BY KAREN YOUNG
The Super Bowl is this weekend — where will you be? Here’s a list of sports bars and gastropubs in the east and west San Fernando Valley. March Madness and Baseball are just around the corner, so keep this list handy for your sports viewing, beer drinking and eating pleasure.
Barney’s Beanery — Burbank
The legend that started in West Hollywood in 1920 along Route 66, is now in the East San Fernando Valley, with indoor and outdoor seating, complete with flat screens, memorabilia and TVs at nearly every table so not a moment of game playing will be lost. The menu is enormous (they tout a 1000 choices) and covers all three meals and an array of cuisines. Happy Hour is Monday to Friday from 4-7. Frustrated with the ball game? Go play Wii, Xbox, Pool or Arcade games. Karaoke Tuesdays is at10pm,TRIVIA: Wednesdays @ 9pm $5.00 premium Drink of the Week, $3.75 Beer of the Month 250 N 1st St Burbank, CA 91502 (818) 524-2912
Tony’s Darts Away — Burbank
Tony’s is the first bottleless dive bar in L.A. with over 30 craft beers and three wines on tap. Chow down on vegan and non-vegan sausages, sweet potato fries and crunchy salads. Free wi fi, a pool table, board games and TVs entertain. Owner Tony Yanow’s personal beer library fills the bookshelves in this space with the typical long bar. Bring your kids until early evening. Bring your dog and there’s dog beds and water bowls outside. 1710 West Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91506 (818) 253-1710 Open tonysda.com
8 1/2 Taverna — Studio City
Italian fusion meets sports bar at this modern gastropub. Thin crust Napolitano Pizza is the specialty along with piadas and small plates. The 8 ½ angus burger pleases. Grab a table, a bar stool, or a place at one of two communal tables. Choose from over 30 craft beers and nearly 40 sommelier selected wines. Special offerings for Super Bowl Sunday include mini-pizzas and wings for one day only. Also, beers and wine by the glass will be half off. Select menu items will also be half off. 11334 Moorpark Ave. Studio City. (818) 308-1100
The Draft Bar and Grill -Studio City
Once the site of a Greek restaurant, The Draft has a Hollywood dive vibe without the huge crowds. Beer pong, flip cups, pool, karaoke, trivia night, deejay, a jukebox and flat screen TVs from every angle. The menu is typical bar food. Check the Calendar to see what’s scheduled as far as entertainment and the sports package. Call for reservations to reserve a table a booth for a larger party. 12430 Riverside Dr. (at Whitsett) Studio City (818) 508-8652
The Fox and Hounds — Studio City
This is a favorite place for British ex-pats mixed with locals. Traditional pub fare includes fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, banger’s and mash potatoes. Breakfast is also served all day here, including the English version of the Irish breakfast called The Full Monty. On Super Bowl Sunday, they’ll be playing a slew of games — from the Scottish Premier League, Barclays Premier League, NHL Hockey, NBA — and finally, the Super Bowl. Find live bands and trivia night alternating other nights of the week. Sixteen beers on tap and more in bottles and cans. 11100 Ventura Blvd., Studio City (818) 763-7837
Henry’s Hat — Studio City/Universal City
Henry’s Hat stands alone as a gastropub/sports bar that’s a good mix of estrogen and testosterone — and kids are okay too. Seven day a week Happy Hour includes bottled beer, microbrew beer, wine and cocktails from $2-$5. The Luna Park Mojito is not to be missed (named after the owners’ La Brea restaurant, Luna Park). Pizza, Mac n’ Cheese and Chili Con Queso are some of the items on the $5-$7 Happy Hour food list. Salads, sandwiches, fish and chips, Niman Ranch beef burgers, pizza and entrees like steak and haibut comprise the regular menu. Flat screens circle the restaurant on exposed red brick walls. A side den features comfy furniture and an array of games like Battleship, Scrabble and a slew of other Milton Bradley favorites. There’s even a screen for Nintendo Wii. 3413 Cahuenga Blvd., Studio City (323) 512-2500
Laurel Tavern — Studio City
It’s the gastropub that started the movement in the 818. The brick walled and wood interior is on the smaller side, but there’s two flat screens and a projector screen they pull down for big events — like the Super Bowl. There’s choice of burgers, porky belly skewers, grilled cheese, bratwurst, grilled artichoke and more. Fries can be added to any dish and that is a definite must do. Sixteen artisnal and craft beers are on tap at $5-6 each. There’s also select pickings of red and white wine by the bottle or glass. 11938 Ventura Blvd. Studio City (818) 506-0777
Rocco’s Tavern — Studio City
Rocco’s Tavern is a New York/Italian inspired sports bar with exposed brick walls and indoor /outdoor seating. Flat screens line every space of the interior walls, while a projector screens games on an outside wall. Week long Happy Hour runs from 3- 7 daily with 2 for 1 drinks, but no discount on appetizers. It can get quite crowded considering the place in on the smaller side, so on this big game day, get ready for close talkers — or screamers — depending on the game. There’s no other way. The Italian bar menu features standards like pizza, calamari, hot wings, burgers and more. 12514 Ventura Blvd Studio City, CA 91604 (818) 985-9876
Mad Bulls Tavern — Sherman Oaks
It’s a sleek, open design with indoor/outdoor seating, floor to ceiling exposed brick walls, iron lamp embellishments, “mad bull” paintings, high tables and backed chairs, booths and inlaid flat screen TVs to root on your favorite team. The drink menu is extensive with over 70 beers, including craft, foreign and domestic (with 20 on tap). Exciting for the 818 is a custom cocktail menu, which includes some mixology muddled gems. Happy Hour is 11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. with special apps half off, $ 5 margaritas, $4 well drinks and $4 Beer. Food runs the gamut from Pulled Pork Tacos to burgers, Filet Mignon medallions and a Mad Poki Bowl with Ahi. 14969 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks (818) 379-9511
The Local Peasant — Sherman Oaks
The most recent entry into the Valley pub scene, the Local Peasant replaced Cozys. It has that real pub feel with white tile walls and steel fixtures mixed with a combination of wood and stone. The front room hosts a large bar with wall booths and wood tables. Chalk boards list drinks written in a classic old-fashioned font. The back room is filled with large communal tables made of reclaimed wood. There are a few flat TV screens on the corner shaped bar. The food and drinks both excel here. There are more than 20 beers on tap and locally sourced wine. A specialty drink menu included Prohibition and post prohibition themes. Pair drinks with $4 simple bar snacks like marinated olives, deviled eggs with applewood bacon smoked crisps, and warm chili lemon spice nuts — or go for menu items like Short Ribs, Fish and Chips, Burgers, Drunken Chicken or the Grilled Peach Salad. Desserts like the cobbler and the ice cream sandwich have that homemade taste. 14058 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks (818) 501-0234
Blue Dog Tavern — Sherman Oaks
This is a cozy gastropub with an open wood frame and dog photos on walls. TVs line the bar area. There’s about 15 beers on tap and another 15 by bottle. A good selection of burgers includes the Chi Chi with a Angus patty, bacon, cheddar and a sunnyside fried egg inside a maple syrup bun. There are monthly burger specials and for Super Bowl Sunday, they’re creating two burgers just for the occasion. Salads, pizza,chili (vegan too!), calzones and a rich Mac and Cheese round out the menu. Root Beer Bourbon Ribs are prepared St. Louis style. And the granddaddy dish? A Panzerotti—which is basically a deep fried calzone. 14058 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks. (818) 990-2583
Townhouse Kitchen and Bar — Sherman Oaks
There’s a little bit of a Chicago feel happening at the Sherman Oaks Galleria’s Townhouse Kitchen and Bar which is really more restaurant than anything else. Decked-out with 14-flat screen TVs, Townhouse always features sports in the bar area, but special for college basketball fans is a special Triple-threat Burger ($13.99), along with 30 beers on tap, or a handcrafted signature cocktails. Happy Hour 4-7 p.m. and Reverse Happy Hour 11 p.m.-closing. $5 appetizers, $5 any wine by the glass and $5 specialty martinis and drinks. Townhouse Kitchen and Bar 15301 Ventura Blvd Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 (818) 453.9900
Yankee Doodles —West Hills
Y.D.’s or Yankee Doodles, is back in the West Valley— sports bar and dance venue with 35 flat screens, basketball and darts games, full service dining and a full bar. Sports packages, including NASCAR, are available for viewing daily. The dance floor opens Thursday to Saturday with a DJ for the late night crowd from 10 pm-2 am. Happy Hour is daily from 4-7 pm. Late night happy hour is 10- midnight. The menu is bar themed with American, Mexican and Italian choices. And the sports? It just plays all day long. 6501 Fallbrook Avenue, West Hills. (818) 704-6633.
Soup’s Grill and Sports Bar — Woodland Hills
Owned and operated by Milwaukee Brewers pitcher and San Fernando Valley native Jeff Suppan and his wife, Dana, Soup’s is a place that’s okay for kids too. There’s state-of –the –art digital sound, Busch Stadium seats, huge baseball mitt chairs and memorabilia that fills the walls along with hi def flat screens. An extensive menu from bar food to full course entrees is available, including Top Sirloin and Chicken Marsala. Philly Cheesesteak and Pulled BBQ pork are big hits. Happy Hour is Monday – Friday, 3pm – 7pm, featuring $3 Budweiser Bottles and appetizer specials. Get Hot Wings on Wednesdays for .35 from 4pm to close. 21028 Ventura Blvd. Woodland Hills (818) 884-6005
Karen Young is the Founder/Editor of MY DAILY FIND. Email: karen@mydailyfind.com
About Karen Young
