By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — New York football fans may still be bitter that they won’t be cheering for the Jets in this weekend’s Super Bowl XLIV, but the city’s contingencies of Indianapolis and New Orleans fans have their very own Colts and Saints bars in Manhattan to root from come Sunday night.
Indianapolis Colts fans will be packing into Keats, a Midtown East restaurant and bar that took on the role of Manhattan’s designated Colts watering hole this season.
“It started here actually with about five customers that were Colts fans about week three,” said Keats’ owner Alex Nicholas.
“Obviously those fans told their friends, other fans told other fans, and at this point now we’re at about 125 members. We’re Colts headquarters here at Keats.”
Nicholas, a Giants fan himself, has developed a soft spot for the Colts and now considers them to be his favorite AFC team. Especially on Sunday when the bar is expected to be packed 200 people.
Another bar that will be at full capacity, albeit with Saints fans, is Bar None on 13th Street and Third Avenue, an unofficial home for New Orleans ex-pats.
“If the Saints win, it’s equal to Mardi Gras at Bar None,” said bartender Todd Maier. “They go nuts for hours at a time. It’s an incredible time to watch these guys have a lot of fun. They’re the most insane group of football fans I’ve ever seen.”
Maier said the Saints patronage at Bar None began a few years ago with a small group of fans and, much like at Keats, their fan base grew organically from there. The diehard group is so large that there is a designated “Saints room” in the bar that has its own DJ for every game. Each time the Saints score, the music will be interrupted by spirited renditions of the New Orleans fans' traditional "Who Dat?" chant.
Bar None will be paying tribute to Big Easy with a seafood jambalaya buffet before kickoff from 3 to 6 p.m. and will offer free shots throughout the night.
Keats will be serving Colts-themed drinks on Sunday, including a blue-colored Long Island Iced Tea named the Peyton Punch after Indiannapolis' much-prized quaterback. Colts Kamikaze shots, which are a blue twist on the traditional Kamikaze, are also on the menu.
