Nowadays, Greenpoint has a bewildering number of bars, but many of the best ones aren’t really places to watch a football game. So what makes a great sports bar where you can watch all the Sunday N.F.L action (or Monday night or Thursday night or Saturday College Football)? First, the bar has to have a big screen TV, preferably many TVs, so if you don’t root for the Giants or the Jets you can still catch your team’s game. Second, the bar’s gotta have good cheap beer and preferably some kind of beer and shot specials. Also, who doesn’t watch a football game without getting the munchies? A bar that serves pub grub has to rate higher than one that doesn’t. Finally, you want to watch with a good crowd, not in some mausoleum. With those categories in mind, here is a list of the top ten places to watch an N.F.L game!
10) Greenpoint Beer and Ale (7 North 15th Street, at Franklin St)
Greenpoint Beer and Ale has a huge projection screen, a great selection of beer brewed on-site and good food. There isn’t much of a regular football crowd, but it is still a good place to enjoy a game.
9) Shayz Lounge Franklin Street (130 Franklin St, near Milton St)
Shayz has great bartenders and a regular crowd of real football fans. It has nice beer and shot specials in an unpretentious, laid-back, comfortable atmosphere.
8) Pit Stop Bar (152 Meserole Ave, off McGuinness Ave)
This place has not changed much in the two decades I have lived locally. The Pit Stop has good cheap standard beers and shots, a lot of old-school local football fans and nice bartenders who give it a special down-to-earth atmosphere
7) The Habitat (988 Manhattan Ave, near Huron St)
This place has great wings, twelve different kinds of tap beer, and usually some art for you to ponder during commercials. Plus, it seems to have a loyal following on Sunday afternoons. One of your best local bets, if you want to eat well and watch a game.
6) Call Box Lounge (2 Lombardy St, near Kingsland Ave)
This old-time Greenpoint bar is a classic local dive – a good place to watch a game if you do not have a lot of money. They have a big selection of $3 brews and $4 gets you a Guinness.
5) t.b.d. (224 Franklin St, at Green St)
T.b.d. is a big spacious bar with four TVs, including a projection screen. There are very pleasant bartenders with a laid-back atmosphere. And the huge garden in the back is also a great place to chill out after the game.
4) Berry Park (4 Berry St, at N 14th St)
This is more of a soccer bar, but you can watch the N.F.L here in this giant space. They have a lot of large screens to watch a game. They serve a great selection of beer along with tasty German themed bites and full meals. Friends have raved about the bratwurst and fish and chips.
3) Capri Social Club (156 Calyer St, at Lorimer St)
They have a standard list of really cheap beers, but this elegant old bar dates back to the 1880’s and has amazing woodwork. They have a large screen plasma TV and it is a good, chill place to watch some football.
2) Lake Street (706 Manhattan Ave, near Norman Ave)
Wanna watch a game in the Midwest? Lake Street has a large screen that is always reserved for the Vikings game. The bar has a great selection of beers and shots with a friendly bar staff. I once watched the Vikings beat up on my team, but the Minnesotans were too polite to rub salt in my fresh wounds. The place has a nice easygoing ambiance and a lot of screens to catch your game, even if you are not a Vikings fan.
1) Keg & Lantern (97 Nassau Ave, near Manhattan Ave)
Almost everyone I talked to named this as the top local sports bar. It has friendly bartenders and a lot of tasty in-house brewed beer. They serve Brunch and there is a nice Sunday evening special on Fingers and fries. The place seems to have about a million screens to watch your team and you can even watch your game outside in the back garden.