Best Bars To Watch Super Bowl 2014 In Chicago
World soccer fans tear down fences, throw animal heads onto the field and toss smoke bombs at line referees. Give Super Bowl fans chili, wings, beer, colossal screens, clever commercials and friends, and they're as fine as felines, although they can get a little feral if their team is on the field. Where should you tell the crew to meet you on Super Bowl Sunday? Take your pick of these wonderful watering holes that do it up right for the final football game of the season.
Sedgwick's
1935 N. Sedgwick St.
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 337-7900
www.sedgwickschicago.com
With 20 flat screens, including a gargantuan 106" HD projection screen, and tons of seating, this Old Town bar is all about sports and the fans that live for the action. Sedgwicks is the Chicago home of the Missouri Tigers, Villanova Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Duke fans, Netherlands Soccer and all of the Windy City's teams. During the Super Bowl, the bar and grill ladles free chili (Sedgwick's Famous Chili Verde and the winning chili from Sedgwick's 5th Annual Chili Cookoff ), hot dogs and popcorn. Count on $18 domestic buckets (five bottles) and a tailgate package giveaway at halftime that includes a grill, stadium chairs and bags set.
Frontier
1072 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642
(773) 772-4322
www.thefrontierchicago.com
Frontier is a multi-level, neighborhood tavern with private party space and a beer garden that's winterized and accessible while we're rolling in the deep of cold weather. Turn onto taps with 16 seasonal and traditional beers including American-craft microbrews. The West Town bar is one of the few in Chicago to employ almost all state-of-the-art ice taps, which keep the beer colder, fresher and cleaner for a perfect pour. Watch the game downstairs or in the upstairs lounge on 11 42-inch HD TVs and pull up to communal tables for a real party atmosphere. Expect all kinds of Super Bowl drink specials and, in addition to fantastic football bites, Frontier offers a Whole Smoked Animal Service (with a mess of sides like mac 'n' cheese, salad and succotash) that is quite an experience for larger parties and a nice, tasty metaphor for the Super Bowl.
Theory Chicago
9 W. Hubbard St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 644-0004
www.theorychicago.com
This River North sports bar and restaurant offers a cool private backroom lounge that's free to reserve and perfect for a Super Bowl party. This is Bears and Patriots territory so expect hometown pride and a home away from home for New England fans. Gameday specials include $45 buckets of fun, which has five beers of choice and a 200 ml bottle of Patron, $7 Red Bull bombs and pitcher specials. The extensive food menu will keep you fueled in between quarters but do try the $5 single or $10 double order of Theory's homemade wings.
Public House
400 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-1240
www.publichousechicago.com
Who wants a beer? Public House features over 100 beers in categories like "the pursuit of hoppiness," "ambers & browns" and "feel the wheat," and with its nearly 30 plasma TVs, Super Bowl Sunday is a lock. Make plans early to score one of the behemoth booths, which offer innovative table tap systems, allowing you to pour your own brew directly at your table so there's no need to search for a waitress and take your eye off the game. Specials include $5 22 oz select drafts, $5 Bacardi bombs and $15 Bud buckets. You're in pigskin heaven with build-your-own nachos, kobe sliders and house-made pretzel bites. You win no matter who you're rooting for.
Bull & Bear
431 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 527-5973
www.bullbearbar.com
Situated at the corner of Wells and Hubbard, Bull & Bear is where state-of-the-art viewing and personal table taps intersect - a nice junction for the Super Bowl. Twenty-five plasma televisions ensure your line of sight is always in touchdown territory and you cannot beat the beer and booth combo for comfort and ease during the game. Go with traditional football fare like build-your-own nachos, truffle mac 'n' cheese, blackened shrimp or Asian pork tacos, wild boar mini sloppy joes or the monstrous salami sandwich. It'll stay with you long after the game ends.
Jacky Runice has been a columnist with the Daily Herald Chicago since grunge music and flannel was the new black. Her fingers and gray matter have been busy as travel editor of Reunions Magazine; penning a column that was syndicated around the nation via Tribune Media Services. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
