5 of the best Bay Area bars for watching the Super Bowl

The Bay Area might not always be the sportiest region in the country, but you can bet it will be when football’s biggest event, happening Sunday, February 7, hits Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. If you’re in town, but unable to snag a seat to the coveted event, here are 5 of the best Bay Area bars for watching the Super Bowl. And if you haven’t made your travel plans yet, don’t worry—there are still some really great flight and hotel deals available. Check out our Super Bowl hub for details.

Related: 7 signs you just got back from San Francisco.

Players Sports Bar

Players Sports Bar, San Francisco
Perhaps the only place on touristy Fisherman’s Wharf where the sounds of a cheering crowd can drown out the constant barking of the sea lions who inhabit the dock at the end of Pier 39, this sprawling sports grill and arcade boasts 35 HDTVs and will also be showing the game on six additional screens in the Luau Lounge, SF’s only watefront Tiki bar. Players Sports Bar‘s food specials include a meat lover’s pizza for $12.99 and Player’s hot wings at $10.99 and if you whisper the phrase, “Orbitz Super Specials” the bar will set you up with $10 Mai Tais, $25 bottomless mimosas or a Corona/Patron beer shot special for $14.

Pete’s Tavern, San Francisco
This sporty tap room is just a literal stone’s throw from AT&T Park, home to the San Francisco Giants, but just because it isn’t baseball’s big day doesn’t mean Pete’s Tavern won’t be packing the house come Super Bowl Sunday. Located in the jowls of the city’s SOMA neighborhood where dotcom startups and tech companies first started setting up shop more than two decades ago, Pete’s boasts a dozen beers on tap, as many craft cocktails and upscale bar food including, blackened snapper fish tacos, mac ‘n’ cheese with ham and pizzas created from house made dough.

Hi Tops, San Francisco
“Cold pitchers, hot catchers” is the slogan at this Castro sports bar and also a nod to the bar’s primarily gay clientele. Expect a friendly, welcoming crowd and a bustling bar for the big weekend. At Hi Tops, doors swing open at 10am on Sunday and it’s first come, first served with no cover charge. Buckets of beer and selectbrunch items will be on special all day long and if you’re looking for a head-spinning adventure, order up their signature Bacon Bloody Mary. The staff will be decked out in Super Bowl outfits, but this being the Castro we assume a few might be shirtless, too.

Pappy’s Grill and Sports Room, Berkeley
Berkeley students are more likely to smoke a super bowl than they are to watch the Super Bowl, but you wouldn’t know it from the hoots and hollers emanating from this beloved local watering hole. Named for Pappy Waldorf, the College Football Hall of Famer who was both a player and coach for several teams including University of California at Berkeley, Pappy’s Grill is a sure bet for an energetic, packed crowd come February 7. There’s a full menu of pub grub on tap including veggie options (this is Berkeley after all) and Pappy’s even doubles as a nightclub and comedy venue on weekends.

Faultline Brewing Company, Sunnyvale
Doors open at 3pm on game day at this brew house and lounge in South Bay‘s Sunnyvale, which is offering a boat load of specials in honor of Super Bowl 50 including a tailgate happy hour from 3-5pm and featuring a buck off large beers and beer bomb cocktails, two buck sliders and a special gift for the first 50 people to walk through the door. A post-game happy hour will replicate those same deals and, lucky for you, Faultline is a legit restaurant with a menu of upscale bar pub fare such as free range gourmet turkey burgers, Venezuelan arepas and a Caesar salad made of kale.

Tagged: California, Destinations