Sports On The Brain at Sports Exchange Happy Hour

The Shrine will melt your brain.

​Place: The Sports Exchange
45 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables.
305-774-1222
www.sportsexchangemiami.com

Hours: Monday through Friday, 5-8 p.m. Late-night 11 p.m. to closing

Deals: 2 for 1 specials, $5 well, $3 domestic, and $3 house wine drink specials, as well as half-priced appetizers and $5 pizza specials.

Scene: Sometimes happy hour coincides with a huge sporting event: the NCAA Basketball tourney, the World Cup, heck even the World Strongest Man Competition. And when that happens, you need somewhere to watch the games on a giant screen and with the volume turned up loud (especially if you are in a sports bar). That's where the Sports Exchange on Miracle Mile comes into play.

They have your oversize TV-Jones covered, and then some. It's called the Shrine and resides behind the 50 ft. bar. We're talking about a 25-by-8-foot, high-definition projection screen, which is surrounded by eight 58-inch, high-definition plasma televisions.  Or you could cozy up to any of the other 24 large-screen televisions throughout the restaurant. As for the volume, ask for a Sound Box and they'll bring you the modern day equivalent of drive-inn microphone that plays the volume of any of the bar's television you choose.

From any angle it's imposing.

​Since most sporting events last a couple-three hours at least, you're going to need some eats to balance your alcohol consumption. Luckily, the Sports Exchange has what you'd come to expect and more. They have four different kinds of the ubiquitous sports bar food, sliders: hamburger, chicken, port and Cajun chicken. But the real specialty at the Sports Exchange is the Woodstone Pizza oven, that dishes out 13 varieties.

Conclusion: As far as sports bars go, the Sports Exchange is definitely in the Super Bowl, Final Four and World Cup Final. If you're looking for a place to get rowdy over some sports, but don't' want to risk going home missing a couple of teeth or with a shiner, then this is your spot.