The Best Sports Bars in New York

The gold standard for Hell's Kitchen sports viewing. Twenty screens, a draft list that covers fourteen taps including two rotating craft options, and a kitchen that stays open until 1am. The staff know their regulars by name and by team, which matters on a Sunday when you need someone to switch the input on screen seven without being asked twice. Arrive ninety minutes before kickoff for a good booth; arrive thirty minutes before and you are standing.

Order: The stadium burger with a pint of whatever rotating IPA is on tap

Murray Hill's best sports bar, with a particular focus on baseball — the walls are covered in framed pennants from every MLB team going back to 1962, and the bartenders can tell you the story behind most of them. The draft program is strong on East Coast craft breweries, and the bar food is better than it needs to be for a sports bar: the wings are brined overnight before frying, and the nachos are made to order. Opens at noon on weekends.

Order: The pint of Brooklyn Lager and the brined wings with house hot sauce

The best bar in Manhattan for NFL Sundays, full stop. Every NFL game is on screen, the Red Zone channel runs on the main display from 1pm until 8pm, and the bar staff work with the efficiency of people who have done this every Sunday for years. The drink selection is not trying to be artisanal — it is a sports bar with a proper beer program, not a craft bar that happens to have screens. That distinction matters when you want a cold pint, not a conversation about provenance.

Order: Whatever draft lager they have coldest, in a frozen glass

The best beer-first sports bar in Brooklyn. Twenty-four taps covering the full range of East Coast craft breweries, a rotating seasonal list, and a sports viewing setup that covers all the major leagues without ever making the space feel like a corporate chain. The crowd on Sunday afternoons runs from young families early to serious football fans by 4pm — the kitchen closes at 11pm, which is rare in this part of Park Slope and makes this an anchor for a full day.

Order: The rotating New England IPA and the smash burger — always consistent

What a neighbourhood sports bar looks like when it is done right: regulars who have been coming for fifteen years, a bartender who has been there for twelve, draft prices that are still honest, and screens that cover basketball with the focus it deserves in this part of Brooklyn. No gimmicks, no theme nights, no DJs — just a good bar with good beer and a room full of people who care about the game. The best of its kind in South Brooklyn.

Order: Domestic draft on special — they always have one on the board

A Cobble Hill institution that has been hosting game day crowds since the 1950s. The interior has barely changed — wood paneling, bar stools that were expensive when they were installed and have worn in beautifully, screens that were added over the decades without ruining the aesthetic. The cocktail program is stronger than you would expect for a sports bar, and the kitchen does a full-menu Sunday brunch from 11am that pairs well with the early NFL slate.

Order: The house Bloody Mary at brunch — made with horseradish and a celery bitters finish

The best after-work sports bar in the Financial District, catering to the crowd that comes straight from the office on a Thursday evening for European soccer or a Wednesday night NBA game. The happy hour runs until 7pm with sensible prices, the draft list is clean and well-maintained, and the volume level drops from raucous to conversational after 9pm when the game crowd thins. The food is above average for the category — the flatbreads are worth ordering.

Order: The half-price draft during happy hour and the prosciutto flatbread

A well-run Gramercy sports bar that attracts a mixed crowd of young professionals and genuine sports fans who have been coming for years. The setup covers all four major US sports plus international soccer, rugby, and cricket — which makes this one of the few bars in Midtown where you can reliably find a Six Nations match on a Saturday morning. The bartenders are fast and the menu covers everything from bar snacks to a full dinner service until midnight.

Order: The draft on whichever domestic is coldest — they rotate their feature lager monthly

The Upper West Side's most reliably excellent sports bar, anchored by a large regular crowd that covers every demographic from college students to retirees who have been watching Giants games here since the Tisch era. The kitchen is open until midnight seven days a week, the beer list emphasises New York craft breweries, and the back room has a private table reservation option for larger groups who want to catch a game together without fighting for space at the bar.

Order: A flight of New York craft drafts and the chicken tenders — consistently the best in the neighbourhood