“This is not your average sports bar,” says designer Dave Casey of restaurant and lounge Suite 36. Geared towards sports fans with refined taste, the New York spot opens in the Garment District with a new twist on the neighborhood bar.

Surrounding a 50-foot long bar, raised suites offer individual settings across the two floors. “I wanted to create a high-end environment for sports enthusiasts,” says Casey of locally based design firm Studio Mix Hospitality. “I’m combining that high-end restaurant quality with a sports bar feel.” With a focus on cuisine, Suite 36 aims to build a reputation for quality dining in a sports bar setting. “I wanted a very comfortable environment to watch all types of games, from football and baseball to UFC fights and boxing,” says Casey. Each suite, equipped with its own TVs, lighting, and climate controls, allow diners to watch individual games in semi-to-full private settings. “The whole space can transform, and you can get a different feel every time,” he adds.

                              

With names like the Plaza, Presidential, Rockefeller, Apollo and the Garden suites, the spaces recall New York both in name and aesthetic. In the Empire State Building suite and the Central Park suite on the second floor, skylights open up to views of the famous skyscraper itself. “There’s a very New York feel in the space,” says Casey. “It’s a very old world theme where you have different color schemes on the upper level.”

                             

The second floor’s brown tufted leather couches, wood paneling, and wallpapered-backdrops distinguish it from the first level. A dark palette with metallic, industrial tables and dark ceilings and furniture give these suites a masculine yet cozy vibe.

                           

Five communal tables fit together and are surrounded by the suites in a “layout very much like in a stadium,” comments Casey. “It’s very suited for diners to sit in the middle of the room and just watch their favorite team on the screen behind the bar.” The lounge’s communal tables also hint to the locality: glass railings and marble countertops add a touch of modernity, while the communal tables are wrapped in metal for an industrial aesthetic. “There is a lot of wood and metal, so it has a somewhat industrial but old-world design at the same time,” says Casey. Five chandeliers fitted with Edison bulbs complete the picture.

Wrapped in wooden railing, the bar’s marble countertops and tile face looks on to Suite 36’s gem: a wall of 14, 65-inch TVs. “The back bar is like a sea of screens,” says Casey. “It’s just fantastic to watch a sporting event on.”