8 of the best sports bars on the Gold Coast
WITH the sporting saturation of the Commonwealth Games coming to an end, it’s time for sports tragics to get back to regular season basics. We’ve found the Gold Coast’s best sports bars to catch all the action.
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WITH the sporting saturation of the Commonwealth Games coming to an end, it’s time for sports tragics to get back to regular season basics.
We’ve found the Gold Coast’s best sports bars to catch all the action
Sports Bar, The Star Gold Coast
1 Casino Drive, Broadbeach
The Star touts its spanking new sports bar as a game changer.
With 23 screens, VIP booths, TAB facilities and an outdoor terrace to catch your breath at halftime, it takes catching the game to a whole new level.
Too much sport is never enough with televised action from around the globe running round the clock, including all the Australian footy codes, world cricket, NBA, motorsport, every big fight, you name it.
Men’s and women’s comps are covered, of course. You can check the planned schedules on The Star’s website or rock up and enjoy the bar manager’s picks.
With a giant 10.5m centrepiece screen, you almost don’t want to be sitting too close during a bout lest you cop a flying fist.
Sporty patrons should also keep an eye out for special sports events at Star that may entice them out of the bar.
Next month, rugby league Hall of Fame immortal Andrew “Joey” Johns will be hosting an evening with three-time world surfing champion Mick Fanning in The Star’s Theatre.
Tickets are on sale now.
Of course, afterwards you can head back to the sports bar where you’re bound to catch the end of the footy — or the start of the FA Cup final, the perfect entree to the FIFA World Cup, Origin, Wimbledon, the Tour de France.
Ah, roll on, winter ...
Mackenzie’s Sports Bar
Southport Sharks, Olsen & Musgrave Avenue, Southport
If Australian football is your bent, this is the place for you.
Mackenzie’s Sports Bar is one of the Coast’s originals, established in 1974, and named after long-serving club president Alan Mackenzie.
The bar houses a treasure trove of club history and silverware alongside the latest in LED screens, including a 5.25sq m monster to capture every pixel of footy action.
Mackenzie’s is the official Gold Coast Suns away game venue so don’t be shy in donning the red and yellow.
Food and beverage manager Adam Paterson says the focus is unapologetically on Aussie Rules.
“We host quite a few visiting supporters and teams but we cater for all major sporting events as well,” he says.
Newswire feeds update the latest in sporting news and results and there are full TAB facilities on-site. Weekend lunch regulars would recommend the crowd favourite: the Quatro Parmigiana, perfect with a drink to settle pre-match nerves before ball-up.
Coolangatta Hotel Beach Bar
Marine Parade, Coolangatta
Sports fans on the southern end of the Gold Coast know to head to the Cooly Hotel for big-screen action.
The establishment boasts 21 screens all up and shows all UFC and major boxing events live, as well as footy (all codes), cricket (including IPL), English Premier League, motorsports and major calendar events.
Every Saturday, the Punters’ Club fires up to catch the highlights from tracks around Australia with full TAB and Ubet facilities.
Marketing manager Steve Penfold says some of the big sporting events can attract up to 700 people.
“It’s a great atmosphere when there’s a big event on like Origin,” he says.
“We’ve hosted some memorable nights here where people have got right into the spirit of things.”
With a bar just metres away and full meals, bar snacks and weekly specials, there’s also a good bet the catering will be a step up on standard stadium fare.
#4211SportzBar & Ubet
Nerang RSL & Memorial Club
69 Nerang Street, Nerang
Those in the hinterland know #4211 is serious about its sport.
General manager Andrew McInnes says the bar has its own state-of-the-art directional sound ceiling.
“It’s designed so you can hear clear race calls if you’re watching the horse racing or footy calls if you’re a few metres away watching the footy,” he says.
“In fact, if you want to hear anything on any screen, we’ve also got the technology for you to tune into it via your smart phone.”
That’s saying something — the SportzBar boasts a total of 54 screens, all the regular sports channels and nine Foxtel decoders to broadcast pretty much any event that has a TV camera at it.
“Any live sports event, anywhere in the world, it’ll be on our screens,” Andrew says. There’s also a stand-alone TAB and a separate zone for sports viewing with a fully stocked bar in between. You can’t go wrong.
Mermaid Beach Tavern Sports Bar
2500 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
There’s always a game, a race or a bout on in Mermaid Tavern’s Sports Bar.
Manager Brendan Kelly says there are multiple screens to cater for every sporting taste and TAB facilities.
“If it’s not on screen, just ask,” he says.
“We subscribe to all the pay per view events and it’s a friendly, relaxed place to enjoy your sport.”
For the peckish, the Sports Bar offers bistro meals as well as its own pub style menu.
Keep an eye out too for its regular promotions. Buy a schooner of selected beer during any NRL game featuring a Queensland team and go into a prize draw and every Saturday, there’s a raffle draw after Race 7 in Brisbane that gives the winner the chance to select their pick in Race 8.
If the horse wins, they walk away with a cash jackpot; if not, the prize is a $30 voucher and the prize pool builds for next week. Better odds than the tote!
The Boardwalk Tavern Sports Bar
Hope Island Shopping Centre, 8 Santa Barbara Road, Hope Island
The Boardwalk Sports Bar is designed and purpose-built as a punter’s paradise.
It boasts the latest TAB facilities and five big plasma screens to catch all the racing and live sporting action.
On Saturdays, it’s the next best thing to being trackside, with a live broadcast of the gee-gees — with sound — from around Australia.
If things don’t quite go to plan on the punt, take consolation with the weekly losing ticket and punters’ podium promotions.
And if the nerves get all too much, there’s always the view you never get tired of, the eternally calming vista of Hope Island Marina with Tamborine Mountain as a backdrop.
The Sports Bar is also the local’s favourite place to catch live sport while enjoying a casual drink and relaxed, affordable dining with friends.
First Avenue Tavern
Crowne Plaza, Corner Gold Coast Highway and First Avenue, Surfers Paradise
The Crowne Plaza’s laid-back tavern is perhaps best known for the generous portions of its casual bistro meals.
It generally hosts a mix of hotel guests and locals who enjoy the low-key vibe of a well decked out bar in central Surfers Paradise.
But don’t be fooled.
Its six high definition screens broadcast live sports from around the world and if your game isn’t on the telly, feel free to ask for it at the bar.
It’s that kind of place.
First Avenue Tavern subscribes to FoxSport, ESPN and Sky Racing.
There’s also a shaded outdoor terrace to breathe the sea air between quarters, halves or rounds.
If you’re feeling particularly lucky, you can try your hand at Keno or the pokies but to back a real winner, order a steak from the grill. They have a fan club all their own.
The Back Page Sports Bar & Grill
1 Market Street, Carrara
Yes, this one is a sports bar but perhaps not by modern definition.
Harking back to simpler times, the Back Page is bedecked with sporting memorabilia and nostalgia collected over 33 years.
In recent times, much of it has been donated by regulars and locals looking for a good home for the treasures their partners threaten with kerbside collection.
It’s all welcome at this Carrara locals’ haunt which has eschewed pokies in the interests of old-fashioned pub congeniality.
“There’s nothing too fancy here,” manager Tori O’Donnell says.
“We serve good, honest pub food and of course there’s a full bar.”
Sport is on the tellies, as long as it’s free-to-air. The Back Page doesn’t have Foxtel, a TAB or Keno.
It does have its memorabilia collection though, a proven conversation starter, but — be warned — tales of past sporting prowess should be treated with healthy scepticism approaching closing time.
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