Las Vegas is a sports fan's ultimate destination. One of them, anyway. And chances are good that if you're coming here for sports, you want a good place to watch those sports. You'll hit the sports books, as we all do, but eventually you just want to find a good sports bar that serves cold beer and decent food.
As part of our continuing guide to the best of Las Vegas, we're here today to help you with your sports bar search. Here are 10 of the best. If you have any you'd like to see added to the list, let us know in the comments and we'll pay them a visit and including them in future iterations.
Twin Peaks: If cold beer is your thing--and let's be honest, cold beer should be your thing--then Twin Peaks is the place for you. The beer here is served at an ultra-chilly 29 degrees. You've never had beer go down your gullet more smoothly than beer draft beer served at 29 degrees. And the menu is full of top-quality bar food. Just stay away from the mountain oysters. They aren't oysters and they don't come the mountain.
Lagasse's Stadium: Emeril Lagasse's sports bar at the Palazzo is one of the hottest places in Vegas to catch sporting events. The menu is stocked with Emeril creations, which means delicious Cajun offerings like red beans and rice, grits and seafood. One of the coolest Lagasse features is the in-bar sports book. If you want to place a wager on the event you're watching, all you have to do is simply walk down the steps and up to the desk.
Born and Raised: Known as the home for UNLV basketball and football games in Vegas, Born and Raised (popularly known as BAR) features a giant wall of televisions, a fully stocked bar and a menu with excellent offerings. The wings are particularly good.
The Ainsworth: Along with Lagasse's Stadium, the Ainsworth is one of the few sports bars in Las Vegas that offer in-house betting. And like Lagasse's, it's high-class all the way. At night, the Ainsworth turns into a fancy cocktail lounge, but during the day (and during major sporting events), it's the perfect place to watch the game.
Hooligans: Tucked away just off S. Rainbow is Hooligans, one of Yelp's top-rated sports bars in all of Las Vegas. It's the home of the Big Mass burger, which is a virtual heart attack in waiting: a 2/3 pound patty stuffed with sausage. Yes, you read that correctly. The beef is imported from Australia, making these burgers much better than the stuff you'd normally get at related dive bars. Add a side of jalapeno fries to this, and you've got the perfect hangover remedy.
TAP (MGM Grand): This new addition to the MGM is a tad on the expensive side, but a decent selection of high-quality craft beers and food make it worth your while. You also can't beat the convenience, particularly if you're staying in the MGM or a property in the surrounding area.
Miller's Ale House: Miller's is down in Town Square, towards McCarran Airport and the 215. But this standalone establishment is the place to be for many sporting events, particularly during Ultimate Fighting Championship shows. It gets packed early, though, so you'll want to show up early if you want a good seat. The orange dreamsicle drink tastes like magic, and it is one of our favorites.
Todd English Pub: Located in the beautiful new-ish Cosmopolitan, Todd English Pub has extensive beer and food menus. But here's the best part: if you can drink a pint of beer in 7 seconds, it's on the house. It's the perfect chance for you to unleash your inner beer-drinking champion from your college days.
Sporting Life Bar: Las Vegas Weekly voted this place the best sports bar of 2014. They take a foodie approach to bar food, like the "Cracklin' Jacks," which are pork rinds and chipotle honey-roasted peanuts. How many sports bars serve Gnocche Fricasse? None, except for Sporting Life. If you fancy a a high-class food experience with your football, Sporting Life has you covered.
Crown and Anchor: The football (soccer)-loving among you will find this to be an excellent home base for all your footie needs in Vegas. Located near the UNLV campus just a few miles from the strip, Crown and Anchor features more than 20 taps of mostly European beers, a full European menu (chip butty, huzzah!) and, of course, every football match you can imagine. The Crown is particularly the place to be during English Premier League season.
Jeremy Botter is the Lifestyle Editor for Poker News. Follow him on Twitter.
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