Westland, Michigan's Fab Four Places to Watch the World Cup

For soccer fans in the United States, pickings are admittedly lean. There's the MLS and college soccer, but these simply don't compare with the soccer played in Europe. Depending on your cable package, you can watch the English Premier League or other top flight soccer, but it can be hard to get behind teams that represent cities that you've never visited before.

Enter the World Cup. This soccer extravaganza is arguably the biggest single-sport tournament of any kind on the planet. Entire countries have shut down before in celebration of winning a World Cup game. For U.S. fans, the World Cup is like a holiday that comes along once every four years.

One of the best ways to get in the spirit of the games is to watch the matches with a group of people. Depending on the countries involved and where you live, tempers can get quite high! In the city of Westland, Michigan, people tend to take their sports pretty seriously. If you want to meet up with some of them and watch a little World Cup action, here are four places with big screens, great food and drink, and plenty of atmosphere:

4) Beaver Creek Tackle and Beer, 1609 N. Wayne Rd., Westland. The name might not even make you aware of the fact that Beaver Creek is a restaurant, but it is. It is decorated in the style of a northern Michigan hunting lodge, with rustic furniture, lots of stuffed animal heads, a fireplace, and high ceilings.

A great place to go to watch any sport, Beaver Creek offers burgers, meat dishes(including the famous "Road Kill Grill"), and sandwiches. There is plenty of cold beer to soothe a throat parched from screaming for that foul that the ref must have been blind to miss, and the atmosphere is unmistakably Michigan. With plenty of flat screens throughout the restaurant, you will be able to catch the games in all their glory.

3) Marvaso's, 6569 N. Wayne Rd., Westland. Aside from being the home to the best Italian food in town, Marvaso's also is a popular destination for sports lovers. TVs are visible from every seat in the restaurant(unless you are hiding under a table).

The food consists of popular Italian classics like lasagna and chicken parmigiana along with American selections like steak and seafood. Their pizza is also outstanding. The atmosphere is moderately refined, with the interior sporting comfortable booths, a bar with a giant fish tank behind it, and soft lighting, but don't let that fool you. Marvaso's can get pretty loud and excited at a big game.

To really feel a part of the action, choose a table instead of a booth, as the booths are set against the wall and a bit isolated from much of the restaurant. Get some friends together and head over here for drinks and food while you cheer for your favorite team.

2) Ashley's, 7525 Wayne Rd., Westland. I picked Ashley's because of their international flavor. They are known for their impressive selection of beers from around the world. Watching a match between Italy and China? Pick a beer from either of those countries to help get you in the mood.

Along with more types of beer than you can drink in a year, Ashley's also has good food. Of course they have the standard pub stuff like burgers, pizza, and sandwiches, but they also have several good salads. Enjoy the World Cup and a beer from somewhere you've never been while you watch the soccer on one of the many TVs here.

1) Malarkey's Irish Pub, 35750 Warren Road, Westland. This sports bar seems to be as popular for its attractive waitresses as it is for its food and drink. The food and drink are mostly standard pub fare, with burgers, fish and chips, steak, and the like. Depending on your taste in women, Malarkey's certainly seems to be easy on the eyes as far as the waitresses are concerned.

Aside from food and eye candy, this bar is comfortable, lively, and loaded with TVs. More of a dedicated sports bar than the other establishments listed in this article, expect revelry and plenty of noise when a goal is scored for a favored team.

Sitting at home is fine if you're watching a spelling bee or a chess tournament, but this is the World Cup! It only comes along every four years. Get out and watch in a group and share in this most special of world sporting events.