Anthony Pappalardo

Anthony Pappalardo

The East Village has lost quite a few backyard gardens in recent years: the back patio at Bull McCabes is still closed, the ones behind Le Souk and I Coppi sit dormant, and what used to be the beer garden of Croxley Ales is now a construction site where a six-story building is due to rise. But a newcomer is filling the void with rock footbridges and waterfalls. That’s right: at Slide, you can now enjoy booze-infused milkshakes, fried green tomatoes and bulgogi sliders to the soothing sound of water dribbling into a koi pond.

Courtesy Slide Portobello burger.

The 60-seat slider spot is located pretty far from Zen — in a part of the Village that looks more like Bourbon Street than Bob Dylan’s bohemian stomping grounds. While the tables and seats remain from predecessor the Mussel Pot, the team behind Slide, including “Chopped Champions” winner Madison Cowan, has given the space a mellow makeover. Marble tops the bar and paintings by local artists, of Scrabble boards and crossword puzzles, hang on brick walls.

Courtesy Slide

On the menu there are BBQ pork belly sliders, duck sliders, plus a punchy portobello mushroom option for vegetarians. To start, there’s the requisite kale salad and to finish, varieties of Stuffed Artisan Cannoli including cake batter. Behind the bar, mixologist Liam Wager, formerly of Crif Dogs and Sidewalk Cafe, slings SoPo Manhattans. Have one of his smart takes on the classics, slide away to the back of the restaurant, and you might feel like you’re at an American diner in Japan rather than on Bleecker Street.

The restaurant is open 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends. Brunch and lunch are forthcoming.

Slide, 174 Bleecker Street (between MacDougal and Sullivan Streets); (212) 777-9077