Ireland’s Four Courts and First Down are among the best sports bars in the whole D.C. region, according to a new ranking from Washington Post readers.
Four Courts — a popular Irish pub in Courthouse that was previously named “America’s Best Soccer Bar” in another voting contest — ranked No. 3 in the newspaper’s list. Just behind that, at No. 4, was First Down Sports Bar in Ballston.
The Post highlighted Four Courts’ enthusiastic fans, who regularly show up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays to cheer on seven different European teams. The pub at 2051 Wilson Blvd is also a home base for the region’s biggest Minnesota Vikings club.
“The atmosphere for sports is unlike anything else in the area,” Arlington resident Abhishek Goel told The Post. “The hospitality is second to none, and the drinks, especially the pints of Guinness, are perfect. Lovely and perfect neighborhood institution.”
Meanwhile, at First Down (4213 Fairfax Drive), the newspaper’s readers zeroed in on a menu with over 50 kinds of wings — ranked the best in Arlington in an ARLnow Readers’ Choice poll.
“Reading the comments from First Down’s fans, you would have thought The Post was asking readers to tell us about the region’s best wings, not its best sports bar,” The Post wrote.
Also popular: the bar’s “Smashbomb” cocktail, which involves a pint of Red Bull and shots of cherry vodka and Jägermeister. (“You pick one shot to shoot straight, while the other glass drops into the Red Bull, ready to be chugged,” The Post reports.)
“First Down is the perfect mix of sports bar with that hometown, dive bar feeling of camaraderie when you go,” Arlington resident Blythe Bissell told the newspaper. “After a handful of visits, the staff knows your name, and they truly make you feel like they want you to be there. Not to mention, it has the best wings in the state!”
The two Arlington sports bars were the only ones in Virginia to make the ranking. Seven of the 10 are in D.C. and one is in Bethesda.
ARLnow readers appear to be mostly on board with those of The Washington Post. An ARLnow Reader’s Choice ranking of the best sports bars in Arlington placed Ireland’s Four Courts at No. 1, while First Down ranked No. 3, with Crystal City Sports Pub in the No. 2. spot.
Photo (1) via Ireland’s Four Courts/Facebook; photo (2) via First Down Sports Bar/Facebook
