World Cup Parties, Events And Deals You Should Know About
It has begun! June 12 kicks off one of the biggest sports celebrations in the world, FIFA World Cup Brazil. Whichever team you're rooting for, The Daily Meal has rounded up some of the best events, specials, deals, and places to watch the games throughout New York City.
The Refinery Hotel in Manhattan's Garment District is offering you front row seats to the games (without having to actually go to Brazil), with an arena-like pop-up bar and lounge, outfitted with astro turf, casual seating, a large projection screen, and stadium décor. For $5 guests can come in, sip some beers, and cheer on their favorites.
SUSHISAMBA in the West Village will be kicking off the month of World Cup matches with a party for the first game, Brazil v. Croatia at 4 p.m. EST, featuring samba dancers, food and drink specials, and caipirinhas.
Altamarea Group restaurants will be showing the games live, with food and drink specials and the chance to win prizes, starting today at 3:30 p.m. Stop by Altamarea Group locations including Nicoletta in the East Village, The Butterfly in TriBeCa, or Osteria Morini in SoHo.
Blaue Gans in TriBeCa will be showing each game on large projector screens, starting with today's kickoff at 5 p.m. EST, a wide variety of international beers, and a special World Cup menu.
Celebrate the host team all month long at Brazilia Café in the West Village, and chant "Força Brasil!" as you slurp on a special World Cup smoothie, or sample the World Cup Empanada filled with Linguiça (smoked pork and wild boar sausage) and served with mango coleslaw (2 for $6, normally $4.25/ea.). If your sweet tooth needs attention, indulge in Brazilian mini doughnuts filled with guava sauce.
Enjoy the games outside with outdoor projector viewings during the World Cup at Osteria del Circo on West 55th Street, and celebrate your favorite players with soccer-inspired drinks like the Pele (Leblon Cachaca, Midori Melon liqueur, sour mix, lime juice, maraschino cherry).
Viva Italia! At Don Antonio, the authentic Italian pizzeria on West 50th Street, you can root for the Italian team throughout June while sampling specialty drinks and "pizza deliziosa" like their specialty flag pizza (pie with sundried tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and drizzled with pesto sauce), created by pizza artist Giorgia Caporuscio.
Cross the Hudson River and enjoy Zeppelin Hall Biergarten in Jersey City, where they will be featuring 50 beers from around the world, and will offer a different national dish of one of the teams each day of the competition, including a German grilled bratwurst sausage sampler, Spanish tortilla de patatas, Brazilian Bauru, Argentinian empanadas, Italian meatballs, English fish and chips, and more.
If you're looking for something a little bit more intimate for a group of friends or family, you may want to check out the VIP private screenings of the games at Benoit on West 55th Street featuring a special menu of French tailgating fare. Seating is limited.
Celebrate the World Cup with all things whiskey at Leave ROCHELLE Out of It on the Lower East Side where you can cheer on Italy vs. England to Aperol Spritz cocktails, U.S.A. vs. Ghana with Jim Beam Black beer and shot specials, Germany vs. Ghana to some good ol' Jager Bombs, and more.
Score at Union Square with the Hyatt Union Square SCORE package. Hotel guests who book this package will receive preferential seating at Botequim, a Brazilian pop-up restaurant by owner Chef Marco Moreira, and greeted with a special caipirinha and then treated to a tasting menu. Make hotel reservations online now.
See how the Eastern part of the world celebrates FIFA by heading over to Mira Sushi & Izakaya, which will offer a number of food and drink specials throughout the tournament, and During games featuring Korea and Japan, when the team scores guests can celebrate with $3 Sake Bombs and $1 Hot Sake Shots.
Are you feeling your Portuguese side? Head to Louro in Greenwich Village, where, each day the games are aired, Louro will open at noon and chef David Santos will serve a special daytime menu featuring the belly goat burger, piri piri wings, shrimp tacos, short rib panini, and more. And during Portugal's games, there will be free shots of Portuguese spirit, Aguardente.
Happy Hour is every hour at The Liberty on West 35th Street where all games will be broadcast live on giant televisions, and drinks specials will flow during game time.
Shout "Viva Mexico!" at Toloache Thompson on Thompson Street, where you can spend game time (especially Mexico's games!) pairing margaritas with authentic Mexican cuisine like tuna ceviche, and suadero tacos, (Bohemia braised beef brisket topped with avocado, red onion, cilantro, tomatillo salsa, and horseradish crema.)
Chicane in SoHo will be offering a speciality lunch menu for the first time for the World Cup, featuring drink specials and food from the French Riviera like traditional bouillabaisse or octopus a la plancha.
What's better than free food and beer? Pizza Vinoteca, the new pizzeria off of Union Square will be offering free snacks with purchases of drinks during the Italy or U.S. games. And if good ol' teams Italia or U.S.A. win a game, the pizzeria will be offering a free round of beer.
Bounce Sporting Club in Chelsea will be mixing up some top shelf cocktails using the luxury alcoholic beverage of Brazil, Leblon Cachaca. Drink specials include a strawberry basil Caipirinha and Brazilian old fashioned. The club will also be giving away keychains and soccer balls.
Grape and Vine in the West Village will be offering beer specials throughout the month of June for the World Cup.
Watch the games way above street level at Haven Rooftop at Midtown West, where each game will be broadcast in a swanky and sophisticated setting.
The Village Pourhouse in the West Village isn't just broadcasting the games; they're also serving specials like the Brazilian "Brahma" Beers, and "World Cup Burger," topped with Brazilian "queijo," but if you tweet with the hashtag #FIFAFUNBARS, you also have a chance to win a $1,000 bar tab for you and your friends.
Terroir of Murray Hill takes their soccer seriously, and will be opening a half hour before game time, starting with opening kickoff on June 12, featuring a special menu with pork sliders, World Cup wings, and deals on team drinks like Spanish wine, Russian vodka, and American beer.