by the eu professional drinkers
We’re back in sports bars again. I suspect our professional drinkers will never really be done going to sports bars. In Jacksonville, every bar is a sports bar by default. Sometimes the real challenge of finding a place to drink is just the challenge of escaping sporting events and crowds of rowdy fans. Sports bars can be scary, since people who enjoy fighting are often in these places hiding incognito with a group of rowdy Bud Lite drinkers, waiting for some smartass to pop open their laptop so that they can make inane comments and try to rouse them to violence. But the professional drinkers labor on so that you can find the right bar for your beer tooth.
Address or Directions: There are 6 in the area. We went to the one at 4521 Southside Boulevard, near Tinseltown.
Type of Place: It’s a Hooters! They have “great wings” (breasty waitresses).
Serving: Bar food, casual seafood, hot wings and beer. Some locations have a full bar.
Amenities: Do we really have to tell you? The ladies, the ladies!
Atmosphere: “Delightfully tacky yet unrefined.”
At first and probably second glance, Hooters seemingly caters to a ravenous male appetite. The success of the Hooters franchise could easily be tied into a Freudian thread of logic about men returning to their infantile yearning for breasts, but hold on you armchair psychologist, this isn’t exactly the case. The Hooters on Southside Boulevard is only a few months old but has enjoyed a strong neighborhood response. It draws a good mix of people, including an abundance of families. They feature a full bar, a complete menu with fan favorite wings, and a number of flat-screen televisions that show NFL games, UFC fights, and all other major sporting events. Trivia night is every Thursday from 7 to 10 and Bike Night is every Tuesday from 6 to 10; ride your bike up and enjoy a 15% discount on all food and merchandise. You might wonder what separates Hooters from nearby imitators (and I did ask on-duty manager Luke this very question). He explained that while the beautiful, all-American, cheerleader-looking waitresses are an enormous part of the draw, it is the great atmosphere of “eatertainment” that transcends other restaurants and keeps patrons coming back for more. – Brenton Crozier
Address or Directions: 910 King Street in Riverside.
Type of Place: Sports Bar and restaurant.
Serving: Full lunch and dinner menus, imported and domestic draft beers, all kinds of bottled beers and a full liquor bar.
Amenities: Outdoor tables, trivia nights, many TVs and a sometimes bi-curious crowd.
Atmosphere: Casual.
Often referred to by locals as “Brokebacks,” it is no surprise that the gayest sports bar in town is in Riverside. That doesn’t mean it’s a gay bar, it’s not. And that doesn’t mean it isn’t a good place, it is. It’s convenient, cheaper than most of the bars in Riverside, and it’s easy to feel comfortable there. It just so happens there will be more homosexuals in this particular sports bar than is common at sports bars. Don’t worry, they aren’t going to hit on you (unless your really cute and alone) and they aren’t going to look over at you in the bathroom (it’s too small…the bathroom, that is), so have a reasonably priced pint of Yeungling and watch the game with friends or meet up there to play trivia, but don’t be mad when you get beat in the musical theatre category. –Johnny St. Thomas
Address or Directions: 2 Locations, at 111 Beach Blvd at Jacksonville Beach and at 8133 Point Meadows Blvd. (near 9A).
Type of Place: Sports bar and restaurant.
Serving: Full menu, full bar.
Amenities: Hi-Definition televisions everywhere. 8 Brunswick Pool Tables, Golden Tee, Dart Boards, 3 full-service bars, 7 Big screen (22-foot) TVs and more than 80 other TVs.
Atmosphere: All sports all the time.
When real sports bar people dream about sports bars, they are either dreaming of Hooters, where they can flirt with hot waitresses who flaunt for their tips to exceedingly drunk fans, or they think of getting together with “the guys” for back-slapping, wing-eating, pitcher-guzzling sporting events at a place like Sneakers. These enormous restaurants are so smoothly operated, you will think you are in a national chain, but in reality Sneakers was originally owned by Jaguars star of yesteryear, Tony Boselli. At their Beaches location you can play horseshoes or sit outside. Take in some great bar foods or indulge in a whole steak or rack of ribs, they have you covered and smothered in sauce. –Johnny St. Thomas
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
