Nestled among the shops and restaurants that line South Slope’s 5th Avenue is the Monro Pub, a small British sports bar that packs people in for soccer matches—particularly when English Premier League side Liverpool plays. Owner Vinny Evans hails from Liverpool and says that when he opened the place in 2012, he wanted to create “somewhere I would feel comfortable coming in.”
With reminders of his home city all around—framed images of Liverpool musicians and players, urban scenes, newspapers and travel posters on the wall, knickknacks on the shelves—he’s done just that. Most important, there’s a sense of community, even family, among the customers.
One of the cofounders of the Official Liverpool Supporters Club of Brooklyn, chairperson Lauren Kwiatkowski, certainly appreciates the vibe. When she came for her first match nearly a decade ago, alone and somewhat nervous, she worried that she might sit in someone’s seat or know less about sports than others. What she found was what she calls a “really warm, gracious, welcoming place—it’s like Cheers in here,” a comparison fellow founder Vanessa Jones, who has been seeing games here since 2014, also made.
Indeed, being there for a Liverpool match, it does seem that everyone knows everyone else’s names.
Vinny Evans at The Monro Pub
Some background
Evans met his wife, Nicole, while she was on vacation in Liverpool; their courtship began in a pub called The Monro, a historic spot that has gone through a number of incarnations over the years (none of them as a soccer bar). He moved to New York City in 2000 to be with her and worked as a barback—basically, the person who keeps everything stocked and cleaned so bartenders can do their job. After learning the business, Evans opened his own bar in Park Slope, naming it after a place close to his heart.
As for it being a soccer-forward place, he says, “I grew up in Liverpool. And Liverpool is football. Once I went into a bar in [the seaside town of] Blackpool, and was like, What’s everybody watching? It was rugby. Nobody watches rugby in Liverpool.”
A crowded scene during a match
Signs, photos and ephemera cover the walls and counters
What it’s like inside
The compact bar is right up front, with a TV above it; three more TVs are set on the walls farther back in the room, where there’s table seating, plus a couple of pinball machines (turned off during the games). Outside, a sizable patio provides additional seating and a place for watching in warm weather, though you can go back there anytime.
In addition to the framed decorations on the walls, which includes photographs from Evans’s mother and plenty of stuff a friend’s father had amassed in the 1970s and ’80s, there is string lighting and some mounted taxidermy items.
“I collect those, and now people who live in the neighborhood just drop them off,” Vinny says. Liverpool banners, ticket stubs and postcards, plus Funko Pops of former longtime manager Jurgen Klopp, round out the decor.
Evans tends bar and chats with customers
What it serves
Evans usually carries a decent array of English ales, but tariffs have affected prices, so more domestic offerings are on tap. Old Speckled Hen remains. Otherwise, there are cocktails and bottled and canned beers, including English classics like Fuller’s London Pride, plus a few favorite British snacks: Walkers crisps (potato chips, if you need a translation) and Pot Noodle (a UK take on instant ramen, which comes in a few flavors). You can also bring in whatever food like you like; there are multiple nearby options for bagels, burgers, tacos and a whole lot more.
Fans show up in team colors for the match
What game day is like
For a Liverpool match, Vinny makes sure to open an hour and a half before the game so members of the supporters club can come in and have some time to get settled—though note, there are no reservations or assigned seats. Kwiatkowski estimates there are around 300 members in the club, most from Brooklyn; you won’t find them all here at one time, but it does get pretty crowded and somewhat raucous. “You’ll hear a lot of screaming at the TV and at players, even though we love them. And we sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone,’ which is also the club’s motto, at full time,” she says.
For the World Cup, you can expect a similar vibe for England games, which Evans predicts to be especially fun. If The Monro gets too packed—which it easily can, particularly considering the size—Evans sends people to other bars in the neighborhood that show games, including Black Horse Pub, Skylark and Paddy’s. It’s just more evidence of the camaraderie and community.
“Once we’re full, we’re full. If I’m bringing 500 people to Park Slope, they’ve got to go somewhere,” he says.
Supporters club co-founders Vanessa Jones (left) and Lauren Kwiatkowski share an embrace
Such occasions are special, according to Kwiatkowski: “There’s always a bar, a restaurant, somewhere to find a community for any country and be part of the excitement. People who are far from home and rooting—I’ve got the chills. It’s the beauty of New York City.”
Among those at The Monro on the day we went were a mother and son (she says she’s grateful he frequently brings her along) and two former Manhattan roommates who were seeing a match here together for the first time since one had moved back to the City. One thing seems clear if you choose The Monro as your soccer-viewing destination: you’ll never watch alone.
Former roommates reunite to watch a match
Practicalities
The Monro Pub is located at 481 5th Avenue, just a few minutes’ walk from the 4th Av–9th station, which serves the F, G and R subway lines.