The 2026 NFL season is finally back and Sarasota football fans are again gathering at local sports bars and restaurants to catch every touchdown with a lively crowd, cold drinks and plenty of tasty game-day food.
Fortunately, the Sarasota area offers no shortage of destinations built for football Sundays, along with Thursday and Monday night matchups.
The following local favorites feature plenty of big-screen TVs, full bars and menus loaded with wings, burgers, pizza and other crowd-pleasers.
Whether you’re cheering for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills or another team, these Sarasota and Manatee County destinations provide winning places to watch throughout the NFL season.
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Big Top Brewing Company (Fruitville Commons)
Details: 3045 Fruitville Commons Blvd., Sarasota; 941-225-8438; bigtopbrewing.com
Big Top Brewing at Fruitville Commons features an impressive roster of beers, including the Circus City IPA, Hawaiian Lion Porter, and Intercoastal Amber Ale. Add in an eclectic menu of standout pub grub and a fun setting with indoor and outdoor seating, multiple bars, and a fire pit, and it’s easy to see why this was one of my favorite new restaurants of 2024 — and a great place to catch the big game.
Joe Seidensticker and Joe Guli, best known for their leadership of popular Sarasota and Bradenton restaurants Oak & Stone and Libby’s, designed the food menu. Standouts include the 24-hour-brined wings, Bavarian pretzel with Circus City IPA beer fondue, Tex-Mex eggrolls, and the Mojo Sandwich, which is their clever take on a Cuban.
Brewster's Gastropub
Details: 1454 Main St., Sarasota; 941-343-2380; brewstersfl.com
One of my favorite destinations in downtown Sarasota, Brewster’s boasts some of the best servers in town and a long bar that’s an ideal spot to watch the game while sipping an ice-cold beer — from macros to local crafts and imports — or a cocktail. There are plenty of indoor tables as well as a covered outdoor area, where you can also catch the action on a big screen. Perhaps most importantly, Brewster’s is fully committed to feeding the friendly crowd that fills the place just about every day and night — especially during football season.
The food? All the gastropub greatest hits, including wings, burgers, tacos and sandwiches, and they nail every one. My current favorite is probably Chef Joe’s Chicken Sammy, featuring a tender, Cajun-flavored, buttermilk-marinated chicken breast fried and topped with pickles, tequila-cilantro slaw and fiery sauce on a toasted brioche bun.
Of course, you never want to order food at Brewster’s without first checking the daily specials, which include steals like $1 wings on Wednesdays and Friday’s burger special: a fully loaded burger with fries and a happy hour drink, yes, even a margarita or Bloody Mary, for just $15.99.
Duff’s Famous Wings
Details: 3900 Clark Road, Sarasota; 941-282-9199; duffswings.com
A restaurant revered by generations of Western New Yorkers made its Sarasota debut when Duff’s Famous Wings, which has been producing award-winning Buffalo wings for nearly six decades, opened its first Sarasota location in February.
In addition to serving the best authentic Buffalo-style wings I’ve tasted in Sarasota, Duff’s does another Western New York classic, beef on weck, better than anywhere else I’ve found in the area. A tender pile of thinly sliced roast beef, seasoned and seared with Duff’s signature spice rub, arrives on a toasted salt-and-caraway-seeded roll with the requisite horseradish to smear across the top before dipping the sandwich into the accompanying jus.
Another favorite of mine at Duff’s? The smash burger, featuring fresh Angus ground beef served on a grilled potato bun with “secret smash sauce,” American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. The burger comes with chips, but trust me, spend the extra $2.49 for the fries.
Evie’s on Main Street
Details: 4725 Bee Ridge Road and 1560 Main St., Sarasota; eviesonline.com
The locally owned Evie’s chain, which debuted in 1997, has two Sarasota locations for watching sports while eating like a pro. And while the Bee Ridge Road spot is certainly appealing, you just can’t beat the Main Street destination downtown. There are big TVs everywhere, and the large full-liquor bar in the center of the room boasts 24 beers on tap — each one served ice cold.
The extensive food menu is brimming with pub classics including wings, pizza, and burgers. My favorite dish? The Buffalo chicken dip, served with baked pita triangles and tortilla chips, which I devoured the other evening while sipping on a proper Black and Tan (Guinness and Harp). Evie’s also offers outstanding weekly specials as well as daily deals on domestic drafts and their very own Mr. Steve’s Vodka.
The Fat Rabbit Pub
Details: 1359 Main St., Sarasota; 941-780-1151; fatrabbitpub.com
Following the success of their Fat Rabbit Pub in Tampa Palms, owners John Kuemmel and Shawn Diehl brought the brand to downtown Sarasota in 2024, opening in a second-floor spot overlooking bustling lower Main Street. The restaurant offers an elevated pub experience, with a solid selection of beer, wine, and craft cocktails to pair with burgers, hand-cut fries, and some of the best wings in town.
In addition to the wings, I can’t get away from their blackened chicken roll — a blackened chicken breast with sautéed onions, peppers, and corn, all tossed in their irresistible Fat Rabbit sauce and wrapped in a flour tortilla. It’s pressed, sliced sushi-style, and served with your choice of scratch-made dipping sauces (lately, I’m partial to the cayenne horseradish and chipotle ranch).
Food + Beer
Details: Multiple locations in Sarasota and Bradenton; eatfooddrinkbeer.com
Food + Beer first opened in Sarasota’s Gulf Gate district in 2018 and now has multiple locations across Sarasota and Manatee counties, including Bradenton and Venice. The locally owned group thrives on a smartly curated beer selection, craft cocktails, and clever takes on comfort food classics — burgers, wings, and other pub favorites like the fried Buffalo chicken sandwich, cheesesteak, and hand-breaded chicken nuggets — as well as seasonal specials.
Personal favorites include the You Jel? burger, which comes topped with chipotle cream cheese, bacon, and jalapeño pepper jelly, plus a roasted jalapeño on the side for those who want an extra kick. The house Buffalo wings are another standout, especially when dunked in a side of jalapeño ranch. And no stop at Food + Beer is complete without a serving of their thin, fresh-cut fries — which, yes, you’ll also want to dip in that jalapeño ranch.
Gecko’s Grill & Pub
Details: Multiple locations; geckosgrill.com
A local tradition founded by Sarasotans Mike Gowan and Mike Quillen in 1992, Gecko’s has six restaurants across Sarasota and Manatee counties, all offering a family-friendly setting for watching the big game — either at the full-liquor bar or one of the many tables. I’ve logged the most hours lately at the Southside Village location, but I also had a fun visit recently to the Fruitville Gecko’s, where you can pass the time during commercials by spotting the server robot making its rounds.
Gecko’s is probably best known for its big, juicy burgers that come with your choice of toppings ranging from onion rings and chili to jalapeños and guacamole. In addition to the burgers, I’m a big fan of their house-made potato chips, especially the Blue Cheese Chips starter, which tops those chips with blue cheese fondue, smoked bacon, red and green onions, and a sweet balsamic glaze. Another appetizer I’ve been known to crush is the Loaded Potato Scoops — an inspired take on potato skins, with cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, bacon, scallions, and a side of sour cream for mandatory dipping.
Joey D's
Details: Multiple locations; joeydsfl.com
The fan-voted winner of our 2024 March Madness-style Best Pizza Challenge, Joey D’s is the place for Chicago comfort foods while cheering on the Cubs, White Sox, Blackhawks, Bulls — and, of course, “Da Bears.”
Their deep-dish pizza features thick, flavorful crust walls filled with gobs of mozzarella and chunky tomato sauce, made fresh daily and spread generously over the cheese. Beneath that gooey layer, I like mine stuffed simply with pepperoni, or pepperoni and green olives — my go-to toppings for their equally delicious thin-crust pizza as well.
The family-owned restaurant debuted in Bradenton in 1994 and now maintains a flagship location there on Manatee Avenue West, along with locations in Sarasota, Venice, and Palmetto. Beyond pizza, I’m also a fan of the authentic Chicago-style hot dog, Italian beef sandwich, and wings.
Oak & Stone
Details: multiple locations; oakandstone.com
The Sarasota-founded Oak & Stone family of restaurants — which includes a downtown Bradenton location with one of the area’s best rooftop bars — is also a great choice for watching sporting events. You can catch the game from your seat, or while pouring yourself a flight of craft beer from one of their popular self-serve beer walls.
Must-try items from Oak & Stone’s food menu include the thin-crust pizzas and slow-roasted oven wings. I’m also a fan of the Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls, Smoky Gouda Mac N’ Cheese, Griddle Burger, and Voodoo Chick Sandwich. Really, though, the perfect pairing at Oak & Stone is pizza and wings. My favorites are the Farmer & the Pig — with prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, hot honey, herbed extra-virgin olive oil, and shaved pecorino romano — and the O.G. Buffalo wings, topped with blue cheese crumbles and green onions, served with a side of ginger honey mustard for dipping.
Raffurty's Bar and Grill
Details: 1888 Main St., Sarasota; 941-260-5285; raffurtys.net
As a Hershey, Pennsylvania, native married to a South Jersey native, I’ve always rooted for the Philadelphia Eagles. We found our downtown Sarasota home for Birds games at Raffurty’s, where green-clad fans pack the two-story restaurant and courtyard.
We’re back this season at Raffurty’s second-story “treehouse” bar and patio, ordering buckets of ice-cold longnecks and sharing wings, burgers and the All-Star Sampler. With lively crowds, generous pours and a palm-tree-lined downtown setting, it’s the next best thing to watching the Eagles back home.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 10 best Sarasota sports bars to watch football and what food to order
