You ready? Super Bowl LVII is Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!
I’m not a rabid football fan, but the Super Bowl is different. It’s an event. It’s drama. Cheesy commercials. A Rihanna concert. You don’t need to be a football expert to enjoy the Super Bowl.
The first thing you need to know: Who’s playing?This year, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will square off against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles at a stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And no matter the outcome, Mahomes and Hurts will make history, as this is the first Super Bowl between two Black starting quarterbacks.
And the second and final thing you need to know: Where are you watching this thing? All other facts are superfluous to your Super Bowl party. Since we’re a glutton for good ambiance at The Ticket, we’ve organized a list of nontraditional bars where you should watch the game. Vibes first, as always.
Octopus Bar
2121 N 45th St
Not only does the nautical-themed Octopus Bar have the soul of the creaking hull of a ship tossing about on the seven seas, it also has TV screens for your football viewing pleasure!
The freshly relocated and refurbished Octopus Bar in Wallingford boasts a bounty of seafaring treasures on its walls and ceiling. When you go, maximize the seaside escapism with one of their tropical house cocktails like the “Shipwrecked Molly,” a vodka drink with blue cacao, orange and pineapple juice, topped off with lemon and a heap of Swedish fish. Their “tackle boxes,” or combo beer packages, are a good option if you’re not looking for a headache after one sip. For food, the bar’s “salty shack” offers a bunch of sandwiches and all the fried food you could want.
The Super Bowl watch party starts at 3 pm. If you’d like to watch the game here, send the bar an email, and they’ll reserve a spot for you. You’ll forget all about ye landlubbin’ ways in no time.
Pelicana
Watching sports on Capitol Hill became exponentially harder once The Canterbury Alehouse and its TV screens shut down. Pelicana Chicken, a Korean fried chicken restaurant, has filled the sports-viewing gap for me on the Hill. While it’s not necessarily a sports bar, Pelicana’s always got a game on. They have a huge TV behind the bar and other big screens scattered around the restaurant. But the best part of Pelicana is its food.
You can order a heap of fried chicken—bone-in or boneless—in various sauces. I’m spice-intolerant, so I usually opt for the original wings in the signature sauce. If you visit in a group, sample multiple sauces. The hot chili looks good, but I know it would kill me. Order a side of the ddukbokki, a spicy stir-fried rice cake dish, for a little more Korean flavor. And finally, pair brutal American football with soju, Korea’s national alcohol. I like the white grape-flavored soju, even if it’s a bit on the sweet side.
The Attic
📸: Courtesy The Attic
I like The Attic because it’s right near Madison Beach, and it has an open space with plenty of viewing opportunities for all your sports needs. Also, it’s kinda cozy. Sitting in this bar is like sitting inside a gable-roofed house’s attic because of the vaulted ceilings with exposed beams. I like a sports bar where I have room to breathe.
The Attic’s been around since 1907. It started its life as a bowling alley, then turned into a shooting range before becoming a bar in 1937. That bar finally turned into The Attic in 1967. The food and drink menu is standard, but they’ve got more wine options than most places on this list.
Backyard
📸: Courtesy Backyard
This place is typically not open on Sundays, but it’s making exceptions for the Big Game. The Super Bowl viewing goes down 2:30 to 8:30 pm.
Tucked in the alley behind Rookies’ sports bar sits Backyard. What this hole-in-the-wall add-on to Rookies lacks in space, it makes up for in character. Rustic and “lived-in,” Backyard adds texture to the typical sports bar experience. It’s the epitome of a neighborhood secret. (Sorry, Columbia City, for blowing up your spot.)
Come to Backyard hungry. They have a killer BBQ brisket sandwich. If you’re not feeling a sandwich, you could also get the brisket in taco form—birria and regular. I’d start my Super Bowl at Backyard with a pile of fried pickles and a side of poutine. Speaking of unique menu items, for the non-drinkers in the group, Backyard offers non-alcoholic CBD seltzer.
The Dock Sports Bar & Grill
📸: Courtesy The Dock Sports Bar & Grill
Sometimes you need to watch sports in a tried and true sports bar. Enter: The Fremont Dock. This family-owned dive has been a sports-watching staple in Seattle since 2012. This has to do with the fact that they have 23 TV screens. If you’d like to brave the early February chill, The Dock also has two 70-inch screens on their deck and in their beer garden.
The Dock sits next to Fremont Brewing’s Urban Beer Garden and is a quick jaunt away from Gas Works Parks. So if the football and “pandemonium” of a room full of football fans become overwhelming, you can step outside and soak in the Seattle skyline.
If you go, you need to dive into the Dock Totchos, a food that answers the question: “What would nachos be like if we swapped out the chips for tater tots?”
