Your chance has finally come to endure a month-long booze-and-soccer bender. And as the World Cup approaches, these and many other bars in Greater Boston’s staggering melting pot will facilitate that mission. Whether you’re a football novice in need of excuses to imbibe or a pub-stool veteran looking for a new group of hooligans to get savage with, we’ve got you covered.Please take a cab home, though — just because it’s noon doesn’t mean you’re any less hammered.Go Brazil!
Given the copious amounts of beer and salted meats that you’ll inhale while cheering for five-time-champion Brazil at these choice establishments, we seriously recommend that you hydrate beforehand. With that said, wherever you are — so long as you’re north of Boston — there’s probably a churrascaria nearby, which, during the World Cup, is good for more than just belly-busting all-you-can-eat spreads. Café Belô and Oliveira’s locations from East Boston to Everett will be brimming with Brazil fans, as will Midwest Grill (1124 Cambridge Street, Cambridge). That last spot will be broadcasting all World Cup matches, but scaling back food service to buffet-only during Brazil games to accommodate the mad rush.
Go Italy!
If you think it's hard to get a table in the North End on holidays and weekends, just wait until the Coppa Mondiale kicks off. Caffé Paradiso (255 Hanover Street, Boston) recommends arriving one hour early to anyone who wants to sit and watch defending champion Italy. Down the block at Caffé Dello Sport (308 Hanover Street, Boston), which opens at 6 am, they suggest coming two hours early if you want to play it safe. Four years ago, the North End was without-a-doubt the place to be, and not just for Team Italy fans; according to restaurant managers we spoke with, during the World Cup, patrons who support Holland, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, England, and Argentina also do their part in filling every bar, café, and restaurant to the point that thousands are left to peep through windows from the street.
Go USA!
There is nothing more American than watching one game on several dozen televisions, which is why Game On! (82 Lansdowne Street, Boston) and The Lansdowne (9 Lansdowne Street, Boston) will be ground zero for Team USA fanatics (and their soccer-hating tagalong friends, who can watch any number of other sports). On second thought, there is one thing more American: watching one match on multiple tubes while inside a giant mall — something that can be accomplished at the stunningly renovated Champions (110 Huntington Avenue, Boston) inside the Back Bay Marriott. To class things up even more than they already have, that spot is also pouring special wine selections from countries that are playing on any given day.
Go Ireland!
Fine, Ireland didn’t make the dance this time around. But Greater Boston’s Irish pubs will still be hosting droves of inebriated soccer fans from June through July. Expect heads to root for Team USA (and against England) at Phoenix Landing (512 Mass Ave, Cambridge), where first call is at 8 am (three hours earlier than Boston). For those 7:30 am games, also check P.J. Ryan’s (239 Holland Street, Somerville), which opens early anyway for Gaelic football, or head to JP, where the Jeanie Johnston (144 South Street) crowd gets nice and rowdy, and where the always-dark Galway House (710 Centre Street) and Brendan Behan (378 Centre Street) shield you from the guilt that often comes with afternoon inebriation.
