Super Bowl Bar Play-By-Play

With plentiful suds, specials, and TV screens, these sports pubs guarantee you'll get your game on come February 6.
 
BY CARLA SPARTOS & JOE DELESSIO
Updated January 25, 2005
 
Game time: Play in Elmhurst, Queens.
 

The Abbey Pub
Serving the cuisine of the Super Bowl host city is an annual tradition at this Upper West Side bar.

• 237 W. 105th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.; 212-222-8713.
• Abbey's will offer draft and shot specials, plus a menu that nods to Jacksonville, Florida with items like "Brewster's Stew" (meant to resemble road kill—don't ask). Patrons can participate in a variety of pools and contests, and most will go home with at least a beer-sponsored giveaway.
 
 

Back Page
Before they read about the game, Upper East Side sports fans watch it here on twenty TVs, including three large screens.

• 1472 Third Ave., between 83rd and 84th Sts.; 212-570-5800.
• $24.95 buys you unlimited draft beer and as many of their famous hot wings as you can stuff down. All customers are entered to win a Super Bowl football.

 
 
The Big Easy
The game's not in New Orleans, but that won't stop patrons at this Upper East Side dive from partying like it's Mardi Gras.

• 1768 Second Ave., at 92nd St.; 212-348-0879; bigeasynyc.com.
• $25 buys all the Bud, Bud Light, and well drinks you can guzzle during game time.
 
 

Croxley Ales
This sports bar may stand out on trendy Avenue B, but when it comes to the big day, it's simply a standout. Watch the game on any of seven flat screens inside the bar, or venture outsite to a heated tent equipped with a pair of six-foot screens.

• 28 Ave. B, between 2nd and 3rd Sts.; 212-253-6140; croxley.com.
• $34.95 gives you access to a tailgate party that kicks off an hour before game time — including an all-you-can-eat buffet and open taps like Brooklyn, Bass, and Guinness.
 
 

Down the Hatch
Dependable deals and lethally hot Atomic Wings (the bar houses its very own branch) attract more than just NYU jocks to this downstairs drinker's den with nine TVs.

• 179 W 4th St., between 6th and 7th Aves; 212-627-9747; nycbestbars.com/DTH.
• For those looking to get sacked, the bar will pour $2 pints of their imported and domestic beers from 7 p.m. until closing. Just be sure and get in line for those wings early.
 
 

ESPN Zone
Come the day of the big game, football fans take this Times Square tourist trap seriously.

• 1472 Broadway, at 42nd St.; 212-921-3776.
• ESPN isn't offering any specials but to gain entry you'll still need tickets—distributed on February 4 at 5 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is a $10 per-person, per-hour cover on Super Bowl night.
 
 
40/40
No football playa-hatas allowed at Jay-Z's super-sleek sports spot drawing plenty of celebs and fans.

• 6 W 25th St., at Broadway; 212-832-4040.
• 40/40 was so overwhelmed with Super Bowl reservations, it's scrapping them altogether, serving customers on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors open at noon for what will surely be a packed house.
 
 
Jeremy's Ale House
The South St. Seaport warehouse serves suds in — what else? — giant Styrofoam cups (a/k/a "the two-pint bucket").

• 228 Front St., between Peck Slip and Beekman St., 212-964-3537.
• For the first Super Bowl celebration at its latest location, Jeremy's is offering giveaways and a free buffet.
 
 
Park Avenue Country Club
This classy Flatiron playground may not have a members-only policy, but that doesn't stop sports stars from holing up in their VIP room.

• 381 Park Ave. S., at 27th St.; 212-685-3636.
• The club isn't offering any Super Bowl deals, but recommends making advance table reservations — otherwise show up early to secure a spot at the bar.
 
 
Play
This Elmhurst sports emporium not only boasts several bowling lanes but a bona fide smoking room.

• 77-17 Queens Boulevard, Queens; 718-476-2828; play-ny.com.
• Not only can you puff your brains out and watch the game, you can watch the bar's very own racy halftime show (featuring dancers from the local gentlemen's club). There's no cover to get in, but raffle tickets to win a Kawasaki motorcycle cost $100 each.
 
 

Proof
This laid-back Gramercy Park bar offers an alternative to watching the game in a rowdy, testosterone-driven sports pub.

• 239 Third Ave., between 19th and 20th Sts.; 212-228-4200.
• Enjoy the action on any of Proof's 14 TVs, and enjoy their numerous beer specials ($20 domestic buckets, $10 domestic pitchers) as well as $5 Bloody Marys.
 
 
Scruffy Duffy's
Sure, this Hell's Kitchen watering hole is impossibly loud and obnoxious, but this is Super Bowl Sunday, right?

• 743 Eighth Ave., between 46th and 47th Sts.; 212-245-9126; scruffyduffys.com.
• The bar has 14 plasma TVs, as well as a giant projection screen, so there'll be no neck-craning. No specials, either — just the usual $4.50 pints of Bud and Bud Light ($5 for premium).
 
 
Time Out
Twentysomething screens lure twentysomethings to this Amsterdam Avenue sports center.

• 349 Amsterdam Ave., between 76th and 77th Sts., 212-362-5400.
• Expect a table minimum that hovers around $25 per person. There's no cover, though, and the bar area is first-come, first-serve. As for the day's deals, expect $3 pints and $12 pitchers of Coors.
 
 
Best Buffalo Wings
For a nonpartisan—and slightly less sloppy—Super Bowl Sunday, skip the cheese steaks and lobster rolls and order in some spicy chicken wings.
 
 
Updated January 25, 2005