Self-serve craft beer bar Barrel Republic (which also has locations in Oceanside and Pacific Beach) has 52 beer taps, six wine taps, and Cicerones on hand to recommend everything from beer styles to glass ware. Thanks to its solid menu of upscale pub food and sweet happy hour pricing it’s a great place to catch a Monday night game when their barrel burger with fries ring in for just $7.

While its sister sports bar and neighborhood pub in Old Town has been a crowd-pleaser since 2015, Home & Away’s Encinitas outpost promises to be the new game day go-to in North County. There are multiple TVs dotted around the bar and a menu of good eats and drinks, from tacos, sandwiches, and burgers, to cocktails including boozy pitchers: British Pilgrim and Mr. Toast’s Wild Ride.

With its 100-inch projection screen (plus foosball and ping pong tables for half-time entertainment) the Cohn Restaurant Group’s popular UTC beer palace is a great spot to kick things off for football season. Load up on the 1/2-pound Draft Republic Burger and a pint of local IPA on draft or go big with the 24-ounce Hail Mary Bloody Mary.

A haven for Cleveland Browns fans and LSU alumni, the Elbowroom in Kearny Mesa boasts a mega 10-foot TV screen, in addition to 16 HDTVs. There’s a dog-friendly outdoor patio too if you want to bring the pupper, and the all-day weekend happy hour is legendary. Enjoy $3.75 well drinks and $4.75 Jäger shots alongside bar snacks like loaded tater tots, nachos, and tacos. 

There are five bars and 38 TVs dotted across this bi-level indoor/outdoor party space in PB. Baja-inspired bites grace the menu, alongside cocktails, draft beers, and Bloody Mary and Michelada packages. Maverick’s will run Sunday night specials throughout the 2019-2020 season, including a weekly raffle with prize drawings, and Fantasy Drafts are welcome too with a $100 gift card up for grabs.

Enjoy $6 margaritas and $2 street tacos between 5 and 10 p.m. during Monday Night Football and a $13 steak dinner special during Thursday Night Football at this long-standing Bay Park favorite. Or head over on Sundays for brunch - when bottles of bubbly are just $10 - and stick around afterwards for the game and a few cold ones. FYI: Pre-season games are showing now.

This Normal Heights drinking den is also an excellent spot for sports-watching, thanks to its convivial atmosphere, inventive plates (think an amazing tortilla, wonton, and tater tot creation dubbed Abnormal Tot-Chos), and craft cocktails. There’s a weekday happy hour (5 to 7 p.m.) with $5 drafts, and $6 cocktails, plus Sunday brunch specials, including $5 Bloodys and $10 bottles of bubbles. 

New England Patriots, San Diego Aztecs, Oregon Ducks, and Nebraska Huskers fans all congregate at this storied Ocean Beach bar, which boasts 25 HDTVs, excellent craft beer, specialty cocktails and a solid menu of elevated pub food. Enjoy half off all appetizers during the weekday happy hour (3 to 7 p.m.) plus $2 tacos and $8 double madres margaritas every Tuesday.

A prime location to catch both NCAA and NFL games throughout the season, barleymash opens early on Saturdays and Sundays serving build-your-own Bloody Marys and alongside breakfast and brunch bites. For weekday game nights there’s half off of all wine, beer, spirits and select appetizers (think duck empanadas and tuna poke) from 3 to 6 p.m. And do not miss the Ron Burgundy-inspired cocktail list of signatures and cups, like Panda Watch and I Love Lamp.

Just steps from Petco Park, this East Village sports bar and event space has 27 TVs and a ton of DirecTV sports package so you can catch almost any event from the NFL to UFC. There’s a wide-ranging drinks list from cocktails and cider to craft beer and booch. While Sunday night social hour specials include pulled $6 pork sliders, and $8 crispy chicken tenders from 4 p.m. until close.

Home to over 150 HDTVs, although affiliated with Florida State and Boston College, Striders is a great place to catch a game no matter which team you support. Food options range from sliders and skillets to flatbreads and a chicken avocado club, plus drink specials like $20 bottles of champagne and $20 domestic buckets during brunch, and $15 pitchers every Saturday and Sunday.