Bars, Drink, Monica Byers, New York — May 18, 2012 at 1:23 pm

FOOTBALL BARS OF NYC – NEVADA SMITHS

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By MONICA BYERS

NEW YORK – Nevada Smiths is, hands down, my favorite football bar in New York City.  It’s not fancy – it’s actually a bit of a dive. There’s no food.  They serve drinks from plastic cups (at the moment, anyway).  On the day of a big fixture (e.g. Champions League final), you may not get a seat. If you order a coffee because you’ve turned up for a match at 7:30 am, you’ll get your milk in a carton and your sugar from a box.

But the point is, you can turn up at 7:30 am for a match and the folks at Nevada’s will be there.  And when you do, you’ll be greeted by a bartender who actually cares about the sport – not some poor put-upon soul who drew the short straw and was forced to open up the bar early.

Nevada Smiths temporary quarters (photo by Monica Byers)

This bar is widely known as one of the best football bars in the U.S., with luminaries of the sport from all over finding their way here to watch the beautiful game when they’re in NYC.   Why?  Nevada Smiths shows pretty much every match, regardless of country, league or division.  These guys are dedicated to football (and, no, they do not call it soccer).  And the clientele are honest-to-God hardcore fans.  They’re also among the friendliest folks you can meet in NYC – once everyone’s done taking the piss out of one another’s teams, it’s all post-match drinks and football bollocks talk.  Did your team just win the English Premier League title?  The bartenders might shout you a bit of champagne.  Did your team just lose the FA Cup final?  One of the patrons might buy you a consolation tipple.  Want to wear your kit to the pub?  No worries about folks taking offense.   It’s all good fun, despite the fact that “football is religion” at Nevada Smiths – or maybe because of it.

How does it rate as a football bar?  9 on a 10-point scale.  One point deducted for lack of food because I really, really like to eat.

Where is it?  125 E. 11th Street, New York City (this is a temporary location while their new digs are being built just around the corner).

For more from Monica, follow her on Twitter at @MonicaJuniel.

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