Super 7: The Best Places To Watch Football in South Florida
It's fun watching other fans freeze
Biscayne Bay Brewing
If you’re the kind of football-watcher who likes to announce to the world, “I’m drinking enough beer to fill an above-ground swimming pool today,” then plan your Sundays at Biscayne Bay Brewing. This downtown brewery set in an historic old post office offers a 100-ounce tower of beer all season long, the everyman’s version of a magnum of champagne. The beer isn’t sex-in-a-canoe domestic drafts either, it’s Biscayne’s brand of local craft lagers that actually taste like something.
Pro tip: Ask your beertender what’s on the rotating barbecue menu. They low key have some of the best brisket in Miami, and sometimes turn it into sausage.
@biscaynebrewing // 100 NE 1st Ave., Downtown
The Brightside
In a city where even sports bars have Grey Goose bottle specials, a place like The Brightside is refreshing, where the only VIP area is a stool with your name on it. It feels like a neighborhood tavern somewhere in the Midwest, where a staff that knows everyone, great wings, and big TVs are all you need for a good time. There’s a reason this place is packed for pretty much every big game in South Florida – because the owners know sports fans don’t want fancy, they want fun.
Pro tip: It’s a Buckeyes and Bills bar, so if Ohio State or the Buffalo is on TV and you’re not a fan, games can be…rough.
@thebrightsidemia // 1721 SW 22nd Street, Coral Way
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
We see you, degenerate gambler. Though you may not see us, hunched over your phone all weekend desperately refreshing your screen to see if FAU’s backup running back hit his over-under of carries. Might we suggest looking up instead of down, and reveling in the 360-degree gambling glory of the Seminole Hard Rock Sports Book. It feels a little like Vegas, with hundreds of screens and odds boards surrounding you, as you and your fellow gamblers can cheer like it’s the Super Bowl when the Jaguars score a last-minute touchdown to cover a 14-point spread.
Pro tip: Check Hard Rock Live’s concert calendar before you go. If there’s a big act playing at the same time, parking and open space will be at a premium.
@hardorkcbet // 1 Seminole Way, Davie
D’s Sports Bar
Wings and beer, a perfectly decent combination to enjoy while watching grown men beat each other to death. You wanna feel like Commodus ? Head to D’ s Sport Bar and dine on prime filet and French wine during a football game. Not that this casual offshoot of Daniel’s Steakhouse feels even remotely stuffy, but the walls of flatscreens feel a little more decadent when dining on chef Danny Ganem’s creations.
Pro tip: If the steak is too much, get the Florida grassfed burger. It’s the same quality beef you get at the steakhouse next door.
@dssportsbar // 620 S. Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale
Thank You Miami
Pity the poor Miami baseball fan. For a lot of reasons. But this time of year it’s because we’ve gotta make do with football until March. But we can still get a little bit of a baseball feel at Thank You Miami, the lone pre-game bar near LoanDepot Park, where every beer is a Florida craft brew and the tacos are low-key some of the best in Miami. The place is covered in ‘90s-2000s Miami nostalgia, so you can wax nostalgic about the Hurricanes glory days a few blocks from where they all took place.
Pro tip: Step downstairs and check out the racks of vintage Miami sports gear. You may leave with a bright teal Florida Marlins Starter jacket.
@thankyoumiami305 // 1701 W. Flagler St., Little Havana
Old Tom’s
Miami is a city known for its abundance of beautiful people who make everyone from out of town say, “Man, I gotta work on my abs.” You’ll find exactly none of those people at Old Tom’s, a sports bar full of retired airline pilots who’ll gladly stay and watch the Hawaii game so they don’t have to go home to their wives. In recent years, news of Old Tom’s has caught on, and you’ll find a somewhat younger crowd in here on football weekends. But you won’t find any “influencers,” “content creators” or “people who want anyone knowing where they are.” And for that, Old Tom’s is the perfect weekend escape.
Pro tip: Get the wings.
@oldtomsmiami // 5001 NW 36th St., Miami Springs
Bo’s Beach
One of the best things about living in South Florida is watching fans in other cities catch hypothermia before your very eyes while you enjoy football in linen shorts. The best way to rub this in the face of any Jets/Bills/Patriots/Eagles fan you know up north is to post up at Bo’s Beach, where a warm breeze blows in off the Atlantic and every seat has a view of the ocean. The colorful cocktails and cold beers look perfect with images of snowbound stadiums in the background. And though live bands play tropical music during a lot of games, sometimes it’s good to sacrifice sounds for surroundings.
Pro tip: Go early in the season before all the snowbirds show up. The breeze cools the space down and you won’t be fighting for seats.
@bosbeach // 600 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale Beach