Sports Bars in Piedmont

3 Friends Bar and Grill is a casual American spot on Augusta Road in Piedmont, pairing a full bar and grill with a sports-bar feel. It works as easily for a plate of food and a drink as for settling in to watch a game with friends. It leans social and laid-back rather than a quiet, sit-down dinner, the kind of neighborhood place people head to on the south end of the Upstate.

Reubens made its name around Powdersville on a pairing you do not run into often: deep-fried ribs and a wing menu that runs past two hundred flavors. Owner Casey Livengood set it up as home-style cooking with a full bar attached, and the wings are the part locals tend to argue about, with plenty of reviewers calling them the best in the area. The room is built for game day, with screens across the walls, a patio for warmer evenings, and live music that turns up on the calendar most weeks. That mix lets it work as a weeknight family dinner and a place to settle in for a full afternoon of football on a Saturday. The menu stretches to match: burgers, a loaded club, chili, meat-and-three lunch plates, and the corned beef Reuben the spot takes its name from. Past the wings, the Philly cheesesteak gets singled out again and again in reviews, and the fried grouper sandwich and loaded tater tots have built their own following. Portions run generous and the kitchen leans hearty over fussy.

ESB Sports Bar sits on Augusta Road in Piedmont, out in the Upstate. It plays two roles at once: a place to catch a game with a drink in hand, and an American kitchen putting out full plates rather than only bar snacks. That combination is the point. You can settle in for an evening of food and sports without choosing between a real dinner and somewhere to watch the game, which makes it an easy call for weeknights and weekend matchups.