Ten Places in/Near Fort Lauderdale to Watch the World Cup Finals

Want to find a nice cool Broward/Palm Beach spot to drink your guilt away -- after you call in sick so you can watch what's left of the World Cup? Yeah, us too. Here's a list of recommendations for spending your AWOL time while you catch these following matches: Germany...

By Jeff Stratton

July 7, 2010

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Want to find a nice cool Broward/Palm Beach spot to drink your guilt away -- after you call in sick so you can watch what's left of the World Cup? Yeah, us too. Here's a list of recommendations for spending your AWOL time while you catch these following matches: Germany and Spain, today at 2:30 p.m., and the finals on the 10th (match for third place between Germany and Uruguay) and the 11th (the big game, between Spain and the Netherlands).

Check out the remaining games:

July 10 at 2:30 pm on ABC - Uruguay vs. Germany

July 11 at 2:30 pm on ABC - Netherlands vs. Spain

10. Maguires Hill 16: Though ostensibly Irish, downtown Fort Lauderdale gets all continental from time to time, and that international spirit makes Maguires the perfect pub to get your pint and your game on. Well, that and the 17 TVs.

9. Wowies Sports Grill: Wood paneling, hot waitresses, ginormous TVs: Yep, this sounds like your stereotypical SoFla sports bar. Wowies remains devoted to the Cup in its waning days, with beer specials and a Jabulani ball giveaway.

8. Parillada El Gaucho: This Uruguayan grill is doing a two-for-one beer special, which means you can afford that many more of them to wash down your delicious skirt steak. Also, word has it this is an excellent place to practice your Uruguayan.

7. Los Asados Argentine/Uruguayan Steak House: Technically, this paradise o' meats caters to fans on both sides of the border, and since it was Uruguay that knocked Argentina out, be careful not to cheer too loudly.

6. Don Arturo's: Arturo's has been in this tucked-away location for almost 25 years now. It's a drab, dark, but indisputably authentic hidden hole-in-the-wall flying the bandera de España, and with Spain in the finals, it'll no doubt host a few old-timers.

5. Bierbrunnen Pub: German tourists wandering on the beach probably felt like stopping into this open-air hangout to root for their one-time top-dog team. The schnitzel's not the reason to come here, btw -- it's the beer. Try the smoked porter.

4. Old Heidelberg : And this is where Gerhardt und Gertrude und all of the oom-pah-pah crowd will be watching the game by the bar, which promises no specials other than an ample German bier selection. The deli next door carries an assortment of German sports magazines.

3. Waxy O'Connor's: We've been driving past Waxy's over the last month, and it's always packed with football fans. It's not just the drink specials that bring the crowds; it's the dark cavernous interior that offers respite during these dog days.

2. Mardi Gras Casino, Dawg House Bar and Grill: This might be where you want to camp out for the finals, as the Dawg House boasts a 16-foot HD screen. Put it this way: That's bigger than some people's boats. Domestic beers and wings will flow freely, and you'll have damned little to complain about.

1. Kalahari Bar: The last time we stopped in at the Kalahari Bar, South Florida's favorite (only?) South African watering hole, they were all out of Castle Lager, that country's other golden export. But during the final games, it's happy-hour prices! No matter who wins, this is a place where national pride will brim.

Jeff Stratton

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