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It is easy to feel detached from the World Cup in Raleigh.
With the closest international soccer games a six-hour drive away in Atlanta and much of the craze about the Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup win, an event that is practically unavoidable in most of the U.S. has become easy to miss in the Triangle.
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But sitting at the corner of a mostly residential street, just west of the train tracks that separate some of the most bustling parts of downtown Raleigh from the rest, Olé Sports Bar & Lounge has become an enclave for soccer fans this summer.
Olé, which opened in November at 502 S. West St., has drawn social media attention through its lively World Cup watch parties. From Mexican fans doing a Conga line to Colombian fans packing out the bar, it has piqued the interest of many sports soccer fans.
The N&O’s food and dining reporter Drew Jackson included Olé in his list of 14 soccer-loving bars showing all the World Cup games, noting the former warehouse was only recently turned into an upscale sports bar with curved leather banquettes and VIP World Cup packages.
I went to check Olé out Wednesday, July 1 as the United States played Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 to see if it lived up to the hype. With a $25 budget, the results were resounding.
When I arrived nearly two hours before the U.S. game Wednesday night, most of the tables had already been occupied by fans wearing red, white and blue. But near the bar were Belgian supporters intently following their team’s game against Senegal, which occupied just one of the primary screens.
At one point, a glass shattered behind the bar, and the American fans quickly applauded and began chanting.
“USA, USA, USA.”
Such palpable energy was a sign of what to come.
Soon after, the Belgian family jumped and roared when Youri Tielemans converted a game-winning penalty kick to seal a 3-2 comeback victory. Meanwhile, the American supporters joined them in their excitement, making the bar feel more like one in Brussels for a short moment.
That type of camaraderie and welcoming atmosphere lifted the experience beyond just an ordinary sporting watch party. Throughout the evening, fans introduced themselves to each other and grew closer as they joined arms to sing country music and root for the U.S.
Olé’s setup, with numerous large TV’s on most sides of the room, made it easy for everyone to watch the game despite shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. The red-and-blue beams of light, disco balls and country flags strung from the roof heightened the vibe.
Outside, grass turf and benches made you feel a bit like you were at a park, with a red canopy and more country flags hanging overhead.
It was a 92 degree day, and Olé’s garage door leading to its patio was flung open. Within minutes, most people inside the bar were sweating. But no one seemed to care or complain as they hugged, high-fived and clapped all evening.
I spent the time between the Belgium game and the U.S. match finding dinner, which I picked up from the Taco Addicts food truck just steps away from the patio.
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From tacos to burritos to nachos, Taco Addicts offered plenty of options to keep me full while watching the game. Understandably, the line to order was long as many fans, like myself, had the idea to eat between the two matches.
In total, from arriving in line to receiving my food, I waited about 45 minutes. I selected the shrimp taco, taco toreado and the valley taco based on their employee’s recommendation.
All served stacked beside each other, my meal looked a bit like a burrito bowl. But their taste remedied the messiness of eating them.
The crispy beer-battered coating on the shrimp tacos balanced well with the wet mix of pico de gallo, cheese and chipotle salsa. The taco toreado had a crispy, burnt-tasting grilled onion that cut through the mushy green pepper nicely. I’d pass on the valley taco next time, as its flavors were difficult to distinguish and relatively forgettable, but I was full by the time I was chomping it down anyway. The meal cost me $16.67 after a 20% tip.
Inside, you can pair it with a Michelob ULTRA, featuring U.S. Soccer branding, costing $8 after tax and tip. I was satisfied with my haul, but if you want to skip the long wait, the highly-rated Sam Jones BBQ is just on the other side of the block.
Before the U.S. match kicked off, many fans sung the national anthem as it played on the TVs. In many other nations, fans joining voices with the anthem singer is common, but Americans tend to just listen, so this moment felt special.
The audience seemed attuned to common soccer opinions, booing FIFA President Gianni Infantino and jeering during the hydration breaks.
When Malik Tillman lifted a free kick over Bosnia’s wall and into the net to put the U.S. up 2-0 despite being down a man due to a red card, the bar’s euphoria reached its peak. One person stood atop his chair and yanked off his shirt as the bar chanted “USA.”
Later, in stoppage time, the group bust out a classic U.S. Soccer chant, “I believe that we will win.”
Beside me, a pair of young men beside me gushed about the turnout at the bar. One of them told his buddy that he expected just a few people to be standing during the game, but instead, there was little space to move.
“I didn’t know people cared about soccer,” he said.
As the final whistle blew, fans sang the bar’s name into the night. It happens to be an iconic sports chant as well, of course.
“Olé, olé, olé.”
When the U.S. faces Belgium Monday, they’ll all be back, ready to do it all over again.
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The World Cup isn’t completely lost in Raleigh.