A Connecticut sports-bar chain known for train-themed decor and wrap-around TV coverage is planning to move into one of downtown Hartford's most recognizable empty storefronts. Iron Horse Sports Pub will open in the former City Steam Brewery space at 942 Main Street, filling a building that has sat vacant since the brewery shut its doors.
A Downtown Landmark Gets a New Tenant
The news comes from The Connecticut Scoop, which reported the plans for the Main Street address. City Steam Brewery had operated out of the building for more than 25 years before announcing it would close permanently, with its last day of operation on March 31, 2024, according to the same outlet's earlier reporting on the brewery's closure. At the time, City Steam said it would keep distributing its craft beer to more than 1,500 grocery stores, liquor stores, bars and restaurants across Connecticut even after the taproom itself went dark.
Iron Horse Sports Pub already has a foothold across the Hartford area, with locations in Simsbury, Bristol, Unionville and West Hartford. The brand describes its concept as blending a rustic, train-themed atmosphere with modern sports viewing and upscale pub food, according to the company's own website. Menus across its locations lean on burgers, wings, artisan pizzas, salads and chef-crafted specials, paired with rotating draft beers, handcrafted cocktails and local favorites.
From Pizza Delivery to Sports-Bar Chain
Iron Horse is the sister brand of People's Choice Pizza, which also runs standalone locations in Manchester and East Hartford. The sports-pub concept traces back to 2017, when the company's Simsbury People's Choice location expanded into two adjacent storefronts and added an outdoor patio, giving rise to the first Iron Horse Sports Pub, according to a special-use-permit narrative filed with the Town of West Hartford. That same filing describes the brand as a rebranding of the People's Choice pizza delivery business. A Unionville location followed soon after Simsbury opened, per the New Britain Herald, which also reported that the Bristol outpost took over the former Webster Bank building on that city's Main Street.
What Past Openings Looked Like
Iron Horse's West Hartford pub opened at 14 Oakwood Avenue in June 2024 in the former Park Road Pasta Kitchen space, according to the Hartford Courant, which put the space at roughly 3,000 square feet with seating for up to 50 guests. The Courant reported eleven TVs scattered throughout the pub, along with pool and foosball for patrons between innings or periods.
Owners Bob Mercier and Rob Bylykbashi cut the ribbon at that West Hartford opening, as We-Ha reported, with the outlet describing the venue as intended to be not just a place for food and drink but somewhere customers can gather. That West Hartford location also poured a private-label beer brewed locally by Bloomfield's Back East Brewery, according to the same report. Separately, the special-use-permit filing for the Oakwood Avenue site described plans for three pool tables, four dart boards and 20 televisions, along with hot food prepared on site and a full beer, wine and alcohol menu; Mercier told the town the lease for that location ran 20 years.
What Comes Next for Hartford
Beyond the sister-brand pizza business and the chain's established formula of live music, trivia nights, brunch and sports viewing, Iron Horse has not released specifics on the Hartford project's timeline, lease or design. The company has said only that it plans to share more information about the opening as it gets closer, according to The Connecticut Scoop's reporting. For now, downtown Hartford has a name attached to its long-dark brewery storefront — and a sense that the Main Street space won't stay empty much longer.
