I’ve been to a lot of sports bars, and I’ve gotta say, generally, I’m not a big fan.

However.

However, when we trucked up to the Harlem Tavern on the first Sunday of the 2016 NFL season, I had my best sports bar experience in memory. I do not say this lightly. And the place was absolutely packed, Jack. Where I stood, at the 50-yard line of the long, long bar, it was literally shoulder to shoulder, Times-Square-on-New-Years packed. And I got jostled… maybe twice. Slightly. More brushed than jostled, like when you exit a busy elevator, or the subway, off-peak. Both times I got a quick, “’Scuse me, bro.” Nice crowd, only slightly more men than women, early-30s, and racially as mixed as Harlem is these days. And for a sports bar, way more good-natured and social than I generally see.

Most people there we into the games, sure, but for fun, and as a reason to get together and see their friends. They weren’t living or dying over every dumb play, gnashing their teeth like sweaty, risky-betting sports junkies. They were yelling, laughing, drinking beer, hugging. It was just plain fun, the way watching sports should be. “Every football season is like a reunion,” says Harlem Tavern general manager Faith Talley. “The same faces every year. It’s great.”

When to go to Harlem Tavern:

Go on a Sunday around noon, especially a football Sunday, especially when the weather is fine and the big French doors are wide open and the beer garden in front is full of people and life. It’s a magnificent party inside and out. Inside, you’ll have the football-watching crowd, all backslapping their hellos and yelling at the various games on the TVs around the room. Outside it’s all about brunch, and it seems like everyone in town’s converging on this corner in Harlem, to have a feast, watch their games, and just love life. Bonus: there’s live music outside on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Where to sit at Harlem Tavern:

If you’re inside, go for a booth to the far left, up on the fancy little mezzanine area. “It’s a bit set apart and feels ‘VIP,’” says Talley. Plus, raised up there a little, you can see the whole room, and on a football Sunday, every TV in the joint.

Next up:

The Hi-Life Tavern: a reborn steaks & chops NYC classic, and another chapter of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, which you can order right here. Limited-edition signed prints of the bars are available here.