10 NB Spots For Super Bowl 50
The Super Bowl has become a de facto national holiday in the U.S., and on February 7, 2016, Super Sunday is especially huge, as the game celebrates the football game’s 50th anniversary in Santa Clara. Clearly, this calls for appointment viewing, eating and drinking with legions of game day fans. Here are 10 Newport Beach restaurants and bars that warrant leaving the comfort of your couch.
The sprawling Fashion Island location arms more than 100 taps with beer, many of them craft. Yard House houses a total of 18 flat screen TVs, viewable from almost every seat in the house. Sound will be on during the Super Bowl. Beer will of course flow like a river, and expect a steady stream of game-friendly plates emerging from the kitchen, including street tacos, firecracker wings, and burgers.
Photo Credit: Alan-De-Herrera
Mario Marovic now runs the oldest bar on Balboa Peninsula, which debuted in 1908. The Stag Bar has 14 state of the art big screen TVs that range in size from 50 to 80 inches, which makes it easy to catch the action. Stag Bar also offers TV viewing from their open-air dining room. The Kitchen part of the name contributes options like spicy wings, pizza, and meatball sandwiches.
Rudy’s is especially well suited to capturing a Super Bowl crowd. The brewpub at the mouth of the Balboa Peninsula dates to 1999 and welcomes diners with a massive patio with retractable roof and more than 30 TVs. Chef David Baumann contributes comfort foods that are tailored perfectly to football viewing, including wings by the pound, mountains of nachos, and an array of burgers, mostly containing a half-pound of meat.
Photo Courtesy of Pelican Hill
Pelican Hill is making the most of the Super Bowl. The Pelican Grill Lounge is airing the game on a pair of nine-foot TV screens, and another nine-foot screen will be firing at Coliseum Pool & Grill. Expect Super Bowl Sunday Team Specials from Chef Luke Turpin and Chef Micah Severeid. If you’re really looking to go luxe, Pelican Hill is offering reservations for 4-10 people in private cabanas overlooking the Coliseum Pool. Buckets of beer, chicken wings, pizza, Prime beef sliders and Parmesan garlic fries will all be available.
Photo Credit: Glenn Inskeep Photography
Gail Lynch’s Newport Beach dive bar dates to 1976 and is still going strong by the Newport Beach Pier. Pile into the corner space with brick walls and well-worn picnic tables. Mutt Lunch’s has 22 wall-to-wall TVs and they will all be showing the game and dialing up the sound. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations for the Super Bowl, so they suggest arriving early to get a seat. From there, order specialties like pterodactyl wings.
Tony DeGrazier founded this Hawaii inspired burger chain in 1982, and they’re still bringing a relaxed island vibe to Southern California. This Newport Beach location near UC Irvine has three 65-inch flat screen TVs in the bar area, complete with sound, for the Super Bowl. Islands also offers an NFL Happy Hour during the big game, with select $2.99 beers, $4.59 IPAs, and bartender-call-it specials. To eat, Buffalo wings, nachos and sliders all cost under $10 on gameday.
Bud Wierenga will have all 30 of his 60-inch TVs on at Cruisers for the big game, which doesn’t even include a 170-inch mega screen. Whether you sit at the bar, in the dining room, on the patio, or in the sports room, you’re bound to both see and hear the game. All you can drink packages start at $45 and are booking quickly. If you score prized seats, you’ll either need pizzas galore to soak up all the booze, or an Uber ride home.
This casual Corona del Mar spot with surfboards on the ceiling is best known for their famous flame burger topped with a liberal amount of sliced jalapeño, and if you’re smart, fried egg and avocado. For the Super Bowl, The Place has two rooms with eight TVs in the front and six more in the back. They will show the game on every single TV with surround sound enveloping customers in commentary and audio of bone-jarring hits.
This gastropub features a patio overlooking Newport Harbor, but all attention will face indoors on Super Bowl Sunday. The spacious interior will tune all 15 flat screen TVs to the big game. American Junkie typically gets busy on weekends, and should be packed for Super Bowl Sunday. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis.
Pizza Nova
For Super Bowl, Pizza Nova is pretty much providing a public service by offering happy hour from 3-6pm with no cover charge. Select cocktails, draught beer and glasses of wine cost $4 apiece, and appetizers are available at a 50% discount. That means meatballs with marinara, salmon crostini, and baked mac and cheese & gratin all come at a deep discount. Better yet, all five flat screen TVs will be tuned to the Super Bowl with sound activated, so you can catch the game either indoors or on the patio.
