ASHEVILLE — Sip the queen's favorite drink and watch a match on the telly in a proper soccer pub without leaving Buncombe County.

Olde London Road Pub opens at 1 p.m. April 8, with a host of games on seven screens — one 110-inch draw-down and six 55-inch screens — and a state-of-the-art sound system allowing different "audio zones" throughout the pub, including in the bathroom.

The bar has taken over the former Timo's House, a basement bar space with its entrance to the left of Jimmy John's on Biltmore Avenue in downtown.

Rather than darkly subterranean, however, the venue feels brighter — though not so bright you'll feel guilty spending a nice spring day sipping beer, cocktails or wine and watching a match.

While the pub is on the beaten path, its below-ground locale keeps it somewhat hidden. All the better, said owner Amber Arthur, who's also a partner in four PennyCup locations and West Asheville's BattleCat.

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"This is really about catering to the fans and the locals," she said. "I think tourists are great, but we really want to make the watching experience enjoyable."

Sip the queen's favorite nip

Part of that, beyond the well-positioned screens, pool table and dart boards, involves a smartly designed beverage menu, designed by bar manager Caitie Conroy.

"There will be classic cocktails like the Sidecar and Blood and Sand, and drinks that are really popular in England," said Conroy, who detailed Queen Elizabeth II's favorite drink: the Dubonnet cocktail, made with gin and Dubonnet Rouge, a sweet fortified wine aperitif flavored with black tea and currant. "It's going to be called God Save the Queen."

There's an extensive inventory of European beers, including more than a dozen Belgian brews, a lineup of Samuel Smith bottles from organic pear cider to Imperial Russian Stout, and even a Turkish Pilsner.

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The draft list includes even more, including Ireland's breakfast beer of choice: Guinness. There's also English cider, prosecco and rosé on tap. Hi-Wire and New Belgium will be the pub's only frequently highlighted local breweries.

This will be a private club, so food is not a primary focus. However, with the bar opening as early as 7:30 a.m. on mornings when there are matches, people need fortification.

To that end, expect PennyCup coffee and tea service, and perhaps cheese and biscuit platters in the morning. The regular menu will launch in May, with only three items: bangers on a French roll, sausage rolls with English condiments and a ploughman's lunch.

Plus, watch Asheville City Soccer Club

When Olde London Road opens April 8, it will hit the ground running at 1 p.m. with matches all day, including Hamburger SV vs Magdeburg at 2:30 p.m. and Chelsea vs. West Ham United at 3 p.m.

The following day, there are two UEFA Champions League games at 3 p.m., and an 8 p.m. game between DC United and Montreal Impact.

"That's going to be the big day that will bring all the fans in," said bartender and avowed soccer fan Steve Hedrick. "And on the weekend there will be another host of matches."

The goal is to show as many matches as possible, when possible, and even highlight some hometown heroes.

On Sundays, the bar will stream the Asheville City Soccer Club's away games, "so you can go to the games without traveling," Arthur said.

The pub will also stream the FIFA Women's World Cup this year, with a menu featuring wines, beers and spirits with women behind them.

Olde London Road is, in essence, a celebration of the soccer culture that's long been by and large underappreciated in mainstream American bar culture.

"I've said for 10 years I wanted to open a sports bar in Asheville, because there's not a proper sports bar here," Arthur said. "And when I started watching soccer with Steve, I thought that would be even more fun — there's a different crowd, and I could have a fun menu like this."

Olde London Road Pub is in the lower level of 5 Biltmore Ave., and will be open daily. Visit the pub's Facebook page for more.