The Wager at Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort opening in October. -COURTESY PHOTO
High-energy sports go head-to-head with upscale design and gourmet food on game days. A new wave of elevated sports bars is emerging across South Florida while longstanding elevated classics continue their draw. From the thrill of Formula 1 racing to Inter Miami soccer, led by Argentine legend Lionel Messi, to the summer’s internationally attended FIFA World Cup matches, Florida’s rise as a global sports destination is fueling demand for special viewing experiences that appeal to all.
Luxury hotels meet that demand investing in upscale sports lounges to attract guests.
The Wager. -NAPLES BEACH CLUB, A FOUR SEASONS RESORT / COURTESY PHOTO
Naples Beach Club’s Four Seasons Resort opens The Wager
That sophisticated shift is happening in Naples. In October, the Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort, will open The Wager, the brand’s elevated version of a sports gastropub that blends sports viewing with real-life play. While the menu is still being developed, signature offerings range from beer-battered fish and chips to imaginative desserts like the over-the-top, Kitchen Sink Sundae. There’s a four-lane bowling alley — a first for the Four Seasons brand —as well as a pool table, air hockey, foosball, ping-pong, pinball, arcade favorites and an outdoor professional putting green.
The Wager. -NAPLES BEACH CLUB, A FOUR SEASONS RESORT / COURTESY PHOTO
The Wager. -NAPLES BEACH CLUB, A FOUR SEASONS RESORT / COURTESY PHOTO
The Wager will be open to both hotel guests and the local community, and General Manager Diego Angarita believes it will appeal to multiple generations, even those who aren’t interested in watching the game. “The variety of experiences under one roof also encourages repeat visits. Residents can come for a championship game one evening, family bowling night the next, or cocktails and putting practice on another occasion,” says Angarita. “The Wager offers a sense of familiarity and community while maintaining the elevated service and quality expected from Four Seasons.”
Shula’s Steakhouse at Hilton Naples
Shula’s No Name Lounge honors the famous 1972 Dolphins “No Name Defense” squad, offering a lounge atmosphere with sports memorabilia and classic cocktails in addition to the fine dining room of the steakhouse.
Shula’s Steak House was founded in 1989 by Hall of Fame NFL coach Don Shula and the Graham family. The restaurant chain with a location at Hitlon Naples, celebrates sports history, honoring the 1972 Miami Dolphins’ undefeated, perfect season.
Shula’s Naples
A famous menu item is the 48 oz. Challenge, putting guests to the test of completing a massive 48-ounce porterhouse steak that has been a staple since the restaurant opened. Shula’s in Naples opened in 2000, though multiple restaurant concepts exist nationwide, including traditional fine-dining steakhouses, Shula’s 347 Grill, and casual airport bar & grills.
Between football season recently kicking off, Shula’s scheduling live music 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and Sizzle Dining pricing also in September, it’s a great time to touch down at Shula’s in Naples. Sizzle specials include $19 breakfast, $29 lunch, and $59 dinner menus. Each room has its own special features for a variety of gathering and dining styles, including the Wine Room, the Coach’s Room, The Players’ Area and the Lobby Bar.
If making an airport pit stop, Shula Burger is located in RSW, Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers. And, coming soon to Palm Beach Gardens, is Shula’s American Kitchen, which will be serving elevated comfort food with bold flavors and fresh ingredients, the brand recently announced.
Boca Raton’s Monkey Bar
From a classic 100-year-old private club, The Boca Raton recently transformed the former members-only Monkey Bar into a chic sports bar with whimsical touches like brass monkey light fixtures, comfy booths for groups, walls dressed in black-and-white sports photographs, and multiple big-screen TVs.
Monkey Bar. -THE BOCA RATON / COURTESY PHOTO
“It’s hard to ignore. South Florida has become one of the most active sports markets in the country, and that energy changes what guests expect from us. People don’t just want to watch a race or a match anymore. They want to gather for it, somewhere that matches the occasion,” says CEO & President Daniel Hostettler of The Boca Raton. “Monkey Bar became a place where elevated, shareable food and a serious sports setup coexist, right down to a large screen that splits four ways, so no matchup gets left out.”
The Boca Raton is an iconic, historic luxury resort and private club that originally opened in 1926 spanning 336 acres fronting Lake Boca and the Atlantic Ocean.
Monkey Bar’s menu stars beloved game-day bites with a refined spin, from wings to wagyu. Go for the juicy sliders that arrive stacked on a ring with a side of crispy onion strings, the pigs in a blanket wrapped in delicate puff pastry, and the Maine lobster queso fundido that will have the table fighting for the last scoop. Even the truffle fries and the colossal onion rings deserve MVP status. Cocktail shakers work just as hard during game time, with sports-themed cocktails like the Sweet Victory, crafted with vodka, lemonade and raspberry liqueur.
Monkey Bar is strategically situated steps from The Game Room at Cloister, which opened last December. This is no ordinary game room: designed by architecture and design firm Rockwell Group, it’s drenched in the resort’s iconic pink and Florida-cabana green hues and features plenty of pretty nooks for sipping a cocktail on leather couches or playing a game like shuffleboard or ping pong. The adjacent arcade is a neon-lit playground for both kids and adults (it’s not uncommon to see ladies with their heels kicked off, shooting hoops at the NBA Gametime marquee) that’s loaded with vintage video games, Skee-Ball and popular interactive games like racing simulators and Dance Dance Revolution. And it’s all free for Club members and resort guests to play.
The Game Room. -THE BOCA RATON / COURTESY PHOTO
The Game Room. -THE BOCA RATON / COURTESY PHOTO
The Game Room. -THE BOCA RATON / COURTESY PHOTO
“A group can order a round at Monkey Bar, wander over for a game of shuffleboard or pinball, and drift back without ever really leaving the experience,” Hostettler says, adding that it was important to incorporate the combination of design-forward spaces that don’t segregate generations. “That matters more than people give it credit for. Multi-generational trips fall apart when every family member needs a different room to be happy. Here, nobody has to split up to have a good time.”
Fort Myers fans hit The Lodge
In Fort Myers, the sports boom has also gained momentum, with the Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau reporting that sports tourism was up ten percent from 2024 to 2025. While not new, high-design sports bars like The Lodge in Downtown Fort Myers draw big crowds on game days. Meant to look like a wintry ski lodge nestled in the mountains, The Lodge feels as if you’ve escaped to an alpine retreat. Guests are greeted by a life-sized bear statue at the entrance, and inside you’ll find antler chandeliers, vintage skis, a projection screen displaying mountain scenes, and even a gas fireplace. Sports fans come for the 22 screens and jumbotron, and to chow down on the restaurant’s barbecue combos and wing specials.
The Lodge, Fort Myers. -COURTESY PHOTO
The Lodge, Fort Myers. -COURTESY PHOTO
West Palm’s Nora District, Sports & Rec
In West Palm Beach’s burgeoning The Nora District, Sports & Rec has been packing in sports fans since opening in June, especially during the World Cup. “The line for one of the U.S. games was literally down the street,” says head bartender Daniel Shoykhet, who’s known for adding creative spins to cocktails with made-in-house syrups and funky infusions. “We are the bar that provides elevated service, but we also like to have fun. When someone’s team wins, we’ll get on the bar and pour some shots, we’ll sing, we’ll dance behind the bar.”
Sports & Rec. Founders Adam Fulton & Gavin Moseley. -SPORTS & REC / COURTESY PHOTO
While the exterior is deceivingly understated, step inside and you’re met with lofty industrial ceilings, custom baseball glove lounge chairs, fluted tabletops, plush half-moon banquettes and mirrored bars. There’s even built-in backgammon and chess tables for play and a clay tennis court-inspired patio. “From the beginning, our goal was to create a sports bar that people would choose even if there wasn’t a game on,” says co-founder Adam Fulton of The Garret Group.
“We wanted to move away from the dark, traditional sports bar stereotype, and instead create a bright, elevated space with thoughtful design, high-quality food, and an energetic atmosphere that feels just as appropriate for a casual dinner, happy hour, or weekend brunch as it does for a championship game.”
This will be Sports & Rec’s first football season in West Palm Beach, and they’re armed with more than 27 televisions throughout the venue, including their signature patio TV wall and custom jumbotron. There’s even a DJ booth with room for a private group to party with the DJ. “There isn’t a bad seat in the house. Whether you’re following one game or several at once, every area is designed with viewing in mind,” says Fulton.
Sip standout cocktails like That’s a Yellow Card, a mango margarita crafted with tequila and smoky mezcal and a housemade jalapeno-cilantro syrup, or the Laces Out, a twist on a piña colada that swaps pineapple for passionfruit and adds macadamia nut orgeat and coconut. The culinary team is making some of the best wings in South Florida, lightly fried with a perfect crisp and served with the choice of six house-made sauces — the brown butter buffalo sauce is a must. For those who want something light, the razor-thin Asian hamachi crudo with watermelon radishes in a crispy garlic chili oil fits the bill.
“Our Philly French Dip is probably the first thing I’d recommend. It’s a fan favorite across all of our Sports & Rec locations and has become one of our signature sandwiches,” Fulton says. “We layer shaved ribeye with American and cheddar cheese, sweet and hot pickled peppers, and serve it on a toasted hoagie with a rich caramelized onion au jus and horseradish crema.”
Even after the game has ended, the winning combination seems to be creating a place where everyone feels included.
Sports & Rec. West Palm Beach -SPORTS & REC / COURTESY PHOTO
SPORTS & REC / COURTESY PHOTO
In the Know:
The Wager, Naples, opening in October, (239) 944-7600, FourSeasons.com
Shula’s Steak House, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, (239) 430-4999 plus a landing spot at RSW Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers with Shula Burger.
The Lodge, Fort Myers, 2278 First St, Fort Myers, (239) 433-2739, com
Nora District Sports & Rec, 1035 North Railroad Avenue, West Palm Beach, norawpb.com
Monkey Bar, 501 E Camino Real, Boca Raton, (855) 874-6551, thebocaraton.com
Florida Weekly staff contributed to this report.
Dining and Cooking