Smithfield Hall NYC — Restaurant in New York

I am a Manchester United fan, came to NY from Europe and for the first time I am so disappointed with a place that is considered the main pub for local brunch. New York Reds wake up! Is there really no other place in this city where fans can watch a match of their favorite team without paying for admission? There are hundreds of such pubs in NY, and Smithfield Hall is nothing special and therefore it looks like corruption. I think that any pub owner will be happy if several hundred fans come to him on a regular basis to watch football, buy food and drinks.

But that's not all! My son is 8 years old and he has been an official MU member since birth. I have been with him in dozens of pubs all over Europe and Asia, including Russia. Nowhere and never before have we been denied entry with a child! Watching football matches with children is part of the fan tradition and culture! Ok, these are the rules of the pub, I accept them, but I will never be able to understand them. Today we wanted to watch the Liverpool game with the official brunch in NY, but Smithfield Hall refused us entry because of a child. We found Legends pub on 33rd street on Google maps and went there. Yes, there were a lot of Scousers, but also a lot of MU fans. And they were happy to see us! And no cover charge! We got seats at the table, food, drinks and of course football.

Smithfield Hall Bottom Line: Your rules are your right, but they suck!

Manchester United fans, if you want to watch football, read other reviews and find another place in this city!

UPDATE

It's good that you responded to my review. It seems that you do care about the pub's reputation. However, in my opinion, you are still being disingenuous.

You may say that you do not charge an entrance fee, but it is impossible to enter the pub without buying three tickets for drinks. At the same time, you have been told many times that not everyone wants to drink alcohol in the morning, and that tickets other than alcoholic drinks cannot be used, for example, for food. Even if this is your rule, for me it is unfair.

You also say that on your website and social networks there is information that persons under 21 are not allowed to watch peak games. But I did not find this restriction on your website, Facebook, or Instagram! (screenshot attached). So this rule was not published, or is not in a place clearly visible to everyone.

Be honest. Publish all information openly and earn respect!

P.S. Is the match with Tottenham on September 29 the peak? Can I come to you with my...

One of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had. Came in to watch the NCAA Tournament with friends. They had just ordered fries but the waitress told me the kitchen was closed. No biggie, but then she said I can go get a slice across the street and bring it in if I want. I did just that and came back and then the doorman said I couldn’t bring food in. I told him what the waitress said and my friends concurred, so he asked the bartender who said I couldn’t. I asked him why the waitress told me otherwise causing me to go across the street in the pouring rain, if now they were gonna make me eat it outside. He then started yelling at me, so I found the waitress and asked what was up. She said they decided to be jerks about it so I said fine, I’d eat outside the bar. Then the bartender yells “go ahead eat your pizza!” So I go to get it and then he starts yelling at me in front of my friends about making a scene. INSANE! So I decide to be the bigger man and go outside to eat it anyway. I kid you not the doorman comes out 5 mins later, I’m thinking he’s gonna apologize or something, he says I’m 86’d!!!! I obviously argued with him, and even used some choice words at that point, cause I was rightfully pissed since I took my slice outside despite the contradictory messages and YELLING. So he doubles down and says I have to leave and am banned! What is with this place??? At least he let me say bye to my friends before leaving, but it was mega embarrassing as they were work friends. Totally wild! This place needs to be shut down or have a full staff overhaul or something! I’ve worked in the service industry and seen some wild stuff but...

TLDR; There's basically a mandatory $40 fee/person at the door to watch "big games".

I have never ever left a bad review for any establishment in my life, no matter how atrocious. But this warrants a review because it is disingenous, bordering on scammy.

Came a long way from NJ to this bar to watch the Manchester derby since someone recommended it on the United Stand Channel. There was a mandatory $40 fee at the door "for drinks". I had not planned to drink and would have ordered food instead but of course that was not possible. But since I had traveled such a long distance and the game was already ten minutes in, I paid to go in.

When I got in, the place was packed full (which is why I gave a 5 for atmosphere). There was nowhere to sit, much less order the drinks I had paid for outside. I asked a waiter and was told the bar was full. They could have told me this outside and I wouldn't have wasted my money or time going in. But it's easy to see why they didn't say that before I went in, since of course there's a mandatory $40 entry fee.

Anyway I left the place almost immediately. Missed the Manchester derby and lost $40. Would not recommend if you have an alternative. I just dug through their previous reviews and saw that people have complained about this in the past. Clearly, they won;t do anything about it. For a club as big as United, we can do better. I will be in touch with bars/pubs in the area to see how we can set up an alternative location for United fans on game...