American Junkie

**What makes this different:** While The Waves keeps calm and Tacos El Gordo brings the Tijuana chaos, American Junkie solves the problem most Gaslamp sports bars won't admit exists—where do you watch a game downtown without standing three-deep at the bar? This place runs huge, with booths you can actually reserve for kickoff and enough TVs that you're never craning your neck. It's the rare downtown spot built for the full game, not just halftime drinks.

The menu sprawls across bar-food greatest hits—wings, pizza, tacos, sandwiches—with the kind of competent execution that keeps you fed without distracting from the screen. Nothing's trying to blow your mind; it's just solid fuel. Buffalo wings come out hot and properly sauced. Chips and guac do their job. The real draw is Taco Tuesday: buy a drink, get five kinds of tacos all-you-can-eat for $5, plus chips, salsa, and veggies. It's why the place packs out midweek when the rest of the neighborhood's still warming up.

Service runs attentive even when it's slammed—staff checks in regularly, doesn't ghost between quarters. The space stays festive without tipping into nightclub territory until late, when the DJ shows up. Daytime and early evening, it's families, business lunches, and tourists who wandered in and decided to stay. After dark, the energy shifts louder.

Parking's standard Gaslamp nightmare—pay lots or gamble on street spots east of Fifth. Reserving ahead for big games is the move, especially if you've got a group. It's the kind of joint where Ohio State fans call hours before kickoff and actually get a booth held, which doesn't happen at most downtown spots.