RAM RESTAURANT & BREWERY

709 E. Park Blvd., Boise, 345-2929

3272 E. Pine, Meridian, 888-0314

www.theram.com

The keys to any good sports bar are simple: televisions and beer. But the Ram Restaurant & Brewery added a new dimension to the standard formula: family-friendly.

The Ram delivers with a spacious bar and televisions available from a variety of seat locations, not to mention an award-winning beer selection. Many beers are brewed in the building, and the Ram is constantly rotating seasonal delights into its taps.

The Ram has traditional sports bar favorites like nachos, buffalo wings and golden mozzarella sticks, but its large kitchen offers a variety of other options not found in typical sports bars. There’s another aspect of the Ram that separates it from many bar-only sports grills: It has a separate restaurant, making it possible to take the kids out to watch the game without sitting next to a wall of liquor bottles.

There are 24 televisions at the Boise location spread out in the bar and dining room. The spacious dining area allows the Ram to accommodate large gatherings, like sports teams or big parties before or after Boise State football games.

In this age of on-demand TV, no sports bar worth its salt would be without extra sports packages, and the Ram will show just about any NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL game.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Buffalo Wild Wings, 3223 E. Louise Drive, Meridian, 288-5485; 2101 N. Cassia St., Nampa, 463-9453, www.buffalowildwings.com

• Pinnacle Sports Grill, 2902 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 884-4400, www.pinnaclesportsgrill.com

• Crescent “No Lawyers” Bar & Grill, 5500 W. Franklin Road, Boise, 322-9856, www.no-lawyers.com

• Busters Grill & Bar, 1326 Broadway Ave., Boise, 345-5688, www.busterssportsbar.com