Echo Park and Super Bowl XLV

When Sunday comes, the eyes of football fans across the nation will be focused on Super Bowl XLV, where the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers face in the NFL's annual duel for the championship.

But many other eyes will be focused on food, alcohol and good company. Super Bowl Sunday is seen as an unofficial national holiday, so amid the chatter of how Aaron Rodgers or Ben Roethlisberger can break down blitz packages and zone coverage, non-football fans can mark the day with different ways to celebrate.

Enter the inaugural chapter of Patch Picks, where we comprise a list of editor and reader picks of great local businesses, destinations, services, organizations, ways to spend a day off, and more.  

You’ll find useful lists to help you, your family, friends, and significant others find the best places for everything from Sunday brunch to New Year’s Eve celebrations, pumpkin patches, date night destinations, florists, girlfriend nights out, kids party places, parks and more.

And with Super Bowl weekend upon us, here are five spots in Echo Park to check out the game Sunday, if not just head out and enjoy the energy of the evening.

1)  (1449 W. Sunset Blvd.) -- There's watching the game and drinking, then there's watching the game and drinking something on fire. Flaming margaritas are one of signature treats of this establishment, along with two large TVs at the bar and another massive one near the back. For Super Bowl Sunday, you'll see a few extra televisions, so you'll be able to watch the game at some angle no matter where you are.

2)  (1558 W. Sunset Blvd.) -- Some of the greatest sports discussions of all time (unofficially) have happened at bars like The Gold Room, a classic dive bar where people can get shots of tequila for $4 during Happy Hour.  Expect TVs to be turned to the game, but also expect patrons to be tuned into the music and the free tacos.

3) (1455 W. Sunset Blvd.) -- The post-Dodgers-game crowd adds to the sports allure of this decades-old hangout, which features rooms with pool tables and a DJ spinning a variety of beats. It's only a few blocks away from Dodgers Stadium.

4) (2835 Sunset Blvd. on the Silver Lake/Echo Park border) -- It's football, so beer has to be somewhere within striking distance. You'll find a flat screen TV in the corner, but you'll also find more than 60 bottles of beer, with six more brews on draft. The football almost seems like a bonus.

5)  1477 W. Sunset Blvd.) -- This is another dive bar that'll have a TV tuned into the game, but you can also take in music pumped from either a jukebox or a DJ.