The Super Bowl is upon us.
With the Atlanta Falcons playing against the New England Patriots Sunday, Atlanta will be rife with thirsty, impassioned fans.
Where do they all go?
Answer: that great American bastion of gridiron and deep fryer −the sports bar.
If you're ready to watch the home team play in their first Super Bowl appearance in 18 years but you don’t have tickets, here is where to pony up with a crowd:
»Flashback: The last time the Falcons went to the Super Bowl
RELATED: Cheer on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 2017 at these metro Atlanta restaurants and bars
404-855-1472
300 Marietta St. NW, Atlanta
There may not be a more ideal environment in Atlanta on gameday than STATS. Practically in the shadow of Mercedez-Benz stadium, STATS is a sports bar through and through. There are beer taps installed right there at the table, so no need to wait on refills, and the audio visual systems at STATS are top-notch. On big gamedays in Atlanta — such as the SEC Championship game — STATS is an absolute zoo, so factor that into the "we should go," or "we should avoid" discussion in your home.
404-760-8873 (404-760-TURF)
3400 Around Lenox Drive, Atlanta
If the pandemonium of gameday at STATS is a little less sophisticated than your personal preferences, opt for Dantanna's in Buckhead.
You can't miss at any of the three Atlanta locations (CNN Center, Buckhead and Sandy Springs) but Buckhead also offers a cigar lounge, and that helps the location distinguish itself in Atlanta's crowded sports bar scene come Sundays in autumn.
After all, why chug beer when you can sip an old fashioned?
Sure, it might be a long season ahead, but that is why the humidor (in Buckhead) and bourbon selections at Dantanna's stay so well stocked.
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404-475-4000
1600 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd NW, Atlanta
If perhaps a healthy mix of sports observation and sports participation is your favorite way to watch football, TopGolf is the ideal place to watch a game.
There are two locations in Atlanta, Midtown off Ellsworth Industrial and Alpharetta near North Point Mall. In both cases, there are few bars with a better claim to gameday heaven than TopGolf. The elevated driving range can make anyone feel like Bubba Watson, slapping golf balls from three stories up into the sky and out some 200 yards into the back netting.
404-885-1217
777 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta
If you like rowdy sports bars —the kind at which relentless trash is talked — then take your gameday experience to Dugan's while you still can. The bar opened in 1982, in a sleepier time for the community, and earlier this year faced rumors that the property will be sold to Chick-Fil-A. That rumor was disputed by the property owner, but not the underlying notion that some other high bidder could push Dugan's from the suddenly valuable block.
"The property is being marketed, yes, but we've been there for 30-plus years. There's a lot of opposition to us closing. Unless I get what I want for the real estate, I wouldn't do anything," said property owner Louis Chambers in a phone conversation with Eater Atlanta. The net impact of the land grab beneath Dugan's feet is that those famous wings might be sacked before the next Super Bowl. Let's hope not.
770-557-0232
4505 Ashford Dunwoody Road, #32, Atlanta
The Florida-based chain opened its first Georgia location in the Park Place Shopping Center in February 2016 and somehow quickly became a Seattle Seahawks hangout. “It’s kind of random,” said bartender Jewels Thacker. “We have a large Falcons following, too, but since the beginning of football season, it slowly transformed into this Seahawks following.”
In addition to the 20 overhead TVs, a large projector screen to broadcast the game, and a selection of 300 craft beers, the bar also offers a Seahawks shot — a combo of Red Bull, Blue Curacao and Sour Apple Pucker.
Just about every NFL franchise has a sports bar home base in Atlanta — for example, the Packers at TJ’s Sports Bar in Roswell, the Giants at McCray’s Tavern in Smyrna, the Redskins at Summit’s Wayside Tavern in Snellville — and there are several great bars no matter the sporting occasion.
Cowboys fans should head to TopGolf in Midtown, where Cowboys Nation ATL meets each week.
Steelers Nation wave terrible towels at Smith’s Olde Bar.
Staff writers Stephanie Toone and Melissa Ruggieri contributed to this article.
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