Cheerleaders and padlocks: Beijing Super Bowl party wrap-up
Give me an L-U-G-A!
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From NFL cheerleaders to padlocks, from buffet breakfasts to lost signals, this year’s Super Bowl party lineup had no shortage of ups and down. Even better, it drew a much larger turnout than last year. A quick look at spots visited…
Touchdowns
The Den: Good crowds upstairs and downstairs, a solid RMB50 breakfast buffet, and efficient drink delivery made it a winner again. RMB25 for Aussie beers like James Boag’s is one of the better regular prices in town.
Goose and Duck: A good, if lighter, turnout than last year, with a breakfast buffet early on and a BBQ outside. This place gets grungier by the month, but still delivers for sports fans, though there were complaints about the coffee (solution: drink beer).
Paddy O’Shea’s: Almost every table full for the biggest event on Ireland’s annual sports schedule.
Surprise plays
Luga’s Villa: Who dat in Luga’s? Four New England Patriots cheerleaders. This might seem like a somewhat grungy spot for the American Chamber of Commerce to do its Super Bowl party but the combination of NFL China, the cheerleaders, and more than 150 attendees made it work.
Union: Despite having the priciest breakfast, at RMB120, Union drew about 70 people and showed off the new TV system. Another stride toward it becoming a good high-end spot to catch sports.
Field goals
Hooters: A modest crowd, with about 30 people at 7:40 AM. With waitresses that double as cheerleaders, this was a decent choice for those who wanted Chinese commentary.
Fumbles
Blue Frog: Problems with its signal in the second quarter. Been there, done that; you just have to move on and get it right next time.
Pavillion: This place is a comfy spot to watch a game, but a turnout of less than a dozen patrons suggests more marketing is needed.
Missed the team bus
Danger Doyle’s: Just like last year, when it went by the name Stadium, the doors were locked. Despite a year that saw it gain credibility, the departure of Glenn Phelan seems to have the place back to square one or, to use football terminology, stuck deep in its own end.
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Some notes from people who watched the game at other bars:
All-Star: “Small crowd and limited food” said EP in an SMS.
Tim’s: The first floor was packed, said D. Lish.
Irish Volunteer: About 15 people, said KL, which means “half full.”
The Super What?
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If the Den and G&D were touchdowns then Frank’s Place was a TD with a 2 point conversion. The place was completely full–main room and the new patio room–which had a big screen on. Not a seat was to be had but it wasn’t too crowded that you felt boxed in. Full buffet spread for breakfast and then a pizza and burger buffet for the 2nd half of the game. All this, plus one bloody mary and bottomless coffee, cost only RMB100. The best deal in town IMO.
Can we go ahead and pronounce Danger Doyle’s dead? I’m not sure it even has a pulse at this point…
The Den was on point. 50 kuai buffet and bottomless coffee with get this… friendly, fast service! Well done!
Minor problem was that the game was carried on international ESPN (so no Superbowl commercials). Did any places have the CBS feed so they saw commercials??
Also, how did Luga’s turn out with the internet Gamecast feed? Was it good quality and did it have the commercials?
@ Peter,
Thanks for the update.
I had hoped to do a Frank’s / Eudora / Irish Volunteer run but heavy traffic dashed my plans. Good to hear it went well at Frank’s.
Cheers, Boyce
@ Charlie,
I feel for sorry for many of the employees: they know the new beer prices are way too high and are probably sick of hearing complaints about it.
But yeah, it does seem to be on life support…
Cheers, Boyce
@ Tom,
Yes, The Den staff seems especially eager these days.
As for Gamecast, I saw it lock up a few times. Wasn’t there long enough to get a general feel for it – that was when the NFL cheerleaders were performing, so not many people were watching the TVs.
Cheers, Boyce
Union was great. Food was good, came out fast, good service also. Definitely a winner, can I book my table for next year?
Nice round-up from our roving reporter Beijing Boyce, who set a Super Bowl record for “most viewing venues in a quarter.”
Irish Volunteer used a Gamecast feed, quality was pretty good, there were some minor pauses, but they only lasted a second or two, though the advantage with the feed was it was directly from CBS and thus had all the commercials, though this year the game was definitely better than the commercials.
I was one of the 10 or so at the Pavilion (all over 45 yrs old!!), great screens and very comfortable, but 30 rmb for a cup of coffee? Breakfast menu was pricey too. Couldn’t get motivated to move on during half time, plus was really cool to see the Who even though the sound and video was out of sync :(
BTW, you missed NOLA which evidently had both a breakfast and lunch buffet for 80 rmb and a nice size crowd who most certainly were not Colts fans (got this from friends who went there).
@ The Village Grouch,
I could have hit them all if I had not been sidetracked by those NFL cheerleaders. It’s all Luga’s fault!
Cheers, Boyce
@ b. cheng,
The thing I like about The Irish Volunteer is all the banter that arises, even among people who don’t know each other (but often end up being friends by the end of the game).
Cheers, Boyce
@ Terry,
NFL football is the usual sports fare at Pavillion, so I’m not surprised. As for NOLA, I’ll have to get it on the route next year…
Cheers, Boyce