Mickey Johns

On the Skillman strip near Sunnyside Gardens, Mickey John's is the quintessential Irish-American neighborhood dive bar. A recent visit found the place particularly depressing, with the counter full of drunken old-timers sipping light beer, staring at the television. At one point three of four of them loudly sang a chorus or two of the theme from the "Green Acres" television show, which prompted the bartender to lean over and place a piece of masking tape over one of the guy's mouth! A previous visit was much the same with a very chatty woman playing the worst songs imaginable on the jukebox ("Candy Man" by Sammy Davis, Jr.).There is back patio area which is nice for the summer, and for smokers. Inside the place was full of discarded stuff: unused kitchen appliances, a broken jukebox, etc. etc.  Bad lighting, dirty shelves, and the most atrocious looking mural of Irish caricatures on the wall constitute the decor. The bar stocks the usual domestic beer and standard liquor. Very few drinking Guinness. The bartender was nice enough (although she seemed to be conducting a conversation aimed at no one in particular) and other times we have been in, a genial Irishman behind the bar was capable, pleasant, and quick to buy the fourth drink. Mickey John's is probably not the worst pub in the neighborhood, but not exactly a place you'd want to spend an evening in.