Best Bars To Watch Basketball In The Bay Area
Double D's Sports Grille
354 N. Santa Cruz Ave.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
(408) 395-6882
www.doubleds.com
Located in downtown Los Gatos, Double D's has been voted the Best Sports Bar in Silicon Valley for a phenomenal 12 consecutive years. Led by owners Dean and Darin Devincenzi, the popular sports bar features 20 flat screens and two 65-inch big screens, making it easy to follow whatever games are being televised. Double D's carries most every sports package from Direct TV, including NFL Sunday Ticket, NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass and ESPN Full Court. The drinks menu includes seven beers on tap, along with 14 craft beers, 15 types of wine, martinis and cocktails. The food menu features a huge selection selection of tasty bar food, such as Philly cheesesteak, buffalo wings, "Big League" burgers, "Pro Bowl" pizza, pasta and salads and even filet mignon.
Related: Best Places To Watch Each Pro Football Team In San Francisco
Pete's Tavern
128 King St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 817-5040
www.petestavernsf.com
Pete's Tavern is one of the most popular places to go after San Francisco Giants home games at AT&T Park, as evident from regular lines of people waiting outside the door. But with 22 flat-screen TVs and plenty of room, it's also a great place to watch the Golden State Warriors, other NBA teams, NCAA basketball and other sports. Frequently mentioned as the best sports bar in San Francisco, Pete's Tavern is certainly the largest with a capacity of 1,000 patrons. Twelve draft beers are on tap, in addition a large collection of bottled and canned beers, red and white wine and other refreshments. Favorite selections from the food menu include the chicken and chorizo nachos, garlic curly fries, chicken wings, fried zucchini and bacon cheeseburger sliders.
Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill
15028 Hesperian Blvd.
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510) 317-0200
www.rickys.com
Frequently mentioned among the best sports bars in America, Ricky's Sports Theatre and Grill is the Bay Area's top place to watch televised games of the Golden State Warriors. In business for nearly 70 years, this famous East Bay hangout with more than 90 TVs is also the best place in the entire country to watch Oakland Raiders football games and it's not unusual to see a legendary Raider pop in for a visit upon occasion. Ricky's is also famous for its outstanding bar food, most notably its Hall of Fame sandwiches, with names of legendary Oakland Raiders who have been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, including Jim Otto, Willie Brown, Ken Stabler and Jim Plunkett. In 2005, Sports Illustrated named Ricky's the second best sports bar in America and more recently it was a finalist as best sports bar by ESPN.
The Englander
101 Parrot St.
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 357-3571
www.englanderpub.com
Ricky's may get more attention in the Bay Area and beyond, but regular patrons of The Englander will argue that the latter is the better bar to watch sporting events. Just a few miles away from Ricky's, this English sports pub does have some nice features to back up its supporters' claims, with more than 20 HDTVs, three large-screen TVs and plenty of great food and drink. The Englander carries several television sports packages, including NBA League Pass and NFL Sunday Ticket, in addition to local sports coverage including the Golden State Warriors and Stanford and Cal sports. The Englander has a full bar in addition to an extensive beer and food list. Among the delicious traditional pub foods served here are steak, mushroom and ale pie, fish and chips and bangers and mash.
The Old Pro
541 Ramona St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(650) 326-1446
www.oldpropa.com
The Old Pro has been packing in sports fans ever since 1964. Just minutes from Stanford University, this lively sports bar is quite popular for the college crowd but also draws fans from other sports, particularly the Golden State Warriors, San Jose Sharks and the San Francisco 49ers. The two-level, 5,000-square-foot bar has several TVs to watch all the game action and carries sports packages such as the NFL Sunday Ticket, PAC 12 Network and ESPN Game Pass. The drinks menu features a nice selection of local craft beers, specialty cocktails and wines from the California Wine Country. Among the many outstanding selections from the food menu are sliders and tacos, house-made pizza, pulled pork sliders and grass-fed burgers.
Related: Best South Bay Bars To Catch Playoff Action
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
