In an ideal world, you’d be able to get two weeks off work and watch all the Rugby World Cup games live from each of the twelve Japanese host cities.
Sadly, this isn’t the case for most of us, so here at Time Out we’ve come up with the next best thing – a list of all the top sports bars playing the matches.
Brush off your rugby kits, grab your nation’s flag, and crack out the face paint – it’s about to get tense.
Read on for our recommendations and all the top food and drink deals on offer this Rugby World Cup.
JJ’s Irish Restaurant
Although JJ’s Restaurant isn’t putting any deals on specifically for the duration of the competition, if the games fall during happy hour, you can pick up selected beverages for BHD2.3 and hops for BHD2.5. Happy hour runs from noon until 7pm between Saturday and Thursday, and from noon until 5pm on Fridays.
Daily 11.30am-2am. JJ’s Irish Restaurant, Hoora, Manama (3384 3005).
Player’s Lounge
This gastropub has screens all over the place so there’s no way you’ll miss any of the action if you head here for any of the Rugby World Cup Match. During every game, you’ll get 50 percent off your food and drinks bill in the second half – provided you spend BHD25 in the first.
Daily noon-2am. Player’s Lounge Bahrain, Road 4003, Juffair (6631 6666).
Harvesters Pub and Terrace
We love a burger slider here at Time Out, particularly if it’s a novelty flavour or ingredient pairing. At Harvesters Pub and Terrace, you’ll get plenty of these, as the bar is selling country-specific mix and match gourmet burger sliders for every match. And if that’s not enough to draw you in, they’re also selling five hops for BHD15 during game time, and giving double house short drinks for the price of singles.
Daily 11am-2am. Harvesters Pub and Terrace, Crowne Plaza Bahrain (1753 1122).
Grand Yard House
If a classic American sports bar is what you’re after, you should watch the matches from the Grand Yard House. A number of the games are being broadcast in the morning in Bahrain, so this spot is offering up breakfast and a pint for just BHD6. And if you stick around on a Thursday night, you can get unlimited buffalo wings, hops and house short drinks for BHD15 from 7pm to 10pm.
Daily noon-2am. Grand Yard House, Road 2414, Juffair (3625 5195).
McGettigan’s
This Irish pub in Adliya is always a fun place, and luckily for you, McGettigan’s is putting on a number of deals for the Rugby World Cup. Wear your country’s jersey with pride and be rewarded with a free drink, and take advantage of the fact that the bar is doing happy hour deals during every match. Even if some of the games are a little too early for you to take advantage of this deal, you can also enjoy the breakfast specials.
Daily noon-2am. McGettigan’s, Road 3801, Adliya (1700 0415).
Polo Gastropub
As the name suggests, you should head down to Polo Gastropub if you’re a hops fan. They’ll be showing all the matches throughout the Rugby World Cup, and while they’re not doing any specific deals, the happy hour is pretty generous. From Saturday to Wednesday between 5pm and 8pm you can get hops, short drinks and house grapes for BHD2.5.
Thu-Sat noon-2am; Sun-Wed 4pm-2am. Polo Gastropub, Road 382, Adliya (1772 5000).
Sherlock Holmes
The Sherlock Holmes at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain looks and feels like a British pub, meaning it’s a great spot to watch the games. On top of this, the bar has a ton of TVs and headphone jacks on the tables so if there’s a game clash, you can still catch your favourite team playing.
Daily noon-2am. Sherlock Holmes, The Gulf Hotel Bahrain Convention & Spa, Road 3801, Gudaibiya (1771 2450).
The Happy Goat
If bar food isn’t your thing, head on down to The Happy Goat sports bar to watch all the matches. For the duration of the competition the staff are allowing customers to bring in their own food, or even order it to the bar. The prices are nothing to sniff at either – house short drinks are just 600 fils, and the hops selection starts at 600 fils too.
Daily noon-2am. The Happy Goat, Juffair (6664 4452).
