Editorial
Watching the Super Bowl in a bar is one of those decisions that either makes the game or ruins it. The wrong venue means fighting for a sight line, waiting fifteen minutes for a drink order, and sitting next to someone who thinks the halftime show is the main event. We've spent enough Super Sundays in New York and Miami sports bars to know which venues are worth reserving in advance and which ones to avoid regardless of how convenient the location is. For a broader picture of Super Bowl Sunday bar strategy — including London options and what to order — see our dedicated guide to the best bars for Super Bowl Sunday.
New York sports bars split into two categories for the Super Bowl: the ones that treat it as an excuse to triple beer prices and oversell the room, and the ones that have been doing this for twenty years and know exactly how to run a Super Bowl crowd. These are the second category.
Miami has hosted the Super Bowl more than any other city, which means the local sports bar culture around the game is more developed than almost anywhere else in the country. These bars have figured out how to run game day properly — the food comes on time, the audio is mixed correctly, and the prices stay reasonable.
The best Super Bowl sports bars sell out weeks in advance. Any bar worth watching the game in has a reservation system, and they use it. If you're trying to walk into a quality venue on Super Bowl Sunday without a booking, expect to either queue outside or settle for a poor seat at a bar that has capacity because it's not very good. The ones on this list all run advance reservation systems — check their websites in early January.
Book early, accept the reservation deposit, and commit to your choice. The worst Super Bowl viewing experiences we've had were all the result of leaving the decision too late and defaulting to whatever had space. The bars on this list are worth planning around — the difference between a great venue and a mediocre one on Super Bowl Sunday is the difference between a great game and three hours of wishing you'd stayed home. For a full walkthrough of how to approach any major sporting event at a bar, our guide on how to plan a sports watching night covers screen positioning, arrival timing, and everything else the experience depends on.
James has watched the Super Bowl in a bar every year since 2008. He has a spreadsheet. The New York sports bar scene has improved measurably over that period and he will argue the point with anyone who disputes it.