on a sourdough roll, Super Schnitzel (which is chicken breast stuffed with ham and Fontina cheese) and a killer German potato salad that is served with warmed onions and freshly herbed. Did I fail to mention that homemade sauerkraut with chunks of bacon which is yet another little piece of heaven? 
But do not underestimate Treadwell Park’s ability to create healthy and delicious dishes like my very favorite–the Avocado, Quinoa, Lentil and Beet Salad. There is a simple viniagrette dressing and it tastes so fresh, you will be back for more. This is a huge salad that can actually serve as an entree for two or side salads for four!
The Giant Warm Cookie In A Skillet–which is REALLY served in a skillet–is the most popular dessert outside the aforementioned “beer floats.” The inch thick chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie comes topped with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, dried apricots in rum and pecans. It is a dessert two or three people can share and it is almost too cute to eat. BTW, on the dessert menu there is a very large root beer float available for those not adventurous enough to try one of the beer floats!
Treadwell Park has the most remarkably fast service I have ever encountered and that is not a statement to be taken lightly. My dining partner Gail and I ordered the wonderful feta cheese-covered Mexican Steeet Style “Elote” corn, an order of four ribs, the avocado salad and Super Schnitzel–and the entire lot came out freshly made in about seven minutes! The crew is great about coming over to take away dirty plates immediately and it is wonderful how there is a wooden picnic style holder of napkins, condiments and utensils at each table so you can have extras without having to bother your server.
The friendliness, reasonable prices and high quality of the food will have you coming back again and again. There is also a Rector Street location. For more info, go to www.treadwellpark.com. I definitely plan to go back to try more of the German food as the authenticity of the items I tried–the schnitzel, potato salad and sauerkraut–was remarkably high. This is the kind of place “where everybody knows your name” after awhile–this is such lovable feature hard to come by in the hustle and bustle of The Big Apple dining and bar scene these days!
