Football season is now upon us. And if you’re looking for the best sports bars in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking for places to watch college football or NFL in South Florida, we’ve got bars from South Beach to Brickell and beyond. Here’s our picks for Miami and Ft. Lauderdale’s best sports bars.
Batch Gastropub
In an era when bars and restaurants close before you can even edit your Instagram reel, Batch’s longevity isn’t just impressive, it’s legendary. The Brickell gastropub has stayed popular by doing more than just throwing open its doors with games on TV – it’s constantly doing fun stuff like tipsy Santa Christmas parties, live-band karaoke, and all you can eat boneless wings on Mondays. For Brickellites, it’s ground zero for all major sporting events, and Batch’s 13 years of experience ensure that even when it’s crowded, it’s never chaos.
Pro Tip: If Indiana makes another run this year, Batch is the place to be. The owner is a Hoosier and it’s become the depot for Miami’s IU bandwagon.
@batchmiami // 30 SW 12th St., Brickell
Bo’s Beach Bar
If you’ve got a friend up north who’s an insufferable Pats fan, here’s what you do next time they try and trash talk: Post up at Bo’s Beach in Lauderdale Beach, and find a seat strategically set with a view of the TV and the ocean. Order up a Key West Sunrise with two Papa’s Pilar rums, OJ, pineapple juice, and mango puree - and maybe a lobster roll for good measure. Then snap a picture of the scene and ask them how their late-December Sunday is going.
Pro Tip: Chase every drink with a big glass of water. Drinking sweet drinks outside, even in the shade, can lead to an unpleasant Monday if you don’t hydrate. Not that I know from experience.
@bosbeach // 600 Seabreeze Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale Beach
The Brightside
The Brightside is the kind of bar that comes up in conversation and everyone immediately chimes in with some version of “I love that place!” It feels like a Midwestern neighborhood tavern, where the couple who runs the place knows everybody’s name, and serves up no-bullshit food and drinks with hearty sides of hospitality. It seems to be THE neighborhood spot for everything from the World Cup to the NCAA tournament, and during football season it’s where you’ll find Bills fans watching Josh Allen on Sundays. The bar’s Western New York pedigree is why you’ll find some of Miami’s best wings here.
Pro Tip: Get the beef on weck sandwich. It’s a Buffalo original and the best one I’ve found outside Western New York.
@thebrightsidemia // 1721 SW 22nd St., Coral Way
Sandbar in the Grove
One of the last vestiges of Coconut Grove’s college bar glory days is Sandbar, a spot most of us had forgotten about until UM football’s national title game run. When local teams are good, Sandbar gets packed like it’s Thursday night and nobody’s checking IDs, the kind of place where TV broadcasts do live cut-aways showing the crowd erupt on big plays. The Hurricanes (the drink) are a must, and if you order anything less than a Category 5 be ready for some ribbing from your bartender. The fajitas could make a case as Miami’s best too, and are half the price of most new, “upscale” Mexican joints.
Pro Tip: If you’ve got some drinking stamina, get here a couple hours early for big UM games. It’s your only prayer of finding a seat.
@sandbargrove // 3064 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove
Grails
You like rare and exotic sneakers? Like, so much you’d drink out of them if it was socially acceptable? Well, no judgment at Grails, where the sneaker-themed sports palace serves some of its signature cocktails in shoe-shaped glasses. It’s part sports bar, part shoe museum, where if the action gets slow you can peruse the collection of collectibles on the wall. Outside, the big back patio has flat screens literally dripping from the ceiling, and during big games it feels like watching in your friend’s backyard.
Pro Tip: Grails is lowkey one of Wynwood’s best restaurants too. Go when no sports are on and try the jerk chicken tacos.
@grailsmiami //2800 N. Miami Ave., Wynwood
Mickey Burke’s
Back when South Beach was a service industry playground and the Flamingo was in its debaucherous heyday, one name loomed large over everyone who worked there: Mickey Burke. The man who presided over The Clevelander for decades now has a namesake Irish sports bar, the best spot to catch sports from across the pond with die hard fans of rugby clubs you’ve never heard of. The food’s a great blend of Irish pub fare and Miami Latin-inspired stuff, and in South Beach, sports viewing doesn’t get much better.
Pro Tip: If you’re into the English Premiere League, weekend morning matches can get more packed than NFL Sundays.
@mickeyburkesmiami // 1265 Washington Ave., South Beach
Duffy’s Sports Grill
Remember back when there were, like, 50 Duffy’s locations? They’ve contracted faster than a second-tier football conference over the past decade, but two locations still reign supreme as some of the best sports bars in South Florida. The North Miami Beach location is the picture of SoFla sports bar, where you can boat up to the dock and enjoy 2-for-1 drinks and one of the best burgers in the city right next to the Intracoastal. The other is the Fountains Shopping Center location off SE 17th Street in Ft. Lauderdale, a venerable canyon of sports memorabilia plastered with TV screens.
Pro tip: Sign up for their MVP club. It’s the rare restaurant rewards program where you earn points quickly, and the reward tiers are laughably low.
@duffysmvp // 3969 NE 163rd St., North Miami Beach; 1804 Cordova Road, Ft. Lauderdale