Best sports bars to watch college basketball games this weekend in Cape Coral, Fort Myers
As the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments heat up, why watch the games at home?
Experience the madness with other fans at sports bars throughout Southwest Florida, including many great ones in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers and other parts of Lee County.
If you're a fan of college basketball, now's the time to show your team spirit in public.
Here's some places to check out in Lee County.
BackStreets Sports Bar
915 SE 47th Terrace, Cape Coral, 239-945-7555; backstreetssportsbar.com
This popular, longtime sports bar in downtown Cape Coral remains a favorite of sports fans. Shelly Walton has been BackStreets’ owner for nearly 30 years and in recent years the bar underwent a $1.3 million renovation, including a new 1,600-square-foot dart room.
Overtime Pizzeria & Sports Pub
1708 Cape Coral Parkway W.; 239-541-3367; overtimecapecoral.com
Overtime Pizzeria & Sports Pub in Cape Coral takes its sports seriously, especially basketball. It's a popular bar for fans of all teams but especially the Florida Gators and Northeast teams.
Overtime opened at its current location in 2015 and, since then, has attracted fans with food and drink specials and TV screens throughout.
Food options abound, with a variety of appetizers to choose from such as honey sriracha spare ribs, wraps like the bourbon shrimp or avocado bacon turkey and salads including wedge and Cobb.
RonDao’s Pizzeria & Sports Bar
15320 McGregor Blvd., south Fort Myers; 239-481-1882; rondaos.com
RonDao’s bills itself as the largest sports bar in Southwest Florida, "and has been the best place to watch sporting events in Fort Myers for the last 10 years," its website proclaims.
The restaurant offers more than 68 high-def TV’s to watch games, and if you're team is losing by a lot, head to the billiards room to take out your frustrations in a game of pool. Fans of teams including Iowa Hawkeyes have been known to loudly back their teams on fall weekends ― and they'll certainly be heard cheering on all-time NCAA points leader Caitlin Clark and her teammates in the NCAA Tournament.
The menu is extensive, from wings, jalapeño poppers and zucchini fries to lobster bisque, pizza, calzones, quesadillas, sandwiches, subs, pastas, a variety of entrees including fried shrimp, chicken or veal parmigiana and desserts like banana Foster pie.
Jersey's Sports Cafe
13971 N. Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers; 995-2900; jerseyssportscafe.com
With more than 40 TVs, this North Fort Myers sports bar attracts fans year-round. It's a popular spot for Pittsburgh fans, especially the Steelers, so they'll likely gather to cheer on the Duquesne University Dukes, who whose men's team upset BYU on Thursday in their first-round game NCAA tournament game.
The Dukes' next opponent is Illinois, with tipoff at 8:40 p.m. Saturday.
Duffy's Sports Grill
21253 Stoneybrook Golf Blvd., Estero; 13721 S. Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers; and 627 Cape Coral Parkway W., Cape Coral; duffysmvp.com
This sports bar near Miromar Outlets — one of three in Southwest Florida — goes big on food but also sports atmosphere, with more than 80 TVs at every location.
Sports memorabilia fills the place, and you can take it all in while ordering from a deep menu featuring starters like firecracker shrimp, The Prime Time Burger (half-pound beef patty, shaved Certified Angus Beef Ribeye, aged sharp cheddar cheese, thick-cut onion rings, horseradish cream sauce) and desserts like crunchy fried cheesecake.
OTHER SPORTS BARS TO CHECK OUT
Bayside Grille: 17853 San Carlos Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, (239) 689-8775; baysidegrillefortmyersbeach.com
Beef O' Brady's: 7385 Radio Road, Suite 101, Naples, 239-348-2100; 3114 Lee Blvd., Lehigh Acres, 239-369-0390; 2514 Santa Barbara Blvd., Cape Coral, 239-574-2060; beefobradys.com
Big 10 Tavern: 1723, 4703 SW 16th Place, Cape Coral
Bucketts Wings & More: 6301 S. Pointe Blvd., Fort Myers
Buffalo Wild Wings: 307 SW Pine Island Road, Cape Coral, 239-424-8024; 9390 Dynasty Drive, No. 101, Fort Myers, 239-210-9464; buffalowildwings.com
Dave's and Buster's in Bell Tower Shops: 13499 S. Cleveland Ave., Suite 400, Fort Myers
Hooters: 3625 Gateway Lane, Naples, 239-677-4180; 1600 Estero Beach Blvd., Fort Myers Beach, 239-790-0251; 4411 Cleveland Ave., Fort Myers, 239-766-7950; 3120 Del Prado, Cape Coral, 239-424-9855; hooters.com
Lansdowne Street: 24851 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs, 239-495-3800; lansdowne-street.com
Miller's Ale House: 4400 Kernel Circle, Fort Myers, 239-931-4160; 10065 Gulf Center Drive, in Gulf Coast Town Center, San Carlos Park, 239-461-9334; and 6320 Hollywood Drive, Naples, 239-591-0125; millersalehouse.com
Nick & Stella's Family Sports Pub: 15271 McGregor Blvd., No. 14, Fort Myers
Steve Tomato's Sports Page: 15215 Collier Blvd., No. 303, Pebblebrooke Center, Naples, 239-352-4233; 814 Pine Island Road, Cape Coral, 239-573-7877; stevietomato.com
Rusty’s Raw Bar & Grill: 20041 S. Tamiami Trail, Estero, 239-390-0123; 2700 Immokalee Road, North Naples, 239-263-9464; 4631 SE 10th Place, Cape Coral, 239-360-8154; 9520 Marketplace Road, south Fort Myers, 239-225-9776; rustysraw.com
Shoeless Joe’s Sports Café: 13051 Bell Tower Drive, Fort Myers, 239-437-0650. shoeless-joes.com
Twin Peaks: 16411 Corporate Commerce Way, San Carlos Park, 239-245-9559; twinpeaksrestaurant.com
Zookie's Sports Pub and Grill: 7740 Preserve Lane, North Naples; zookies-sports-bar-grill.business.site; 239-566-7513
Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Where to watch NCAA college basketball games in Cape Coral, Fort Myers
