To coincide with the start of the World Cup, we’re conducting a survey to find out a bit more about the football viewing habits of people who are less physically able. We want to know how less able people are watching the beautiful game and why. Basically we want to know if bars and pubs could be doing more to make the World Cup more accessible, so we’re asking you to give us your view!
To coincide with our World Cup coinciding survey we’re taking a look at some of the very best bars to watch the World Cup in. Some are just top quality places to go and some have even gone that extra mile to make the summer of sport special.
One of the best places in London for throwing yourself into World Cup is the Fever Pitch pop-up bar at the Broadway Bar and Grill. They have wall to wall screens with their 13 big screens spanning 360 degrees, covering every wall of the 800 capacity venue. Whereas some bars don’t have the stamina (or licensing) to keep going with multiple evening or late night games, this specialist football zone will be showing every single game from Brazil. To keep yourself going through it all, they’re serving classic ‘stadium food’, which we should be hotdogs, pies, burgers etc.
The pub itself is over three floors, but the Fever Pitch bar is on the the ground floor so is accessible. There are double doors which open wide and you can roll right in. Inside there is level access throughout the Fever Pitch area, with no stairs or even ramps to deal with. They also have a disabled toilet. This means that the special World Cup area of the Broadway is probably more accessible than the pub is overall, as the rooftop terraces and other floors are accessed via stairs normally, but for this are just unnecessary extras.
For a really exclusive, sophisticated viewing experience in London, head to SushiSamba at the top of Heron Tower. Their massive roof terrace, on the 38th floor, will be astroturfed for the occasion, with outdoor screens showing some of the matches. They’re also promising themed entertainment including samba dancers, Brazilian food and international team-themed cocktails – plus, of course, the views of all London.
For a really, really swanky evening you can get premium tickets to watch the live action in the exclusive SushiSamba lounge which include a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne and a platter featuring aperitivos and signature Sushi rolls. Tickets are dear at £75.00 per person. Being at the top of Heron Tower, the venue is accessed through a dedicated entrance with a lift (obviously) and the disabled toilet is on the same floor. We gave them 2.5 BBS Ticks in the past.
Bakerie in Manchester are offering a calmer, more discerning World Cup experience, showing all of the matches with the sound turned down. They say that they’re doing this to create a ‘relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the action’ but we can’t help thinking it’s also to avoid having to listen to the inane ramblings of Lawro, Savage, Townsend et al on the commentary team. It’s a very trendy venue which was the Manchester Food & Drink Festival Winner of Best Newcomer in 2012 and they’re selling Caiprinha cocktails and offering a 20 per cent discount on World Cup nation wines during the tournament.
The bar is on street level with step free access to get inside. Inside the bar they will make sure that you can have a seat within viewing distance of their screens and on the same level as the accessible disabled toilet. The access sounds good and the atmosphere sounds enjoyable too: convivial rather than rowdy.
A New York inspired bar and pizzeria may not be the first place you think of when you’re deciding where to watch the football, but Tribeca, in Liverpool, is just that and makes for a great evening’s entertainment. There’s a cool, dimly lit vibe about the place which might make Tribeca the option for a more debonair football fan. It’s very stylish and the cocktails start at a remarkably good value £3.50 on weekdays.
The majority of the bar is accessible with step free access to get in and a disabled toilet on the ground floor. There is an upstairs area which can’t be easily accessed (there’s no lift, ramp or stair lift) but the screens are downstairs. They did say that it’s best to book a table to make sure you have a somewhere to sit and that when you do this it would help if you mention you need to be seated downstairs. We don’t really like it when venues ask people to do this but equally at least it guarantees, in this instance, that you can see the game.
Leeds’ Bar Brasil has opened especially to coincide with the World Cup. Run by the owners of neighbouring Brazilian steakhouse Fazenda, it will serve Brazilian-themed drinks and food – as well as showing World Cup matches across its five television screens. The Brazilian theme is clear from the Brahma and Caipirinhas right up to the fact that there’s even an 8ft-tall replica of the Jesus statue at Rio de Janeiro when you enter.
It looks absolutely fantastic from a match viewing perspective but unfortunately, as it’s only just opened, we haven’t been able to check it out yet and as they don’t give a phone number, we can’t speak for the access – they should be getting back to us on this very soon (if anyone’s been, please get in touch to tell us). It should be excellent but we’ll have to wait and see on access; why don’t venues provide access details online?
UPDATE – Bar Brasil have got back to us and say that they have disable-friendly access on both doors (front and back) and a disabled toilet as well.
Finally, if there was an award for the bar showing the most dedication to the World Cup, The Three Sisters in Edinburgh would surely win it. They’ve got a 200-inch outdoor screen, they’ve been trading Panini football stickers all summer, they had an opening ceremony in the pub last night (which may have been superior to the one in the Sao Paulo stadium) and, most extraordinary of all, several staff members have promised to legally change their names to those of Brazilian footballers should the Samba Boys win the tournament! Simply put: they love football and their enthusiasm can’t help but rub off on anyone who goes there.
The access is good too and we found out (after a small amount of confusion) that they do have a fully fitted disabled toilet on the ground floor. There shouldn’t be any issues with changes in level but if you wanted you could enter the courtyard and just stay there for the duration as the screen area will be covered and heated. This one looks like a winner, but one would assume that, in their heart of hearts, the bar staff are hoping that Brazil won’t be.
Going to a bar really throws you into the spirit and atmosphere of the World Cup but want to know what you’re plans are. If you’re less able or are a carer for a less able person, please take a moment to complete our survey on bars, pubs, big screens and the World Cup. We want to know where people with disabilities watch the football and why? Are less able people not going bars and is that because they don’t want to or they feel they that they can’t?
Accessibility must be a factor – let’s face it, it always is – but we want to know how big a role it plays in your decision making. So please take a minute to help inform us and in turn the venues, about your viewing habits.