10 Best Sports Bars in Puerto Vallarta – 2024 Update

Long before this blog was conceived, we started scoping out the best Sports Bars in Puerto Vallarta. Brad is a huge college football fan, specifically the Oklahoma Sooners. Anytime we vacationed in PV during football season, we were sure to find the game somewhere.

You see, Brad was raised to “bleed crimson.” His mother taught the doctrine of Sooner Magic and thought Barry Switzer could do no wrong. Brad loves OU football so much that he insisted our September 2005 wedding be held on the Sooners’ bye week. He also suggested our anniversary was a “floating date” based on bye week (umm, no).

Sometimes we are able to watch the game at home with our streaming package, but not always. When we can’t find the game at home, we head out to one of these great Sports Bars in Puerto Vallarta.

Prerequisites to Qualify for the List

Only a handful of places in Puerto Vallarta claim to be sports bars, so we developed our own criteria.

• Multiple TVs with satellite coverage; high-definition is a plus.
• Must show something other than soap operas or just soccer. 
• Must be willing to search for the customer’s game of choice. Bonus points if they know anything about American football. This comes in handy when you are asking for the Cal-State game on ESPN 3. 
• Full bar. It’s part of the fun, now, isn’t it?
• At least some form of food service, so you don’t get plastered by halftime.
• Staff must be content with the customer staying for a few hours.

Our Favorite Sports Bars in PV (in alphabetical order)

All Access Sports Bar

Location: Lázaro Cárdenas 175, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 7

Menu: Bar food; hot dogs, burgers, burritos, etc. They also serve a great breakfast, which is perfect for those 11:00 AM games!

Pros:  Friendly staff. Since they serve breakfast, you won’t miss College Gameday. Central location, close to the beach.

Cons:  The place is pretty small, so you might not get a spot if you have a later game. The smoking section appears to be the tables situated on the sidewalk. If you’re sensitive to smoke, you’ll have to hold your breath walking in the door and hope the wind doesn’t blow smoke inside.

Accepts Credit Cards: No

Pet Friendly: Yes

Americana Sports Bar

Location: C. Mina 178, Proyecto escola, Centro, 48300 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 9

Menu:  Americana has the most diverse menu on our list. You’ll find street tacos, incredible oversized grilled burritos, and typical bar food like wings and burgers. They also offer upscale items like crab cakes, pasta, and steak. The best surprise is they have amazing deep dish pizza. We were shocked at how incredible it is. It even made our 2023 Best Pizza in Puerto Vallarta list. Seriously, you need to try it!

Pros: Super friendly owners and staff. Pool tables for when your team starts to lose. You might even be recruited for their Monday night pool league. Live music on Saturday nights. Sweet location just off the Malecon.

Cons:  No air conditioning, but that’s no problem during football season when the weather is PERFECT in PV!

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

Brewhaus

Location: Lago Huron, Av Fluvial Vallarta 113, 48312 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 8

Menu: Bar menu with burgers, wings, and a couple of salads. They also have amazing brick oven pizza after 3:00 PM. In addition to the full bar, they serve regional craft beers.

Pros:  Cool vibe. It’s a new building, and they keep it meticulously clean. Nice outdoor seating area. Really, really good food.

Cons:  Located a bit off the beaten path for most folks. They allow smoking in the front deck area, which is hard to escape if you want to see the televisions.

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

Captain Don’s

Location: C. Honduras 126, 5 de Diciembre, 48350 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 5

Menu: Standard Mexican bar food; wings, burritos, nachos, and a couple of salad options. Food is good, but not amazing.

Pros:  They often have live music. This is a big ex-pat hangout, which eliminates the language barrier for talking smack on the other team. It’s also one of the larger sports bars in town and has a dart board and pool table. Though they allow smoking outside, the place is big enough that you can still watch the game and not share a cig with your new amigos.

Cons:  Not as many TVs as some others. Limited satellites connected to the TVs might make it a little more challenging to get a particular game, but they try to accommodate everyone.

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

Champion’s Sports Bar

Location: (inside Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa) Av Paseo de la Marina Nte 435, Marina Vallarta, 48354 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 18

Menu: Average quality bar food. It’s nothing to get excited about, but you won’t go hungry.

Pros:  By far the most TVs out of anyone on this list. The place is huge, so there’s plenty of room for folks staying at the resort, and people like us who just wander in to eat and watch the game.

Cons: Depending on how busy the resort is, I can imagine that the place gets busy and the staff could be a bit slow.

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: No

El Torito

Location: Quilla 112, Marina Vallarta, 48335 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 10

Menu: El Torito specializes in barbecue, which we find to be decent (US readers might compare them to Chili’s). They also have good burgers, nachos, and chicken.

Pros:  Watching the boats and foot traffic at the marina is a nice change of pace every now and then. The place has been around for a long time, so it’s reliable.

Cons:  The other side of being at the marina is you feel like you are in Florida. That can be good or bad. But really, who cares? You are there to see the game, right?  

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

El Granero

Location: C. Fco. I. Madero 337, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 2 + a giant screen for a projector

Menu: Owned and operated by the Los Muertos Brewing group, El Granero offers incredible fries, great burgers, salads, and more. You can order one of their speciality pizzas or even your favorite pie from Los Muertos. They have an extensive list of craft beers that they brew in-house. My favorite is the Mexicana Rubia.

Pros: This restaurant/bar has the coolest vibe, and is one of my favorite hang outs in Vallarta. Even on the hottest day in August, it is somehow nice and cool in this building. A hip, industrial aesthetic, coupled with great food and service make this one a winner.

Cons: They are limited to showing two games at a time, so you should bank on only seeing the headliner of the week. To be fair, El Granero doesn’t claim to be a sports bar.

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes.

Nacho Daddy

Location: Basilio Badillo 287, Zona Romántica, Emiliano Zapata, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 6

Menu: Typical Mexican bar food menu; fajitas, nachos, enchiladas. They also have items like ribeye steak and country-fried chicken.

Pros:  Nacho Daddy is a neat place with a fun, game-day atmosphere. The staff understands American football and can almost always find the game you want. There is always a good mix of ex-pat regulars and tourists cheering on their favorite teams. They even have live music upstairs some evenings. One of the owners, Sean, is from North Texas, so we like his accent and friendly demeanor.

Cons:  Sean is a Texas Longhorns fan. This is likely his only flaw, but we definitely hold it against him (just kidding, Sean!).

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

Nine Ninety 9 (inside Sheraton Resort)

Location: Blvd. Francisco Medina Ascencio 999, Zona Hotelera, Las Glorias, 48333 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 11 TV’s (10 plus 1 giant)

Menu: Tasty Wings, burgers, steaks, chicken, etc.

Pros:  Probably the largest big screen in the city. Come early so you can request your game on El Grande. Air conditioning all year. Convenient if you are in the hotel zone, but still only a short walk from the Malecon. They definitely cater to tourists.

Cons:  Prices are higher than any other place on this list, but not any higher than someone from the US or Canada is used to. Not very authentic, if you are into the whole Mexican experience. But why do you care? You are here to watch your team beat Worthless State by 50 points! 

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: No

Players Sports Bar

Location: C. Rodolfo Gómez 138, Zona Romántica, Amapas, 48380 Puerto Vallarta, Jal.

Number of TVs: 7

Menu: Limited bar food menu serving solid burgers and wings.

Pros:  Very friendly staff. Large TVs with HD broadcasts. Couches to sit on.  

Cons: The place is tiny. It hasn’t been super crowded when we’ve been there, but it could be challenging to find a seat on a busy day.

Accepts Credit Cards: Yes

Pet Friendly: Yes

Recap – 10 Best Sports Bars in Puerto Vallarta

Most people balk at the idea of going on vacation just to stay inside to watch TV. We mostly agree with that, but watching American football in a foreign country is so much fun. Not only will you experience life as an ex-pat, you might even make some new friends!

So, put on your favorite jersey (that your partner begged you not to bring), get your face paint ready, and have a great time!