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Village Pourhouse
Photograph: Courtesy Village Pourhouse
Photograph: Courtesy Village Pourhouse

Where to watch March Madness in NYC

Pair your March Madness hoops-watching with food and drink deals at these New York bars and restaurants

Dan Q Dao
Written by Dan Q Dao & Lauren Rothman
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College basketball fans go a little bit nuts each March, when 68 universities compete in a country-spanning tournament to determine which two will square off in April's National Championship. For those wanting to cheer on their teams among fellow fans, NYC bars and restaurants are offering up their big-screen TVs, along with price-slashed drinks and heaps of tasty sliders and chicken wings, all month long. From swanky sports bars to low-key dive bars, use our guide to find out where to watch March Madness in NYC.

Where to watch March Madness

1. American Whiskey

  • Cocktail bars
  • Midtown West
  • price 2 of 4
American Whiskey
American Whiskey
Photograph: Courtesy American Whiskey
Midtown whiskey-sluggers can soak up the dark stuff at this three-story booze lodge. The leather-and-oak-accented main bar—with 36 flatscreens and mounted bison heads—offers one- and two-ounce pours of over 100 domestic whiskeys, as well as Scotch and Irish varieties. Basketball fans can enjoy $4 Bud Lights, $5 Shock Tops and $8 speciality cocktails throughout the month.

2. Atwood Kitchen & Bar Room

  • Contemporary American
  • Midtown East
  • price 2 of 4
Atwood Kitchen & Bar Room
Atwood Kitchen & Bar Room
Photograph: Courtesy Oleg
At this all-American spot, find seasonal fare like crispy polenta with mushroom ragù and hot-honey–glazed chicken, with cocktails curated by Milk and Honey alum Gil Bouhana, including the bourbon–sage-wood Smoky Mountain. For March Madness party planning, the gastropub will be offering $15 ptichers of Bud Light, $25 buckets of Bud Light and Stella and $8 beer and shot combos with, you guessed it, Bud Light.
Book online
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3. Bill's Bar and Burger

  • American
  • Midtown West
  • price 3 of 4
Bill's Bar and Burger
Bill's Bar and Burger
Cinzia Reale-Castello
The menu at this chain's flagship centers on an intensely juicy burger, with a custom Pat LaFrieda round served on a soft, simple bun. At all three locations, hoops heads can take advantage of special deals such $15 pitchers and $5 pints of ‘Cold Ass Beer’ as they tune into games on big screen TVs. There will also be $5 mini-burgers and half-priced appetizers through April 3rd. 
Book online

4. Boulton & Watt

  • American
  • East Village
  • price 2 of 4
Boulton & Watt
Boulton & Watt
Photograph: Jessica Lin
At this steampunk-jigged watering hole, superlative gastropub plates and remarkably well-balanced drinks help carry a motif that might otherwise seem forced. A favorite of the sports crowd, seven screens are ready to screen every game, with seven-buck drafts and nine-buck house picklebacks on offer to slosh the viewers. 
Book online
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5. Bounce Sporting Club

  • Sports Bars
  • Flatiron
  • price 2 of 4
Bounce Sporting Club
Bounce Sporting Club
Catch the game on one of 30 HD TVs at this chichi, 4,000-square-foot sports lounge. NCAA festivities kick  off with a pop-up celebration at the Highline Ballroom on March 16th, with Bounce's game-day menu and weekly DJ sets complementing nearly two dozen TV screens. After opening night, sip special $10 cocktails throughout the entire tournament, such as the Bracket (Mount Gay Black Barrel, pineapple, orange and mango juice) and the Game Winner (Campari, Cutty Sark Prohibition, Luxardo Liqueur).

6. Campeon

  • Sports Bars
  • Union Square
  • price 2 of 4
Campeon
Campeon
The Mexican-themed sports bar touts pink-tiled walls and fruity margaritas (mango, pineapple) along with infused tequilas (strawberry-vanilla, lime-jalapeño) and local beers (Brooklyn Lager, Sixpoint). For sports-watchers, there are 50 HD TV's, including several massive 80-inch screens, available to catch all the heart-racing action. They'll be serving up 75-ounce chilled beer towers (serves four to six people) for and pitchers of margaritas for $50 each. 
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7. 5th & MAD

  • Gastropubs
  • Midtown East
  • price 2 of 4
5th & MAD
5th & MAD
Photograph: Filip Wolak
The bi-level Midtown gastropub takes its cues from Mad Men—of four distinct areas of the behemoth bar, one is a dedicated Draper Room upstairs, fitted with suited mannequins and low-backed armchairs. During game season, catch your favorite teams on the bar's large screens while guzzling price-slashed food-and-drink packages during happy hour, which includes $6 beers, well drinks and cherry-picked house wines.
Book online

8. SideBar

  • Sports Bars
  • Gramercy
  • price 2 of 4
SideBar
SideBar
This wood-paneled Union Square sports bar serves contemporary American food in party-ready digs. With sports viewing regularly packing the space, it's no surprise that all screens will be tuned into basketball during March Madness. During NCAA games, the bar will offer up a cooler special that comes with 24 cans of beer ($120), as well as a bottle of Fireball for an extra $100.
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9. The Grayson

  • Sports Bars
  • East Village
  • price 2 of 4
The Grayson
The Grayson
At this sports bar, there are 44 TV screens on-hand for basketball fans. Last year, guests could purchase a loaded bucket—that's a bucket of domestic brew with six shots of Fireball—for $55, or go for mini-kegs ($45 domestic, $55 imported) soaked up with nacho and wing specials ($20–$85) while they cheered on their favorite teams.

10. Village Pourhouse

  • Sports Bars
  • East Village
  • price 2 of 4
Village Pourhouse
Village Pourhouse
Photograph: Courtesy Village Pourhouse
Fans of exotic beers—and sports—can sip global finds like Hong Kong’s Macau and Kalik, a Bahamanian brew, while watching one of the 21 high-resolution televisions at this East Village tavern. A hearty menu, with entrees like chicken madeira, helps soak up the suds. During March Madness games, they'll serve up a cooler special with 24 cans of beer ($120) and a bottle of Fireball for another hundred.
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11. Printer's Alley

  • Midtown West
  • price 2 of 4
Printer's Alley
Printer's Alley
Photograph: Courtesy Printer’s Alley

For the full month of March, the Times Square southern-style restaurant is dishing out tons of slashed-price specials. Lap up domestic pitchers for $24, imported for $28, Jameson and Jack shots for $6 each, frozen drinks for $8 and well drinks for a mere $6. Soak up all the booze with half-off buffalo wings for only $6.

12. Fishbowl

  • Lounges
  • Midtown West
  • price 2 of 4
Fishbowl
Fishbowl
Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz

This Midtown newcomer is already rife for a game day–the bar from the team behind Vandal and Tao is stocked with Skeeball and bowling lanes for competitive boozers. For the NCAA frenzy, the lounge will open at noon on Thursday and Friday, serving $30 buckets of Bud and Bud Light and six chicken wings (pineapple citrus, BBQ sriracha, Thai sweet and tangy) for only $10.

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