13 Maine sports bars where you can catch the big game

It’s a good time for fans in Maine to go looking for a sports bar.

The region’s beloved New England Patriots have not had a winning season since 2021 and have finished last in their division the last two years. But this fall, the Pats got off to a 7-2 start and have fans cheering and dreaming of Super Bowls once again.

What better way to celebrate your team’s resurgence than to watch them with friends and other fans in a party-like atmosphere in a sports bar? It’s a lot more fun to share your team’s victories with other screaming fans than to just shout at your TV at home.

If you haven’t watched a game out in public for a while, here’s a list of places to catch a game while eating and drinking. There are certainly more, but these will give you some idea of what local sports bars are offering on game days, whether you’re a fan of the Pats, the Bruins, Celtics, or some other team.

129 Commercial St., Portland

This cozy neighborhood bar in the Old Port is a haven for sports fans, with 10 TVs that always have some game on. It’s also the place to go if you’re a University of Nebraska fan looking for company. Bar owner John Guinn is from Nebraska, so Cornhusker football and volleyball games are often on and draw big crowds. If you’re a fan of college football in general, Commercial Street Pub also has SEC, ACC and Big 10 games available, plus, of course, all the pro sports.

671 Main St., South Portland

This restaurant and bar has game day specials and then, beyond that, “Patriots games only” specials, including $10 pitchers of Miller Light or Coors Light, or $18 pitchers with a cheese pizza. There are 12 TVs lining the walls, including two that are 85 inches. The rest have 60-inch screens.

436 Fore St., Portland

Located in the heart of the Old Port, Fore Play opened in 1995 and bills itself as “Portland’s original sports bar.” The bar has been advertising 90’s prices to celebrate its 30th anniversary, including $3 well drinks on Wednesdays. You can also check out their Facebook and Instagram accounts to find out when there’s a big sporting event coming up, like a Red Sox playoff game, the college football national championship or, dare we say, a Super Bowl.

120 Center St., Auburn

Not only does this place have some 20 TVs in three rooms, it also hosts the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame. So besides watching your favorite pro or college teams play, you can learn about local sports history from the plaques on the wall. The owners take pride in the picture quality of the game too, because of their more expensive OLED (organic light-emitting diodes) TVs. Reading the extensive menu alone is an exhilarating experience for fans, given so many dishes have sporty names. There are sandwiches named for Tom Brady (The G.O.A.T), David Ortiz (The Big Papi), Ted Williams (The Splendid Splinter) and Boston sportscaster and Maine native Tom Caron (The T.C.)

1567 Lisbon St., Lewiston

This restaurant and sports bar has TVs covering the walls and there are always multiple games on. It’s a big place, so plenty of room for you and your whole softball team. There are food and beverage specials all day long and an extensive beer menu, including several non-alcoholic choices.

223 Congress St., Portland

On the East End of Congress Street, this venue is described by the owners as a “neighborhood, sports and board sports bar.” So besides TVs showing live games, there are also videos of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing. The decor includes a Boston Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup Champions banner as well as snowboards framed and mounted on the wall. On Sundays, for football, the menu offers several kinds of nachos.

855 Main St., Westbrook

Located on the Presumpscot River in downtown Westbrook, this place has outdoor dining along the River Walk in good weather. On NFL Sundays there’s an all-day happy hour, including $4 Bud pints and $6 for twin red hotdogs. On Nov. 9 the bar showed the Portland Hearts of Pine soccer team’s playoff game, from Spokane, Washington.

4 Mollison Way, Lewiston

The bar’s website proclaims that every day is game day. There are 18 HD TV screens, half streaming live sports and half playing music videos when there’s no game. The bar has the “NFL RedZone” TV channel, which shows every touchdown from every Sunday afternoon game.

65 Gray Road, Falmouth

This sports pub opened in 2021 in the Hannaford plaza, on the west side of town. There are more than 15 TVs, showing sports from streaming services and networks. There are beer pitchers and buckets all day long on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. The menu includes “Souper Bowls” of chili, haddock corn chowder and French onion soup.

2 Hat Trick Road, Falmouth

This large, family-friendly sports bar has 32 TVs, including two with 85-inch screens. The venue serves “elevated pub food” and has every major and professional sports TV package, so chances are they’ll always have the game you’re looking for. Plus, they are located off Route 1 within a slapshot of two hockey rinks, Family Ice Center and Casco Bay Arena.

112 Pleasant St., Brunswick

This venerable Maine family restaurant has a couple dozen TVs, with access to NFL and MLB games, plus Big 10 college football. There’s also a wide selection of craft and domestic beers, plus $11 large pizzas Monday through Wednesday. The same owners run a Pat’s Pizza on Route 1 in Yarmouth, with the same set-up for sports fans.

242 China Road, Winslow

Stan LaPointe opened this place on Super Bowl Sunday in 1986 and has been hosting sports fans every since. Open at 11 a.m. on Sundays for NFL games.

2 Silver St., Waterville

This place has a giant wall-sized screen and projector they use for championships like the Super Bowl. The rest of the time you can catch games on six HD TVs in the main bar and dining room. Usually the sound is off for people who want to focus on conversation – or their food.