Long before Roger Goodell and the NFL owners agreed to grace Las Vegas with the Raiders, the city had established itself as a football destination for all the usual reasons.
There are sports books eager to take your wager (on everything from the opening coin toss to who will score more points, the Patriots or the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry), there are bars with flowing beer and a seemingly endless supply of chicken wings and there are TVs so big they might as well be billboards, on which the players aren't just 300-pound behemoths, they're actual giants.
Some day, the big game will actually be in Las Vegas, but even when it's played thousands of miles away, the Strip is still the place to be. Here's where to take it all in:
Buddy V's Ristorante
Watching the Super Bowl is hungry work, so this Venetian restaurant inside the Grand Canal Shoppes is offering all-you-can-eat during the game in the lounge, bar and private dining areas. Fill your plate with meatballs, pizza and wings and wash it all down with mix-and-match beer buckets. $54 for buffet. Venetian, 702-607-2355, buddyvlasvegas.com.
Westgate SuperBook
If you live for prop bets and commercial-break wagers, this sports gaming landmark is the place to be. Here serious bettors sprint for the windows when the line changes during commercials, and the crowd cheers and mourns scores' effect on the spread. There's no place more Vegas to take in the action. Westgate, 702-732-5755, westgateresorts.com/hotels/nevada/las-vegas/westgate-las-vegas-resort-casino.
Foundation Room
Fancy yourself a luxury box fan? Then book the football experience at this sprawling House of Blues members' club atop the Mandalay Bay. Packages named for legendary squads of the past start at $400 for four guests and go up to $2,500 for larger groups, who'll have private living-room style spaces to watch the action and indulge in dishes like lobster mac and cheese and bacon cheddar wagyu burgers. Prices vary. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7631 or email [email protected].
Nacho Daddy
Are there two sweeter words in the English language than "unlimited nachos?" That's the offer at Nacho Daddy, where you can load up your chips again and again between cheering on the Pats or Rams. At the Strip location, entry and all that queso-drenched goodness goes for $100 per person, or venture into the 'burbs, where the all-you-can-eat nacho bar is a mere $25.
Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, 702-462-5000; 9560 W. Sahara Ave., 702-462-2298.
Cosmopolitan Race & Sports Book
Centrally located on the casino's ground floor, this modern book brags bar games along with comfy lounge seating and the requisite enormous screens. Come for the Super Bowl on Feb. 3 or stop by on Feb. 1 for a betting preview, when Fox Sports Radio will host experts like Las Vegas handicappers and former pro coach Jim Fassel to talk lines and predictions for the game. Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7000, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.
Beer Park
With more than 40 TVs scattered around this open-air beer garden, you're practically guaranteed a good look at the game, but that's not the only view at Beer Park. Overlooking the Strip across from the Bellagio fountains, you'll have plenty to look at during commercial breaks or when you're so stuffed on buffet grub you can't stand the sight of another plate. $200 for guaranteed seating includes buffet. Paris Las Vegas, 702-444-4500, beerpark.com.