Looking for a place to watch the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, Summer Olympics and more alongside good food and drinks? Not limited to the blockbuster sports events, there are welcoming watering holes, breweries, restaurants and lounges showing your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, college teams and beyond — sometimes all at once. Here are the best places in Santa Barbara to watch sports all year long.
Craft Breweries
If you like to catch the game with a cold beer in your hand, many Santa Barbara breweries are happy to oblige.
Validation Ale
A giant video wall is your first sign that the brewers at Validation Ale care about more than brewing. With NFL Sunday Ticket accompanied by Sunday-brunch’s OJ + IPAs, NFL Draft parties and more, this is definitely football country.
Lama Dog tap room + bottle shop
Praised by patrons for its football and soccer coverage, this dog-friendly, inside-outside brewery in the Funk Zone offers excellent craft beers (a flight is the perfect game accompaniment), as well as eight wine taps, sake, frosé and, of course, non-alcoholic options. Order some grub at The Nook, conveniently located just steps from the bar, and get ready for an afternoon of good old-fashioned fun. The other location on upper State Street, affectionately known as Lama Sama, is a delightful collaboration with the popular local restaurant Sama Sama.
Institution Ale Company
With more TVs in the taproom and game room than there are broadcast sports at any given time and a rotating tap and wine list that have something new each time you visit, Institution Ale is an institution for a reason. A chilled-out patio also offers a space for you to get a breather when your team is down.
Captain Fatty’s Brewery
With family-friendly outposts in Santa Barbara and nearby Goleta, Captain Fatty’s is a bustling place with plenty of room to host your whole crew. Check their site for trivia nights, holiday events, live music, rotating food trucks and game-specific promotions.
M. Special Brewing Company
M. Special Brewing’s location on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara makes it easy for the non-sports-loving members of your family to shop and entertain themselves while you watch a few downs, innings, halves or quarters over a brew; a handful of IPA options draw the most praise, as do the street tacos at Beast Taqueria, located right inside the brewery.
Figueroa Mountain Brewing
Described by one reviewer as “a sports bar that happens to brew lots of great beer” and another that calls it a “‘Cheers’-like atmosphere,” Figueroa Mountain Brewing in the Funk Zone is clearly a friendly place to hang and sample the brews, which include a few hard kombuchas, as well.
Elevated Fare
All the sports-friendly places on this list have delicious food options, but these three spots kick it up a notch.
The Brewhouse
While The Brewhouse food menu is small, the tastes are not: filet mignon enchiladas, blackened-salmon sandwiches and peanut-butter cream pie are a few items to sample under the big screen of your choice. With 25 beers on draft made on site, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to sample a few.
Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen
From a Moroccan salad to a Wagyu burger, Norwegian salmon and Kalua pork carnitas, Finney’s Crafthouse & Kitchen extensive menu will take you on a world tour along with dozens of draft beers, craft cocktails and broadcast sports.
SB Biergarten
The menu of artisan sausages and charcuterie boards at SB Biergarten lets you know you’ve gone beyond the typical sports bar (and the excellent wine list and schnitzel poutine let you know you’ve gone to heaven). Hopefully the game won’t pass you by while you’re digging in.
Special Promos & Happy Hours
When you’re here for the game, you’re likely here for a while. These restaurants will make sure you don’t break the bank when the game goes long.
Sandbar Cocina Y Tequila
This Mexican-food mainstay rallies its team when it comes to football and other sports. If your team has an early kickoff, Sandbar will set you up with breakfast, bloody marys and mimosas. Raffles, contests and other merriment vary by week.
Baja Sharkeez
With a motto of “Eat, Drink, Surf, Sports,” Baja Sharkeez also has rise-and-shine specials, mix-and-match buckets and game-night deals to accompany its casual coastal menu.
Woodstock’s Pizza
A popular place for students to catch the game in Isla Vista, Woodstock’s Pizza offers regular deals from Monday Madness BOGO pizzas to Wednesday pint nights and $9 pitchers after 9 p.m. (perfect for overtime situations).
Classic Sports Bars
If you don’t want a bunch of frills distracting you from the action, you’re in the right place.
Sportsman Lounge
“Sports” is right there in the name, and there’s nothing more classic in a bar than a jukebox and pool table. Besides the game and local beers on draft, Sportsman Lounge has an unpretentious vibe and is touted to have one of the city’s strongest pours.
Roundin’ Third
Roundin’ Third in Goleta is referred to as a hole-in-the-wall — in the most loving way possible. Its patrons also love the reasonable prices and 10 TVs, where you can gather with like-minded football, baseball and hockey fans.
O’Malley’s Bar
O’Malley’s Bar is loved in much the same way as Roundin’ Third. A low-key place with plenty of drafts to watch UFC pay-per-views, football and other sports. On nice nights, the patio opens and games are shown alfresco.
Specialty
santa barbara public Market
With more than 30 TVs, which come in handy during the early rounds of tournaments like March Madness, the Santa Barbara Public Market is a choice spot because you don’t have to argue over where to eat. More than a dozen spots serve up pizza, ice cream, noodle bowls, Thai barbecue and more.
Joe’s Cafe
It’s impossible not to feel cool in a place referred to as a legendary speakeasy. Joe’s Cafe has been offering “great meals, stiff cocktails and a friendly ambiance” since 1928. Pull up to the bar, sip on a classic martini, and celebrate (or lament) your team with Joe’s friendly bartenders.
Dargan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
Beyond the dart boards you’d expect from a pub with this name, Dargan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant shows all the standards — MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL — with a bit of emphasis on MLS and international football matches. “Stop by for a gargle,” as they say at Dargan’s.
Press Room
The Press Room is another internationally inclined place to catch some soccer, and is often the first pub that comes to mind when the locals are looking for World Cup matches.
Uptown Lounge
Whether the game went your way or not, Uptown Lounge will supply the live music and karaoke to revel in a win or dance your sports blues away afterward. A spicy margarita or two should help, as well.
Check out Santa Barbara’s other bars and lounges and the craft brew scene.
