"Cheers," on the Upper East Side

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The view from the TVs at Kinsale Tavern

Source: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/our-opening-day-in-pictures

Determined to watch the season-opener Liverpool/Arsenal game on Sunday, I searched sports bars in NYC on Yelp, my source for everything. I entered search terms like "English football," "EPL," "World Cup," and "Soccer." My final analysis:

• Nevada Smith's - fun sounding but smelly
• Atlantic Chip Shop - cool but too far (Brooklyn)
• Clancy's - Perfect; walkable...but upon calling discovered they were no longer Clancy's.
• Kinsale- way up on the East Side, but what the heck. Options were narrowing.
  

Dudes with fohawks making football predictions after the game.

The deal on Kinsale, 1672 3rd Ave:

• Patronized by locals
• Serious about their football
• Excellent service
• Clean
• Cozy
  

Kinsale has a sweet, female, Irish bartender who calls you "love," along with other friendly servers. Patrons are in t-shirts and shorts, and jeans, including the women. When I arrived, a few minutes after kick-off, the bar was packed.

I found a spot in the back towards the dining room with excellent viewing of the game (along with that of lacrosse games).

Clearly people knew each other at Kinsale, and as I watched them analyze plays and chat with one another, I longed to be one of them. There were men and women there of all ages. For a while I thought I was the only Asian in there but no! There were even a few young Asian dudes! The atmosphere was boisterous with some standard New Yorker cursing and shouting at bad plays.

With Ravenna watching in California, I was able to text with a kindred spirit, making me feel less lonely.

I loved this bar. I have a go-to for the next time I need a football fix while in the Big City.

Oh, yeah--the game: it was a draw at 1-1--very exciting. And both boyfriends played too!

Cheers!