The best Sacramento sports bars, dives and restaurants to watch the 49ers play the Vikings
There will be many places and ways to watch the San Francisco 49ers’ first playoff game since 2014.
The 49ers will host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Divisional playoffs at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:35 p.m.
Of course, you can always just turn on a TV at home. The game will be shown on NBC, with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth calling the action. Prefer to listen to the game while you do some yard work? On KNBR AM-680, Greg Papa will be on the call, with Tim Ryan as the color commentator.
But maybe you want to be at game itself. If you want to attend the first playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, it’s going to cost you. Tickets have already sold out, so you will have to rely on third-party sites such as Stubhub to buy tickets. As of Thursday, the get-in price on StubHub was $220. The next-most expensive price for NFL playoff games was about $150.
Bars and restaurants showing the game
Public House Downtown, midtown: Bring earplugs. The high ceiling and pumped-up TV volume can make it difficult to talk to anybody. But what’s there to talk about? This is football we’re talking about. The food is quirky bar food — dessert nachos, anybody? — and they offer a strong selection of beers (including, sometimes, Pliny the Elder).
Hilltop Tavern, East Sacramento: It won’t be as crowded as some of the other options, and the TVs are relatively small. But the High Life is $2.50 a draft and there are 23 other beverage options. Pro tip 1: There’s no kitchen, so be prepared to run to OneSpeed across the street or Origami Asian Grill next door. Pro tip 2: Stay away from old guys in cowboy hats drinking Corona out of a shot glass. Just trust us.
Clubhouse 56, East Sacramento: Splitting the difference between the Public House and Hilltop is Clubhouse 56. The food is good enough to earn a 4.3 rating from Google reviews. And they have a big screen for viewing in a darkened side room, if you want to flash back to when big screen viewing in restaurants was a big deal.
Yard House, DoCo: Looking for a less-obvious choice? Maybe check out the Yard House. Yes, localvores, it’s a chain. But hear this out. The Kings don’t play Saturday and there’s no event at Golden 1 Center, so there’s no natural reason for people to be at DocCo. But the food is good (try the spicy edamame) and there’s over 100 beers on tap, and many more in cans and bottles. If it’s not busy, it could be an ideal situation for the crowd-averse sports fan.
Field House, Arden Arcade: Are all of those options too high-falutin? Well, the Field House is an Arden Arcade classic. They have 24 tap beers and 17 HD TVs paired with reasonable prices ($3.50 for a Coors Light). Buffalo wings? Check. Nachos? Of course. Chili cheese fries? Pour them down our throat.
Find the true fans™ near you (or somewhere else): The 49ers have six official fan chapters around the Sacramento area. You can hang out in somebody’s house in Shingle Springs (OK, maybe not a great way to meet fellow fans) or various sports bars and restaurants frequented by the groups. Or maybe fly to Boston to hang with a group that meets near the historic North End and the New England Holocaust Memorial (with convenient subway access and approximately 100 bars within a half-mile walk). Your options are limited by your imagination, time constraints and wallet.
Ubiquitous Buffalo Wild Wings option: (Editor’s note: This is where we let the 20-year-old intern from Roseville have his say.) If you are looking to hit a restaurant for the game, Buffalo Wild Wings should be one of your top options. They serve beer and wings and have TVs everywhere. They have locations in Roseville (with a 3.8 Google review rating), Folsom, Sacramento and Citrus Heights. What stands out about Buffalo Wild Wings from other places is how they encourage loudness. It’s safe to say you won’t be able to eat your meal in peace.