Sarah Hsieh

Customers hang out at The Pro, the newly reopened sports bar on Ramona Street. Assistant general manager Sohiel Azim said that The Pro’s value lies in its history. “Its history is the amount of people that come in and say, ‘wow, I had my birthday at that table,'” Azim said. “I’m a sentimental person. I believe that everything has meaning to it, and it’s your responsibility to seek out that feeling. The stuff that’s on these walls, they mean something to somebody. Just because it doesn’t mean anything to me or you, doesn’t mean it’s meaningless. And that’s the power behind it. Because the people that come [to the Pro] truly have that connection.

With Stanford and NFL star Andrew Luck as its investor, The Old Pro – a popular sports bar that shut down in 2022 after the pandemic due to rising rent, food, and labor costs – reopened on Ramona Street in January and has been rebranded as The Pro.

Now that the management team and staff have had a chance to work out the kinks, the Paly Voice stopped by to check things out.

According to Sohiel Azim, assistant general manager of The Pro, one of the main goals of the reopened sports bar was to retain the essence of The Old Pro: a place where pieces of the community that come here reside.

“The Old Pro is a legacy,” Azim said. “It was a beacon of the community, and our goal when we opened this restaurant was to carry that on. Every single table in this restaurant, except for a few, is from The Old Pro. We wanted to make sure that we kept the bones of this restaurant and that we kept what mattered to the community. These trophies, busts and paintings are all donated by the community and mean something to people.”

The main floor is decorated with t-shirts, TVs, flags and other memorabilia hanging on the wall. Bucky the Bull — The Pro’s former mascot — is perched atop a display. The second floor is a more private enclosure that resembles a lounge or bar, where customers must apply for a membership to enter. There is even a soundproof podcast studio that can be rented out, with shirts, hats and badges displayed on the walls.

Azim said another goal of The Pro was to elevate its quality from when it was The Old Pro.

“We wanted to give it a different dimension,” Azim said. “The Old Pro had a college bar feel to it. What we wanted to do is come and give the city what it wanted, and that’s an elevated place where you can get a beer, watch the game … and have a business meeting in a private lounge space.”

I decided to visit The Pro during the afternoon a few weeks ago. This is what I discovered:

The Pro, aside from being a sports bar, also functions as a family bar and even has a kids menu, consisting of hotdogs, burgers, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, and various pastas. The amateur hour menu, which is used during happy hour, serves different drafts and snacks. The main menu offers even more: shareables such as Mexican pizza; flatbreads such as mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan cheese flatbread; sides such as their Pro Mac; salads such as caesar salad; off the wood grills like mistake mushroom steak, and sandwiches such as pork belly banh mi.

The server handed me a menu after I sat down at a window table, and the food quickly arrived after I placed my order, the first three orders placed during amateur hour, otherwise known as happy hour. This is what I thought:

Chips & Dip ($10) – 7/10

Composed of yuca chips, pickled chilies and sour cream & onion dip, The Pro’s chips & dip is a unique and flavorful dish. The yuca chips are crunchy and firm, though mellow in flavor. However, the sour cream & onion dip had a very strong flavor,  leaning towards the onion side but still keeping the distinct taste of sour cream.

Battered Fries ($5) – 8/10

With a deliciously crispy and slightly rough texture, the battered fires will appeal to any fries lover. Their mild taste is made up for by the creamy, buttery and slightly sour, buttermilk ranch dip, a tasty sauce that complements the fries’ crunchy texture.

Fried Buffalo Wings ($10) – 8/10

The buffalo wings had delightfully crispy skin, a lot of buffalo ranch sauce, a hint of spice and tender chicken. The celery on the side was fresh and crunchy, and paired well with the wings. The blue cheese dressing was smooth and had the pungent taste of blue cheese.

Braised Oxtail & Shrimp Potstickers ($16) – 7/10

The Pro’s braised oxtail & shrimp potstickers had shiitake, carrots and scallions, and were accompanied by ponzu dipping sauce. The potstickers, with a savory dipping sauce, were crisp, had a lot of greens and were a little oily. The carrots, unfortunately, had very little presence or flavor.

Crispy Pork Ribs ($20) – 7/10

The pork ribs, with a side of red chilis, cilantro and toasted spiced peanut slaw, were tender, although not very crispy and came with a teriyaki sauce that overpowered the umami taste of pork. The veggies were fresh, a little sour, had a crunch to them and were overall refreshing.

Gelato ($12) – 8/10

This custom sundae order combined vanilla gelato, cherries, chantilly cream and marshmallow together to form a frozen delight. The gelato was soft and slightly sweet, and its vanilla flavor was pleasantly strong. The cherries were sweet and added extra flavor, but the chantilly cream was not distinguishable. The marshmallows were soft but firmer than the gelato, chewy and not too sweet.

The Pro serves a variety of dishes and despite being a sports bar, is kid-friendly. The staffers are amiable and the TVs are filled with sports games ranging from ice hockey to golf that set a casual and entertaining atmosphere. Overall, The Pro is a great sports bar for any sports fanatics, anyone who enjoys a lively, casual dining atmosphere or someone just looking for a quick pub-style meal.