Griff's, the area's newest sports lounge

Wondering where to watch the game this weekend?

I have to admit, I’m not. I’m one of those football neutral gals. But say I was a Philly fan, or a Cowboys fan, or a Steelers fan.

Then say I couldn’t watch the action in my favorite sports bar ever – Big Wave Dave’s in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua – where Big Dave fashions his big screen from a white-ish, nearly wrinkle-free bed sheet and projects the game on it to lure expatriates out of the sun for a cold one.

OK. So say I couldn’t do that. Then I’d head over to the newest sports bar in the area, Griff’s Restaurant and Sports Lounge, which opens Friday in Old Towne Portsmouth.

I checked Griff’s out the other day. Carpenters and electrical guys were still at work, but gosh, this is one fine looking establishment. It’s owned by David Griffin, Sr., who opened the original Griff’s over on Portsmouth Boulevard in September of ’08.

Griff has also been in the tile biz for 30 years, and this bar shows the mark of that connection – stone wainscoting on the walls, a gleaming, curved granite bar, tiled floor and the backdrop behind the bar, well, you’ve just got to see it. It’s just a showplace. But Griff also tore the drywall down to reveal the original brick walls, which give the place a real, Old Towne feel.

The place has 14 HD TVs, and Griff (a U.Va. and Skins fan) promises that he’ll play “all the games all the time.” Almost every set can be seen from anywhere in the house. There’s also a pool tables (with the most comfortable spectator bar stools). There’s also seating on the patio right on High Street, where two televisions will be turned on.

On Friday they plan to start serving lunch and dinner and the menu runs from sandwiches ($5.99 to $9.99) to higher priced seafood entrees for dinner. Griff particularly recommends the wings and the crab dip appetizers.

The place seats about 120, and Griff’s goal is to have a “comfortable” bar, not a big one. Thus the padded, backed stools at the bar.

“I’ve sat my butt in a lot of bar stools,” he said as he pulled the plastic wrap off of one of them. “I know that if the seat is comfortable, I want to stay longer.”

Griff's is on High Street in Portsmouth, just across the street and a few storefronts from St. Paul's Catholic Church. Call (757) 606-3990.

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