17 Best Sports Bars In Chicago
Chicago came in 14th in WalletHub's ranking of America's most sports-minded cities, although local sports fans would undoubtedly claim that it deserves a shot at the Title Town moniker that's more frequently applied to its neighbor to the north, Green Bay. (Green Bay itself ranked #17, reflecting the fact that once football season's over, all it has got is ice fishing.)
After all, not only does the Windy City have the NFL covered with the Bears, the NHL with the Blackhawks, and the NBA with the Bulls, but it also has two MLB franchises: The White Sox and NL Cubs. For soccer fans, there's even the MLS Chicago Fire.
With so many hometown teams, Chicago sports are on TV just about every day of the year, so of course, there's no shortage of sports bars. Sure, if there's a game on, every corner bar will have a TV tuned in, but each of the bars on this list offers numerous big-screen TVs, and many of them loudly and proudly pledge allegiances to multiple teams, as well (even if not all are Chicago-based).
No matter which team colors you're wearing, though, these establishments will happily ply you with tasty foods and beverages as you follow the action onscreen.
1. Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern
An establishment with the word "Budweiser" in its name might seem like a tied house, but these are actually illegal in the U.S. This means that while the Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern does have both Bud and Bud Light on tap, you can get Miller or Michelob, too, as well as craft beers from 3 Floyds and Goose Island. This Wrigleyville bar also has cocktails both cold and warm: In Chicago, even the baseball season has the kind of weather that's better suited to Irish coffee than cold beer
In warmer weather, the Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern's close proximity to the Friendly Confines means you can watch the Cubs play from the two outdoor terraces. In colder weather, however, the four bars inside have no shortage of wall-mounted TV screens for your football, hockey, and basketball-viewing pleasure. The menu is a simple one, but it hits all the highlights: Nachos, pizza, burgers, and wings cover the basic bar food groups.
2. Cork & Kerry at the Park
Cork & Kerry at the Park, as you can tell by the name, is an Irish pub of sorts. If you look at its location on a map, though, you'll find that it's just steps away from Guaranteed Rate Field, where the White Sox play.
While it may not be a sports bar in the general sense of the term, it has still got plenty of TVs that are guaranteed to be tuned in to the Sox game in case you couldn't get tickets. And, of course, Cork & Kerry at the Park is a great place to go after the game to celebrate a win or share the pain of a loss.
The menu at Cork & Kerry could best be described as bar food with a few Irish-American accents. Irish egg rolls filled with corned beef and cabbage are among the appetizers, while the burger menu features a Paddy O'Melt with onions and Swiss on rye. There's also plenty of Guinness available.
3. Hawkeye's Bar
Hawkeye's Bar, which is located in Little Italy, is not one of your mega-sports bars since it prefers to have more of a neighborhood vibe. Still, it is a bar with a bunch of TVs that are likely to be showing sports, and according to this Facebook post, it now boasts an 85-incher so you won't miss even the smallest of details. As to Hawkeye's affiliations, these are, as expected, Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as both Cubs and Sox.
Despite its location, Hawkeye's doesn't really offer Italian food other than pizza (does that even count?) plus fried calamari. Otherwise, it does offer burgers, salads, wraps, sliders, and heartier fare, including fish and chips and meatloaf.
The bar menu features Peroni on draft, along with Guinness, Krombacher German Pils, and a selection of American macrobrews and craft beers. There are also cocktails, wines, hard seltzers, and ciders, but if you really want to go old school, you can always opt for a can of Old Style.
4. Jake Melnick's Corner Tap
If wings of one sort or another feature heavily in your sports-watching plans, then you need to check out Jake Melnick's Corner Tap. This sports bar was acclaimed by the "Today Show" as having the nation's best wings, and it offers them in flavors ranging from habanero peach to Korean barbecue. On game day, you can go big or go home with a tower of 48 different wings as well as a pretzel that weighs a full pound and a half, plus, of course, beers by the pitcher or bucket.
Don't have the appetite of Andre the Giant? Jake Melnick's offers food proportioned for standard-sized humans, as well, with selections including burgers, brisket, chili, and pulled pork sandwiches. This establishment lives up to the Corner Tap part of its name, as it has 30 draft lines, with just two offering domestic macros (Coors Light and Miller Lite) and the rest devoted to craft brews and imports.
5. Mullen's Sports Bar and Grill
If the game you're watching at Mullen's Sports Bar and Grill proves to be somewhat of a snoozer or goes into a rain delay, you can always play a few games of your own. This sports bar, in addition to offering multiple flat-screen TVs, also features such entertainment options as dart boards, pool tables, and Golden Tee arcade golf.
As for Mullen's menu, it features wings in a choice of 13 different flavors, so you can go from mild lemon pepper to medium "bonzai" (presumably not named after the miniature trees) all the way up to "Shock and Awe."
There's pizzas, as well, plus Italian beef sandwiches, burgers, and a surprisingly large selection of salads in case you prefer healthier fare. Mullen's also has plenty of beer, both crafty and not-so-crafty, as well as cocktails and even fruit-flavored lemonades for non-drinkers wanting an alternative to soda.
6. Murphy's Bleachers
Murphy's Bleachers is a tavern with some history to it. It first opened over 80 years ago to sell beer and hot dogs to fans of the Northside Nine (Wrigley Field's right across the street). In 1984, it became the first Wrigleyville bar to open a rooftop seating area. Even when baseball is out of season, Murphy's is worth a visit for its mini-museum of Cubbies memorabilia, plus you can always watch winter sports on its numerous TVs.
Murphy's Bleachers has more to offer besides history and proximity, however. It makes some pretty fine ribs (the sauce is spiked with Irish whiskey), and the pizza is quite excellent too. Staying true to its roots, Murphy's still sells hot dogs, as well.
The 22 beer taps are mostly devoted to craft brews, although domestics, including pale ales and IPAs, are available in cans. Murphy's even carries several of Goose Island's (non-hard) sodas, with the grape one being the real standout.
7. Old Town Pour House
Some want a sports bar with the biggest of big screens. Others are all about the food, while still others are primarily concerned about the beer selection. If you fall into this last category, the Old Town Pour House is your kind of place. It has 90 different taps, with at least 30 featuring Chicago-area brews, and offers an ample selection of IPAs, sours, stouts, wheat beers, ciders, seltzers, and even non-alcoholic beers not named O'Doul's. Not a beer fan? Cocktails and wine are available, as well.
The menu offerings at Old Town Pour House tend towards standard bar fare with a hipster-y makeover: Cheese curds, fried pickles, and popcorn chicken are all served in cute wire baskets, and the gourmet burgers are obviously "plated" rather than plopped on a plate: All very Instagrammable, to be sure but don't get so caught up in your food photography that you miss half the game.
8. Park and Field
If you're a foodie who enjoys watching sports, you may be disappointed by the batter-dipped, deep-fried, cheese-smothered fare at most sports bars. Park and Field offers a different kind of experience as this self-styled "vintage sports club" that also proclaims itself a farm-to-table eatery.
So what does high-end sports bar fare look like? There are no wings, pizza, or cheese curds here: Instead, you can order an artisanal cheese board or a platter with four different types of bruschetta. There are also salads made with today's trendiest vegetables, beets, and Brussels sprouts.
If you feel like a full meal, you can opt for pork belly with blackberry jam or mushroom-ginger glazed vegetable hash. Needless to say, most of Park and Field's beers are craft brews, and the cocktails are crafty as well. The latter, however, do feature a few baseball-themed names, such as Hey Butter Butter (buttered rum) and Fall Classic (a pumpkin spice mule).
9. Sluggers
With a name like Sluggers, as well as a Wrigleyville location, you'd expect this establishment to be a Cubs bar, but it's all that and much more. This mega-sports bar has more than 40 different TVs that are likely to be tuned to any and every different sporting event. Plus, it also has batting cages, air hockey, electronic basketball, skee ball, arcade games, dueling pianos, and everything short of an actual three-ring circus.
The Slugger's menu covers all the bases: Nachos, poppers, wings, burgers, tacos, and both thin-crust and deep-dish pizzas. There are a few surprises here and there, though, such as an appetizer of blistered shishito peppers. Sluggers also offers over 50 different canned and bottled beverages, including the standard selection of macrobrews and many of the big-name micros (Goose Island and Three Floyds among them) as well as a few imports, malternatives (ciders and hard seltzers), and non-alcoholic brews.
10. Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards
If you want to watch a day game at a sports bar, but you'd prefer to avoid day drinking, Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards features a selection of coffee drinks during the daytime, along with tea, hot chocolate, and steamed milk. At night, however, your preferences may switch over to beer, wine, and cocktails.
Irish coffee is listed on the drinks menu, though, so you could probably try asking the bartender to make you one without the "Irish" if you prefer to carry over your non-carousing into the second half of a doubleheader.
In addition to beverages, Surge Coffee Bar & Billiards offers a Cuban-inspired menu at both its Logan Square and Albany Park locations. This menu features such dishes as ham croquettes, fried plantain chips, Cuban sandwiches, and lechon asado (roast pork). In addition to TVs for sports viewing, Surge also has pool tables, shuffleboard, and dart boards.
11. The Fifty/50
The Fifty/50 is a sports bar that once earned distinction of being named the nation's best by industry magazine Nightclub & Bar, and it's still working hard to live up to that winning reputation. Not only can you watch the game on any of its TVs, but you can play a few games yourself: Should the Bears score a touchdown (it's been known to happen), everyone ordering a PBR in the next 10 minutes gets it for a dollar.
Big spenders ($30+ per person) can also predict the score before halftime, with the prize being 50 percent off the table's tab. The menu is contemporary bar food, meaning you can get your nachos, burgers, and wings along with trendier items such as buffalo cauliflower bites, elote fritters, barbecue poutine, and the now-ubiquitous Nashville hot chicken. Drink specialties besides beer include crafty cocktails such as spiked lemonade, horchata with tequila, and negroni sours.
12. The Globe Pub
If you're a soccer fan, you may feel as if you're alone in your obsession, but there's actually a whole world of fellow fans out there, and most of the ones in the Chicago area will probably find their way to The Globe Pub if there's an important match on. As the stated mission of The Globe is to be Chicago's best international sports bar, soccer may be the big draw, but there's a good chance you'll be able to watch cricket or rugby, as well.
The beer taps are global in focus, as well, offering everything from Old Style to Magner's Irish cider to Guinness and Krombacher pils. As for food, The Globe Pub has a few British dishes like bangers and mash and shepherd's pie, but the menu also features wings, nachos, quesadillas, hummus with pita bread, and even avocado toast for those already nostalgic for the 20-teens.
13. The Graystone Tavern
The Graystone Tavern in Wrigleyville has what could best be described as an eclectic array of affiliations. It supports its neighboring Cubs, of course, as well as two soccer teams, these being Chelsea Football and the Columbus Crew (the latter's games feature $5 Malort shots, oh yay.) Its NCAA patronage is extended to both the University of Washington and Boston College, while it's NFL team of choice is ... the Minnesota Vikings? Uff da.
The menu at Graystone Tavern is small, but it's serviceable enough to sustain you as you watch ... whatever. It runs to pizza, smashburgers, chicken sandwiches, tenders, and wings, nachos, cheese curds, and even a few salads. You can even get strawberry cheesecake for dessert. While the Graystone's beverage selection is not as extensive as some other sports bars, it does feature domestic brews, crafts, imports, hard seltzers, ciders, wines, sodas, fruit juices, and energy drinks.
14. The Moonlighter
The Moonlighter wants you to imagine its space as your own family room, with a makeover involving the addition of a bunch of craft beer taps, a cocktail bar, and a crowd of total strangers (okay, it doesn't mention that last part).
The place is, in fact, nothing like your family room unless you happen to have several fireplaces and a number of wall-mounted flatscreens as well as the aforementioned bar facilities. But then, isn't the whole point of going out to a sports bar that it's more fun than staying home?
At the Moonlighter, your not-home-away-from-home, burgers, tacos, and wings are what's for dinner, with vegan versions also available. There are also a few salads as well as a menu category best described as cheesy things: Macaroni and cheese, cheese fries, and a giant pretzel with beer cheese dip. For dessert, there's carrot cake, which we feel should also count as a vegetable.
15. The Ogden
The Ogden is just a few blocks away from the United Center where the Bulls and the Blackhawks play, so you know it'll have those games on TV as well as welcoming the pre-and-post-game crowds. This doesn't mean you won't be able to catch Bears, Cubs, and Sox games there, as well, since The Ogden is a sports bar for all seasons.
The Ogden's food includes the expected (pizza, nachos, burgers, wings) but has a few options you won't find everywhere else, such as homemade egg rolls with a choice of Buffalo chicken, Philly cheese steak, and gyro fillings.
It also has a few actual entrées, including spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, and steak served with salsa, rice and beans. The 17 taps, with the exception of a single one devoted to Bud Light, are nearly all craft brews or imports. This establishment really goes all-in is on whiskey as it offers 34 bottles ranging from Angel's Envy to Whistle Pig.
16. The Pony Inn
The Pony Inn is fond of a good party and will host watch parties for any sports event: It supports all the Chicago teams, of course (Cubs over Sox, for preference), as well as Texas A&M, the University of Kentucky, and the University of Central Florida.
The Pony also fills in any empty time slots with trivia contests and open mic nights and really goes all-out for major holidays such as St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, New Year's Eve, and, of course, Super Bowl Sunday, with this latter event typically including a buffet of (what else?) wings and pizza.
In addition to pizza and wings, The Pony Inn also offers tacos, burgers, and even a few salads, plus there's a kids' menu, too, which implies that the staff won't give you death glares if you show up with under-21s in tow. As for the drinks, it's basically a beer bar, with taps, cans, and bottles pretty evenly split between craft brews and beers with a larger following.
17. Timothy O'Toole's Pub
Looking for a sports bar with a food challenge? Timothy O'Toole's is that place. Its Big Timmy Challenge, which was once featured on "Man vs. Food," consists of a full pound of burger meat (two 8-ounce patties) plus four different cheeses, bacon, fried onions, and various other toppings and condiments along with an order of Irish nachos.
If you're not quite that hungry, the menu offers smaller burgers, sandwiches, salads, and wings. It also has several Irish-inspired dishes to go with the whole pub theme, including meatloaf made with stout, fish and chips, and shepherd's pie.
Of course, Timmy O'Toole's has Guinness on draft, along with Harp, Smithwicks's, Magner's cider, and all manner of other beers and ciders (48 taps in all, plus more than 40 cans and bottles).
It also has a cocktail menu that includes one of those over-the-top bloody Marys garnished with egg rolls, wings, sliders, pretzels, and the entire kitchen sink. Timmy's has no fewer than 72 TVs for your sports viewing pleasure, so there's a good chance that whatever game you're wanting to watch will be playing on one of the screens.