NYCGuide

Where To Watch Sports Outside In NYC

From European soccer to college football, sports are back. Here’s where you can watch them outside, from Hoboken to Astoria.
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The sports world is like everything else right now. It’s racked with uncertainty and postponements, rule changes and new normals, and absolutely no prospect of a Knicks playoff run. But the fact of the matter is sports are back, even if the crowd noise is fake. If you’re feeling the urge to watch a live game in the vicinity of friends, fellow supporters, or a random Philly fan who sounds like a buzzed Stephen A. Smith, here are 30 spots with outdoor seating where you can do just that.

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The Best Buffalo Wings In NYC

The Spots

Bowery Beer Garden

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Maybe you manage your fantasy team like Billy Beane, or perhaps you like to make things more interesting by using certain location-restricted gaming apps. The point is, you want to keep your eye on a whole bunch of different games at the same time. Head to Bowery Beer Garden. The huge outdoor space at the base of the Wyndham Garden in Chinatown has more than 50 TVs, with big tables, as well as individual seats overlooking a row of screens at the bar. With a fixed roof and space heaters, it’s a particularly good spot to keep in mind come playoff time.


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Astoria

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Bohemian Beer Garden offers more personal space than James Harden on defense. The Astoria beer garden has an arena-sized, heat lamp-equipped courtyard where you can drink pitchers of Czech beer and dunk giant pretzels in cheese sauce while watching NFL games on their five outdoor TVs.


The beer menu at Clinton Hall is like the roster of the US hockey team in Miracle - you may not recognize the names, but you know you like them, and you’ll find yourself looking up why they never made it big. Along with good beers, bar food, and a doughnut grilled cheese, the beer garden’s FiDi location has outdoor TVs that you can watch from picnic tables in between games of giant Jenga.


TailGate Outdoor Sports Bar

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We’d like to think tailgating has prepared us for our current situation of huddling in the cold watching football, but we’ll still take some heat lamps. Which is exactly what’s being offered at this new outdoor sports bar in Williamsburg. Along with heated cabanas, they’re doing a bunch of special deals for when the Chiefs and Bucs square off that include bottle service and a puppy-friendly “Puppybowl brunch.” Make a reservation and find out more info here.


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NYC Bars With Outdoor Heat Lamps

Having a clear line of sight to the TV is rarely a guarantee inside at sports bars. But that’s not an issue at The Grafton, as each of the picnic tables in front of this East Village sports bar has its own TV. They also have TVs in their backyard, with reservations available by email. Pick any NFL game you want, and they’ll put it on. And they take soccer and rugby pretty seriously as well.


The Chester

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“Let’s go to Meatpacking to...” is a statement that can go a lot of different directions, but very rarely does it end with “watch sports.” The Chester is trying to change that with a bunch of TVs on its heated and covered outdoor patio on the ground floor of the Gansevoort Hotel.


Certain things are immutable, like paying taxes, pushing off laundry day, and rooting for certain sports teams. The latter explains why the patio in front of this Park Slope sports bar is filled with people in Giants jerseys, even with no Saquon, OBJ, or other realistic reasons for optimism. While the Giants will always get one of the TVs when they’re on, three others play Redzone or games with teams that can actually get in the endzone.


Whether you want to eat shepherd’s pie during the Merseyside derby, or dip pigs in a blanket in Kentucky beer cheese while listening to Wildcat fans remind you they’re a basketball school, this LES bar has you covered. Make a reservation for a table on the heated outdoor patio, and call ahead to confirm they’ll play the game you want on any of the five outdoor TVs.


This Gramercy sports bar has built what looks like a makeshift clubhouse on 3rd Avenue. There are a couple of TVs embedded into its plywood walls, and when you come to the sinking realization that Sam Darnold simply isn’t going to bring you back from 24 down in the second half, you can focus your attention on the big screen in front of the bar.


photo credit: Noah Devereaux

Sports are a welcome distraction when spicy wings have you sweating like Charles Barkley on a golf course. And it’s helpful to focus on wings when you’re on the verge of tweeting something you might regret at admittedly incompetent refs. It’s why wings are served pretty much everywhere sports are aired on TV, but few places do them as well as Dan & John’s in the East Village. Try the hot or inferno spice-level at a high-top on the sidewalk while watching the TV in the bar.


Whether it’s due to marketing campaigns or quixotic superstitions, we tend to forget about our love for pinot noir and tequila mockingbirds when sports are on, and we default to beer. And we’re perfectly happy doing so when we’re at Taproom 307. This Kips Bay bar has a huge beer list organized by styles, which you can order by the glass, growler, or as part of 10 beer samplers while watching sports on the three big screens out front.


The Ground is from the people behind Kiki’s and Forgtmenot, and you can order food and drinks from both at this new spot in Chinatown. Most of the time, though, you’ll be more likely to find kids doing dribbling drills than adults drinking pints here. It’s an indoor soccer center with turf fields that can be rented out for pick-up games, leagues, or parties. But for big matches, they set up tables and big screens on the patio out front.


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Where To Eat Outside In Chinatown

All of the draft and canned beers at this Jersey City brewery are made on-site, and the knowledgeable staff are always happy to help you choose one you’ll enjoy. For example, they might recommend the one with the highest ABV if you happen to be here during a Giants game, when they host viewing parties on the roof that they call “support group meetings.”


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Where To Eat Outside In Jersey City & Hoboken

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In terms of your sports viewing, Aaron Judge hitting a bases-clearing triple or Jabrill Peppers blind-siding Dak are the heroes. But in the event that you want to know what it feels like to wear a cape, Croxley’s gives you the chance. Their “cry like a baby” wings are some of the spiciest we’ve ever had, and if you finish an order, you’ll feel an overwhelming sense of achievement and pain. If that (understandably) doesn’t appeal to you, order any of the other flavors - the wings themselves are excellent - and something from their huge draft beer list.


Ribalta is usually a Neapolitan restaurant where you’ll find pizza, paccheri with veal ragu, and plenty of Italian wine. But when there’s soccer to be watched, especially if an Italian club is involved, its outdoor patio on 12th Street feels like a cafe near the Stadio San Paolo, or at least a sports bar in NYC.


If you’re used to Blue Haven having more TVs than a casino’s surveillance room, its one outdoor TV might feel underwhelming. Take solace in the fact that you’ll be able to get a seat for once, and that you’re drinking boozy slushies on Houston Street.


Standings is a sports bar for people who really care about sports. It’s a small East Village bar where you can get great beers and BYO food, and where you know you’ll get volume for the game. That’s all still true, even if volume is the only part of the game you’ll get. They don’t have any outdoor TVs, but their small beer garden plays game-sound on the radio, so you can pretend you’re living in a time when the highest-paid baseball player made 20 grand a year.


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NYC Guide

Where To Eat Outside In The East Village

The Ainsworth - East Village

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The Ainsworth’s locations in Midtown, FiDi, and the East Village are all showing sports on outdoor TVs. You’ll find everything from weekday baseball games to late-night UFC fights, and you can email them to request specific events. On NFL Sundays, they recommend making a reservation.


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Keg & Lantern Brewing Company

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Between its TVs, house-brewed beers, and very good bar food, Keg & Lantern is always a great spot to watch sports in Greenpoint. And considering its backyard is fully shaded from the elements, that’s as true now as ever. Keep track of what games they’ll be showing by checking their Instagram.


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Where To Eat Outside In Greenpoint

photo credit: Noah Devereaux

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The front patio at Harlem Tavern might be even larger than the tavern itself, so it’s a good option when you’re not the only one in your group who wants to watch Zion win while the Pelicans lose. Check their Instagram to see what games they’re airing on their projectors.


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Where To Eat Outside In Harlem

With waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline, this BBQ spot always has some of the best views in Hoboken. The only way to make them better is to go during a Yankees or Giants game, when you can say, “Isn’t that beautiful?” whether you’re looking at the city or a Gerrit Cole complete game. Reserve a table ahead of time through their website, and make sure to order some brisket.


If there’s a soccer match you want to watch, there’s a very good chance this Williamsburg bar will play it. To reserve any of the 21 seats they’ve set up on the sidewalk out front, DM them on Instagram.


Sports bars and buffalo wings go together like the Cowboys and unmet expectations. Order some of the best wings in the city at this Upper West Side sports bar, and watch the Cowboys make headlines on their way to another 8-8 season.


From 12-10pm every day, this massive Astoria sports bar is airing games on their new street and sidewalk patio out front. Whether you’re interested in watching WNBA, UFC, or NFL, there’s a good chance you’ll find it here, along with a long menu of bar food, including about 10 different buffalo wing sauces.


It’s never fun to stand in line. Pig Beach understands that, and tries to make it as enjoyable as possible. Not only can you look forward to brisket, fried chicken sandwiches, and frozen cocktails once you get to the front of it, but TVs above the bar mean you can watch sports while you wait.


Not only does this old-school sports bar on the Upper East Side have outdoor TVs for people at tables on 82nd Street, but they’ve also turned all of their indoor TVs to face 2nd Avenue, so people sitting at stools in the windows or the tables behind them can also see what’s going on.


Our favorite soccer bar in the city, Smithfield Hall in Chelsea has reopened with eight outdoor tables that are available daily from 11am-11pm. Each table has a view of a TV, and you can make a reservation for groups of six or more by emailing hello@smithfieldnyc.com.


Outdoor big screens, tables shaded by large umbrellas, and delicious bar food make Triona’s a good option whenever you want to watch a game. But if you’re looking to watch a University of Michigan or Chicago pro team play, or any team during a weekday when they offer Happy Hour from 12-8pm, then this Gramercy sports bar should be at the top of your list.


All of the tables on Mudville’s canopy-covered outdoor patio have a view of whatever game’s on the big screen in front of this Tribeca sports bar. Reserve one of them by calling 212-964-9464, and then order any of their 30 draft beers along with some truly excellent buffalo wings.


The Greens is the newest addition to Pier 17 at the Seaport District. The rooftop bar is made up of 28 individual mini-lawns that each include lounge chairs for up to eight people. Along with food and drinks from R17, and lawn games that can be reserved ahead of time, they also have a 32-feet wide screen that streams major sporting events. You can reserve a mini-lawn through their website for any day between 11am-11pm.


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Suggested Reading

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West Village restaurants where you can eat outside.

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24 Harlem restaurants with sidewalk seating, back patios, and parking lanes decked-out with string lights.

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