Nightlife

Mad Max

The Best New Spots for March Madness

It’s in the air. It’s electric. March Madness is finally at hand. You’ve got an intense spreadsheet of brackets, stats and predictions—and that’s just about the bars you’ll be visiting. Here are the five best new viewing spots you wished you’d had in 2012.

FOR ZERO RIFFRAFF

The Screening Room at 41 Ocean

You want: A private screening room at Santa Monica’s new... private club. Takes some of the madness out of the Madness.
You’ll get: An 8-by-10 screen, a finely curated guest list—and you’ll want to commandeer the blue velvet sofa. All this assuming you’re a member, of course.

FOR 14 SCREENS AND NINE-BALL

The Porch at the Phoenix

You want: Fourteen screens. No more, no less. And you generally don’t say no to steak frites...
You’ll get: All that. We’d suggest taking in the games on the porch. And riding out the commercials on the pool table.

FOR BIG BOWLS OF WHISKEY

The Front Banquette at the Famous

You want: Whiskey. A lot of whiskey. Served with a ladle.
You’ll get: Unobstructed views of two big projectors and two 60-inch screens. Oh, and for groups of 10, Derby Bowls—they’re punch bowls of whiskey, grapefruit, lemon and honey. Careful, the honey is potent.

FOR HIGH-FIVING STRANGERS

Stool #11 at the Garage

You want: Twenty-three screens and a couple hundred people who won’t try to talk to you during the action.
You’ll get: Rowdy sports bar on one side, low-key pub situation on the other. Screens in both rooms. Commandeer stool #11 in the sports-bar side, and you’ll see six screens at once. Six.

FOR KEEPING THINGS CLASSY

Any Bar Stool at the Colonial

You want: To follow the games in peace.
You’ll get: Just you, a civilized wine bar, a plate of pan-seared duck breast and a pint of highbrow beer—the whole list is half off from 5 to 8pm nightly throughout the month. March Madness is so relaxing.