Best Bars to Watch the Game in Minneapolis

Tom's Watch Bar downtown sits near Target Center and Target Field and runs over a hundred screens around a central stadium board for a full 360-degree view. It is the room when you want every Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Lynx and Wild game on at once, with key-game sound on and quick pub food. The scale makes it a strong pick for a big group.

Game day tip: Ask for a seat facing the center board to track several games at once.

Cowboy Jack's on North 5th Street is a saloon-style downtown room with reclaimed barn wood, forty-five screens and space for 350. It runs loud and full on a Vikings Sunday, with a long bar, big booths and a kitchen built for a crowd. The downtown location near the Warehouse District makes it an easy pre-game and game-day base.

Game day tip: Book a booth for a Vikings home game, since the room fills early near the stadium.

Parlay brings an upscale twist to game day in the heart of downtown, a short walk from Target Center, with a polished screen setup and a stronger food and cocktail program than the average sports room. It suits a watch where you want the game on big screens without the dive-bar crowd, a notch above on both the menu and the room.

Game day tip: Good for a date or a group that wants the game with a better menu and a quieter room.

The Pourhouse on South 5th is a downtown sports bar and nightclub with happy hours, live music, signature cocktails and craft beer. The screens carry the game through the afternoon, then the room turns into a late-night party once the final whistle goes. It is the pick when the watch is the start of a longer downtown night out.

Game day tip: Land here for an afternoon game that you want to roll into a downtown night.

Brit's Pub on Nicollet Mall is the city's classic English room, with thirty-five screens, a wood-clad bar and a rooftop lawn-bowling deck. It is legendary for televised soccer and rugby, opening early for Premier League and Six Nations kickoffs, with English pints and pub food to match. In summer the rooftop turns into a tournament watch party.

Game day tip: Get there before an early Premier League kickoff, since the soccer crowd claims the screens fast.

The Local, an Irish room a few doors down on Nicollet, runs thirty-six screens and a passionate sports crowd. It broadcasts the Premier League, the Champions League and Minnesota United games, opening early for the overseas kickoffs, and pours one of the busier Jameson bars in the country. It is downtown's other essential soccer pub.

Game day tip: Pair it with Brit's for an early soccer morning, since both open ahead of European kickoffs.

Near the Sculpture Garden and Loring Park, The Rabbit Hole is a sharp all-sports room with multiple large HD displays and a sound system tuned to the game. It pulls Vikings, Twins and Wild fans for a clean, modern watch away from the saloon crowds, with a strong kitchen and a relaxed feel that suits a full afternoon.

Game day tip: A good calmer option for a Vikings game when the 5th Street rooms get loud.

Town Hall Brewery at Seven Corners near the West Bank is a cornerstone for Vikings fans who want award-winning house beer with their football. Plenty of televisions, a passionate game-day crowd and one of the best brewery kitchens in the city make it the pick when the beer matters as much as the broadcast.

Game day tip: Come for a Vikings Sunday when you want craft beer rather than macro taps.

The Freehouse in the North Loop is a big brewpub near Target Field, with a huge bar, a wide tap list and a strong array of televisions. It is a natural Twins room before or after a game at the ballpark, and it carries the football slate too, with a kitchen and a room large enough to absorb a crowd.

Game day tip: Ideal before a Twins game at Target Field, a short walk away.

Bunny's in the former Grain Belt Brewery building in Northeast Minneapolis is a neighborhood room with fifteen televisions and a casual, local crowd. It draws a soccer following alongside the Vikings and Twins regulars, with a friendly patio and honest prices. It is the kind of corner sports bar every neighborhood wants.

Game day tip: A solid neighborhood pick for a weekend soccer match or a Vikings afternoon.