This local gem is so hidden it’s barely even in Hillsborough County – just over a mile from Pinellas County and the city of Oldsmar. However, while it may get missed on a map, it certainly hasn’t been overlooked by local sports fans. Wild Rover Brewing Company in Westchase was named one of the best sports bars in America, according to a new study from Yelp.
The study comes in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup kicking off on June 11, and while they didn’t specify that the list is focused on soccer bars, the results certainly imply it. Regardless, the culmination of the intensive study found that Wild Rover is the 62nd-best sports bar in America, good for No. 2 in Florida behind Pinellas County neighbor The Horse & Jockey in South Pasadena. Both, not coincidentally, have ties to England.
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The British-American Wild Rover is one of the true remaining brew pubs, featuring 40+ recipes of beer brewed in-house and a food menu that combines English classics with American bar favorites and even a few Louisiana-inspired dishes. There aren’t many places you can find naan tacos and Scotch eggs on the same menu as Buffalo wings and shrimp po’boys. Even the dessert menu offers you the choice between traditional English delights and wholly American indulgences, with banoffee pie listed next to deep fried cookie dough bombs. To be clear, there are no bad choices here.
Appropriately, Wild Rover had actually just announced last week that it will be hosting watch parties for every single World Cup match this June and July. With space in high demand, you can actually reserve your spot in advance. You have less than two weeks to get acquainted with the menu.
In addition to sports, beer, and food. Wild Rover is also a hub for live music. Wild Rover is located at 13921 Lynmar Blvd and is open daily for lunch and dinner.
More about Wild Rover, from the brewery itself:
“Wild Rover Brewing Company is a family owned & operated British-American brewery, pub, restaurant, event & music venue in Tampa, Florida. We started with singing an English folk song, “The Wild Rover”, and that theme is now brewed into all of our house-made beers. With a rotating tap list of 40 original beer recipes and a specialty in cask ales, all have a little heart and a lot of song.”
