Sports fans, get ready to grip the edge of your seats. Cheer your team on to victory or console yourself after a loss. Whether you want to watch a Twins, Wild or Vikings game, good times are waiting. Maybe you like soccer, basketball, or something else. An abundance of big screens with global cable make the possibilities almost endless.
All this fun comes at a more budget-friendly price than attending a live baseball, basketball or hockey game. At a Maple Grove sports bar, you can watch sporting events without parking and ticket fees—plus, there’s no need for a seat license. See the games from some of the best seats in the house.
Maple Grove has an impressive line-up of sports bars. Generously tempting happy hour discounts are often part of the game. Specials on bar food snacks and entrees go easier on your wallet compared to the price of live game concessions. Throw in some game-themed giveaways and prizes for good measure. So get out and cheer with some munchies and a beer, Maple Grove-style.
Sports involvement hits on all levels. Besides supporting local Maple Grove teams, 3 Squares holds sports-themed events like Minnesota Wild Funday and other game day specials. Happy hour times that normally run three times a day can extend through an entire game. The special five-dollar price for bar snacks will make you extra hungry. Try saucy riblets with snappy carrots and green onions, or delicately seared Cheddar-potato pierogi dumplings with rich creamy-tangy horseradish dip and crispy fried onion slivers. Enjoy your tasty housemade bar snacks with a fresh-poured, frothy beer. Find a favorite among a varying selection of 28 taps, including many local craft beers. A super deal is Freehouse Beer that goes for only $2.50 a pint during happy hour. Enticing specials along with a friendly atmosphere fueled by an engaging staff keeps customers coming back, according to general manager Tim Walker. “We talk sports all the time,” he says. The staff makes an effort to greet everyone from returning customers to new visitors alike. $5 Happy hour bar snacks. 12690 Arbor Lakes Parkway N.; 763.425.3330.
Classic Deluxe Pizza
Broadway Bar & Pizza is a pizza place, sports bar and Italian restaurant all rolled into one. Sports fans will enjoy seasonally-focused team-themed events. Previous Twins’ offers included a jersey give away, an opportunity for kids to run the bases during A Broadway Pizza sponsored game and an in-house meal discount offer for ticket stub holders, plus others. Tip your glass to happy hour two-for-one deals on light draft beers, rail drinks and house wines. Get some munchies too; select appetizers are two dollars off. Watch your favorite big games on the huge projection TV or on one of the other six screens. Get a prime seat to view basketball play-offs, the Vikings, college games and more. Large groups can reserve the banquet room for private parties. Your game experience would not be complete without a fresh-made, award-wining, old-style pizza oozing with mounds of stringy cheese. Neat bite-sized square cuts make even the deliciously thickly-topped thin crusted classic deluxe easy to share. Small $14.99, medium $17.59, large $20.29. 7951 Elm Creek Blvd. N.; 763.416.4446.
Team spirit is contagious at Whirly Ball. Watch your favorite pro or college team on a big screen, and keep those competitive juices flowing with your own game of whirly ball or laser tag. Team leagues with local players are a big draw. At this complete entertainment destination, you have your choice of sport. For the sports observer “obscenely large televisions” and a jovial atmosphere make a game pure pastime pleasure. You will almost feel like you are at the actual game, sound and all. Whatever the sport, attractive happy hour specials and food choices will keep you going. Sports focused food and drink discounts encourage fans to dress in their team colors. An ever-changing beer list with 16 brews on tap gives variety. The food menu surpasses ordinary bar munchies with made-from-scratch specialties like the buffalo chicken pizza. A lively spread of chicken, celery, blue cheese, red onions and buffalo sauce create “kind of a wing experience on a pizza,” says owner Nick Lambrecht. 10-inch $11.99, 14-inch $15.99. 13644 80th Circle N.; 763.657.1555.
David Provorcha, Bridget Lee and Angelica Torres with the Bucket Beer Special at JC's Bar and Grill.
Sport fans will feel at home at JC’s Bar and Grill. Afternoon and late evening happy hour specials run seven days a week to keep the sports party going. Frequent game day discounts, events and contests add to the excitement. Food and beverage specials come by the basket full. Look for the bucket beer special for five bottles of beer in a metal pail filled with crushed ice for $15. Drink at your leisure and your beer will remain just-out-of-the-fridge ice cold. As an easily shareable appetizer, tasty chicken wings make another game day winner. Sports fans will enjoy the variety of games with 25 TV’s available to watch your favorites. Want to both see and hear your game? “Anything that has to do with Minnesota sports we put on audio. We’re big on Minnesota sports,” says general manager Jeff Schwartz. Chicken wings $8.99-$9.99, 5-bottle beer bucket special $15. 13540 Grove Drive; 763.420.2107.
A bar area lined with more than a dozen suspended big screen TV’s makes game watching easy at Malone’s. Extensive happy hour discounts on food and drinks have amassed a loyal following with many devotees proclaiming the deals as some of the best found in Maple Grove. Among favorites on the American casual menu are the handmade chicken strips fried to tender-crisp perfection—they are well worth raving about, according to bartender and manager, ‘Junior’. Event specials run aplenty through every season and for just about every sport. Think party bus for the Wild, ticket giveaways during Gopher football, free tall beer for a Vikings touchdown or wear wild gear for a free drink just to name a few. Come summer look for the fifth annual Malone’s open golf tournament. During hocking season, Malone’s touts itself as “a place to go Wild.” Chicken strips $6 during happy hour. 12635 Elm Creek Blvd. N.; 763.447.6500.
Wear Twin’s apparel during a game and get Budweiser, Bud Light or Michelob Light beer for $2.50. It is easy to get caught up in a game at this family-friendly neighborhood restaurant and bar. “There’s a TV in view no matter where you are at,” says owner Brandon Hlavka. A spacious event room holds sports banquets. “There’s something for everybody at the Maple Tavern,” he says. With three courts on site, the Maple Tavern has a volleyball league and also sponsors softball teams. Other special sports events were last year’s Tavern Scramble Tournament of golf, and a beer Olympics game prize event. An updated online calendar keeps track of the special days. All this sports activity is bound to make you hungry. Try the top-selling deconstructed nachos. Each nacho ingredient comes on a separate plate. Warm seasoned black beans, melted Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, shredded iceberg lettuce, Pico de Gallo sauce, chopped green onions and jalapenos have a finish of sour cream. To eat, use a nacho as a spoon—no silverware required. $8.95. Add salsa for 75 cents, guacamole for $1.75, or pulled pork or roasted chicken for $2. 9375 Deerwood Lane; 763.425.2700.
