Best Sports Bars In Chicago
Sports beg for comrades and competitors drinking, cheering and downing classic bar food. High five the winning point as well as these fantastic Chicago sports bars.
West End
1326 W. Madison St.
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 981-7100
www.westendwestloop.com
Among its 5,000 square feet of space, West End offers a variety of environments for your sports viewing, talking, thinking and cheering: side-by-side high-top tables; plush, low-slung seating in a comfortable lounge area; a private room, separated from the main bar by wooden sliding doors; and an upper lounge space. There are 33 plasma-screen TVs with Direct TV HD so there's not a bad seat in the house to simultaneously watch three to four games. Select booths have a one-way mirror hiding two 19-inch TVs, so you can claim your own personal screen. West End also has daily food and drink specials as well as two free shuttle buses that go to and from the United Center for concerts and Blackhawks and Bulls games.
A.J. Hudson's Public House
3801 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 348-2767
www.ajhudsonspublichouse.com
This English/American pub boasts 25 TVs inside and four TVs outdoors on the partially covered sidewalk cafe so it's sports nirvana all of the time. Home to the Blackhawks Brigade, Penn State College Football on Saturdays during the college football season and live European sports, especially English Premier League Football (what we call soccer in the States), the pub offers some fine victuals to accompany your enthusiasm. Nosh on fried pickles, sizable sandwiches like a British BLT or a hearty steak number with caramelized onions, mushrooms, Provolone and horseradish aioli, burgers or the Brit's pub fave of fish 'n' chips.
Mahoney's Pub & Grille
551 N. Ogden Ave.
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 733-2121
www.rushanddivision.com/mahoneys-pub-and-grille
While A.J. Hudson's is a nod to the Brits, Mahoney's Pub & Grille is a large Irish-themed sports bar beckoning fans with a massive theater-sized projection screen for big and/or contentious games. The 30 other TVs all around the space do quite nicely, too. There are dedicated spots for beer pong and live music, plus reasonably priced cocktails and beer. Mahoney's is an official Blackhawks bar and offers the NFL Sunday Ticket, but rest assured that you can sit back, relax or freak out over sports of all kinds. Expect decent pub food and regulars rave about the Moscow Mules and the Sunday's $5 Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
The Anthem Bar
1725 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 697-4804
www.theanthemchicago.com
The Anthem is very casual (as a sports bar should be), offers tasty classic bar food like waffle fries and the Minnesota fave Juicy Lucy (burger with Velveeta on the inside) and decor out of your uncle's family room, plus lots of colossal screens. Tall communal tables insure fan camaraderie as do the sturdy drinks and blue collar beer list. You can even forget your specs because the game is televised on two ginormous projectors (190" and 150"), three 65" screen TVs and four 60" screen TVs.
Public House
400 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-1240
www.publichousechicago.com
The rent is higher, so expect to pay a little more for a beer, however the beer list at Public House is insanely deep. The fact that you can get a table with its own tap or even one with a tap built into the wall is just a little slice of heaven. Nearly 30 plasma TVs and an 84" video wall means you won't miss a minute of the game. Great sports food includes nice versions of brisket sliders, an assortment of seasoned fried with various dipping sauces, nachos, fried cheese curds, sandwiches and tacos.
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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.
