New York's Best Bars and Drink Specials for March Madness 2014
What comes after Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Freaky Friday and Selection Sunday? March Madness! Cheer for your alma mater, favorite team, and bracket choices at some of New York's sportiest spots.
Standings (43 E 7th St.; 212-420-0671)
You know that the March Madness is underway when Standings brings out the chalkboard to keep track of all the chaos. 8 HD screens, ten rotating drafts and craft brews, tons of memorabilia, and Mega Pitchers. Game on.
The Ainsworth (122 W. 26th St.; 212-741-0646)
If you want to watch the games without rubbing shoulders with people who are rooting against your meticulously prepared bracket, try the 6,000 square feet of The Ainsworth. Throughout the tournament, beer and wine will be half off, and oysters are just $1.
Professor Thom’s (219 2nd Ave.; 212-260-9480)
If you’re rooting for underdogs to pull off some upsets, this is the spot for you. During the first round, the crowd will be rewarded with a free drink or special price for any team seeded 12th or higher. And the first 200 customers on 3/20 only have to pay $4 for Hardwood Lager for the entire tourney.
Stadium Grill at Bowlmor Lanes (222 W. 44th St.,; 212-680-0012)
For those less than inclined to watching the game, there's bowling. For the rest, there is sports on TVs, a wide range of vodka and food by David Burke. It's campy (the food is themed around NYC neighborhoods) but for that inauthentic-authentic New York experience for the out-of-towners, you're hard-pressed to find better.
Wogies (39 Greenwich Ave.; 212-229-2171)
You'll need something to sop up all that beer. You can't do better than a cheesesteak for less than $10.
Red Star (2529 7th Ave.; 212-281-9281)
This is a sport’s bar lovers’ sports bar. Plump wings, plenty of plasma screens, and their 14 drafts actually include one made specifically for them by the Brooklyn Brewery. And it doesn’t hurt that those aforementioned wings won Rachel Ray’s “Snack Stadium Smackdown” challenge.
Village Pourhouse (64 3rd Ave.; 212-979-2337)
The house of pour is aptly named, with over 100 beers. The bar itself is a sprawling expanse of televisions, rooms for private parties, and sports memorabilia. For the duration of the tournament, they will be offering Bud Light pitchers for $12.
Blondies Sports (212 W 79th St.; 212-362-4360)
Winning is all about having solid fundamentals. Blondies has the TVs, the wings, the beer, and the fans. It’s home base for five of the participating teams, including the #4 and #1 seed in the Eastern region—Michigan State and Virginia—which could lead to a raucous Sweet Sixteen matchup.
Photo: Flickr user Thomson20192
