Salem is fast becoming a place known for fresh food, outdoor recreation, and healthy living. It is a goal of most residents to endure such positive lifestyles, but the drowsy days of summer and the resulting desire to simply relax does not often lend itself to strenuous self-improvement. There is no question that heath conscious improvements are good for Salem, but one pressing question remains:

Where can I watch ten football games at once, drink a cheap beer, and eat some giant onion rings?

Luckily, Salem is not short of choices when it comes to bar food, television screens, and cheap commercial beer. While many local haunts rely on Lotto proceeds as they ignore food and atmosphere, there are a few sports bars in Salem that are worth visiting.

Top Dog Sports Grill & Jake's Bar & Grill

Despite being located a single block from one another on 12th Street, these two bars are as different as barbecued ribs and Kung Po chicken. At Jake's Bar & Grill, the primary draw is the impressive amount of pool tables. Television screens are located here and there, but the real action is at the tables. Many patrons carry their own custom pool cues and the sight of velvet lined cue-boxes and three-tiered billiard trophies will take you back to an era you probably never lived, but might wish you had. Despite the level of seriousness for the sport, the players are polite to observers enjoying “Salem's Best Ribs” and watching from nearby. Hula-hoop sized onion rings, cheap cold beer, and the low tavern-lighting provide a welcome respite from the hot summer weather.

At the Top Dog Sports Grill, there may be a few folks shooting hoops at the video-game basketball machines, but for the most part, the sports action is on the multiple television screens. With a focus on “sports bar” atmosphere, the owner decided on a wall of television screens to accent the sports memorabilia adorning the walls. With high ceilings, streaming sports games, and a Chinese & American infused menu, the Top Dog Sports Grill lives up to its name when compared to other sports bars in Salem.

To entice the local sports fan, Top Dog offers $2 commercial beers and $3 micros during all Oregon State and University of Oregon games as well as during the daily happy hour. As an additional service, they also offer a breakfast menu of go-to items like pancakes and scrambled eggs during the NFL season. The booth-side screens can adapt to the allegiance of any patron and a full bar with excellent Bloody Mary's is sure to ease any late morning NFL rivalries.

The Ram Restaurant & Brewery & Magoo's Sports Bar

Although their 12th Street competitors may give them a run for their money, the Salem resident in search of a sure thing can turn to the two heavy-hitters in the sports pub scene. Both The Ram and Magoo's have been supplying Salem with solid appetizers, cold beers, and a solid atmosphere to escape the summer heat for quite some time.

Magoo's Sports Bar boasts ten 27” screen televisions as well as pool tables, darts, and the oh-so-tempting shuffle board. It is a good place to end up after spending the day downtown at the riverfront or watching the demolition of the Boise Cascade building. In fact, Magoo's used to be where workers at the Boise Cascade factory once patroned after their all-night shift. So next time you visit Magoo's, life your glass to those Salem folks of past who probably wish they were in your shoes.