Inside Markey’s Bar, Where Philadelphia Eagles Fans in New Orleans Gather on Sunday | Eater New Orleans

"A tiny Bywater neighborhood bar was shoulder-to-shoulder with more than 100 Eagles fans during the NFC Championship, where Elena Malik, 32, cheered as Barkley’s run replayed: "Let’s watch it again!" and added, "Let’s watch it like five more times!" Friends and neighbors clinked draft beers, sipped mixed drinks, slapped five, and hollered, over and over again, "Go Birds!" Groups brought king cakes (the city was in the middle of Carnival), others munched hoagies or po’ boys, some carried in pizza from Pizza Delicious around the block, and customers wore shirts, jerseys, jackets, and headpieces in shades of Kelly and midnight greens — there were even feathers. Owner Roy Markey — a New Orleans Saints fan who gets along with Eagles fans better than most people outside the fanbase — teased regulars and told Michael Moyer, 54, "I might even sing the song with you motherf---ers today," referencing "Fly, Eagles, Fly!" Moyer, who has come for Eagles games for close to a decade and wore a bedazzled Eagles hardhat and a grey cut-off shirt with his last name, explains how the place changed: the owner overhauled the bar in the late 1970s (the business has been in his family since 1947) from a third-shift dockworkers' spot into a neighborhood sports bar, and the people he hires tend to stay, so relationships between staff and customers are strong. It remains a Saints-first bar with no Eagles memorabilia on the walls; when the Eagles and Saints play at the same time locals get to watch their team on the majority of the TVs while Eagles fans make do with "two or three muted TVs" — yet they still pile in, spend money, and make their presence felt. Bartenders are central to the vibe: Ivana Louvar, 44, who’s worked there close to a decade and was handed a tinfoil-wrapped sandwich that sat behind the bar for the entire game, says, "There’s really no stopping, you just keep going. I like seeing people have fun. I don’t mind it at all. I’m sure there are bartenders who find it annoying, but we’re making money. I’m glad a bunch of people are coming here, and singing their songs!" Fans applauded the staff during the game — "You guys are killing it today!" Malik cheered — and regular Alison Ely, 33, who’s watched Birds games there since about 2017, praises the staff: "The bartenders are great," she says. "They know us, they know our drinks, they’re good people who have welcomed us." Ely’s Mardi Gras Eagles outfit — a captain hat in Eagles colors later augmented with a sequined scarf and white feathers — "is getting more Mardi Gras and more crazy every week," and she offers simple advice to newcomers: "Wear your Eagles gear, and be cool. Everyone is friendly here, so don’t be an asshole, because that’s not the vibe." Typical pub moments cropped up — when a fan announced, "Fake punt. They got it," Moyer replied, "I’m glad I didn’t see it. It’s a desperation move anyway." With a dozen-plus TVs, busy bartenders who make the job look easy, and a divey, neighborhood feel, it’s presented as an accessible, inexpensive place to join the city’s Super Bowl buildup (the Super Bowl between the Eagles and the Chiefs was scheduled for Sunday, February 9), where, as one write-up put it, you might consider spending a couple dozen bucks for the company and atmosphere if you don’t have deep pockets or deeper connections." - Dalton LaFerney