Top 5 Sports Bars in St Maarten-St Martin
Where to watch the game in St Maarten: five Dutch-side sports bars, from a four-screen Simpson Bay pub to a beachfront grill on the Philipsburg boardwalk.
Sports bars on St Maarten are a Dutch-side thing. The French side has terrific restaurants and almost no televisions, so if you want the game on you want Simpson Bay or Philipsburg - and all five picks below are in one or the other.
The two towns keep different hours, which matters more than anything else on this page. Philipsburg runs on the cruise schedule and on American afternoon kick-offs: the boardwalk bars open mid-morning and several have shut by early evening, which suits an NFL Sunday and not a European late kick-off. Simpson Bay runs the other way, open through lunch and still going near midnight, so it takes the evening fixtures and the Monday night games.
Two things worth knowing before you plan an evening around a match. No bar on the island guarantees a particular channel, so call ahead for anything you actually care about rather than turning up and hoping. And the big events are the exception, not the rule - a Super Bowl, a World Cup or a title fight will be advertised and packed, while an ordinary midweek fixture may be one screen among several with the sound off.
The five below are ranked on how seriously each one takes the sport, not just on the food.
1. Huppel The Pub — Best for four screens and a proper pub room
A dedicated sports and music bar in Plaza del Lago rather than a restaurant with a television in the corner: four screens, pub grub, cold beer and a crowd that turns up for the game. It has a life beyond the fixture list too, with live jam sessions on Mondays and karaoke on Fridays.
Local tip. It opens at 10am, which makes it one of the few rooms on the island already set up for an early European kick-off.
Worth knowing. It is small and it is one room - when a big match is on, there is nowhere to retreat to if you wanted a quieter table.
2. Marley's Sports Bar & Grill — Best for afternoon games with the sea right there
The highest-rated bar on this list by a clear margin, on the Philipsburg boardwalk with several screens under a large covered patio and the water a few steps away. Burgers, jerk chicken, wings and nachos, a full bar, and a setting that turns an afternoon game into a beach day.
Local tip. A short walk from the cruise pier, so it works as a ship-day plan as much as a night out.
Worth knowing. It closes around 8pm, so this is an afternoon and early-evening bar - not the pick for a late kick-off.
3. Dinghy Dock Sailors Bar — Best for craft beer with the game on
The most-reviewed bar on this list, with more than 550 ratings, and the island's only real craft-beer bar - a long bottle and draft selection alongside nachos, chili, ribs and burgers. The sport comes with a rowdy dive-bar crowd of locals, sailors and cruisers rather than a hushed one.
Local tip. Open 11am to midnight, seven days, and both our record and Google agree on that - the most dependable hours of the five if you are planning around an odd kick-off time.
Worth knowing. Loud and unpolished by design. Go for the beer list and the room; the screens are part of the place, not the point of it.
4. Replay Restaurant & Sports Bar — Best for big screens and a menu for non-watchers
A sports bar by name and by build, at Simpson Bay Resort's Marina Plaza, with big-screen TVs and both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu runs wider than most - wings and burgers alongside sushi and pizza - which makes it the easy call when not everyone in the group came for the match.
Local tip. It opens at noon, and the outdoor tables catch the marina breeze if the indoor room gets loud.
Worth knowing. The lowest-rated of the five on Google at 4.2, across a hundred-odd reviews. Dependable rather than remarkable.
5. Grumpy's Sports & Music Bar — Best for the cruise port and big-event nights
At Dock Maarten, a few steps from the cruise pier and the Boardwalk, with multiple big screens, outdoor seating and pizza nights. It makes a point of the marquee fixtures - the Super Bowl is a proper event here - and pairs them with live music once the sunset sails come back in.
Local tip. The easiest of the five to reach on foot if you are staying in Philipsburg, and it runs through to midnight.
Worth knowing. The newest arrival here and the smallest review count of the five, so it is less of a known quantity than the Simpson Bay bars.
