Best Sports Bar, Downtown Phoenix 2012 | Coach & Willie's | Bars & Clubs
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Best Sports Bar, Downtown Phoenix

Coach & Willie's

Not being able go to the game doesn't burn nearly as bad when you can watch it from Coach & Willie's. Since 2000, this downtown establishment has been winning customers over with its killer patio and stiff drinks. Located close enough to Chase Field that you can still hear the crack of the bats, Coach & Willie's makes it almost too easy to stumble in after a few too many brews at the game — at least they've got plenty of above-par bar food to soak up the extra beer. Win or lose, you usually can count on some post-game action at this local watering hole.

Best Sports Bar, South Phoenix

Teakwoods Chandler

We've all had it happen before. Just enough time on the clock for one last drive — and your team needs seven to clutch the win. The best way to release all that nervous tension? Smashing peanuts and throwing the waste all over the floor. Hungry or not, we always manage to make a serious dent in the bucket of peanuts found on every table at Teakwoods — and the food you actually pay for isn't bad, either. Mostly, we show up for the 360-degree views of flatscreen TVs and the affordable pitchers of beer. The mixture of lowbrow peanut-tossing and casual neighborhood hangout vibe makes Teakwoods a great place to drink away the blues we're bound to get for being Cardinals fans.

Best Sports Bar, North Phoenix

Zipps Sports Grill

The newest Zipps location keeps all the best parts of this Valley favorite sports bar chain. Exposed brick and too many TVs to count carry on a classic Zipps tradition, but the young feel of the surrounding neighborhood keeps things fun. We've been known to indulge in drunken shuffleboard, and the Golden Tee machine — a staple in any top-tier sports bar — constantly calls to us from across the room. A trip to Zipps wouldn't be complete without a basket of their "golden" wings, but by far our favorite part about this place has to be their Zipparita. One too many, and we're ordering a round for the whole place.

Best Sports Bar, West Valley

Stinger's Sports Bar

Benjamin Leatherman

There are more than enough sports bars in Stinger's neighborhood, and they all seem to embrace their rough-around-the-edges appearance. But no one likes to walk into a bar full of regulars and feel the burning stare of patrons and employees demanding, "Why are you here?" Though Stinger's is sure to be full of regulars on any given night, we like its sociable attitude and the bartenders' welcoming service. Whether you're in to watch the game or just grab a drink, there's going to be plenty to watch at this true sports bar. Considering the in-house pool league, off-track betting, dartboards and other games, Stinger's offers quite a showing — besides the action on the numerous TVs, of course.

Best Sports Bar, Southeast Valley

Cactus Moon Sports Bar

There's no shortage of places to catch a game in the East Valley, but forget about finding a seat if you don't stake out a spot well before kickoff. That's when we head to Cactus Moon. Because whether we show up in the first half or the bottom of the ninth, there's always room for us and our beer. We'll admit we were skeptical of a sports bar in the Mesa Riverview shopping complex, but there's nothing corporate about this family-run operation. Even after the final whistle blows, we stick around for when they clear the floor for late-night fun. Our favorite is Thursday's country-Western theme.

Best Sports Bar, Tempe

Native New Yorker

Okay, so it's a chain. But being located within spitting distance of a college campus means this sports bar — excuse us, "sports-themed family restaurant" — gets real rowdy on game day. Our favorite nights of the week are easily Tuesday and Thursdays, when we can order a plateful of wings for just 45 cents apiece. This place bleeds college-casual atmosphere, and with its recent renovations, we're happy to stay for this game and the next. Bar food is bar food, but Native New Yorker's unique wing flavors such as Honey Hot, Parmesan Dusted, Strawberry Hot, and Spicy Honey Mustard mean your taste buds don't have to get bored or burned.

Best Sports Bar, Scottsdale

Duke's Sports Bar

Lauren Cusimano

There are quite a few reasons we love coming to Duke's, not the least of which is owner Al McMarthy, a man who's not afraid to hop on the mic and make the whole place cheer for a table of champion beer league softball players. We also love Duke's because it has enough TVs to satiate our totally neurotic need to view every sporting event at once. And because the place respects our waistlines. While we're sure to guzzle well over our daily allowance of calories in beer, we can reconcile our conscience with Duke's extensive salad menu. We appreciate a sports bar where greens aren't a just a second thought or a sad excuse of a side dish. Most importantly, with three rooms and large patio spaces, you don't have to sit anywhere near the enemy fan camp.

Best Dive Bar

Palo Verde Lounge

Jacob Tyler Dunn

They don't call it the "Dirty Verde" for nothing. The Palo Verde Lounge in Tempe has earned its reputation as a thoroughly rock 'n' roll watering hole the old-fashioned way: serving up cold domestic beers, not spending too much time mopping the floors, and never catering to the snooty hipster set. The kind of bands that take stage (the floor space directly in front of the arcade machines) are hip, but the kind of hip that understands that the coolest thing anyone or anything can do is not waste valuable drinking and rocking time worrying about what's cool and what isn't. The jukebox is stocked with the same kind of "take no guff" classics — so don't visit expecting some cheap chic façade. The P.V. is the real deal, and thank the rock 'n' roll gods for it.

Best Rockabilly Bar

The Blooze Bar

If the black walls of the Blooze Bar could talk, they'd probably sing some rollicking yarn in 4/4 time about all the evils that both women and the bottle hath wrought. After all, they are the sort of ditties that are dispensed in this North Phoenix venue during its long-running rockabilly night every Thursday. A big portion of Valley rockabilly history has unfolded on its stage each week for more than five years, as a nonstop parade of local hepcat bands have primped their pompadours and plucked their standup basses here. Any local rockabilly or psychobilly act worth mentioning has pulled a gig at the Blooze, whether it's veteran favorites (like The Rhythm Dragons or Pat Roberts and the Heymakers) or scene newbies like Trailer Queen. Meanwhile, flocks of femme fatales sporting Bettie Page 'dos and countless tattoos break plenty of hearts of would-be suitors in the audience, and local custom-car clubs are known to show off their supercharged vintage hot rods in the parking lot.

Best Gay Bar

Kobalt

Lauren Cusimano

The drink pixies behind the granite-topped bar at this upscale gay-oriented drinkery in the heart of Park Central Mall aren't stingy with either their smiles or their pours. Kobalt's cocktails are ridiculously potent, which may explain why the place always buzzes with laughter, vivacious conversation, and enlivened antics. It's also one of the reasons why Kobalt draws a diverse clientele from across the LGBTQ spectrum into its mellow and immaculately decorated milieu, where anything goes and everyone's welcome, even if they happen to be straight. No one bats an eye when a 6-foot-2 drag queen teeters into the place on stiletto heels for Taylor Made's illusionist extravaganzas on the first Saturday of the month, nor do they care when singers vocalize at the twice-weekly karaoke sessions on Sundays and Tuesdays. Ditto for whenever club kids tromp around during the high-energy dance night on Fridays and Saturdays or when well-groomed types stop by for massages and martinis on Wednesday. Kobalt's bartenders simply give a knowing wink and fill the glass with something strong.

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