Christopher Martins Pub

I was in New Haven for a wedding a couple months ago. My buddy and I wanted to go out for a drink before we go back to the hotel. We just typed in "bar" on yelp to see what was closest. Christopher Martins. We didn't even bother reading the reviews, we just wanted a drink. We walk in; one shaved-head buffed up barback, a woman working the bar, and one younger drunk man that we soon find out to be a regular. My buddy and I order our drinks and have a normal conversation. Since there only five people in the bar I can't help but hear this regular (who is screaming) tell the beefy barback all about how he hooked up with some passed out chick and stole the contents of her purse. The two had a great laugh about the whole thing. This was off-putting, but whatever, I'm adult, I'm very well aware that there are scumbags in the world. I try to ignore this man's disgusting story and keep talking to my buddy. We're talking about baseball. My buddy is a mets fan. Suddenly, the drunk regular chimes in: "The fucking Mets! The Mets are fucking losers. What a joke team!" Oh, rad. I'm down to have a sports conversation. I start talking about team facts and why I think the Mets have a chance and ask him what he thinks the problem with the Mets are. "WELL. THE METS FUCKING SUCK. THAT TEAM IS FOR LOSERS." At this point I figure that this might be a bit and he is joking, so I again ask him to elaborate hoping to start up the sports-convo. "LOSER TEAM FOR FUCKING QUEERS." Clearly this guy does not want to start a conversation. I list a couple facts in defense of the Mets and then tell him that if he doesn't wanna talk about it I guess there's nothing else to say. Again: "YEAH BUT, THE METS SUCK. LOSER TEAM FOR FUCKING QUEERS." The female bartender is in the backroom at this point so she doesn't know what's going on. However, the shaved head bulky barback is having a ball at all this. So I ignore him and my buddy and I try to resume our conversation. Drunk regular interrupts us again. "WHAT ARE YOU A FUCKING KIKE? YOU FUCKING JEWS LOVE THE METS, RIGHT?" The barback, is again, laughing his god damn brains out at this. Now, I'm not Jewish, neither is my buddy, but nonetheless, I have absolutely ZERO tolerance for any type of racism or anti-semite behavior. I say this to the drunken regular: "You shouldn't talk that way." His response: "TYPICAL JEWISH SHIT. THE METS SUCK." I've had it with this guy. I ask him if he wants to take it outside. This is well deserved in my opinion. This man is a horrible racist. At this point the shaved-headed beefy barback (who is also slightly-brown, I say this because I want to make it clear to people who it was) yells "OKAY. GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" To my buddy and I, who, were we Jewish, would be victims of a hate-crime. The drunken regular yells "FUCK YOU FAGGOTS THIS IS OUR BAR GO BACK TO FUCKING AUSCHWITZ!" and then the barback yells "YEAH GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE FAGGOTS!" We leave, and even 50 feet from the door we could hear the rapist drunken regular and his buff barback buddy yell homophobic slurs.

The female bartender was in the back the entire time and had nothing to do with the situation. Also, initially we really liked the feel of the place and were going to take the entire wedding party there for drinks the next day. We went to Anna Liffeys instead and had a great time thanks to the lack of racism and homophobia.

I'm not sure if this place is struggling or not. However, there was only one patron on a Saturday night at midnight. So I'm going to assume it is. If there is a manager reading this and you're wondering what's going wrong, it's your shaved head, slightly-brown, beefed up barback.

I'm not looking for drink tickets. I have no bias whatsoever. Look at my yelp account, I live in Los Angeles and will never be in New Haven again. I just feel the need to stand up against racism and homophobia. I hope the manager deals with this situation not only for the sake of his bar, but for the sake of decency as well.

I live next door to this place, so the bar has definitely become a go-to. Super-nice staff, surprisingly tasty food, and good ambiance for a sports bar keep me coming back!

Great food with excellent bartenders, definitely easy to become a "regular" fast!  

      Chicken Parm is a must (w/ extra sauce on the side), pulled pork burrito, turkey club (in house roasted, no slimy deli meat here), and southern wings w/ chipotle ranch are all delicious. Oh and don't forget the French Onion soup-a 10!!  You can switch breads and sides with all sandwiches (veggies, soup, addicting fries, onion rings, salad) and the more formal menu offers Italian/American fare with LOCAL produce/ingredients.  Outdoor seating is available both on the bar side and 2-3 tables on the more formal dining side.
       Complete bar with good tap selection; 2 large flat screen TV's on the bar side; good happy hour, always with something tasty from the kitchen; reasonably priced.   Always willing to accommodate my "particularities" with my order, ask for what you want and you should be able to get it.