5 to Try: Seattle Sports Bars

by Whitney Ricketts - Citysearch Contributor - 30 Reviews - 63 Lists

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Updated: October 20, 2009

A good sports bar used to be one with a TV big enough to tell the teams apart; now they need 42" or bigger flatscreens on every wall streaming basketball, football and Premier League soccer simultaneously just to compete. But it isn't just about hi-def: There's some ineffable sporting spirit--which all of these bars have--that you can't get at Best Buy. Oh, and wings. Gotta have some decent wings.

Watering Holes

  1. 1 3.5 Star Rating: Average Sluggers
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    567 Occidental Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104 (map)

    The convenient location and engrossing selection of sports memorabillia are this rowdy sports bar's biggest draw. Lively fans are always coming and going, stopping into enjoy a bite before the big game, or staying for pint after pint with a view of the game from any of the 39 screens.

  2. 2 4 Star Rating: Recommended Spitfire
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    2219 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 (map)

    This hipster sports bar (no, that's actually not an oxymoron) in Belltown offers something beyond the typical beer-and-wings menus of other sports bars with Mexican food and potent margaritas.

  3. 3 4 Star Rating: Recommended SPORT Restaurant and Bar
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    140 Fourth Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109 (map)

    Forty-seven TVs fill the restaurant, including individual screens at booths and on the covered patio, but the alpha male is clearly the 130-inch high-definition flat-screen looming above the lounge. Display cases along the walls are filled with museum-quality sports memorabilia--crown jewels include a signed Babe Ruth ball and a showcase of Seattle sports history.

  4. 4 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Rocksport Bar & Grill
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    4209 SW Alaska St, Seattle, WA 98116 (map)

    Rocksport's gigantic projection screen is ideal for big sports, and with another 14 TVs scattered about the bar fed by DirecTV, fans catch every play. Competent pub grub and 16 rotating beers on tap sweeten the deal.

  5. 5 3 Star Rating: Average Fox Sports Grill
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    1522 Sixth Ave, Seattle, WA 98101 (map)

    You might not guess this place to be a sports bar with its sparse decoration, stylish couches and soft lighting that give the space a European vibe--but the 32 flat-screen plasma TVs all tuned to football quickly put this bar squarely back in the sports-bar genre.