ILM Live Guide
Wilmington's Best Sports Bars for Catching the Game
A Market Street pizzeria that's had TVs on every wall since 1997, and an open-air bar yard with a big screen strung up in the lights — two real go-tos for game day.
Every big game needs a home base, and two spots in Wilmington keep coming up as the real answer, not just for one tournament weekend.
Slice of Life Pizzeria & Pub has been doing this since 1997: TVs throughout showing most major sports, a full bar, and the kind of casual, no-frills room that makes it a favorite local hangout rather than a tourist stop. There are four locations around Wilmington, Downtown, Military Cutoff, Pine Valley, and Porters Neck, so there's a good chance one's close to you.
The Rift, on Wrightsville Avenue, is an outdoor bar yard built for exactly this: picnic tables, string lights, and a big screen set up in the yard for game days. No cover at the door, pet-friendly (though they'll tell you to read the room in the heat and the crowd), and worth bringing your own lawn chair if you want to guarantee a seat. They do pizza too, so you're covered on food.
Different vibes, a classic indoor sports bar with pizza versus outdoors under string lights, but both are dependable any time there's a game worth watching.
