The sports culture of New York City is known throughout the world for the passion and intensity of its fans. Even if you can’t make it to the stadium for the game, there are always hundreds of options for sports bars to let your inner fanatic out with your friends and fellow fans. When our New York City personal injury lawyers have time off, we like to watch the Yankees, Knicks, Giants, Jets, and Rangers at the following sports bars:

Lion’s Head Tavern

Lion’s Head Tavern is a cheap dive bar in Manhattan Valley. It’s always a great place to get an affordable buzz while munching on all of your favorite bar foods for the game. Some of our favorites on the menu include their signature “brisket blend” burger, the fried buffalo chicken sandwich, the beer-battered spicy dill pickles, and of course, an order of the famous buffalo wings.

If you’re looking to forget about the Giants’ record by getting nice and buzzed, the drink menu offers several options (both craft and domestic), wines, and relatively affordable cocktails (at about $12-$13 each). We’re big fans of the Manhattan Valley cocktail.

Dive Bar

While the simple name may give you low expectations, Dive Bar is anything but your typical, well, dive bar. It features the warm, homey atmosphere that makes dive bars so popular, but with higher quality food and a more extensive drink list then you’d expect to find at your local dive. This location is on the Upper West Side, but there are three different Dive Bar locations throughout New York City.

The beer list is so big it’s almost overwhelming, with various craft brews from all over the country (and the world). There’s also a large selection of premium Scotches, bourbons, and ryes.

But for us, the food is what really makes Dive Bar shine. Some of our favorite gametime munchies include:

  • Poutine
  • Kentucky bourbon wings
  • Spring farm-raised catfish tacos
  • Lobster mac and cheese
  • Claire Allen’s blackened salmon tostadas

Bodega 88

Like the name suggests, Bodega 88 is a bodega turned trendy sports bar on the Upper West Side. It’s a perfect setting for watching a ball game, as you’ll have the option to reserve a booth for you and your group, complete with your own television for watching whichever game you choose. Drinks are also usually quite affordable – with a whopping 8-hour happy hour running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The drinks are always well-prepared and affordable, but the food is what keeps us coming back to Bodega 88. Some of our favorite menu items include:

  • Tacos (choice of chipotle chicken, hanger steak, pernil, salsa verde shrimp, or mixed vegetable)
  • Pulpo a la plancha (seared octopus, chorizo, white beat-garlic puree)
  • Ropa Vieja sloppy Joe’s with braised skirt steak
  • Calamari
  • Adobo chicken anticuchos

The Gin Mill

Watching a game at the Gin Mill is the next-best-thing to actually being in the stadium. The place is always packed on Sundays, so we’d recommend showing up at least an hour before gametime if you’re trying to watch some football. There’s also a fan-friendly atmosphere here, as patrons cheer (or jeer) together at the numerous screens surrounding the entire bar and restaurant.

The menu is pretty large for a sports bar and the food is always solid. Some of our favorite bar fare at the Gin Mill includes:

  • Appetizer sampler platter (4 wings, 4 mozzarella sticks, 4 Jalapeno poppers, 4 chicken fingers, and 1 cheese quesadilla)
  • Quesadillas
  • Nachos Grande
  • Sweet potato tater tots
  • Potato skins
  • Deep fried pickles
  • Old-fashioned sliders
  • Chili cheese burger