A typical scene at Banter, the king of Greenpoint’s sports bars. Via @banterbrooklyn
GEOFFREY COBB
Author, “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past”
gcobb91839@Aol.com
There are people who claim that Americans will never fully embrace soccer and that it will always be a foreign game. Those people have obviously never visited Banter, a soccer bar located at 132 Havemeyer Street in Brooklyn. Voted one of the ten best sports bars in the United States by CNN, it has also been featured in a 2023 article in the New York Times about fans coming to the bar at 7AM to watch the Women’s World Cup.
Though I can describe the banter vibe, you really have to experience for yourself the passion for the beautiful game that pulses in the bar. The bar opens at 7:30 AM on Saturdays and at 7:00 AM on Sundays during the British Premier League season, which typically runs for about nine months, from August to May. Few bars open that early and fewer still are packed before most people are out of bed, but Banter isn’t like most other bars. On big match days it is almost as if there is an electric current permeating the bar. It is a football mecca, drawing its devotees.
Customers sit and anxiously watch, glued to the eight or so large TV screens showing different matches. If the English Premier League is on,” says co-owner Conor Carolan. “We get packed regardless of the hour for the bigger games.” Banter also shows Spanish, Italian and German league matches but British football is far and away the biggest draw.
I sat down with Greenpoint resident and co-owner Chris Keller, a German born passionate fan of the game. As a kid growing up in Germany, he developed a love for both soccer and beer, which have a happy marriage at Banter. Chris and his co-owners started Banter Fifteen years ago. Prior to opening Banter, Chris worked at Iona where he experienced the passion for football that animated many of the customers. Before Banter occupied the space, it had been a fish market, so Chris and his partners needed to do a painstaking total renovation. They opened up previously bricked up windows, installed a beautiful bar and decorated the place with football memorabilia including dozens of scarfs from supporters around the world, creating a really comfortable place to watch a football match.
Banter has twenty-four beers, ales and ciders on tap, including my favorite, Bitburger lager from Germany. Their pint of Guinness is also regarded as one of the best in New York City by aficionados. Chris has hired a really great, friendly staff, which adds to the bar’s friendly vibe.
Many banter regulars have formed friendships with other customers based on a shared passion for the beautiful game. As someone who has lived in Europe, one aspect of Banter stands out; though there are bitter rivalries between soccer clubs, the atmosphere is friendly, not hostile. Everyone is welcome, regardless of the team they support. Keller had to bar a few aggressive bad apples, but even fans of teams in bitter rivalries seem to get along with each other and supporters of many different teams have become friends at Banter.
I support the Liverpool football club, and I can watch their matches at home, but it is far more fun to watch a match at Banter. It’s not hard to spot the bar’s Liverpool supporters because many come to the matches dressed in the team’s red kit, but other days you are greeted by fans wearing Manchester City, Tottenham or Arsenal jerseys as well.
The customers are a mix of Americans and ex-pats. Some European and Latin American customers have grown up playing the game and passionately supporting a club. Others are Americans who have recently developed a love for the beautiful game, but all feel at home at Banter, where the customers relish the special atmosphere that makes this bar so unique.
Chris and many of his customers are eagerly anticipating the World Cup, which will be played here in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year from June 11th to July 19th. Chris expects a huge turnout for the competition. Though Banter is a big bar, Keller expects many of the more popular games to pack out the bar. Even if you are not a football fan, watching a world cup match or any soccer game at Banter is an experience not to be missed.
You can find more info at banterbrooklyn.com.
