Best spots to watch the FIFA World Cup in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas - Teams from across the globe are traveling to Qatar for this year's 2022 FIFA World Cup. If you're stuck in Austin, and you're looking for a place to watch the games, we have you covered.
Yelp's senior community and marketing director Tomas Rey joined FOX 7 Austin's Mike Warren to talk about some of the best game watching locations.
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Mike Warren: So what is the ideal thing people should be looking for in a World Cup bar?
Tomas Rey: A few things that people should be looking for, a great drink specials. They're definitely you'll want plenty of TVs and the chance to hang inside or outside, because we know here in Texas, Mother Nature can always keep us on our feet.
Mike Warren: So let's try and get to the list that you guys have come up with. You know, what are the highlights and low lights and some of your suggestions for places to go watch the games.
Tomas Rey: So we put together the top five sports bars. What kind of caught me by surprise is that? How far away? They're all spread out. We have some that are closer to Pflugerville and Georgetown. We have some that are in Cedar Park. And of course, we have an iconic one that is right here on South Lamar.
Mike Warren: That one would be.
Tomas Rey: Black Sheep Lodge. So kicking off of number one, of course, is Mr. Chance, which is right off of 183 and BURNETT. What's great about that one is that it's really close to the FC stadium, but they actually have daily drink specials. And for those of us who do not like hosting at our homes, they actually have a private room that you can rent out for free. Okay.
Mike Warren: And how many of these places have you been to kind of personally vetted?
Tomas Rey: So obviously the one that comes to mind is Black Sheep Lodge. I'm a huge fan of their fried pickles. I always like to say, order one for yourself and then get one for the table. But what's really great about it is that they are known for their World Cup viewing parties. So the fact that we're hosting another one right around the corner with them is always a lot of fun as well.
Mike Warren: You know, for people, if they're if there's only one place that they have to go, what place would it be, do you think?
Tomas Rey: I think it's the number one place is kind of like a must, right. Like it's the top one for a reason, which obviously ties in with the Yelp data. The methodology in itself is based off of the number of reviews that mention the word soccer, and it's an all-time list. So these are the top five spots here in the Austin area for you to explore the World Cup here in Austin, of course.
Mike Warren: Okay. And obviously, you're looking for fans and camaraderie. And I guess that little magic something to go enjoy this experience with other people.
Tomas Rey: You know, for me, when I go to the sports bars with my friends, I think the biggest thing in itself is just having that positive energy that's all around you. And I think that's what really stands out with these five BD Riley's, which is in the Mueller area. I love it there because they have the Irish bonds. I don't know about you, but any chance to mix coffee and liquor is always a win for me.
Mike Warren: I won't comment on that one. Okay. We got to wrap it up some great information and hopefully people get out and see some games, some matches, I should say. Tomas Ray with Yelp. Thank you very much for coming by and talking with us.