Brooklyn’s got great sports bars, but how many are dedicated to the world’s most popular sport?
Throw in food from the newly-minted James Beard finalist behind Taqueria Ramirez and a prime position on a Greenpoint corner, and you’ve got a hat trick. (That’s soccer lingo, folks.)
Socceria will be a restaurant and sports bar focused on soccer from the team behind Greenpoint’s acclaimed Taqueria Ramirez. Their goal is to open Socceria in June (just in time for the World Cup) at 46 Norman Avenue, the former home of Nura, another Greenpoint favorite that closed this past February.
To make Socceria happen, Taqueria Ramirez co-owners, Chef Giovanni Cervantes and Tania Apolinar, teamed up with two partners, Josh Borock and John Hilmes. Chef Cervantes, who was recently named a 2026 James Beard finalist for Best Chef in New York State, told Greenpointers that he got to know Borock and Hilmes during the pandemic while they were throwing parties in Transmitter Park.
“Josh can talk about soccer all day,” Chef Cervantes said, admitting that Borock was the one who first came up with the idea for a soccer-focused bar. He said that the foursome had been thinking about the bar for two years and “didn’t think it was going to happen” because they couldn’t find a good spot for it.
The team finally scored their prime corner lot when a real estate agent mentioned that Nura was closing. They were already working with James Beard-nominated designer Matthew Maddy (who did Greenpoint’s Oxomoco), and Maddy introduced the them to Nura’s Michelle Lobo.
After Nura closed in February, the Socceria team took over the space officially in March and has been working on it since then, making cosmetic changes and “adding the personality” they want the space to have.
“I’m going to start cooking soon when there’s no more dust,” Chef Cervantes joked. “The menu is something we’ve been working on for a while.”
Yes, Socceria’s menu will include Chef Cervantes’ tacos, but they will be different than the ones he serves at Taqueria Ramirez.
Socceria’s menu will also have other Mexican specialities, highlighting new aspects of the culture and featuring nods to Mexican fondas and cantinas. Fondas are small, family-owned eateries where Mexicans often take their lunch breaks, while cantinas are bars where people hang out for hours.
“Games are two hours long, and I want people to feel relaxed and not rushed,” Chef Cervantes said.
“There are corners we haven’t touched yet,” he said about Mexican cuisine. “There will be a lot more besides tacos.”
One thing is for sure. Socceria’s menu will be very different than most sports bar offerings like chicken wings. Plus, Chef Cervantes also wants to offer breakfast and brunch at Socceria.
The chef acknowledged that some people might come to Socceria only for the food, while others come just to watch a game and then, discover the food. He wants Socceria to be a place where guests can enjoy a casual beer or a place where people come to party, noting that the space is big enough to have a DJ when no games are on.
The team hopes to have Socceria ready for the first World Cup match on June 11 when Mexico is playing. Like any bar, a lot depends on getting the liquor license, but Chef Cervantes feels confident that “everything is lining up.”
“We are super happy we are staying in the neighborhood,” he added. “And very excited for the opening.”