QuickTake:

We searched the area for the best watering holes in your area to be a sports fanatic — and that have good food and drinks to boot.

When it comes to watching the game, any bar with an “Open” sign and several TVs will do. 

We dug around for sports bars in the Eugene-Springfield area guaranteed to have cold pints, big screens and a boisterous game day crowd in your neck of the woods.

North Eugene

SideBar
1680 Coburg Road

Highlights: A classic sports bar with tableside TVs, a huge food menu and multiple subscriptions that show everything from the Ducks and Beavers to UFC, NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA. Enjoy the game of your choice from one of several big-screen TVs. 

Serving up: Snack on jalapeno poppers, chicken strips, wings, potato skins or pretzel sticks. Go bigger with one of SideBar’s many burgers and sandwiches, such as the Black & Bleu or the Reuben with Guinness-soaked sauerkraut. Or go adventurous with Till the Cows Come Home, a SideBar special that loads poutine with smoked pulled pork, barbecue sauce, slaw, avocado and — yes — peaches. For folks who love a little heat, SideBar also has a spicy menu. Wash it down with a draft or canned beer, cider, hard seltzers and even champagne, because why not?

Something special: Host a private watch party next door at Copa Room, complete with 63-inch and 50-inch display TVs, surround sound that’ll transport you to the sidelines, and food and drink service. Or get a tee time next door at SideBar’s golf spinoff, Side Par, which has four private simulator bays and more than 150,000 courses. 

Market District

Hop Valley Brewing
550 Pearl St., Suite 150

Highlights: It’s no surprise that Hop Valley’s new-ish return to Eugene — a pub inside 5th Street Market Alley that opened this fall — embodies all things Ducks. It’s an apt addition to 5th Street’s Rally in the Alley, a pregame tradition that happens on nights before Ducks home football games.

Serving up: Hop Valley goes hard on IPAs (West Coast, hazy, even nonalcoholic). But you can also find a blonde ale and a cocktail menu offering the strong, bitter and fruity notes of your choice, from a dirty black pepper olive oil martini to a spiced orange gin punch. As for food, Hop Valley strays from typical pub fare while still promising to fill you up: You’ll find a handful of paninis (Cubano-style, roast beef and chimichurri, prosciutto and brie and apple), a charcuterie board, hefty salads and something for the kids. 

Hop Valley banners at Autzen Stadium
Hop Valley banners fly at Autzen Stadium on the release day of Dang Green IPA. Credit: Vanessa Salvia / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Something special: Hop Valley released the first official craft beer of University of Oregon Athletics in 2025. Dubbed Dang Green IPA, the West Coast IPA is citrusy, 7% ABV (as in, pace yourself) and one of 20-plus beers on tap at the 5th Street pub. 

University neighborhood

Max’s Tavern
550 E. 13th Ave.

Highlights: One of the oldest bars in Eugene, Max’s has been serving cheap beer and college memories since 1932. Grab a seat at the bar, play pool in the adjacent room (Max’s expanded in 2022), or head out to the heated back patio, where you can hear Ducks fans erupting at Autzen Stadium over a last-minute touchdown.

The main bar at Max’s Tavern on 13th Avenue in Eugene. Credit: Nick Rohlman/Lookout Eugene-Spri

Chris Gibeau, a daytime manager at Max’s, said the historic west campus dive evolved over the years from a working students’ bar to one that serves “all walks of life.” It’s also where he met his girlfriend and made a bunch of lifelong friends.

“It’s one of the few bars where you can talk to the table next to you and not get side-eye,” he said. College football aside, Max’s hosted World Cup watch parties and welcomed patrons of all basketball fandoms, from the Lakers to the Knicks. “Everyone’s invited,” Gibeau said. “We’re not going to dedicate the bar to just one team.”

“Except the Ducks,” he added.

Kathleen Davis (center) and her partner, Chris Gibeau (right) watch a Ducks football game at Max’s Tavern in Eugene, Saturday, Oct. 24. The couple met at Max’s, where Gibeau works as the daytime manager. Credit: Nick Rohlman/Lookout Eugene-Spri

Serving up: Alongside more than a dozen draught beers and a cocktail and mocktail menu (mules, espresso martinis, an old fashioned, among other classics) Gibeau called Max’s “the No. 1 PBR bar” in Oregon. Soak up all the liquor with free popcorn, or order some pub grub: a Polish dog, beer pretzels, a buffalo chicken wrap, pulled brisket. There are game day specials, too.

Something special: A bartender will blast a decommissioned air raid siren every time the Ducks score a touchdown. It’s almost as loud as the fans.

Reece Kewley reacts after missing a shot playing pool at Max’s Tavern. Kewley enjoys watching games at Max’s because the bar attracts Duck fans of all ages and backgrounds. “Win or lose everyone’s feeling the same thing,” Kewley said. Credit: Nick Rohlman/Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Southeast Eugene

Highlands Brew Pub
390 E. 40th Ave.

Highlights: A locals spot and adult playground, Highlands Brew Pub has screens at every booth and around the bar, plus pool, foosball, darts, shuffleboard and ping pong. 

Serving up: Game day grub — wings, nachos, mozzarella sticks, you know the drill — as well as breakfast till noon, burgers with a host of toppings, sandwiches and baskets. Game day specials, cocktails and 22 beer taps abound.

Something special: The southeast Eugene bar is hosting a fall paint and sip party at noon on Nov. 21. 

West Eugene

Sam’s Place Tavern
825 Wilson St.

Highlights: The place for die-hard Duck fans. You’ll find a ton of regulars on game day at this west Eugene gathering place, equipped with 28 TVs (including one in every booth) for an immersive watching experience, plus a heated patio in the back.

In addition to bleeding green and yellow, Sam’s has the Sunday ticket, so you get full access to NFL games (the tavern is also Green Bay registered). 

Whitney McGrady serves breakfast at Sam’s Place in Eugene. Breakfast at the bar is popular with Duck fans on football game days. Credit: Nick Rohlman/Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Serving up: A big breakfast before the game: Sam’s fries up eggs and hash browns with your choice of meat. There’s also French toast, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak — the list goes on. Add a Bloody Mary (Sam’s own mix) or two to the bill. Later-day eats suit many appetites, from 12-ounce ribeyes and chili burgers to seafood chowder and oysters (both fried and as a shooter). The menu also includes a Beyond burger for the plant-based crowd. 

Something special: Heading to the stadium? Once you’re full of pancakes, bacon and beer, hop on one of Sam’s shuttles. Buses usually leave one to two hours before the game. 

Ed Ragusa of Eugene talks with other regulars at Sam’s Place on Oct. 24. Ragusa, a New York Giants fan, says he has been a patron of Sam’s for more than 20 years and is a regular on Sundays because of the bar’s NFL Sunday Ticket subscription and numerous televisions. “They’ll put any game on you want,” Ragusa said. Credit: Nick Rohlman/Lookout Eugene-Spri

Springfield

Prime Time Sports Bar
1360 Mohawk Blvd.

Highlights: Boasting 36 big screens and about 30 beers on tap, Prime Time doesn’t mess around on game day. When the Ducks play, the neighborhood watering hole transforms into a sea of green and yellow. Aside from the myriad TVs, you can also play lottery games and a round of pool.

Serving up: Come for the game; stay for the massive pub menu, featuring three-egg omelets, chicken and biscuits and other classic breakfast fare, apps such as wings and nachos and quesadillas, and heartier pub fare (hello French dip). From Coors to Coldfire, Prime Time’s tap list offers a good range of domestic and local brews. You’ll also find several mocktails and nonalcoholic beer, cider and wine.

Something special: Prime Time’s new fall and winter drink specials are quite festive, from the hazelnut white Russian to a boozy hot caramel apple cider.

What’s your favorite game day watering hole? Let us know at taylor@lookoutlocal.com.

Taylor Goebel covers Lane County's food and drink scene. She has nearly a decade of experience in multimedia journalism, having reported across the Mid-Atlantic on dining, food systems, education, healthcare, local elections, labor and business. She was most recently a food reporter in Washington state, where she documented a fourth-generation fishing family, covered a David vs. Goliath conflict between a national coffee chain and a small Turkish cafe, and had many culinary firsts, from ensaymadas and gilgeori (Korean street) toast to morels and black cod.