Sports City Taverna

I don’t know if many recall their first cocktail, but I sure do. I was 18 and on a cruise. My mom suggested I order a Pink Squirrel. I remember the taste like it was yesterday: exactly like a Sweetheart Shake from Sonic, but with an after burn. I remember looking at the drink menu and being absolutely appalled by the pricing. “Eight Whole Dollars! I could have had four milkshakes from Sonic.” Oh girl, just you wait.

A few years later, I started working at a high-end restaurant in Dallas. People came in droves to pay $10 for Jalapeño Peach Martinis. I remember thinking cocktails were only attainable by those making six figure salaries. I had better get my act together and start working a real job that paid real money if I wanted to partake in fancy drinks. Fast forward another few years, I was working in commercial real estate and attending my first “young professional” happy hour. I flip open the cocktail menu ready to order something very sophis ticated, only to find that cocktails were now trending towards $12. I wondered how I’d ever get ahead of this expensive cocktail game.

Twenty years after that first cocktail, it’s not unheard of to pay $18 to $24 to partake. Now I’m actually more shocked when the drinks are a good deal—skeptical even. But I’m here to share a secret with you: there’s a legit place in Fort Worth charging early 2000’s pricing and it’s not a sketchy dive. It’s is a brand spankin’ new establishment with amazing drink specials and crave-worthy food. Sports City Taverna is a chill, family friendly place to catch a big game (or two) during the day that comes alive for the adult set after hours—with different drink specials and entertainment almost every night of the week. You can’t survive in Texas without a Taco Tuesday, and Sports City at just $2 each, with your choice of shrimp or chicken. Either choice pairs perfectly with a $5 margarita or ranch water specials. Other south of the border menu options are fajitas, quesadillas, burritos and nachos.

Other than their excellent drink pricing, another thing I admire about Sports City is the diversity of their menu. In addition to all the Tex Mex options, they also have wood fired pizzas that rival any place that specializes in such. The outside of the crust is crisp, but the inside has that hard to achieve dough pull. Pizza in any variety is my not-to-be-missed item here. They have salads, sandwiches (from the classic American BLT to Greek Gyro), wings, plus an extensive list of your favorite bar appetizers, such as onion rings, cheese fries and even egg rolls.

If it’s burgers you’re after, I suggest stopping by on Texas Thursday for their Smokehouse BBQ Burger. It pairs great with any of their $4 Texas beer pint specials. Plus, they have live acoustic country out on their spacious patio when the weather is nice. Other Thursday specials include $5 Texas vodkas (Titos, Deep Eddy and Western Son) and $5 TX Whiskey.

If you feel like dancing the night away, Sports City Taverna has a couple of nights for that, too. Plush Fridays and Saturdays start at 7pm with drink specials: $6 Patron, $5 Green Tea and $3 Fire Ball. The DJ starts at 9pm and spins all the way until 2am. It’s a one stop date night, with dinner, cocktails and dancing. On Saturdays and Sundays, Sports City offers brunch starting at 10am—from pancakes to omelets, and biscuits and gravy to avocado toast. Whether your favorite sports team wins or loses, you will always end up a winner with the best food and drink specials in the city.