IN A state of post-victory euphoria, a fan wheels around, whooping and hollering as he looks for some skin from a fellow rooter. All he gets is crickets and stink eye. Finding oneself in a sports bar that’s more bar than sports is a familiar position for any fan. Atmosphere is just as important at a sports bar as food and drink are, but finding that just-right atmosphere or scene can be a painstaking process.
One sports bar that feels close to perfect is Stephens Green in Mountain View, an Irish Pub that smartly combines sports-bar attitude and pub charm. The shape of Stephens Green is like an L that has been turned 180 degrees. Large paintings depicting moments in Irish history adorn the walls just inside the entrance, but they are easily missed because the first thing that catches the eye is the array of TVs.
There are TVs everywhere, and that’s not meant metaphorically. Everywhere fans turn, they get a view of a TV. Other sports bars may have a lot of TVs, but they don’t achieve that feeling of total sports immersion.
Professional types just off work and casually clad fans mix freely, and they all care about the same thing—sports. Maybe it is the shape of the bar and the slapdash placement of TVs—high, low, near and far—that keep the crowd’s attention on the games.
While the crowd at Stephens Green are attentive, they aren’t rowdy. But if rowdy is the goal, then check out the Blue Chip in downtown San Jose on South First Street. This sports bar is below street level, and finding the stairs leading down to the place can be tricky. One easy way to get oriented is to listen. Yelling, pleading, cursing and laughing emanate from the Blue Chip.
Sports fans here aren’t afraid to voice their feelings. The red and yellow walls are covered in sports memorabilia from the past, but the Blue Chip is all about the present. People spend just as much time standing, pointing and yelling at the TV as they do sitting. The crowd rungs to the young and often tattooed. This place is not for the faint of heart or the buttoned up.
If alcohol helps lubricate the vocal cords and loosen the tongue, Smoke Eaters (with locations on South First in San Jose and The Alameda in Santa Clara) fills the bill. The claim-to-fame for Smoke Eaters is the spicy wings, but the large TVs, college crowd and free-flowing beer make it an ideal spot to hoist a few during a game.
Smoke Eaters has a laid-back vibe and seems better suited for the general sports enthusiast than the rabid fanatic, but it still gets loud enough to generate some excitement.
If World Cup action is the goal, then the Britannia Arms is the destination. What better way is there to watch the World Cup than the original Brit in Cupertino? It has that requisite cramped pub feel. The location seems just right, an easily missed place tucked inside a shopping center. The smattering of posters on the walls and the case of soccer memorabilia give it an international flavor. Fans here take their football, real football, seriously. Highly mixed older crowds routinely show up here to catch soccer games.
All three locations of the Brit are showing every World Cup game, even the ones starting at 4:30 in the morning.
The crowd at the Old Pro in Palo Alto might not be made up of the craziest sports fans, but it is a good place to go and catch a casual game with a group of friends.
This nicely decorated bar has its walls covered in old Sports Illustrated covers, and its outside area in back, in keeping with its chill demeanor, has two couches for lounging.
South First Street Billiards in downtown San Jose is another down-to-earth spot. The pool hall features several TVs and a 20-foot projection screen for showing sports. The spacious hall never feels cramped, and the local artwork on the walls gives South First Street Billiard an alternative feeling that no other sports bar or pool hall can match.
