NFL in London

National Football League in London

NFL tips

London-Sports Bars

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So you’re coming to London and you want to watch sports like you do in the US?
Is there anything like it here?
No.
Sadly, you are out of luck.
But we do have advice to help you out.

The UK and London particularly are woefully underserved when it comes to sports bars.
While some of the UK chains have made some efforts to modernise, they are still a few dreadful decades away.
Bad food, violent fans, drugged out patrons, and horrible service are just some of the things you can look forward to.
(which is why most people watch at home!)

So if you do want to catch a night of sports-where should you head?

We have a few tips to help you out in your excursions.

NCAA Football
Looking to watch NCAA football when you are over from the states?
Good luck!
Very few places will actually show the games, and due to time zones-most of the big games don’t air in the UK til the wee hours.
One of the problems with NCAA football is that it takes place on a Saturday-a traditional ‘football’ day for Brits, that continues on til at least 7pm.
After that the bar becomes a ‘bar’, with the music pumping up to 11, and punters drunkenly enjoying their weekend.
Trying to get them to switch on a college game with sound would be like asking a Brit ‘where in France are you from?’
The other problem with college football is that it’s only played on 1 TV network over here-BT Sport ESPN.
That means you can only watch 1 game at a time. Sometimes this game was played a few hours ago.
There was an ESPN Player app-but it crashed more times than Robert Downey Jr. in the 90s’.
Belushi’s Londonbridge is perhaps the only London location that shows college sports.
But again, it will be packed, will only show one game, and it will close before the game ends.

Wings & Food
First thing you will notice when you try chicken wings in the UK is how tiny they are.
Like seriously tiny.
You’ll then notice that British people like to mess around with a whole whack of flavours that are downright gross.
Peri-Peri? Mango Cream? Geez-louise, pass the Frank’s Red Hot sauce.
Burgers are also cooked in a mandatory fashion-which means over-cooked, over-sauced and on a flaky bun.
We have yet to find a good burger in London after 15 years, but hopefully one day!
McDonald’s is consistent and has free wifi.

If you are looking to watch some sports-here are a few places we would recommend for this weekend.

Princess Alexandra
Located in leafy Crouch End, this pub is close to Tottenham Stadium and is open late.
While not on a direct tube line-it is a celebrity haunt, so you never know who you might find.

MeatHouse
Right near Kings Cross Station, this place has meat, meat and more meat. They have a few tvs for the games, and a great feast of a menu.

Sports Bar & Grill-Farringdon
This sports bar chain is under new owners, so they are starting to change them around. While it is a chain, we like this one because of their manager Martin. Classy, funny guy, who makes the trip worthwhile.

Week 4 Preview

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Week 4 is here already, where did the NFL season go?
Wade and Ryan take a look at all of the NFL games in week 4, prior to the Bears vs Raiders heading to London next weekend.

They look at the huge match-up between the Bills and Patriots, chat about the fall of the Green Bay Packers and look ahead to the Bears vs Vikings on Sunday night.

Some of the other matches that they look at include:

Panthers (1-2) vs Texans (2-1) (-4) +47.5
Hats off to Cam Newton, he won’t be playing in this game-he will be hat shopping. Wade & Ryan both think that the home based Texans are poised for victory in this match. Kyle Allen will be welcomed to the NFL in official style.

Redskins (0-3) vs Giants (1-2) (-3) +49.5
Oh poor Washington! When will Dwayne Haskins replace the sad sack Case Keenum before the spiral turns to burn. Ryan thinks that the Giants will rule the roost with Daniel Jones channeling the devil for a win. Wade has the Redskins taking the first ‘W’ of the season.

Chiefs (3-0) (-6.5) vs Lions (2-0-1) +55
Are you ready for a high scoring game? Then get ready for the Chiefs vs Lions in a bust up of fantasy and regular points. Can anyone stop Patrick Mahomes? Doubtful. But Matt Stafford should clock up some big points in the chase.

Join us this Sunday at Belushi’s Hammersmith so that you can watch all the games with loads of new mates.
See you Sunday!

Slam Newton

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Poor Cam Newton.
He has been playing like a grandpa lately, barely moving and throwing his balls all over the field.
Has he actually been injured?
Could he have taken a shot to the head?
Maybe.

Judging by his fashion sense, and penchant for outrageous hats, that could be a real clue.

He’s a great player, but his choices of outfits after some ridiculous loses puts his focus in jeopardy.
Is Cam really ready to go all the way, or is he ready to part company and move on to other avenues.
Like Fashion Avenue?

London-What to Avoid

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What should you NOT do in London if you DON’T want to get ripped off?
Jess from ‘Love & London’ on YouTube has created her master list of things to avoid while you are visiting the capital.

We are happy to share her list to any folks that might be visiting from the US, Canada, Europe or Asia, to make sure that you can have a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Some of the places Jess recommends if you don’t want to get ripped off?

Leicester Square
Unless you’re a pigeon, street urchin, or rickshaw driver, it’s best to avoid this tourist trap if you like your wallet.
Not only does it attract loads of thieves and charlatans, it is crazy expensive & it isn’t a very nice area to be at night.
Unless you like vomit and violence, then you’re good.

Pub Food
Some pubs have great pub food, and a lot have horrible, just horrible food. So bad that you will dream of Rotten Ronald McDonald. We agree with Jess to look for ‘authentic’ and ‘traditional’ in the window-and avoid these as everything will be frozen then microwaved.

West End Wierdness
London’s West End is home to the theatre and loads of great entertainment.
There are also a whole bunch of horrible, horrible places where you will want to leave as soon as you get in.
Again-Leicester Square is rife with this, as hucksters will ply their paper trying to entice you into some of their lascivious lounges.
The further you move into Covent Garden, the safer you are more likely to be.
Otherwise you will end up schucking loads of dough on an amateur comedy night, a horrible improv show, or even worse…a strip show based on a horrible movie.

London Stuff

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Are you coming to visit London in 2019 for one of the many NFL games?
Is it your first time and not sure what to do?
Well, we have lived here for a long time, so as expats we can give you a top ten list of things that might help you in your journey over here.
Here is one of our (many) lists of things to do when you’re over here.

Getting Around
Get an Oyster Card. These bad boys of travel allow you to jump on the tube, bus, overground, DLR, and some boats. Just top it up after buying it, and it will figure out your journey.
If there is more than 3 of you then you might want to consider getting a taxi.
Download the app citymapper to help plan how to get around.

Food
If you’re coming from North America, you will notice that food is smaller, fresher and tastes different. You’re travelling-get use to it. London has loads of great restaurants, so feel free to try different cuisines. London has some of the best Indian food on the planet-so make a trip to Bricklane to find out. We would not recommend some of the big chains-as the food is pretty dire. Also the burgers in London aren’t as good as home (no matter what they tell you) so avoid the fancy burger joints and their charcoal pucks.

Nightlife
Sadly, London is not a 24 hour city. The lack of late night haunts and places to go after midnight is deplorable.
There are some bars, and areas-but you will need to be prepared to leave at any moment.
Avoid casinos in London as well, as they are cheaper, tackier versions of US casinos with horrible food and service. You will probably lose a wallet at the central casinos as well.

Tipping
Tipping is encouraged at certain places, but read the bottom of the menu or your receipt. If it says ‘15% gratuity included’, then don’t worry about it.
In the end it comes down to humanity. Did this person carry your bags, make you feel welcome, or make your stay more enjoyable? Then a few quid goes a long way.

We will continue to update you on advice, and feel free to reach out so that we can help you on your London journey even more.