Charlotte, NCSports Bars

Tavern on the Tracks is a South End gathering point for transplanted Buffalo natives, built around Bills football and Sabres hockey inside a room of exposed brick, bare beams, and pipes overhead that reads like an unfinished basement turned into a game-day party. The kitchen leans into its Buffalo roots with beef on weck and haddock alongside the rest of the bar menu. Order the beef on weck and settle into the room's rough-edged charm on a Bills or Sabres game day.

Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson is where Davidson College basketball celebrates a Belk Arena win, long the only bar in town and still the go-to stop for students and alumni after a game. The comfortable, well-lit tavern runs a hearty menu alongside an extensive beer list that has grown past seventy selections. Order a beer from the long list and a plate from the kitchen, and expect the room to fill after a Davidson win.