Quarterdeck
2933 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-2010; quarterdeckrestaurants.com.
Our Pick: Lobster Dinner, $14.95 with the purchase of a beverage every Tuesday and Thursday.
There are certain parts of the United States where even if someone tells you the lobster dinner at your local sports bar is great, you take a hard pass in the name of caution. South Florida is not one of those locations. Quarterdeck is serving up surf 'n' turf throughout their menu, but the Lobster Dinner special they have available twice a week is
Some cities do french fries or pizza well, but in South
Frankey's Sports Bar
Building 1720, 900 Silks Run, Hallandale Beach; 954-464-2333; frankeysbar.com.
Our Pick: Tacos — Beef, Organic Chicken, or Fish, $12.
Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill
2041 NE Second St., Deerfield Beach; 954-427-9304; flanigans.net.
Our Pick: Prime Rib, $17.99 (Served after 4 p.m.).
Flanigan's is known for its food; there's no debate there. While some sports bars might be about drinks or the size and number of televisions, Flanigan's is a food-first place. Most think of chicken wings or ribs when they think of Flanny's, but for our money the prime rib is the secret sauce. The 12-oz.
Bru's Room
1000 N. University Dr., Coral Springs; 954-656-8041; brusroom.com.
Our Pick: Triple-Threat Chicken Wings, $11.99 for ten wings.
If you're trying to stand out in the world of bar food, chances are you're going to need to fry alligator nuggets or put some Man vs.
Bokamper's Sports Bar and Grill
1280 S. Pine Island Rd., Plantation; 954-533-7152; visit bokampers.com.
Our Pick: Smokehouse Ribs, $16.99 full rack ($9.99 Wednesdays).
Former Miami Dolphins defensive end and Bokamper's Sports Bar owner Kim Bokamper just looks like a guy you can trust with your ribs. He's big, he's burly, and he has the appearance of a man who has stared at a smoker for hours on end perfecting his rib recipe. We aren't sure if this is true, but however he came up with his award-winning Smokehouse Ribs, we aren't complaining. Bokamper's might offer the best menu of all the sports bars in the area from a sheer selection standpoint, but the Smokehouse Ribs are definitely the go-to pick.
Duffy's Sports Grill
4800 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Coconut Creek; 954-422-9789; duffysmvp.com.
Our Pick: The Hangover Burger, $12.49.
Duffy's Sports Grill takes a special interest in putting together an amazing not-your-average-sports-bar-menu. It recently even opened a new test kitchen in Lake Worth in a state-of-the-art studio that will expand their research and development and culinary training departments. That's cool and all, but to be totally honest, what they are doing now is pretty great, especially the tried-and-true Hangover Burger. This half-pound burger is made up of a farm-fresh sunnyside-up egg, pepper-crusted bacon, two slices of American cheese, and all the usual veggies. It's simple, yet effective; trust us — we've tested it out time and time again.
It's pretty
Funky Buddha Brewery
1201 NE 38th St., Oakland Park; 954-440-0046; funkybuddhabrewery.com.
Our Pick: 1201 Burger, $11.95 (suggested pairing: Hop Gun).
It wasn't too long ago that Funky Buddha couldn't possibly be included on any list that praised food simply because they hadn't moved into the culinary space yet. Those days now seem like forever ago, because since Funky Buddha opened their Craft Food Counter & Kitchen back in November of last year, they have had their foot firmly inserted in best bar food discussions.
As with everything Funky Buddha does, their food is outside-of-the-box, fantastically done. Our personal favorite, however, is a very inside-the-box dish: a cheeseburger with a Funky spin on it. The 1201 Burger is a special signature meat blend, a "3Sum sauce," lettuce, tomato, and pickled onion all topped with a gooey Manchego cheese. Take them up on the option to add a fried egg and bacon to this glorious take on traditional bar food, and what you have is a masterpiece.
Tucker Duke's Lunchbox
1101 S. Powerline Rd., Deerfield Beach; 954-708-2035; tuckerdukes.com.
Our Pick: The Tucker Duke, $10 ($5 Tuesdays).
What Tucker Duke's Lunchbox lacks in size and number of televisions, it more than makes up for in quality of food. Tucker Duke's menu is the sort of reading material you hold onto after you ordered just to figure out what you are going to order next time, or better yet,
The first thing that sticks out about it is that right there on the menu, they state there will be zero changes to this order, and trust us, they aren't joking. The Tucker Duke burger comes stacked high (like, crazy high) with fried onions rings, American cheese, Tucker sauce, lettuce, and tomato. That's it. That's how you'll eat it, and that's how you'll like it. Trust us — you'll like it.
American Social
721 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-764-7005; americansocialbar.com.
Our Pick: Chicken and Waffles, $14.
Everything about American Social almost makes you forget you're technically in a sports bar: the decor, the clientele, the location (Las Olas Boulevard), and, most importantly, the food. Their menu definitely has nothing in common with your run-of-the-mill dive sports bar. You just don't expect to find items like rock shrimp flatbreads, lobster grilled cheese, steak paninis, and meat and cheese boards at most sports bars. American Social has all that plus our personal favorite, their notoriously sexy
These herb vanilla waffles come topped with southern-fried chicken, cherries, bourbon mascarpone, and a sugary maple syrup sauce. Now that you've read that, you can get in your car and go stuff that thing in your face. It's waiting for you.
