No Eagles, no problem: 7 great spots to watch the Super Bowl in Philadelphia

Not feeling a Super Bowl house party? Check out these Philly bars instead, with drink and food specials, much bigger TVs, and no clean up required.

So the Eagles aren’t in the Super Bowl this year. That’s all right — just hold onto the memory of that sweet 2018 win (and last year’s near-win) while you enjoy this year’s Big Game stress-free. 

We’ve put together a list of some of the best sports bars and other venues to watch the Super Bowl across the Philly area. Without a stake in the outcome of the game — and thus with no nail biting or screaming — you can just watch football (or the Puppy Bowl) and eat your loaded fries without a care in the world.

Super Bowl Watch Party at The Post 

The Post, the popular beer hall in University City, will be throwing a Super Bowl watch party to ensure you and your friends have a great spot to watch the Big Game. Plus, the bar is offering “tailgate packages,” complete with beer and football snacks, that allow you to reserve tables ahead of time. The $150 package reserves a booth for six, and includes two beer buckets, 50 wings, and a nacho platter. Bigger groups would need the $300 package, which reserves a table for 10 and comes with two beer buckets, 50 wings, two nacho platters, and a pretzel platter. Meanwhile, general entry tickets are $25 a pop.

Super Bowl Watch Party Hosted by XI West and Dim Sum House

If you like to mix defensive tackles with dim sum, XI West and Dim Sum House are hosting a Super Bowl watch party with an all-you-can-eat buffet by Dim Sum House. The shindig will be hosted by XI West Events, the private event space owned by the folks behind Philly restaurant Dim Sum House, hence the Chinese buffet. The game will be shown on a massive wall-size screen, though if you’d rather feel like a football player yourself, the party will also have a gaming room for playing Madden. Tickets for the event are $95 each. If that seems pricey, note that the open bar will be open for six hours!

Craft Hall 

Craft Hall is not only one of the largest indoor restaurants in Philly (setting up shop in a 35,000-square-foot warehouse) but it was also named the “best bar for parents” by Philadelphia Magazine. This likely has something to do with the indoor playground — with a pirate ship theme — inside the brewpub. And importantly for game days, the family-friendly brewpub has an LED screen that’s a massive 140 square feet! All in all, Craft Hall is a great place to watch the Big Game with hundreds of your closest friends. The menu focuses on barbecue, pizza, and typical bar snacks. 

McGillin’s Olde Ale House 

McGillin’s Olde Ale House has been around since 1860, “the year Lincoln was elected president,” as the pub’s website is quick to point out. The McGillin’s website also boldly claims that McGillin’s is the best sports bar in Philly, and while we’re sure other bars may argue with them, the fact that they’re dedicated to game days means watching the Super Bowl at McGillin’s will be a great time. The Midtown Village bar has plenty of projectors and TVs to watch the game as well as a large menu of pub food and English favorites. You can also expect drink specials on Super Bowl Sunday.

Garage

Garage has bar locations in South Philly and Fishtown, meaning you have two different options for watching the Big Game if you also want one of the widest beer selections in the city. The Fishtown location also has a full food menu with pierogies, sandwiches, and snacks. But both locations have TVs so you can pair your beer with football. And they both also have Skee-Ball so you can entertain yourself during halftime if you’re not an Usher fan.

Chickie’s and Pete’s

The official sports bar of the Philadelphia Eagles (really) will of course be a happening place to watch the Super Bowl, even if the Eagles aren’t playing. Chickie’s and Pete’s got its start in Philadelphia and is now an expansive franchise with locations serving their famous crab fries as well as other bar grub. On Super Bowl Sunday, most locations will offer a $60 all-you-can-eat menu with crab fries, wings, and snow crab legs.    

Triangle Tavern 

Triangle Tavern is a South Philly institution, as the neighborhood bar originally opened in 1933. Foodwise, the pub serves Italian-American classics meant to ramp up nostalgia, fitting for a place with a near century of history. Triangle Tavern doesn’t market itself as a sports bar, so don’t expect a football-field-sized TV screen, but the bar does have plenty of TVs so that you can catch the game while slurping pasta, munching on pizza, or sipping interesting cocktails. The bar also has extensive vegan options, including vegan wings.

Bonus: Where to Watch the Puppy Bowl

If football isn’t your thing, or if you just prefer dogs to defensemen, you should get excited for Puppy Bowl 2024. While the official Puppy Bowl airs on Animal Planet and has adoptable puppies playing with stuffed toys in a parody of the Super Bowl, some Philly orgs are sponsoring their own Puppy Bowl events on Super Bowl Sunday. Love City Brewing will host Doggy Noses and Yoga Poses for the Puppy Bowl at noon on Sunday, which will be preceded by an hourlong yoga class with puppies. The event benefits Philly Rescue Angels. And for those in the suburbs, the nonprofit dog rescue Angel’s Retreat is hosting their annual Puppy Bowl at Northbrook MarketPlace in West Chester. The event starts at 11:00 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. Besides adorable puppies, the Angel’s Retreat Puppy Bowl will also have food, drinks, raffles, and a silent auction. 

If you like puppies and football, note that these Philly-area Puppy Bowls will end before the Super Bowl kicks off.