This super-duper sports bar is packed with 40 screens and multiple satellite receivers, so no single second of any televised game is missed. They have it all: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, ESPN, CNN, NCAA and WTF else you want to watch.
Known as the “9-0” among USC students, the recently renovated 901 Bar and Grill fills up on game day with beautiful blondes, frat boys and alums wanting to relive the glory that is game day. If the only seasons you know end in “–ball,” then you should probably head over for their happy hour and watch the game on one of nine 50-inch plasma TVs. FYI: Don’t even think about saying “UCLA,” or you’ll be forced to drink what’s known as a “bar mat shot,” a glass of grime and leftover spillage on the bar mat underneath the bartender’s feet.
Bruins are regulars over at Q’s, especially on college game days, when students drunkenly pack themselves into booths and attempt to cheer for what’s-his-face. Expect miniskirted patrons partaking in drink and appetizer happy-hour specials from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Situated just off the Lakers’ home court, this bar of many big-screens is a fave of L.A. sports fans who want to feel as close to the action as Jack Nicholson but don’t have a film career or a girlfriend 30 years their junior. Note: This bar is only open when there are events at Staples Center, so don’t go thinking you can catch any old game on their de-luxe TVs.
From any seat at El Guapo, you can be sure to see at least five games on one of their 40-plus televisions. This Mexican sports bar also cultivates its own brand of athleticism in the form of beer pong—the drunkard’s home version of basketball—which is a fixture whenever the bar is open. The cantina goes off during March Madness with giveaways and food and drink specials. It’s also an official UFC headquarters for all you cage-fighting junkies who need to high-five each time someone snaps an ankle.
Known as the West Coast Cubby bar, this is where Windy City expats gather and share their love for the Bulls, the Cubs and hot dogs. In honor of owner Bourseau’s Chicago heritage, for $5 you can be inducted into the Boulevard’s Chicago Cubby Club. During Cubs games, show your Cubby card and get half-priced specials on drinks and food.
Where better to catch the game than a place where bouncy inflatables are practically part of the wardrobe? Much the same way devoted Playboy subscribers are in it for the articles, Hooters devotees come for the chicken wings and brewskis.
Mr. Pockets has definitely got balls on the brain: It’s all sports all the time at this restaurant/bar with a TV at every conceivable eyeline, including newly installed hi-def screens that’ll let you catch every last detail of the game—down to sweat beads, missing teeth and misaligned jock straps.
This massive sports bar off the Third Street Promenade comes equipped with scores of flat-screen TVs for all your sports-watching needs. Add a full menu of brew-friendly eats, several pool tables, and happy hour specials that run post-work and post-dinner, and there’s really no reason to leave. Ever.
Located along scenic Colorado Boulevard near Old Town Pasadena, the 35er is a lively billiard hall with a full bar downstairs that is open on weekends and caters to lovers of all things sports-related. Monday night specials on pool and beer attract locals for a round or two while watching a game—there are many to choose from—on one of 20-plus flat-screen TVs.
Big Dean’s is the definitive beach bar, a place where flip-flops, tank tops and relaxed attitudes prevail. Why fake ambiance when everyone is game-watching or people-watching anyway? Wood picnic tables fill the beachfront patio, where sun-soaked tourists fuel up on pints and burgers while local sports fanatics fill up on three-peat memories half a decade old (and counting...).
There’s often an eclectic crowd at this unpretentious, borderline sketchy dive. Dedicated daily barflies grudgingly rub shoulders at night with a gaggle of kitsch-loving patrons half their age, who are drawn to the bar for cheap, strong drinks and even cheaper, stronger game reception. During football season, Sunday and Monday nights mean $14 for a bucket of domestic beer, or $16 for a bucket of imports (for all you fancy folk).
Barney’s Beanery is dark, rustic and plastered with so much kitsch that pretentiousness doesn’t stand a chance of survival. There are 40 screens with nothing but “the game” on. Add the extensive beer list—over 130 brews on hand—and a menu that lists everything from deep-fried bar food to fresh omelets, and you’ve got yourself a sports bar everyone loves. Unfortunately, everyone does love Barney’s, which is why scoring a table can be a real test of endurance.
Healthy bar food (yes, it’s possible), a kitchen led by a five-star chef and a wide selection of imported beers make this upscale Westside sports bar the place where young, single, beautiful people go to watch ESPN—and each other.
Defense! Offense! Garlic wings! Televised sports every which way you turn and garlic wings rule the roost at Big Wangs. The bar is in “the barn” and subtle country murals adorn the walls—but this is a sports bar that doesn’t beat you over the head with its country theme. It’s pretty much all about the game, the pool table and the flirtation among cool Hollywood 20-somethings taking a break from the velvet-rope scene.
With 20 HD plasmas TVs, drink and food specials (you can order three pounds of wings!), and VIP sections with reserved seating, this is sort of like the Mecca of sports bars in L.A. It’s big, loud, busy and, while the game is on, more than a little intense.
This not-so-traditional Irish tavern on the edge of Old Town is where to go if you’re looking to get ripped, catch the big game and hit on equally sauced post-college types reliving their misspent youth. In short, even if you hate sports, it’s one hell of a good time.
“I can’t believe it’s not Boston!” should be Sonny McLean’s catch phrase. The bar offers 22 beers on tap and a menu with New England favorites such as lobster rolls, fried clam bellies and, of course, clam chowder. If the Patriots are playing and you’re not a fan, don’t bother stopping by; as a rule, all the TVs are tuned to that game. Suffer from ADD during the commercial breaks? The dart games here are as competitive as the fans. Insider’s tip: Red Sox owner Tom Werner frequents the bar when he’s in town.
On Saturdays, red-clad Ohio State fans get riled up in front of the TVs, and on Sundays, the cooks can’t make the Philly cheesesteaks fast enough for the Eagles fans. Don’t own an Eagles jersey? You’ll be forgiven if you purchase a custom Eagles T-shirt, which the staff designed.
This is probably not the type of place you and your pals want to go with your faces and torsos painted in coordinating game-day colors, but with a beer selection that taps out at over 100 and more than 15 screens airing varying games, this family-ish joint is a nice alternative. Happy hour lasts from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and, from Sunday through Wednesday, starts up again at 10 p.m. until closing. Bonus: During Monday Night Football, the happy hour doesn’t end until the last play of the last game.
When a dark dive bar in an old strip mall is in order—and it often is at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings—the Rustic is the place. Kiefer Sutherland likes to come here (he once took off his pants while sitting in one of the red vinyl booths), but the locals don’t care much about him. They care about the games that play on five HDTVs and about Rustic’s Monday night wings special: Get a dozen plus a pitcher of Bud for $16.
For those who’d rather watch the game while eating taquitos, head over to La Cantina. This festive joint has nine flat-screens (half of which are outside on the courtyard patio) and half-off drinks and apps from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Televised games vary depending on season and whether or not the Lakers are on.
This UCLA-adjacent place screams Spring Break more than sports bar, but it does show games for a rowdy group of undergrads and post-grads. Games normally run during two-for-one happy hours, in which case you’ll remember going to watch the game, but nothing that happened during it.
This upscale sports bar delivers real-life fun on 50 flat-screens spread throughout the bar. P.S.: It’s also owned by MTV Real World alums Wes, Johanna and Trishelle.
Bar Fight! USC vs. UCLA: Which school's watering hole is best for March Madness?
