DolfansNYC Metlife Takeover: Slattery’s Midtown Pub

Three games ago the almost year-long preparation by the mega club DolfansNYC came to a conclusion as the Metlife Takeover event came to a close. Now, DolfansNYC will continue their efforts at Slattery’s Midtown Pub.

A few weeks ago I spoke with co-owner Justin Slattery as I ate dinner in the far back of the first floor. “How did all this get started?”, I asked. As a matter of fate and good timing, Slattery’s became the home of the largest Miami Dolphins fan-site in possibly the world.

Originally the NYC group could be found at the bar 3rd and Long but after the bar was closed the NYC fans were without a home. It was short-lived. Justin knew the owner of 3rd and Long and they discussed the possibility of a relocation for the DolfansNYC group. As Justin explained it there is a book that shows all of the bars in NYC and what team they cater to, college or pro.

Michelle and Igor, the founders of DolfansNYC met with Justin at his pub and as Justin told me he offered them a few televisions and a small portion of his pub for the group. Which at the time wasn’t really all that big.

"I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. It was a small group but I never expected what it became. I don’t think anyone did."

Justin was right.

Slattery’s is a pub in Midtown Manhattan. It’s red facade is easy to recognize and it’s only a couple of blocks away from the Empire State Building and the 33rd street subway stop. Entering the pub is like entering any Irish or English pub. It’s long but not really all that wide. A stairway on the right as you enter leads upstairs to another bar. Then there is the food.

One might expect to enter a pub and order “bar” food but at Slattery’s you can dip into traditional European flavor. At my dinner, I ordered the “bangers and mash”. I should have ordered the shepherds pie. Not that the bangers and mash was bad, it wasn’t. In fact the sweet and tangy flavor of the sausage and the perfectly made mashed potatoes was amazingly good. The gravy was incredible as well. No, I should have ordered it because my favorite dish in the entire world is sheperds pie and if the bangers and mash was that good, I can’t imagine how good the “pie” would have been.

For those not looking for a traditional style meal fear not, the pub serves your standard “bar” food as well.

After dinner I spoke with Justin a little more and again on Sunday prior to the game. I still wanted to know how this ballooned to what it had become? In the far back of the first floor a DolfansNYC logo is on the wall and I realized this was far more than just a Miami Dolphins support bar.

Justin was honestly surprised by how things developed so quickly. It didn’t take long before the section dedicated to the group grew to an entire floor and then expanded from there. Now, it pours onto the street on Sunday’s. Seeing how big it was growing, Justin realized he had something special. He bought new televisions and added more of them. This group was no longer a simple business partnership it was growing into a family.

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The pub is typically packed for Sunday’s games and when Miami traveled to London to face the Saints, Justin opened the pub at 8:00 a.m. to let the fans inside. During the games DolfansNYC holds raffels and sells DolfansNYC merchandise. The proceeds go to various charities. This year, the group made a $7,000 donation to the Miami Dolphins Foundation and added another $1,000 to Stephen Ross’ RISE. This year DolfansNYC will have their own rider/s for the Dolphins Cancer Challenge.

Today people visit Slattery’s year round and Justin said that many come to Slattery’s because of the DolfansNYC group. They want to say they were there. I know this first hand as a young couple entered the pub and took a seat at the table across from me.

“You all here for Metlife Takeover?,” I said.

“No, I told my wife I wanted to have dinner where DolfansNYC hosts their game day parties. It’s our first time here.”

It was my first time to NYC and to Slattery’s as well, it will not be my last. For Dolphins fans, it’s a must see if you are visiting. Introduce yourself to Justin or his brother John, take a selfie with the DolfansNYC logo and look at the pictures on the wall of Nat Moore and Joe Rose hosting “Morning Cup of Joe” from the table in the back on the first floor as well as all of the other Miami Dolphins pictures that Justin has hung on the wall.

Slattery’s could have been any normal New York Pub that could have hosted any NFL game to cater to a specific teams fanbase. It could have been. Instead, Slattery’s is a destination for Dolphins fans and Dolphins fans are always welcome. More than that however, it was a fortuitous turn of events for a pub owner looking for team to showcase and a team’s fan group looking for a place to call home. It worked for both of them and the timing was perfect.

Today the Dolphins take on the Atlanta Falcons and Slattery’s will be loaded with Dolphins fans. You can bet that Igor will be there along with DolfanNYC’s Brian who has taken on a bigger role in recent years. But don’t worry, they will always make room for you.