Offside Tavern Returning as Pop-Up for Start of Islanders Playoffs

Offside Tavern thought it already had its last call, but for the First Round of the playoffs, it's getting a curtain call.
Offside Tavern is returning as a pop-up and hosting watch parties for Games 1 and 2 of the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins playoff series.
The popular Islanders-themed bar, which was forced to close its original location on 14th St. due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is taking over the Overlook on E. 44th this Sunday and Tuesday.

The bar will feature plenty of hallmarks that made Offside such a cult favorite among Islanders fans. That means signature cocktails and menu items like Tater Trotz, the Proper Lee Old Fashioned and the Martin-Arita are all making their triumphant returns. Nick Costa, the founder of Offside Tavern, has hinted at some new menu items, but to find out, you'll have to be there.
"The menu is coming fully back," Costa said. "All of the Islanders-themed cocktails, maybe a couple of new ones I've been kicking around… Offside wouldn't be Offside without Tater Trotz."
Offside branding will cover Overlook for the takeover and custom Islanders pieces from artists like Sean Conn will dot the walls. Costa is also planning to stage some Islanders trivia and Yes Men Outfitters will be on site, so the experience will go beyond just the game.
"We have some really fun stuff planned," Costa said. "[The team] said to me early on they want to make this as close to the Offside experience."

When Costa opened Offside back in 2017, he was filling a need for Islanders fans, who didn't have a dedicated bar in the city to congregate. He thought to himself, if out of town football fans had places to gather communally to watch their teams, why shouldn't a tight-knit fanbase like Isles fans have one?
"As a life-long Islanders fan, I was more than happy to provide a place that likeminded Islanders could come and go nuts," Costa said. "That's the thing about our fanbase, you see somebody on the street with Islanders gear, you're giving them a nod, you're giving them a Let's Go Isles, you're immediately part of something and you know you both are. It's this unspoken family and you're immediately friends with that person. I was honored to be able to offer a place that all of this family could come and enjoy the fandom together."
Offside connected with Islanders fans - even attracting visits from co-owner Jon Ledecky - and it's clear from the bar's still very active Twitter account, that it turned itself into a beloved member of the Islanders community. It was an obviously somber day when Costa announced in September that he was forced to close. As hard as that was, the excitement for Offside's brief revival from the fans has overwhelmed and touched Costa.
"It's going to be incredible, I know that," Costa said. "Through the bar, I inadvertently created my dream job and due to COVID, things happened that were completely out of my control and now I can have my dream job back for a little while."

The team contacted Costa earlier in the season about starting an Offside pop-up in the playoffs. The original plan was to build a pop-up from scratch, taking over a vacant space and bring in all the furniture, food and beverage, etc., but proved unrealistic. Instead, they formed a partnership with Overlook NYC, whose owner Mark Evangelista is a big Islanders fan.
"Overlook has been an Islanders-supporting place for years," Costa said. "This is going to be much, much smoother and allow us to focus not on where are we going to get chairs from, but what is the fun stuff we can do to make the fanbase go insane."
Costa is looking forward to soaking up the experience during Games 1 and 2. Whether he's behind the bar, or catching up with Isles fans on the other side of it, he just wants to be in a sea of orange, blue and brews.
"I'm looking forward to feeling the atmosphere again," Costa said. "Even if it's not the same four walls that we originally were in, we and the fans can bring the energy that is needed for games like this.
"Just seeing the fans, hanging out with them, taking a couple of shots with them, cheering as loud as I possibly can and probably not having a voice the next day," Costa added of what he's looking forward to. "[I'm just looking forward to] seeing the familiar faces and unfamiliar faces that make up this beautiful family of Islanders fans that we have."