The Best Sports Bars in Chicago

The rooftop sports bar in Wrigleyville that does not try too hard and does not need to. Sheffield's has been here since before the neighbourhood became what it is now, and the regulars treat it with the loyalty that kind of tenure deserves. The draft list runs to twenty taps with an emphasis on Chicago craft breweries, the food is honest bar food done correctly, and the rooftop fills up from noon on Cubs home game days. Arrive before the first pitch or wait for a seat.

Order: A pint of Goose Island Honkers Ale and the Chicago-style hot dog — both require no apology

Lincoln Park's best sports bar for Bears Sundays and Blackhawks playoff nights. The layout is built for viewing — every seat in the room has sightlines to at least two screens — and the kitchen produces food that can keep up with a full NFL Sunday slate: the menu covers breakfast through late night, which matters when you are watching games from the 1pm kickoff through the Sunday Night Football closing act. The tap list covers sixteen drafts with four rotating craft options.

Order: Whatever Chicago craft IPA they are rotating this week, and the loaded nachos

River North's most polished sports bar, running a cocktail program alongside the beer list — which makes it the right option when one person in your group wants a proper Manhattan while the other wants a pint for the game. The screens cover all four major US sports and international soccer, the food menu is a cut above the standard sports bar kitchen, and the space handles large groups without the chaos that follows at smaller venues on a packed Saturday.

Order: The Chicago Mule — bourbon, ginger beer, house bitters — or a draft Lagunitas

Bridgeport's most committed White Sox bar, operating out of a narrow room that has been the pre-game gathering point for this neighbourhood for thirty years. The drinks selection does not pretend to be something it is not — honest domestic draft, a few bottles, and a bartender who knows every regular by their order. The game coverage is comprehensive: every Sox game, all major sports packages, and no pretension about the difference between a sports bar and a sports destination. It is what it is, and it is excellent.

Order: Domestic draft on special — always cold, always correct

Pilsen's sports bar, running with a particular emphasis on international football alongside the US major leagues — the neighbourhood's Mexican-American community has built a serious soccer culture here, and the bar reflects that. Liga MX runs on multiple screens, La Liga coverage is comprehensive, and the food menu covers both classic bar food and Mexican kitchen staples from the same pass. The best place in Chicago to watch an America vs Chivas rivalry game.

Order: A Modelo or Pacifico on draft, and the carnitas tacos from the kitchen window

Lakeview's best intersection of a serious beer program and a serious sports viewing setup. Eighteen taps covering the full range of Chicago-area craft breweries, a rotating tap list that gets updated every two weeks, and screens positioned throughout a long narrow space that manages to feel intimate despite its size. The staff are knowledgeable about both the beer and the sports, which is a rarer combination than it should be. Best on a weeknight when the space breathes more easily.

Order: The rotating Revolution Brewing seasonal tap — always the most interesting thing on the board

The West Loop's answer to the full-day sports viewing venue. Thirty-two screens across a large open floor plan, a kitchen that opens at 10am on Sundays and closes at midnight, and a beer list that runs to twenty-eight drafts with enough variety to make the eight-hour stretch feel manageable. The reservations system operates differently on NFL Sundays — tables are sold in four-hour blocks — which sounds regimented but works well in practice.

Order: The breakfast sandwich at 10am, the smash burger at halftime, the wings for the night game

Wicker Park's most committed Bears bar, running what is possibly the best game day atmosphere in the city for Chicago's most heartbreaking football team. The walls are Bears memorabilia going back to the Ditka era, the regulars have been coming since they were brought as children, and the bar operates on a loyalty principle: regulars get their spot, visitors get the remaining capacity. Not the most welcoming to first-timers on a big game, but worth earning your place in the regular rotation.

Order: A Malört shot if you are going to declare yourself a local — it's a rite of passage here