Whether you’re celebrating a last-second touchdown or mourning your fantasy team’s collapse, sometimes you need a crowd that gets it—a place where the roar of the game drowns out everything else. For those moments when only wings, cold beer, and shared groans at the ref’s bad call will do, here are Chesapeake’s top spots to watch the action unfold.
The Dirty Buffalo
$ | (757) 819-7558 | WEBSITE
The Dirty Buffalo is a reliable wing whisperer. After all, this Chesapeake sports bar serves the best Buffalo wings in the 757, so if we’re being really honest, it laughs in the face of your careful description of the ‘healthy’ salad you ordered last weekend. Everyone here is too busy drinking $6 craft beers, dipping crispy wings into delicious sauces, and cheering for the game to care about your conversation.
It’s loud, it’s proud, and it’s usually got some kind of sticky sauce splatter across the kids’ game area. Saucy wings, let’s go.
AJ Gator’s Sports Bar & Grill
$ | (757) 482-0096 | WEBSITE
Man oh man did the NFL do a lot for the art of watching sports. They made it loud, we keep it loud with glorious behavior like screaming at the screen when our team is down by three as Fourth Quarter Miracle Please Happen. It’s for that reason that AJ Gator’s big wooden bar stools feel exactly like the kind of safe space where you can lean over a cold beer and utter the profound words ‘We got this’.
Whichever hungry soul must carry this heavy appetite will have the warm embrace of those real potato skins with homemade ranch and the gloriously rich Mushroom Swiss burger to enjoy. You should know this place is named after the owner’s lucky alligator at the first location, so you’re in great company. There, there, have another bite of those filet steak bites and… check the score?
Woody’s Raw Bar & Grill
$$ | (757) 436-1919 | WEBSITE
The family with the giggling kids at the next table doesn’t need to hear about your epic karaoke fail from last weekend. Your buddy, on the other hand, is getting the full story. The good thing is at this Funky with a capital F spot after the bridge, you can simultaneously spill all the details at full volume, while actually digging into some killer mango habanero wings and crispy pub chips. And maintain a decent level of privacy thanks to the great music pumping from the speakers.
If you need any more encouragement to start talking, just know there are orange crushes waiting at the bar for about $12 each.
Riff House Pub
$ | (757) 228-5808 | WEBSITE
No one can pass judgement if you’re drinking cheap beer out of a frosty mug and eating decent bar food. And especially when you’re in Riff House Pub. Even if the metal show does sound like one of those old school albums cranked to eleven. Inside this humble dive bar, in a laid-back venue with pool tables and familiar faces, the sports bar situation gives you an excuse to hang around for a while with your pals without worrying about disturbing others around you.
Longshots
$ | (757) 361-0160 | WEBSITE
“What’s old is new again” is a very convenient way of describing the decor that hasn’t seen an update in what feels like decades—no, like, decades, made my eyes want to take a long nap—but that doesn’t seem to bother the regulars who are yet to experience the heady delights of a fresh coat of paint. Longshots is so welcoming that no one else will be privy to this observation—sorry, excuse us, appreciation.
A capital F Friendly sports bar inside Chesapeake’s local scene, it serves properly prepared French fries and calamari that’s not overly salty, and enough drinks to soothe your competitive spirit. Plus, the pool tables are workable for a game or two unlike, well, the cue storage situation.
Recovery Sports Grill
$ | (757) 822-6920 | WEBSITE
The sports bar where Recovery Sports Grill operates has been serving Chesapeake since it opened. That means fans in jerseys and casual wear have been filling these tables and booths, digging into Mediterranean bowls, munching chicken fingers, and cheering or groaning at games for years. It’s clearly kept up with the times, but this classic American spot in Chesapeake is home to Virginia’s only genuine sports-viewing contenders that are perfect for a lively group outing.
Hooters of Greenbrier
$ | (757) 549-8585 | WEBSITE
Few things ensure a casual good time like the steady hum of sports commentary on multiple screens. That, combined with Hooters of Greenbrier’s friendly and efficient service, makes this Chesapeake spot an ideal place for a relaxed meal with friends. That said, someone might always catch you mid-bite during a big game highlight.
But we think there’s little chance of that mattering when you’ve got a basket of perfectly crispy wings in front of you and a Tuesday special deal that makes the whole table happy.
