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The stars have aligned this week to give you two, even three days that just beg for you to skip work and spend a lot of time at the bar. On Thursday and Friday, the most exciting rounds of the NCAA Tournament happen, meaning your afternoon should be spent watching basketball and crying about your busted bracket rather than filing those TPS reports. If you choose to be smart and not go to work, here are the best bars for watching the games in Philadelphia.
Chickie’s & Pete’s, 1526 Packer Avenue
From noon to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday, Chickie’s is offering an all-you-can-eat special. For $39.95 you get as much crab fries, cheesesteaks, nachos, pizza, domestic drafts and more. Bosses will totally understand people’s absences once they hear about this hot deal.
Fieldhouse, 1150 Filbert Street
With 35 TVs, Fieldhouse will have every game you’d ever want to see. But it’s not for people who want a laid-back atmosphere. Routinely the hangout for fans of teams like Michigan State and Kansas, it could get loud during many of the games.
City Tap House, 3925 Walnut Street and 2 Logan Square
Offering select $5 craft beers during NCAA Tournament games at the University City location, plus a bracket competition with prizes if you turn yours in before the games start on Thursday. The Logan Square location has one of the best TV setups in the city.
Founding Fathers Sports Bar & Grill, 1612 South Street
Perhaps the classiest place to spend your NCAA Tournament Thursday. Founding Fathers has 20 beers on tap, plus 13 TVs and a remote control unit that allows you to switch from game to game on certain TVs.
Bar-Ly, 101 N. 11th Street
Chinatown’s lone sports bar is one of the top locations to go on the north end of Center City, with 60 draft beers and 22 TVs. On Thursday for the NCAA Tournament, they’ll be offering $3 Corona drafts, $25 Corona towers, $3.50 spring rolls, $4.50 nachos and $5 fries and wings.
Buffalo Billiards, 118 Chestnut Street
The place you want to be for the later games. Happy hour from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. features half-priced appetizers, $3 drafts and $4 wells. Then because it’s Thursday, Buffalo Billiards offers half-priced burgers from 9 to 11 p.m., as well as $3 local drafts. And the bar has 17 TVs.
Xfinity Live, 1100 Pattison Avenue
You can register to become a VIP and get $3 domestic drafts, $4 cocktails and half-off select appetizers throughout the NCAA Tournament. Not the most central location, though.
Fox & Hound, 1501 Spruce
The classic sports bar, i.e. plenty of TVs, mediocre food that tends to be deep-fried and no judgement if you have a few too many drinks. On Thursday, Fox & Hound features $4.50 big Bud Lights almost all day and big Sam Adams and Angry Orchard beers and margaritas for $5 during the 5-7 p.m. happy hour.
Locust Rendezvous, 1415 Locust Street
Homey atmosphere for a sports bar, plus the drink specials last all week. And for all the games this week that means you can get the St. Paddy’s Day style $3.25 Killian’s Irish Red pints, $2.25 Narragansett cans and $3 Jameson shots.
Drinker’s Pub, 1903 Chestnut Street
TVs line the wall of this establishment, and the drinks are always cheap: $3.50 draft Yuenglings and $3 Coors Original’s every day.
