To find the best sports bar around Fenway Park, you don’t have to go very far. Bleacher Bar is located beneath the center field seats, and it’s open to the public with a patio on Lansdowne Street. From the bar area, a large window overlooks right field. Though it closes during Red Sox games, the view into the pahk always brings a little bit of baseball magic into the place. The lively atmosphere is brought home with a solid selection of draft and bottled beers, and satisfying pub food like double-stacked burgers and beer-battered onion rings with chipotle aioli.

The Banshee is a reliable haunt for fans of international soccer, especially the European leagues, because it keeps Premier League brunch-friendly hours on weekends with a breakfast menu of Salsa Verde Baked Eggs, Pulled Pork Breakfast Burrito, and more. The Banshee is a preferred spot for fans of rugby and most American sports, too—all with the welcoming vibe of a classic Irish pub. Needless to say, people don’t just visit this Dorchester sports bar to watch a game. The Banshee’s Wednesday night Pub Quiz is one of Boston’s best indie bar trivia nights. Along with an extensive beer list of imports and local drafts, the bar serves up cocktails and food until late.

The area around the TD Garden—home of the Bruins and Celtics—has no shortage of sports bars, mostly of the cavernous club variety. Sullivan’s Tap is not like that. This Canal Street staple, first opened in 1933, is a narrow barroom with frills only in the form of a pool table and a couple of Boston-branded Arcade Hoops. With wood-paneled walls, neon lights, and no food served, it’s nearly as divey as any of Boston’s best dive bars. Yet for almost 90 years, Sully’s has been the stalwart sports bar in Boston to pregame the Bs and Cs, to be close to the action without having a ticket, and to revel or commiserate with fellow fans until last call.

Shine Square Pub joined the squad of spots around Porter Square in late 2018, replacing a longtime neighborhood bar with more TVs and an eclectic collection of sports memorabilia and tin beer signs. Spacious, dark, and usually pretty raucous, Shine Square is a prime place to bring a group of friends to watch a game and share some pub grub. The menu is simply a selection of sliders, wings, and snacks like fries and Pretzel Nubs, but it’s full of pick-your-flavor possibilities, from Chicken Parm or Chili Dog Sliders to meaty wings rubbed with Old Bay seasoning or tossed in a Chipotle Citrus sauce. There are a few craft beer selections, a sleeper-hit House Margarita, and tons of tipples for shots. 

New-build glass towers allow bars and restaurants to think big with blank spaces, so the gleaming Seaport District abounds with wall-sized TV displays and gamified going-out ideas. Sports bar connoisseurs should seek out The Sporting Club at the 2021-new Omni Hotel: The corner spot at Summer and D Streets is sprawling and swanky, with a whimsical entrance made to look like a Fenway Park tunnel and a curvaceous bar. Twelve high-def TVs span the high-ceilinged space, which also features an urbane private room and ample large tables ideal for hosting fantasy-draft and Derby parties. The menu is elevated from the usual sports bar fare, with wings and a bacon-cheeseburger alongside the likes of Steak & Frites and a Seafood Plateau, and cocktails worth the gamble.