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In a tradition as true as apple pie, nothing seems to go better with sports than an ice cold beer and a rowdy crowd. From blue-collar folk with sports on the mind to UCLA frat boys looking for a place to prowl for women without missing the Bruins action, Los Angeles's sports bars are as popular as Disneyland. Locals and tourists alike love packing into these often-tiny dives to watch their favorite sport, and the ubiquitous cocktails often make for an exciting experience. While most sports bars also feature a tasty menu of traditional pub fare, many of the sports bars in LA keep up with the glam of their surroundings by serving gourmet dishes as well. It seems that everyone in LA is a sports fan, since flat-screened televisions bright with games can be found in every setting, from Mexican cantinas to swanky hotel lounges.
Barney's Beanery
8447 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, California; Tel. 323.654.2287
With classic Los Angeles neighborhood dive bar charm, none of the usual LA scene pretensions, hundreds of brews on tap and in the bottle, sports, and comfort food, that in a nutshell describes Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood. Oh yeah, this kicking LA bar also sports some pool tables and video games in case you need some more drinking distractions other than the huge semi-rowdy crowds, UCLA games, any way you can imagine chili and burgers and old school scruffy factor that has made Barney's Beanery a Los Angeles bar staple since 1920. Heck, you can even get the good old Hollywood celeb factor in this venerable LA local bar. |
Big Wang's
1562 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, California; Tel. 323.469.2449
Big Wang's is a hip sports bar. The waitresses are young and attractive, and so is the crowd that gathers at Big Wang's daily and flocks here on the weekends to watch the games, drink decently priced pitchers of beer, wolf down pizzas and stuff their faces with great finger food like chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers and spicy buffalo wings. The area around Big Wang's is very trendy and happening right now, so it's cool that this college campus-like bar exists in the midst of it all. Game time gets rowdy at Big Wang's, with loyal locals who don't mind making fools out of themselves. There's free non-student parking in the small lot in front. |
Busby's
3110 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.828.4567
Don't let the swanky leather chairs, fireplaces, and gourmet food trick you, Busby's is a Los Angeles sports bar in the grandest sense. Foosball, ping-pong, and backgammon keep sports fiends busy during the commercial breaks of the game that could be playing on of the several flat-screen TVs. Others can dance to hip-hop and house with a gourmet beer in their hand in a separate room at this hopping LA sports bar. Happy hour is popular with Los Angeles locals and businesspeople who snack on free bar goodies while downing as many cheap well drinks as they can. The best part about this Westside sports bar is the free buffet from 5-7pm Monday through Friday. Not even the surfers and undergraduates in the Westside bar scene can resist free food. |
El Guapo
7250 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.297.0471
The only things that are Mexican about El Guapo are the name, the food, and the drinks. TV screens adorn every wall playing various sports games and rock songs play in the background. Situated on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood, the bar at least provides fierce margaritas to the cheering sports fans. Only 16 kinds of tequila grace the bar, but the combinations are virtually endless in their strong drinks. Los Angeles' El Guapo also offers a huge outside patio with seating and a private bar. The Mexican cantina serves Mexican and American food, but the list of margaritas and "fun shots" are far more important. Just one 42-ounce Monster Margarita at this LA local bar and you'll be ready to go back to El Guapo again and again. |
Foxfire Room
12516 Magnolia Blvd., North Hollywood, California; Tel. 818.766.1344
This is a fun sports bar with an older local crowd hanging out in the daytime and a much younger, college-type crowd that comes in at night. Drink specials are at all hours here at Foxfire Room, and there's always something on the screen, usually the game of the season. Look out when walking around—there are always people throwing darts here, and occasionally they hit the dartboard. This is after all, over the hill and down in the Valley. |
Fox Sky Box
1111 S. Figueroa Ave., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 213.742.7345
Right at the Staples Center, next to the Team L.A. Store, this sports bar and grill offers a first-come-first-serve seating deal, opening only on event days and two hours prior to an event. Call Staples Center box office or 213.742.7340 for more information. The Fox Sky Box is a good place to drink and eat during a Laker game and especially for a big party or family outing, when it's important to keep track of everyone. This is downtown LA, so it's not a good area to wander off in or to be driving around looking for a post-game hangout. Stick to Fox Sky Box and make it home in one piece. |
Martini Lounge at the Dugout Club
1000 Elysian Park Ave. (inside Dodger Stadium) Los Angeles, California; Tel. 323.224.1500
Baseball fans are increasingly demanding more amenities at their ball games and Dodger Stadium is willing to please them. Inside the LA Dodger's upscale Dugout Club the bar is serving up baseball themed cocktails alongside gourmet dishes. Don't worry about missing America's favorite sport while at the bar; there are plenty of flat screen televisions showing the game. Dodger dogs are offered, but when you can get quality California cuisine instead, you might as well go for it. The lounge atmosphere will make you forget you're in a baseball stadium with hecklers and Los Angeles fans cracking peanuts. |
Q's Billiards
11835 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, California; Tel. 310.477.5550
Students from nearby UCLA travel to this Westside bar and billiards hall to dance, watch sports, play pool, and drink heavily. The Los Angeles location has two stories of activities going on for the party people to enjoy. The UCLA frat boys prowl for ladies on the downstairs dance floor at Q's Billiards or they sit at the bar to watch several TVs with sports on. Seven pool tables are also downstairs where all the action is going on. Upstairs, there is a lounge to get closer without the audience that the lower floor at this crowded Los Angeles bar has. Expect Friday and Saturday nights to be the most popular at the bar, especially if it isn't around finals. |
The Shack
2518 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.449.1171
The Shack is just that—it's a shack, but of the best kind. It's the epitome of the American sports bar: a real dude bar with real dude food too. They've got the only cheesesteak in LA worthy of being called a Philly cheesesteak, as well as what they say is the best hamburger in the world: the Shack Burger. On the weekends, the Shack serves a bigger menu, with a variety of seafood dishes. Since it's midway between the beach and the sleaze of the city, the Shack packs 'em in, especially on Sundays, when it turns into NFL heaven for all of LA's Philadelphia Eagles fans. It's a serious scene here, and some forget they are not at the stadium.
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Yankee Doodles: Santa Monica
1410 Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica, California; Tel. 310.394.4632
In terms of upscale establishments, Yankee Doodle in the Santa Monica Promenade is the upscale version of a sports bar. To be a sports bar, you must have an excessive amount of television screens, other distractions like pool and foosball, and offer seasonal—as in seasons of sports, not the time of year—drink specials. Yankee Doodle has all of these attractions and more, so it must be a sports bar despite its upscale appeal. The bar and restaurant has a full menu ranging from classic bar food to Portobello mushroom burgers hot off the grill. The Los Angeles County location is popular to all types especially when it's playoff season. Get there before the game starts or enjoy the restaurant on a down night, either way you're destined to have a good time at Yankee Doodles. |
—Los Angeles bar and club reviews by Alanna Lee, Ryan Osterbeck and Buddy Seigel
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