When the Baltimore Ravens square off against the San Francisco 49ers at Sunday’s Super Bowl, the first question on the minds of American football fans in Moscow will be which team will emerge as the national champion. A close second: where to go to watch the game in a city whose residents associate “football” with kicking a black-and-white ball at Luzhniki stadium. ?
The question is harder to answer than it first appears. The Moscow Times contacted numerous sports bars and diners to find out if they’re planning to host a Super Bowl party.
Most bar managers said they will make the decision this weekend on whether to offer live broadcasts of the game. Others asked what sport the competition is about, and when told that kickoff is at 4 a.m. Moscow time they fell into a discouraging silence.
To avoid making the same calls, we’ve come up with a list of the top bars where American football fans are sure to find common-minded folks and be able to enjoy a live sports game and a beer for a healthy start to Monday’s workday.
The traditional expat hangout Starlite Diner (five locations, including 16 Bolshaya Sadovaya, +7-495-650-0246,
Starlite’s sister restaurant, Chicago Prime (8A Strastnoi Bulvar, +7-495-988-1717,
The Bar BQ Cafe (25 Pyatnitskaya Ulitsa, Bldg. 1D, +7-495-258-0995,
Those not bold enough to come to work Monday with a painted face and a hoarse voice can watch the repeat of a game at 1 p.m. or 6 p.m. the same day at the Bar BQ Cafe on Pyatnitskaya or its branch venue near Okhotny Ryad (21 Ulitsa Petrovka).
The Hudson Bar (10 Ulitsa Butyrsky Val, +7 495-212-0454,
Contact the author at e.smirnova@imedia.ru
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