The best places in London to watch Super Bowl LII

After a long, gruelling season, we now know who will lose to the New England Patriots in this year’s Super Bowl.

Sorry, I mean we now know who will take part in the sporting showpiece.

Tom Brady and the Patriots sealed a come-from-behind win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, overcoming a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to win 24-20; they’ll take on the Philadelphia Eagles, who beat the Minnesota Vikings by a far more comprehensive scoreline of 38-7.

But you already knew that. You’re here because you’ve suddenly realised you forgot to make plans to actually watch the game. You could just stick it on at home and head off to bed if it’s a foregone conclusion before the fourth quarter, but last year’s Super Bowl shows there’s no such thing.

If it’s anything close to last year’s game, where the Patriots pulled off an outrageous late comeback, you’ll want to be out and about to see it happen. With that in mind, here are some of your options for watching the 2018 Super Bowl in London.

Balthazar

If you’ve got £60 to spare, and that’s barely a pound for each Super Bowl there has been up until now, then Balthazar will let you watch the game in true American sports style: sat down while you have food brought to you throughout the evening. The menu includes wings, hot dogs and mac & cheese, as well as American desserts and a steady stream of tea and coffee to keep you caffeinated into the early hours, while there’s a free whisky cocktail on entry and a breakfast pastry to take home once the game is over. They’ve thought of everything.

https://balthazarlondon.com/super-bowl/ - Covent Garden

Belushi’s

The game might not start until going on midnight UK time, but if you want to go big early then Belushi’s could be a good bet. Five of their London venues will start proceedings at 5pm with free beer pong, then it’s live music for a couple of hours and a chicken wing challenge before the game gets underway. It’s £10 to guarantee entry, but there are other packages such as the £25pp (including a sharing platter, drinks and table service) all the way up to the £1,000 Touchdown Premium (you get your own private 4k TVs, Playstations and beer-filled fridges!)

http://www.belushis.com/whats-on/london-all/superbowl2018 - Several locations across London

Bodeans

Part of the problem on Super Bowl night can be getting to 3am, your body clock remembering you have work in the morning and then it hankering desperately after a nice sit down. Bodeans deals with this by offering a ticketed event - £30 gets you an American BBQ platter (ribs, pulled pork, chicken, you know the drill), plus a beer and – more importantly – a seat.

http://bodeansbbq.com/event/super-bowl-2018/ - Several locations across London

Clapham Grand

If you want to feel like you’re in Minnesota itself for the game, this could be the one for you. The Grand has its own cheerleaders and ‘gridiron anthems’, whatever that means, and also lays claim to the biggest HD screen in the capital. Oh, and all your standard American beers and stadium-style snacks. Standing tickets are still available for £10, but they’re likely to sell out pretty quickly.

http://claphamgrand.com/sport/super-bowl-2018-party/ - Clapham

Club Aquarium

How many Super Bowl parties have a swimming pool on-site? Not many, we imagine, but that’s what you get if you buy a £200 (for six people) or £300 table (for eight) for the night at Club Aquarium. Standing tickets are just £10, but if you buy a table you’ll get pool and games room access plus free beer and – in case you forgot about the main event – the actual game on a load of massive projector screens.

https://www.designmynight.com/london/whats-on/sport/super-bowl-london-2018 - Old Street

Empire Casino

The Empire has always been a solid go-to if you’re stuck in central London and need to find somewhere showing NFL at all hours. Entry is free, so you’ll need to show up early if you want to lock down a seat, while their standard menu is already pretty NFL-friendly (think wings, hot dogs, etc) so you’ll be able to get into the matchday spirit pretty easily.

https://www.thecasinolsq.com/events/super-bowl-lii - Leicester Square

Greenwood

Victoria sports bar Greenwood is another start early, finish late option. You can get in from 9pm, more than two hours before the game starts, with a free beer and a choice of burger included with every pre-ordered £15 ticket. You’ll need to show up promptly to guarantee a seat in view of the 16 screens, though, which could be crucial considering they won’t kick you out until 5am.

https://www.greenwoodlondon.com/superbowl/ - Victoria

Hard Rock Cafe

I don’t think we’ve stressed enough how much you’ll need a seat for the proper Super Bowl viewing experience, and the Hard Rock Cafe will guarantee you just that with its £20 ticket (which also includes a beer and bar snacks), and you still get beer, snacks and a standing spot for £14. In addition, the regular menu will be available from the 10pm start time through until midnight, so you can choose from burgers, sandwiches smoked meats and more before the game gets underway.

http://www.hardrock.com/cafes/london/event-calendar.aspx?category=-1&date=2/4/2018&display=event&eventid=288773 - Mayfair

Hippodrome Casino

The Empire isn’t the only casino showing the big game – tickets for the Hippodrome’s lounge and theatre cost £20 and up, but come with a free beer and bowl of wings. You can also show up early and try to bag one of the first-come, first-served free spots elsewhere on-site, and if you do that you’ll still be able to choose from the regular NFL menu featuring nachos, jalapeno poppers and a choice of three different hot dogs.

https://www.hippodromecasino.com/events/super-bowl-52/ - Leicester Square

Hotbox

Hotbox do some of the best BBQ food in London, so the addition of some live American Football surely can’t hurt. There are two price points for the Shoreditch joint - £15 gets you pre-game chicken wings, a beer and a guaranteed seat, while the £25 ticket includes buffalo wings, a two-person pitcher of Chieftain IPA, and a half-time meal. Oh, and you get a seat with that too.

https://www.designmynight.com/london/restaurants/shoreditch/hotbox/hotbox-friends-superbowl-sunday-1 - Shoreditch

Leyton Star

If you’re further east, the Leyton Star is putting on a night that’ll set you back just £5 (and that’s with a free drink and a bag of popcorn included). There’s a menu of burgers, buns and Covfefe wings (you read that right) while you’ll be able to get the true American matchday experience by drinking your beer out of a red plastic cup.

http://leytonstar.co.uk/events/super-bowl-2018/ - Leyton

Nordic Bar

This might be a better fit if the Vikings had made it (geddit, Vikings. Nordic. Ah, whatever), but still offers a good option if you want to spend your Super Bowl Sunday in Central London. The VIP tickets have all been snapped up, but you can still ensure yourself a seat and a free beer for £20, with a special menu including burgers, ribs and mac & cheese not setting you back a whole lot more. By the way, did we mention they also have a wheel of shots?

http://www.nordicbar.com/superbowl-52-party/ - Fitzrovia

Roadhouse

In the heart of Covent Garden, Roadhouse generally sells out its Super Bowl parties ahead of time and this is likely to be no exception. Doors open at 6pm and you can get a beer and a hot dog on arrival if you fork out for their £30 ticket option, while there will also be cheerleaders and the cryptic ‘musical bingo’, plus a selection of beers flown in specially for Super Bowl night.

https://www.designmynight.com/london/bars/covent-garden/roadhouse-bar-and-restaurant/super-bowl-lii-at-roadhouse?t=tickets – Covent Garden

Roadtrip and the Workshop

That dive bar in Shoreditch that you’ve spent hours in without realising it will be opening its doors for Super Bowl LII. Head down early to bag yourself a table (it’s free entry, so they’ll probably be snapped up pretty quickly) and enjoy the special offers for the game. Those offers include deals on Budweiser, plus corn dogs, fried pickles, burgers and wings.

https://roadtripbar.com/super-bowl-sunday-screening-party/ - Shoreditch

The Social

Located a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus, The Social has early bird tickets going from just a fiver for a special Super Bowl party. Once you’re through the door, you can grab yourself a burger and work your way through a selection of American beers while waiting for the game to get underway, before more beers from then until the finish.

http://www.thesocial.com/events/the-social-super-bowl-party/ - Soho

The Star of Bethnal Green

The recently-relaunched venue has a very affordable £5 entry deal, which comes with a free drink and free popcorn, or £17.50 tickets with a drink and a very American platter (think buffalo wings, deep-fried pickles and the like). Doors open at 10pm, so there’s not much waiting around before the game gets underway, and if you want to really go all out there’ll be prizes for the best-dressed guest.

http://starofbethnalgreen.co.uk/events/super-bowl/ - Bethnal Green

Zigfrid von Underbelly

There’s another free entry night taking place in Hoxton Square, with an ‘American jukebox’ along with the very ‘Murica food and drinks menu. You can splash out on beer-and-wings sharers (£30 for six beers and 20 voodoo wings), BBQ platters and even a couple of Super Bowl-ready vegan options. Plus big screens, sofas and a heated smoking terrace, if you want to stretch your legs.

http://zigfridvonunderbelly.com/whats-on/?date=180204 - Hoxton

(Images: Pixabay/Rex/iStock/Greenwood)