Admin October 25, 2024
The best sports bars in Florida for watching the big game while enjoying hot wings and cold beer—or perhaps something a bit more gourmet.
What are the best restaurants in Florida? Here’s 15 of our favorites.
Discover the best restaurants in Florida as recommended by the USA TODAY Florida Network’s food journalists for 2024.
It’s a great time to be a sports fan, with pro and college football heating up and the baseball holy grail — the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the New York Yankees World Series — starting today, Oct. 25.
Sure, you can watch your favorite team from the comfort of your home sofa (if you can figure out who’s showing the game), but for many people, the best way to enjoy the big game is at a sports bar, preferably with tasty wings and cold beer — or perhaps something more gourmet.
To help, here are the best sports bars in Florida, chosen by our USA TODAY Network’s team of Florida food journalists and presented in alphabetical order.
Bowden’s
619 S Woodward Ave.; Tallahassee; 850-558-5592; bowdenscollegetown.com
Embrace the Seminole spirit at this sports-themed restaurant off Woodward Avenue near Doak Campbell Stadium in CollegeTown. Bowden’s, which open in 2023, has just released its latest “Game Day” menu for this year’s football season. The “Starting Lineup” features southern fried pickles and jumbo pretzel sticks. Salads including the “Gator Hater” (chicken, mixed greens, Dijon vinaigrette) and “Heisman Handhelds,” which include burgers and sandwiches, are offered. Celebrate with their “Championship cocktails,” wine, beers and more from the spirits menu. — Kyla Sanford, Tallahassee Democrat
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Broken Barrel Tavern
4700 S Babcock St., Palm Bay; 321-728-4755; brokenbarreltavern.com
A South Brevard favorite since 2009, Broken Barrel Tavern is the place to go in Brevard to celebrate all things sports. In this 7,300-square-foot venue, fans love the homey, friendly atmosphere, and the drink selection, as much as the food. With the NFL ticket, and ESPN covering 25 TVs, find a seat or pull up a stool and order the barbecue egg rolls or the dry rub, smoked wings. This “foot-beer themed Sports Bar” smokes their meats from scratch, with pecan wood, and they take their sports teams, beer selection (all 35 on draft) and whiskey very seriously. Guests can be particular about whiskey, as they have more than five dozen different whiskey offerings, primarily bourbon and scotch, as well as ryes and Irish whiskeys. — Amber Olesen, Florida Today
More: Best sports bar in Brevard: Our top pick is in Palm Bay
Brewster’s Gastropub
1454 Main St., Sarasota; 941-343-2380; brewstersfl.com
One of the best casual restaurants in downtown Sarasota, Brewster’s Tavern on Main Street excels at everything from wings to burgers to fried chicken sandwiches, with its long bar being an ideal place to watch the game while sipping on a craft beer or cocktail. In addition, there are indoor tables as well as ones in the covered outdoor area, where you can also view the action on a big screen. — Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
More: 15 best sports bars in Sarasota and Bradenton for food and drinks this football season
Christo’s Sports Bar and Grill
2903 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach; (850) 708-1878; https://www.christossportsbar.com/
Christo’s Sports Bar and Grill is known for its great service and food that customers love so much. It is especially known for its great She Crab Soup and the Thomas Drive Fish Tacos, which are local favorites. Christo’s provides great scenery for everyone to enjoy their food and their sports. “With 25 TVs, the NFL Ticket, and a full bar, you’ll never miss a moment,” the restaurant promises. “One of our favorite haunts,” one Facebook commenter wrote. “Heaven on earth,” wrote another. — DeonTay Smith, Panama City News Herald
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Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill
1320 Central Ave., St. Petersburg; 727-822-4562, fergssportsbar.com
Located in the shadow of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field, Ferg’s is a St. Petersburg landmark that opened in 1992 and helped pave the way for the city’s booming Central Avenue district, which now surrounds the massive sports bar. A mostly open-air structure covering nearly two city blocks, Ferg’s features about a hundred TVs, several bars—including one upstairs—a full menu, and everything from a stage for live music to an axe-throwing area and a dog park. It’s the perfect place to have a great time regardless of how your team performs, especially when you pair your favorite cocktail or beer with Ferg’s famous wings. They’re breaded and crispy, spicy yet buttery, and easily among the most delicious wings you’ll find in the region. — Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Winners Circle Sports Bar and Grill
4215 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland
Think of an everyman’s oasis for a variety of eclectic interests. Make no mistake: Winners Circle Sports Bar & Grill is sports centered. There are 35 televisions throughout the 4,000-square-foot establishment. And owner Bill Alcock makes sure there’s a variety of sports. From NFL games to cricket matches, if it’s being broadcast and someone wants to watch, Alcock works to put it on the screen. Alcock has every NFL game on during the weekend, with TVs sporting team pennants so folks know where to find their teams. But Winners Circle is more than just sports. Amenities include cornhole and ring toss. There’s poker on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Bingo Wednesdays, trivia Mondays and Thursdays and comedy shows on Fridays. There’s even dueling pianos every other month. And did we mention the chicken wings? Alcock serves 85 flavors, including liquor-infused wings. Winners Circle has won wing awards in four states and 18 Florida counties. – Paul Catala, Lakeland Ledger
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Gator’s Dockside
3920 SW 42nd St. #101, Ocala; (352) 433-2441; gatorsdockside.com
Gator’s Dockside has everything you want in a sports bar: plenty of seats in a variety of placements (hightops, booths, tables, the bar); plenty of TVs (many of them with huge screens); friendly, quick service; and an abundance of food and beverage offerings. On Sept. 8, the first Sunday of the NFL season, you could easily watch all of the closely contested early games as they came down to the wire. The audio was up for only one, Miami vs. Jacksonville, which was fitting for a Florida bar, and there was no music competing for your attention. The place was packed, but it didn’t feel crowded; the high ceilings and spread-out floor plan made for a comfortable setting. My Pepsi (I was driving) was ice cold, and the menu had all the pub favorites plus specials like Crab Rangoon Dip and grilled cobia. The Ocala branch of this chain is a fun, well-run place.
— Jim Ross, Ocala Star-Banner
Miller’s Ale House
2881 Bass Pro Shops Blvd., Gainesville 352-371-0818; millersalehouse.com
When Miller’s Ale House moved in 2018 from its home of nearly 25 years along Archer Road to its shiny new space in Celebration Pointe, I’ll admit I thought it was the end of the restaurant and bar I frequented far too often in college. As it turned out, I was wrong. While Ale House, which is a chain founded in Jupiter, Florida, in 1988, may not have the same energy as some other bars, particularly those close to the University of Florida campus on game days, it still provides a great atmosphere for everything from NFL Sundays to UFC fights. And with more than 60 TVs spread out across a large indoor area and an open-air patio — both with full bars — there’s not a bad seat in the house. Throw in 40-plus beers on tap and some of the best wings in town and you’ve got a winning recipe for success. After a big win be sure to treat yourself to some Capt. Jack’s Buried Treasure. — Alan Festo, The Gainesville Sun
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Players Grille
10140 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, (904) 503-2641, playersgrille.com
The couple behind Players Grille has big plans. They’ve already opened two locations, closed one and are almost ready to open another in Jacksonville, and they hope to expand to other NFL cities. The Mandarin location, which opened in 2023, has indoor and outdoor seating, enough TVs to ensure your favorite game is on and a menu loaded with burgers, wings, sliders and a foot-long hotdog. A new Players Grille opens this fall in the new Home 2 Suites Hilton Hotel at 600 Park St. in Jacksonville’s Riverside neighborhood. – Tom Szaroleta/Florida Times-Union
South Turn Restaurant and Sports Bar
1540 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach: 386-253-5004, southturndaytona.com
It’s not a sports bar roundup without mention of Daytona Beach’s South Turn. The family-owned bar and grill is a local favorite that boasts over 50 flat screens lining its walls, alongside three large projectors and bar-top, high-top and booth seating. Its menu is packed with casual bites that don’t break the bank, including the popular black ‘n’ blue burger, wraps and baskets, each under $15.
However, its wings are the real star with over a dozen sauce options to choose from, including garlic parm and Nashville hot. South Turn offers a slew of NFL game and college game day drink specials, including $3.50 well liquors, $10 domestic pitchers and $13 domestic buckets, among other deals, as well as $1 wing specials Tuesday nights and an all-day happy hour on Saturdays. — Helena Perray, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
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Tailfins Waterfront Grill
172 Harbor Blvd, Destin; (850) 650-1200; https://tailfinsdestin.com/
If the game is televised, then Tailfins Waterfront Grill will have it on the screen — one of their 75 TV screens scattered throughout the three-story restaurant located on Destin harbor. “We make sure we have all the games on, no matter what,” said Johnny Fuller, owner of Tailfins. Tailfins suffered from a fire in April, but they have rebuilt and opened in August, just in time for football season. With multiple TVs on every floor and everywhere you turn, you cannot miss the game. Fuller said they have the NFL, ACC, and SEC sports packages. “If it’s on TV, we can get it,” Fuller said. Tailfins has a 7-foot by 12-foot jumbo screen on the top floor and will be adding another one on the harbor soon, according to Fuller. And to add to the fun, Tailfins offers a few game-day specials in addition to their regular menu. Game-day specials include ceviche, smoked tuna dip and lobster rolls. “And we do beer bucket specials,” Fuller said. Tailfins is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to midnight, and even shows some of those morning games that are played over in Europe.
— Tina Harbuck, Destin Log
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Tap 42
Tap 42 opens at Mercato Shops in North Naples
Versace wallpaper and luxe accents set the stage at Tap 42, a new restaurant and sports bar at Mercato Shops in North Naples.
11 Florida locations: Aventura, Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Coral Springs, Davie, Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Kendall, Miami, Naples and Palm Beach Gardens; tap42.com
While Tap 42’s name might make you think it’s a beer joint and there is a dedicated craft beer director, it’s merely a reference to the group’s first location in Fort Lauderdale because 42 taps filled the beer wall.
“We had to overcome the name because people think craft beer bar,” EVP/managing partner Alex Rudolph told me.
What does it have in common with other sports bars? The volume is loud, and copious large TVs set high broadcast sports of every order.
But that’s pretty much where things end.
Each venue boasts different high-end décor influenced by its city: In Naples, tropical printed Versace wallpaper surrounds the space amid other tactile touchpoints. The high-end aesthetic carries over to gorgeous plates of sharable luxe comfort food at reasonable prices (for resort towns, anyway.) Its menu is consistent across locations because of Andrew Balick, the group’s corporate executive chef-partner, whose cooking experience includes the now-closed Azul under James Beard finalist Clay Conley. Balick was also top toque at The Ritz Carlton in Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Except for tennis and figure skating, I don’t watch sports, but Tap 42’s expertly mixed craft cocktails and food hold major appeal. — Diana Biederman, Naples Daily News
More: From craft beer roots to elevated American fare, popular restaurant arrives in PB Gardens
Plus: First look: Versace wallpaper, luxe comfort food, big cocktails, at Tap 42 in Mercato
200 South Tap House
200 S. Palafox St., (850) 466-5918, 200southpalafox.com
Pensacola’s 200 South complex is a downtown destination for football watch parties with more than 40 TVs complex-wide and drink specials. All on the 200 South property is a tequila inspired taqueria called Agave, a New York-style, by-the-slice pizza joint called Graffiti Pizza, a cocktail bar called Blend and the 200 South Tap House, which has hundreds of local to global beer selections, cocktails and elevated tavern fare. Beer may be the tap house’s specialty, you can’t leave without sipping on a sweet huckleberry lemonade, the tavern’s signature cocktail.
200 South’s slogan of “where the neighborhood plays” is taken seriously, providing a multitude of lively spaces to gather with football fans, enjoy quality food and have no shortage of drink options throughout the night. Weather permitting, 200 South will assemble the “Big Screen” outdoors, which allows fans from all over the property to sit outside on the turf with a perfect vantage point of the game.
If you’re looking to score a deal, 200 South is offering 2024-2025 Football Loyalty Cards for $50 that offer 15% off your entire purchase every time you visit one of the 200 South bars during live games. −Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal
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The Warehouse Social Club & Eatery
312 S Second St., Leesburg, mfpsa.us/warehouse-social-club, (352) 616-1911
If you’re looking for a hangout with a lot of heart, The Warehouse Social Club & Eatery, founded by John Sokol of Chicago Brewery & Fire Pizza fame, is a bar-restaurant that’s a haven for Chicago Bears fans, first responders, veterans, bikers and local nonprofits. It’s operated by the nonprofit Military Fire Police Support Association.
Literally a warehouse, the unique downtown Leesburg venue features eight TV screens, NFL Ticket viewing and a variety of sports on the screens, two pool tables. You can eat from-scratch homestyle midwestern food that sticks to your ribs, dishes you can’t get at Buffalo Wild Wings at The Warehouse. There’s also an arcade with FireLink games, pull tabs, bingo, an ongoing “Karaoke king and queen” contest and live music.
The Warehouse Social Club is also, literally, a social club that offers memberships with the same vibe you find at the VFW or American Legion except, at The Warehouse, membership is open to the public. The best part: It’s a MFPSA – Military, Fire, Police Support Association. All of the proceeds except operation expenses go to first responders. −Julie Garisto, Leesburg Daily Commercial
