The holidays are all about gathering with loved ones, and what better way to do it than watching a game over a platter of wings? From the NBA and NFL to college football’s postseason and a smattering of Premier League matchups, this time of year is packed full of reasons to hit your favorite local sports bar.
From legendary dive bars to high-energy sports lounges, these are the best spots in Tampa to catch every bit of the action.
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Hattricks Tavern
📍 107 S Franklin St | Website
A Tampa legend. Hattricks is the ultimate game-day destination with its famous wings, Italian egg rolls, and Bolt Pretzel. If your team blows a last-second lead, drown your sorrows in an ice-cold beer and some next-level bar food.
Bad Monkey Sports Bar
📍 1717 E 7th Ave (Ybor City) | Website
With 20 massive TVs, Bad Monkey guarantees you won’t miss a second of the action. The happy hour specials are elite, the food is top-tier, and the Ybor energy is always undefeated.
Riveters
📍 2301 N Dale Mabry Hwy | Website
Come for the prime rib sliders, and stay for the electric atmosphere. This Midtown hotspot is a go-to for University of Florida fans, so expect the place to be buzzing every time the Gators take the court. With UF pulling off a massive upset over back-to-back champs UConn, the energy here will be unmatched. CHOMP CHOMP, Tampa!
Top Shelf Sports Lounge
📍 401 E Jackson St | Website
This downtown gem delivers 15 high-definition TVs and a prime location inside AdventHealth Center Ice. Whether you’re sweating a buzzer-beater or celebrating a Cinderella story, this spot has the food and drinks to keep you locked in.
The Greene Turtle
📍 5224 Bridge St | Website
The Maryland-based sports bar just opened earlier this fall in the Westshore Marina District. In addition to 20 big screen TVs, the menu features a mix of sports bar favorites and Maryland-inspired dishes, including tacos, bowls, crab cakes, and desserts, all paired with locally sourced beers.
The Retreat
📍 123 S Hyde Park Ave | Website
A true Tampa icon. The Retreat is the city’s oldest continuously operating dive bar, serving up craft cocktails and ice-cold beer since 1938. Old-school charm meets game-day madness—what more could you ask for?
The Blind Goat
📍 4106 Henderson Blvd | Website
This prohibition-style sports bar has been a Tampa staple for 10+ years. Between the craft beer, cocktails, and Mediterranean small plates, there’s plenty to keep you happy—even if your bracket is in shambles.
The Press Box
📍 222 S Dale Mabry Hwy | Website
Show some love to South Tampa’s original sports bar. This place has been a game-day institution for 40 years, and they know exactly how to do March Madness right.
Walk-Ons Sports Bistreaux
📍 1140 Gramercy Ln | Website
Midtown Tampa is now home to one of the city’s most sprawling sports bars. The chef-driven concept serves cajundillas, lemon butter chicken, VooDoo shrimp and grits, fried catfish, super-stuffed burgers, fried spicy pork and rice balls, and boom boom shrimp, among other signature items. There are TVs everywhere, and the entire crew is ready to get hyped for all the basketball revelry.
Yard House
📍 450 Channelside Dr | Website
Yard House is celebrated for its huge selection of beers on tap (more than 150), and extensive bar bites menu. I am dialed in on their poke nachos. Yard House’s food menu features more than 100 made-from-scratch items. The glass-enclosed keg room showcases hundreds of steel barrels that flow to the bar through an extensive network of beer lines positioned overhead, pouring each beer at a perfect 36-38 degrees. Unique to Tampa, the new location has an outdoor beer garden that features a bar, picnic tables and yard games.
1983
📍 2616 S. MacDill Ave | Website
Located in the former Datz building, 1983 is one of Tampa’s newest and most interactive sports bars. The main dining room offers elevated eats and plenty of TVs, while the full arcade room provides plenty of actions for kids (or for adults at halftime).
