The Lightning face off against the Maple Leafs Tuesday night in a regular season preview of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It should be another pivotal series, one that saw both teams fight to a Game 7 just last year. But it’s an even more crucial opportunity for you, a renowned Bolts fan among many, to bone up on your favorite hockey-watching sports bars. Tampa Bay is full of locales that not only provide an elite home crowd atmosphere, but supreme bar fare as well.
Here are our favorite places to catch a Lightning playoff game (or the 9-0 Rays for that matter) throughout Tampa Bay. And since it’s almost NHL Playoff time, we went ahead and provided our “3 Stars of the Game” for each and every spot—the delicious bites that have served us well, time after time.
Hattricks Tavern | Downtown Tampa
1st Star: Shake ‘n’ Bake Wings
2nd Star: Roasted Duck Poutine
3rd Star: Hattricks Burger
Yeoman’s Cask & Lion | Downtown Tampa
1st Star: Fish & Chips
2nd Star: Beefeater’s Stew
3rd Star: Yeoman’s Famous Fish Spread
Blind Goat | South Tampa
1st Star: Oven Baked Wings
2nd Star: Nachos
3rd Star: Giant Bavarian Pretzel
Engine No. 9 | St. Pete
1st Star: Crispy Duck Wings
2nd Star: Black Flag Burger
3rd Star: The No. 9 Dog
Top Shelf Sports Lounge | Wesley Chapel
1st Star: The Hat-Rick
2nd Star: Brisket Quesadilla
3rd Star: Bruddah Ray’s Ahi Tuna Stack
Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill | St. Pete
1st Star: Ferg’s Famous Wings
2nd Star: Smoked Fish Spread
3rd Star: Prime Rib Sandwich