It's bowl season, and that means your favorite college football team is about to kick off its last game of the year. If you're looking for the best place to pony up to the bar or snag a booth and watch the big game, here's a helpful list.
Stats Food + Drinks
300 Marietta St., Atlanta, Ga. 30313
404-885-1472
Stats is arguably the best sports bar in Atlanta. There are built-in draft taps at many of the tables, and the multilevel mega bar is situated around the corner from the Georgia Dome and Philips Arena. Fans head to Stats before or after games to anticipate or celebrate another win. It gets as rowdy on game day as any other sports bar in the city.
Taco Mac
30 Southeast locations
Taco Mac is the original sports bar for all things college football. With more than 50 HDTVs per establishment, 100 beers on draft and some of the city's favorite hot wings, it's easy to slide into a bar stool at one of the restaurant's 30 Southeast locations and enjoy game day.
Hudson Grille
Seven Atlanta locations
One of the most popular places to watch sports in Atlanta is Hudson Grille, with seven locations across the area. When Michigan State plays Alabama on Dec. 31, Alabama will be hosted at Hudson Grille Sandy Springs and Hudson Grille Brookhaven, and Hudson Grille Midtown will be the official Michigan State location.
Dantanna's
Three Atlanta locations
Dantanna's is an upscale sports bar for the sophisticated sports fan. With a dedication to culinary sensibilities, it creates a surf-and-turf-meets-sports-bar environment that is unique to Atlanta. Dantanna's has three Atlanta locations: downtown at the CNN Center or in Buckhead, and a brand-new spot in Sandy Springs.
Atlanta Braves All Star Grill
200 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, Ga. 30303
404-205-5257
"No dawg should bark alone," reads the website of the Atlanta chapter of the UGA Alumni Association – which explains why alumni meet to watch games together at the Atlanta Braves All Star Grill. Make your way downtown to enjoy the Tax Slayer Bowl with friends and alumni of the University of Georgia. The Braves All Star Grill is huge -- 8,000 square feet -- and offers a chance to enjoy the history of Atlanta's big-league baseball team through memorabilia and merchandise. There are massive screens to enjoy the bowl game in larger-than-life detail. The restaurant even has a pitching cage, so you can settle your fastball argument with friends once and for all. There is a parking deck one block away, between Fairlie and Cone streets, which offers $5 parking when validated by the restaurant.
Diesel Filling Station
870 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta, Ga. 30306
404-815-1820
If you are in Virginia-Highland, this is a great little dive bar for a Pabst Blue Ribbon and cheeseburger to accompany the game. The bar is the official home to fan and alumni associations from Auburn, Oregon and Florida State. With multiple TVs in the main dining room, one seat gets you access to up to four different games at once.
The complete schedule of bowl games can be found here, with the college playoff championship set for Jan. 11 in Glendale, Ariz.
