March Madness

The Top 5 places to catch the action.

We’ve found the 5 best places in town to watch college hoops, drink a beer and root on your bracket (hopefully at least past the first round). Take in the sweet 16, the elite eight and the final four all at these top-notch locations for sportive enjoyment. 

 

Big Whiskey’s American Bar and Grille

311 Park Central East, Springfield, bigwhiskeys.com, 417-862-2449. Open Mon.-Sun., 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Closes at midnight on Sundays.

The Lowdown: Say it loud, say it proud. Lots of seating, good specials and plenty of flatscreens with the volume always on high. At halftime, wander upstairs for a game of pool or Golden Tee. The bar food is above average, and we like the chicken queso wrapper.

The Hook-up: Dish Network (will carry the games on the major channels, but will not have any of the ticket packages). 22 TVs

The Beer: The usual domestics (Bud, Miller, Coors products) and New Castle, Bass, Blue Moon and Guinness on tap, with 41 varieties of bottled beers.

The Specials: Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 4 to 6 p.m., with drink and appetizer specials; Monday draft specials start at 9 p.m.; All-day specials on pints and wings on Sundays.

Ebbets Field

1027 E. Walnut St., Springfield, ebbets-field.com, 417-865-5050. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.d; Sun., 11 a.m. to midnight.

The Lowdown: Ebbets isn’t swimming in TVs, but the few big screens and several smaller TVs do the trick in this cozy space. Good beer selection and great burgers. Voted Best Burgers by 417 Magazine readers. Our favorite is the Da Fernando, topped with bleu cheese and jalapeños.
The Hook-up: Mediacom (will carry ESPN, ESPN 2, Fox Sports Net, ABC and CBS games only). 11 TVs

The Beer: Has the usual domestics on tap, along with Leinenkugel, Guinness, New Castle, Blue Moon and Killian’s in addition to 17 bottled beers.

The Specials: Happy Hour is Monday to Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and 10 to close with draft and pitcher specials. Monday features well specials from 10 p.m. to close; Wednesday domestic draft specials from 10 p.m. to close; Thursday cocktail specials from 10 p.m. to close.

Skybox

1271 E. Montclair St., Springfield, 417-877-9595. Open daily 11:30 a.m. until bar close.

The Lowdown: A spacious bar with plenty of flatscreens, including ones above the urinals in the men’s room, and lots of games. Great food and atmosphere, so much so that readers of 417 Magazine voted it Best Sports Bar in the 2008 poll.

The Hookup: Mediacom (plus the NFL ticket, March Madness ticket, ESPN U, Golf channel and NFL network). 21 TVs

The Beer: Has the usual domestics on tap, along with Leinenkugel Sunset Wheat, Boulevard Wheat, Blue Moon, Bass and Guiness and about 20 bottled beers.

The Specials: Happy hour is daily from 4 to 7 p.m. with beer, shot and liquor specials. Tuesdays all day and all night include beer specials and  $2 tacos.

Indigo Joe’s

1440 W. Republic Rd., Springfield, indigojoes.com, 417-889-4500. Daily, 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Closes at midnight on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Indigo Joe’s opens early the first Thursday and Friday of March Madness. It also opens early for morning games and occasionally offers a special breakfast menu that isn’t usually available. The food on the regular menu is also worth the trip. This bar is the epitome of TV mania. If you’re a watch-it-all-at-once person, this is your spot. One entire wall covered with flatscreens. Voted Best Sports Bar and Best Bar Food for a chain in the Best of 417 readers’ poll.

The Hook-up: DIRECTV (Management says they purchase an extra package so they’re sure to carry every single game). 42 TVs

The Beer: T20 beers on tap and 17 varieties offered bottled.

The Specials: Runs specials on Coors, Coors Light and Killian’s during major sporting events. They also have varying daily food and drink specials.

Fox & Hound Pub & Grille

2035 E. Independence St., Springfield, 417-890-6289. Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m. to 1:30 a.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. to midnight.

The Lowdown: With a huge beer menu and a large space, this is a good place for catching March hoops. (When your bracket falls apart, you can play pool.) Voted Best Beer Menu by readers of 417 Magazine. Pick your protein: Fox & Hound has 11 sandwiches that you can have made as a burger with ½ pound of Angus beef or with chicken, including the Scorcher that has hot wing sauce, Monterey jack cheese and jalapeños.

The Hook-up: DIRECTV (Management says they purchase every available package, including the rare-find Big 12 network). 33 TVs

The Beer: 36 beers on tap, with 75 varieties in bottle form.

The Specials: Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. with a featured beer and specials on calls; pint specials on Tuesdays.