March Madness is upon us, and it does not get better than Thursday and Friday for the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. See TV schedule and bracket here. I’ve highlighted all the sports bars, which are your best bets to have an atmosphere, and specials. I’ll be taking off the afternoon once again, like I’ve done every year I’ve worked. Email/Tweet at me if you wanna meet up (or if you are inviting me). Will be updating til Wed night.

All spots listed will be open early enough to show all games and have at least 4 TVs in one room so you can see all games unless otherwise specified.

Dupont Circle

FYI-Public Bar is closed for renovations/new entrance and will likely not reopen until before championship game (April 7th)

• Buffalo Billiards
  • $22 buckets of five 16 oz. Bud Light cans 
• City Tap House
  • Select Sweetwater draft beers for $5 all day during tourney
  • chance to win trip to Final 4
• Across the Pond
  • $4 ATP Pilsner / 55 cent wings (min 10) / 20 wing & 3 pitchers of ATP Pilsner $25 / 20 wings & 6 domestic bottles $25

Adams Morgan / Cleveland Park / Tenleytown

• The Game Sports Pub
  • open at noon Thu-Fri
• Pitchers
  • Does not open until 5p
• Jack Rose
  • Highballin Happy Hour on terrace
  • Does not open until 5p
  • $9 Highball cocktail specials, $5 drafts and half-priced sliders.
  • 4 TVs
  • Perfect spot if your friends don’t want goto a sports bar as most people don’t pay attention to games.
• The Blaguard
  • Specials for every game: $3 Bud Light/Natty Boh, $5 Mermaid Pilsner / $6 Crown Royal Vanilla, Apple, Salted Caramel / $6 Tullamore Dew vs Tito’s (Rotate by round)
  • $5 Flying Dog for Maryland Terps games, $5 Devils Backbone for UVa games
• Tenley Bar & Grill
  • might not open until 3:3op
  • specials during live games
  • $12 48 oz Miller Lite pitcher / $20 beer bucket of Miller Lite/Coors Light/Bud Light / $8 Moscow mule / $8 Dark & Stormy
  • $6 bar bites
• Cleveland Park Bar & Grill
  • open at noon
  • specials/big watch parties for Terp games

U Street / Shaw / Logan Circle / Bloomingdale

• Nellie’s
  • open at 11:45a Thu-Fri
• Franklin Hall
  • $4 Narragansett pints / $8 Narragansett Liter Mugs for all games
• Stoney’s
  • Pitcher specials: $14 Bud Light, $15 Shock Top, $15 Stoney’s Amber, $5 Fireball shots
  • $9 large 2 topping pizza / $15 for 20 wings
• Ivy & Coney
  • will open at noon
  • roof deck is covered with lots of light

Chinatown / Penn Quarter / Downtown

• City Tap House
  • Special $5 pint special throughout tourney
• Union Trust
  • Sloppy Mama’s BBQ (at least Thurs)
  • might just have 2 TVs
• Blackfinn
  • food & drink specials
• Penn Commons
  • Beer bracket (beers advance based on what you order)
• Penn Social
  • tons of TVs
  • $5 Guayabera Cigar City, $6 Jai Alai / $4 Miller / $4 Blue Moon
• Taco Bamba
  • Free nacho cheese fountains Mar 21 and 22 during games
• Bottom Line
  • food and drink specials include $4 Dos Equis Amber & Lager bottles

Columbia Heights / Petworth

• The Midlands
  • open early for Thu-Fri games
  • free wifi,
  • nitro cold brew available
  • bring in food
• DC Reynolds –
  • always open early, but unclear if 4 TVs
• Lou’s City Bar
  • Select $4 drafts/bottles & $16 pitchers/buckets during games
  • New solid $4 HH 4-7 M-F on rails/house wine/select drafts
• Meridian Pint
  • showing games in the basement, which doesn’t open til 5p
  • $5/5 wings / half priced nachos,
  • 4 drafts for $5 each (e.g.) Allagash White, ST Pils, RAR Country Ride, and Victory Donnybrook.
  • via Barred in DC “Special” Correspondent DC Beer Bill

Capitol Hill / Navy Yard / The Wharf 

• The Ugly Mug
  • open at 4p weekdays, 11a wknds
  • $4 Miller Lite pints / $30 towers
  • $5 Blue Moon / $35 towers
• Finn McCool’s
  • 4 122 inch project screens, 12 60″ TV
  • $4 Bud Light / $5 Sam Adams / $5 Sam Seasonal / $15 Pitchers
  • $5 apps

• Boxcar Tavern
  • $4 Miller Lite each game
  • Might only have 3 TVs
• Union Pub
  • $15 Bud & Bud Light buckets / $14 Bud Light & Union Pub Lager pitchers / $13 Carlsberg buckets / $5 Goose Island IPA drafts / $5 rails
  • $6 rotating whiskey depending on Round (Slane Irish Whiskey, JD Rye, JD Honey, JD Original)
• Mission Navy Yard
  • Food and drink specials
• The Big Stick
  • 50 cent wings
  • Great HH specials 3-7p include $4 beers/rails
• The Brig
  • will open at 2p Th-F
  • HH 2-7p Th-F

H Street / Ivy City / Brookland

• Brookland Pint
  • open early with sound at bar
• Duffy’s Irish Pub
  • apparently great sound system
• Dock FC
  • $25 Evolution Lot #3 IPA buckets all day
  • 11a-1p: $3 Dock FC Pilsner, $5 Bells Two Hearted Ale & Port City Optimal Wit (goes up $1 1p-3p, and then 3-5p)
• Dirty Water
  • kitchen open for lunch
  • HH specials

Georgetown / Foggy Bottom

• Stoney’s on L 
  • $12 Bud Light pithcer, $4 Stoney’s drafts, $15 Bud Light Buckets, $5 Port City Optimal Wit
  • $10 large 2 topping pizza and bunch of other food specials
• Church Hall
  • $4 Miller Lite / $5 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA
  • Bring in food or order huge wing platters (around 75-80 cents/wing for at least 50 wings)