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Washington’s Best Bars to Watch Soccer

Love soccer but don’t know where to head to watch it with fellow fans? Make it your goal (pun intended) to get to these fùtbal-friendly bars for the next match.


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DC

Lucky Bar
If there’s a soccer match on, you can bet one of Lucky Bar’s 20 TVs will be playing it, which means fans from all reaches
gather to watch their favorite team. World Cup, EPL, FA Cup—the list is so long that Arsenal and Tottenham fans might even
find themselves sharing the same side of the bar. But Lucky Bar says it’s the UEFA Champions League that draws the biggest
crowds, with fans toasting their teams with Stella, Carlsberg, and plenty more fine European beers.

Kitty O’Shea’s DC
EPL and Champions League soccer are always on at least four of the six TVs in this Tenleytown pub. It even opens early for
the fans who want to watch Premier League matches in real time. The establishment lives up to its Emerald Isle name, boasting
an allegiance to Ireland football, corned beef hash on the menu, and Guinness on tap.

Pour House
Fans of the US men’s national team head to this three-floor bar for their soccer fix. With 25 hi-def TVs, this bar makes sure
you can see the field from anywhere in the house. Weekend games also mean specials: Enjoy $3 Bud Light and Miller Lite drafts,
or bring some fellow hooligans along with you for the $10 Bud Light and Miller Lite pitchers.

Irish Channel Restaurant & Pub
Nine TVs and three soccer channels make this pub a good destination for fans of big-name teams such as Man U, Liverpool, and Arsenal. Daily specials on burgers and booze can be enjoyed at the bar or in the adjacent restaurant.Public Bar

There isn’t a game you can’t watch on one of Public Bar’s 41 TVs, scoring the three-level Dupont Circle establishment points
for personalization though it’s not specifically a soccer bar. Every booth has a TV that can be turned to the patron’s channel
of choice, and the wide-ranging sports-themed menu has a little something for everyone.

Fadó Irish Pub
Beer with breakfast? It’s on the menu at Fadó, where not even an early-morning kickoff stops fans from toasting their teams. This traditional Irish pub gets packed for the big matches such as Liverpool and Chelsea, but that doesn’t mean it forgets about the smaller ones. Seven big-screen TVs means even under-the-radar games get premier treatment. Win big prizes at the bar if you skillfully fill out a prediction sheet.

Mackey’s Public House
Mackey’s may be an Irish bar, but this is the place to be if you’re a fan of the Netherlands national football team. The bar
(a frequent destination for
Washingtonian staff) has 16 TVs and happy hour Monday through Saturday, making it a good choice for the K Street after-work set looking
to catch a game.

La Frontera Cantina
Come to this bar for game-day beer specials such as Bud Light and Miller Lite for $2.25 and $3 Coronas. A projection screen plus three TVs play everything from international games to smaller Mexican league games.

Nanny O’Brien’s
This Cleveland Park neighborhood joint suggests calling about a match in advance to make sure they have their TVs cued up,
though during big tournaments they’ll have football on at least one of their nine screens. Nanny’s is more about atmosphere
and grabbing a great plate of wings or fried pickle spears with a local crowd while taking in the game.

Bar Pilar
Named after Hemingway’s boat, Bar Pilar’s European feel will make any homesick fùtbal fan feel like he’s right back in the Old World. Three TVs and an impressive cocktail list make this bar a fine place to spend your 90 minutes.

Virginia

Summers Restaurant
Summers means soccer in Arlington, where more than 50 TVs make sure you don’t miss a single kick. Matches are typically shown
all day, and on weekends, the place shows up to 15 games per day. It’s an official US soccer bar, so local matches can pack
the house, even with a $10 to $20 cover charge.

Ireland’s Four Courts
Watch soccer at Four Courts and you’ll witness a truly authentic Irish-pub atmosphere, with wooden seats, old Guinness ads, and pewter mugs. The place shows everything from local to European matches on seven big-screen TVs, and in case you miss a game, the bar tapes most of them.

Maryland

Flanagan’s Harp & Fiddle
Time-zone differences mean a lot of soccer games in Europe air in Washington in the wee hours of the morning. But that doesn’t
stop Flanagan’s: As soon as the first game is on, the bar is open. You can even get a full Irish breakfast to wake you up
for that big Scottish Premier League match playing on one of the pub’s six TVs. 

Rí Rá Irish Pub Bethesda
When it’s not tournament time, Rí Rá regularly shows Spanish league as well as German and English Premier League games. Even better, there’s a special on Heineken during all matches: $3 for a pint. 

Union Jack’s British Pub

If you’re craving an authentic British beer with your soccer, Union Jack’s has you covered. With English ales such as Newcastle
on tap and specially imported bottles like Skullsplitter and Samuel Smith, you’ll feel like you’re right there in merry old
England with your team. A house rule at the pub states that at least one TV in each room must be devoted to a live soccer
match, meaning you’ll never be without a game. Be sure to swing by on Saturdays when pints of Irish and UK brews are $4 and
British fare is 25 percent off.

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Staff Writer

Michael J. Gaynor has written about fake Navy SEALs, a town without cell phones, his Russian spy landlord, and many more weird and fascinating stories for the Washingtonian. He lives in DC, where his landlord is no longer a Russian spy.