Arizona Sports Bars: A Spring-Training List

by Jim McLennan on Feb 8, 2011 11:00 AM EST in Diamondbacks Features

Following up on the sports bars piece we did a week or two ago, members of the SBN sales team have been busy in Arizona making contact with bars around some of the teams' spring training facilities and Chase Field. After the jump are a bunch that they have scoped out, sorted by city, which have been verified to be SnakePit-friendly - whatever that means! Our guys are working on exclusive deals with these establishments that can be extended to our readers (and bloggers!); unfortunately I don't have any of the details on those yet, but I'll be sure to pass them along once I do.

Other suggestions, especially for locations near the new D-backs facility at SRF@TS, are welcome.

Mesa
Babe's Sports Grill: http://www.babessportsbar.com

Tempe
Devils Advocate: http://www.devilstempe.com
Boston's Bar and Grill: http://www.bostonsbargrill.com
Vine Tavern and Eatery: http://www.vinetavernandeatery.com

Scottsdale
Pink Pony (when it re-opens in February)
Bandera: http://www.hillstone.com/#/restaurants/bandera/
Don and Charlie's: http://www.donandcharlies.com

Phoenix
Coach and Willie's: http://www.coachandwillies.com

Surprise
Irish Wolfhound: http://www.irishwolfhoundpub.com

Glendale
Antar's Sports Bistro: http://www.antarssportsbistro.com,

Peoria
Bullshooters: http://www.bullshootersaz.com

Tweet Comment 15 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I love the Irish Wolfhound

That place is great, and only about a mile from the Surprise Stadium.

Thinking about this post, I realized that three of the sports bars I like in town have closed down over the past year or two.

"Can we consider killing me an open-ended discussion point to be filed away for future meetings and come back to this another time?"

by kishi on Feb 8, 2011 12:04 PM EST reply actions

There is also a new Babe's Sports Grill in Scottsdale

Not too far from SRF@TS—on Shea just west of Scottsdale Rd in the Agua Caliente center. Good food and a lot of TVs—nice patio too. The servers are not ugly or out of shape either—just sayin…

by G Dub on Feb 8, 2011 1:32 PM EST reply actions

how are the draft prices at C&W ?

We need a dbacks bar all our own. Jim, start collecting funds for that plz.

If you'd have been a dog.....
They would of drowned you at birth.

by edbigghead on Feb 8, 2011 3:40 PM EST reply actions

If we opened a bar we'd have to call it "The Sarchasm. Just sayin

"A couple of years agoi was hitting 170 in 60 at bats and everybody was ready to kill me Guess what happened? Laser Show!

by BattleMoses on Feb 8, 2011 6:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

How about

The Sarchasm Mouth?

Per Mare, Per Terras

by justin1985 on Feb 8, 2011 6:59 PM EST up reply actions

If

I opened a bar it would be called “Pig.”

Your dreck puts the "ick" in esoteric.

by soco on Feb 8, 2011 10:52 PM EST up reply actions

The problem

finding a bar near the new facility is that the Salt River community just barely changed their ordinances to allow restaurants to serve alcohol, and I believe there’s a 3 or 4 drink limit. The closest sports bar after that is Zipps over on Hayden and Via de Ventura. Further down is Tavern Grille at 90th/Pima and Via Linda, and they’re pretty good. Can’t recommend the burgers, but a lot of the other food is good (and free peanuts to snarf on). They have a ton of TV’s and are a real local kind of place.

Are we sure we really want to include Babe’s? They say on their website that their teams are the Yankees and Cowboys. That’s the kind of place I won’t ever be visiting, no matter how good the food is. At least Don and Charlies, although Chicago through and through, is consistent (though expensive).

Your dreck puts the "ick" in esoteric.

by soco on Feb 8, 2011 10:50 PM EST reply actions

Yankees and Cowboys??

Wow…not to be frontrunners, or anything…does Bryce Harper run that place?

Mr. Science Boy

by DbacksSkins on Feb 14, 2011 2:33 PM EST up reply actions

Cure for a bad fan base

This list is a great illustration of the lack of team pride Arizona residents have for their local teams. Devil’s Advocate is the only one of these "AZ SnakePit-certified" bars to openly and proudly claim to be fans of teams within the state. Coach and Willie’s airs Phoenix Suns games, which is a start, but the rest of the establishments are simply places to watch sporting events. Babe’s Sports Bar and Grill in Mesa even says on their homepage they are fans of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees. While MLB Spring Training brings a variety of fans together, the Yankees play in the Grapefruit League in Florida, not in Arizona’s Cactus League. Don and Charlie’s is brimming with memorabilia and history, but the baseballs, pictures and other assorted items are from a litany of pro teams and players. Plus, the owners are natives of Chicago and the place is known as Chicago Cubs hangout during spring training. In order to build a stronger local fan base, more sports establishments need to emphasis their dedication and love for the local teams.

by Thomas Lenneberg on Feb 9, 2011 5:32 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

Couldn't agree more

Though I think it’s less residents than venue owners. From my personal experience, the latter are almost universally expats from other cities and states, and inevitably, they bring those loyalties with them into the venue they open. That then attracts like-minded fans, creating a vicious circle of perpetuation. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve gone into venues and found then not showing the local team’s games. I’ve actively had to ask for them to change the channel, and the results there have been…variable, to say the least.

But it’s up to fans as well: we have to demand it, rather than lamely accepting whatever channel the venue provides. And if they won’t change the channel, then leave, making sure the manager on duty knows the reason why, and that you’re going to spend your money at a venue which does support local teams.

Welcome to the ’Pit, too. Nice first post.

"While Mrs. SnakePit watched one of the most highly acclaimed films of the year, I sat through a badly made schlock fest with absolutely no redeeming value. And it was awesome."

by Jim McLennan on Feb 9, 2011 8:08 PM EST up reply actions

Man

I already said this.

Though it’s not like this list is the be-all, end-all list. It’s probably just places that have agreed to give some sort of discount to SBNation people. Zipps and Tavern Grille are both great places in Scottsdale that have tons of local atmosphere, and seem to be local first.

Your dreck puts the "ick" in esoteric.

by soco on Feb 10, 2011 1:06 AM EST up reply actions

Local Hangouts...

While the proximity to Surprise Stadium makes this bar and grill a natural Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals location, the owners are very friendly, the waitressess and bartenders are all sexy and personable, and oh yeah the food is better than most sports bar fare….the name of the place is “Fuzzy’s Southwest Sports Bar and Grill”
It is located on Reems and Grand and has a very knowledgeable fan base as it’s regular customers. Many Surprise-based D’back fans are there on a regular basis and the baseball conversations are lively and spirited…Come for the food, stay for the games and conversation…oh and by the way you can get shots of: Sex on the beach, Alabama Slammers, Lemon Drops, and Kamikazees for only a dollar all-day, everyday!!!

by Karpurkia on Feb 10, 2011 12:54 AM EST reply actions