Redskins Bar Watching: Champps (Fair Oaks Mall)

Sure I love the Wizards. But its football season and Redskins time. Every week I go to a different place to watch the 1:00 NFL games and/or the Redskins game somewhere in the DC metro area I'll tell you how it goes. Go Skins!!!

Champps
Fair Oaks Mall
Fairfax, VA
(703) 383-1200

Monday, Sept 17th, Redskins vs Eagles

TVs & Games:
1 Giant 6 Panel Awesome TV, Several Smaller Plasmas
If you are going for Sunday football, it is best to sit at the bar. That is where you can see the most TVs. I chose a great spot behind a pole and could not see the giant TV.

Ages:
All Ages
They may not let you sit in the bar section if you are not 21. You could probably sit at a table in the bar section, defiantly not at the bar. The rest of the restaurant has plenty of seating.

Beer:
Rip Off
The beer is the highest price I’ve seen in a while for a football game. They had no beer specials and regular price is $4 Bottles and $5.25 22oz drafts. They also will “run out of large mugs” and make you either wait or get a small draft which is even more of a rip off.

Food:
Unreal
The price for food is crazy. $9 chicken fingers. $15 appetizer sampler. The cheapest item on the menu was a side salad and that was $5.25. If I didn’t have a gift certificate, I would not have ordered. Maybe for a nice dinner you can go there, but not for football.

Service:
Not Awful
I sat at the bar, and therefore service was decent. Sometimes my glass was empty for awhile, but that was probably a good thing. Bartenders will ignore you if you don’t speak up though.

Crowd:
Great
Very passionate Redskins fans. Cheering for 1 yard gains or for any reason that they could think of. Great atmosphere for a Skins game.

How Early Do I Need To Get There:
1-2 Hours
The bar area was packed to the brim. They have a live radio show, so people get there 2 hours before the game. In order to get a good bar seat, you need to get there 2 hours early. The tables fill up quick as game time approaches. I would recommend an hour to sit at a table.

Experience:
Champps has a live radio show with the Sports Junkies. It was impossible to hear a word of what they were saying. They had a few contests and a “junkette” walking around, but it wasn’t as cool as I expected it to be. I drank several beers and luckily had a gift certificate to cover it, because if I didn't I would have drank water all night.

Recommendation:
If you are looking to take out a girl to a sports bar, but want her to think you are classy, go to Champps for the game. If you are a Skins fan and love to drink water, it is also a great place. However, if you have any sense of not paying more than something is worth, avoid this Fake Sports Bar at all costs…NOT GOING BACK