A good sports bar is a dime a dozen — but a great sports bar is a diamond in the rough. Where the fandom is fierce, the TVs are plentiful, and the drinks flow easily. There’s a camaraderie with your team spectators, all gathered around the same games, anxiously eyeing the plays and as the timer counts down. And only the truest football fans know the adrenaline high when your team scores the first — or last — touchdown.
What makes a sports bar great isn’t the number of TVs that line the walls, or the number of of whiskeys that line the back bar. What makes a sports bar great is the collective fan experience that only your local watering hole can provide. The traditions that bring out the best in your home team, that celebrate your team or city’s victories, and that instill that sense of team pride when you walk in the door. Whether it’s the corner bar where the bartenders know your group’s order as soon as you walk in the door, the plusher bar with the legendary watch parties, or the bar that brings a piece of your hometown to city you currently call home, these are the sports bar that true fans call their favorite sports bar. Here’s where to find your surefire bet on Saturday and Sunday (or hey, even the weekday) football games.