With the cold still snapping at our heels there’s little motivation to exercise, we know. Better to sit with a pint and leave it to the professionals. The question is where to find a stooltop without the same old deja view? Here are a few suggestions to get you through the thaw.

Rocky Mountain Tavern (Itaewon)

If the name doesn’t ring a bell, the sight of frontier-era wooden girth rising from the streets of Itaewon might. That’s what happens when a group of Canadian ex-pats opens Rocky Mountain Tavern, a two-story bar that specializes in creature comforts, live music and images of the motherland. Hockey too. When in season, stars on ice appear regularly on the big screen with an updated schedule on the web. Raise a glass or one of 11 styles of chicken wings and toss peanut shells on the floor like a real Northerner. Acoustic twanging and trivia weekly. No mittens required. 

Sam Ryan’s Sports Bar and Grill (Itaewon)

Atop Itaewon’s 3 Alley Pub it’s a standing-room-only Saturday. Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” cranks via a touchscreen play monitor and around it, the blended chatter of an international crowd. As a sports bar there’s no pretending here. A screen is visible regardless where you tip your mug and posted schedules list all the acronyms in vogue – NHL, NCAA, NBA and more. Chris Cassidy manages it all, the London, Ontario native with pro-bowl dimensions and an eye for customer service. “You can come in and ask for anything. I had some pilots from Japan looking for sumo wrestling, so I put it on for them.” Margarita Mondays, darts, slushies, grandslam weekend breaky, heated terrace and plenty on tap. 

Sunset Lounge (Busan)

For all that Busan has to offer, sometimes you just want to watch TV with a Jager bomb. In the proper venue mind you. The Sunset Lounge has a prime location in the city’s southeast end, Haeundae. On the cusp of the sea and under the red brick arches of this second-level lounge are five screens for sports viewing. Food and drink deals vary throughout the week – tacos and the NBA, NHL and saucy drumsticks – while other events may or may not touch on sporting themes (UFC, beer pong, ladies martini nights). Take note of cocktails that go down well on the coast and menu buzz words like grilled, ranch, and melt. Sunday to Thursday delivery now available. 

The Holy Grill Sports Lounge (Daegu)

If the Almighty could take a sick day, one can hardly blame The Holy Grill for its off Mondays. Come Tuesday though, food. Calamari, Tex-Mex, cajun for the fire down below and poutine! The menu rolls on and on, likely the intention of this Canadian owned and run eatery, to bring home-spun flavors to the southern manufacturing behemoth that is Daegu. And now there be sports above. The third floor’s Holy Grill Sports Lounge gives new meaning to the words “fermented malt and fun” with happenings most nights and weekends. Look for wing and ladies nights, cricket, NFL with tailgating benefits, foosball tourneys and all the best of live sports on the big flat rectangle. Reservations too. And oh…Festivus. I kid you not. 

Big Rock (Gangnam)

There’s something about Alberta. While Edmonton’s top-fermenting Alley Kat ale is slinking its way ‘round the Korean bar scene, Calgary’s Big Rock Brewery has set up a craft pub in thick of self-governing Gangnam-gu. Not a brew pub mind you. Product here is imported from everyone’s favorite…err, that country Canada. Try the award-winning Traditional Ale and Grasshopper Wheat Ales. McNally’s Extra is fully plugged in at 7%, but then again so are NFL Sundays & Mondays and same-day NHL. Neat as a pin with ample seating in amber-hues and yards short of the scratchiness of Joe’s Eats. Sunday brunch, live music weeknights and in lieu of 99 bottles of anything on the wall, Gretzky’s jersey in a frame. 

Beer O’Clock (Sinchon)

Folded into the streets of Sinchon, this Korean-Canadian operation has a niche in an otherwise clubby university district. “Hongdae is kind of a dancey place. We figure it could use it,” says Trevor MacDonald, the Maritimer who runs the second-story bar with wife Mi-Young and partner Clark Webster. He tells the story while Federer adjusts his headband on the verge of straight sets in Melbourne. Canadians in particular will approve of the sports coverage here but O’Clock goes wider for major events and requests. Heavy Olympic coverage is also assured. Gamut of extras not limited to quiz nights, darts, terrace, lip-smacking pizza and an international shot contest that’ll truly test one’s love for king and country. America leads. 

The Park (Bucheon)

In the city of Bucheon there is choice. On one hand, its Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus’ twice annual expression of operatic work, La Boheme. On the other, this bar’s Mac and Hoe night. More than pasta though, The Park is a chameleon. Located in the Jung-dong district, it serves the surrounding foreigner community as both sports bar and live multi-music venue. For those whom conversation bores are the staples that satisfy – pool, a trio of electronic dart boards and foosball avec tournaments. Four LCD sets bring the sport to the sporting but fun for all is the mission statement. Expect bar games and breaks on the menu to accompany certain events. Dance, DJs, nachos, cheap cocktails, and hoagies on the way. Hold the opera. 

Phillies (Haebangchon)

Out of the steel smersh of Noksapyeong station, take the left sidewalk downhill. From the sentry of brown kimchi pots it’s a neat walk to Phillies in Haebangchon. An easy contender for smallest sports bar on tap but inside this congested home of brew, drip coffee and Jacoby burgers is a rare sense of community. The events board lists NFL wild-carders with ones you could only know in time, today “Matt’s Birthday.” A mounted projector and LCD handle all professional games but others choose to deal their own in the company of a neon CD juke (regular patrons can add discs). To cue up, head downstairs to the hipper, less varnished hang-out that once sat across the road as Zen. Pool and dart teams are often recruited from…yes, regulars again but don’t fret. Manager James Jeong holds to Phillies’ revolving-door credo. “We appreciate that you (foreigners) are in Korea. We want to reciprocate.” 

Suyouki (Jung-ang dong, Gyeonggi-do)

Follow Seoul’s sky-blue line 4 southwest past Hanyang University for this East meets West sports hybrid. On the Korean side are features you’ll know from past benders: push button service, bottomless air snacks and sausage plates. The decor though comes primarily from the West, or at least is inspired by. The spacious 2nd floor lounge is laid waste in enough pennants, sports equipment and statuary to give a 10-year-old stomach cramps. As for the actual coverage, hard-core fans of the home team bite your tongue, unless your home is Korea. Baseball, soccer and hoop games are by-and-large Korean with the exception of European football. Free Wii Sports is an option however, from the Christian sabbath til Thursday. Drinks are magical. Soju cocktails and Barcardi by the bottle’ll turn your one date into three!