DrinkedIn Trends

When it’s Friday night (or maybe even Tuesday; I won’t judge) and you’re looking to have a good time in Chicago, you can’t go wrong with any of the standard bars and clubs in the area—when you combine music, alcohol, and fun people, it’s hard not to have a good time wherever you may be.

But sometimes you just want to do something different. Sometimes you want to escape the same old Top 40 songs and play arcade games like you’re 10 years old again. Luckily, there are a number of places in Chicago that let you do just that.

Emporium Arcade Bar

Emporium has 20+ beers on tap, dozens of whiskeys, and 41 different arcade games all under one roof. Need I say more?

Tokens are 25 cents each and every game only costs one token. Stop by and relive the glory of your childhood years with the increased level of difficulty that only alcohol can provide.

Big Joe’s Pub

On the surface, Big Joe’s may just look like your average bar. And on most nights of the week, you might be right in making that assumption. But one night a week, Big Joe’s Pub hosts an event that you’ll want to be a part of at last once before you leave the city: turtle racing.

Chicago is home to five major professional sports teams and notoriously diehard fans, which is why it is one of the premier destinations to find top-notch sports bars. This a quick guide to the five best sports bars in Chicago, complete with great places to go before, during and after a game.

Possibly the most classic and famous of Chicago sports bars, The Cubby Bear is a two-story, plain brick building located directly across from the main entrance of Wrigley Field. Expect all six bars in the Cubby Bear to be entirely packed before and after Cubs games, with diehard Cubs fans and recent college graduates who dominate Wrigleyville, many of whom were living in Fraternity and Sorority houses not too long ago. On nights where the Cubs aren’t playing, the Cubby Bear often hosts live musicians or DJs, featuring a wide variety of musical genres to fit any niche. Lastly, the Cubby Bear is decked out with 75 flat screen TVs in the midst of all the sports memorabilia.

Just a few doors south on Clark from the Cubby Bear sits Sluggers, the immensely popular and eclectic three-story sports bar that can provide entertainment to people of any and all interests. By calling Sluggers eclectic, that is not referring to the crowd because it is your typical young, jock-type Wrigleyville scene. Instead, Sluggers is unique because the main floor is filled with TVs, people taking shots, and a bumping dance floor. Doesn’t sound unique yet? The basement is a mellow pool hall with people unwinding after the game having a few drinks and good conversation. That mix is enough to make for a distinctive sports bar, however, once you factor in the batting cages, stripper pole, arcade room, and dueling pianos on the top floor, it becomes clear why Sluggers is on this list.

While Wrigleyville and Wrigley Field get most of the buzz for being the go-to place for fun in the summer, the South Siders deserve a shout out as Cork & Kerry rivals many of the famed Cubs bars. Adorned with images of Chicago throughout history and five monster TVs, Cork & Kerry is a true Chicago bar with diehard Sox fans and blue-collar natives bonding over their pints and a love for their city, especially the southern part of it. One of the coolest aspects of Cork & Kerry is their opponent-specific dishes, which are offerings of traditional dishes from the cities of the visiting teams.

For those who aren’t especially interested in baseball, head over to Houndstooth Saloon, which is a University of Alabama bar that is football crazy, and rightfully so these days. Named after legendary coach Bear Bryant, Houndstooth Saloon is a simple, one-story wooden-decorated bar which not only offers a great place to watch a football game, but also has one of the best country music nights north of the Mason-Dixon line. Houndstooth is completely packed during Bama games and Country Night, however there are twenty-six TVs spread throughout the bar so if you’re in the door, you’ll have a good view of the game.

Places to Party in the Windy City

Do you think that the Windy City has nothing to offer except an extremely cool weather, some snow on the pavement, occasional shopping and sometimes Broadway shows, you are extremely mistaken.  Chicago is in fact fast following the major cities such as New York when it comes to the party scene.  Yup, if you feel like partying it up in the Windy City, you will be pleasantly surprised that you have such a wide selection to the point that you will be confused on where to go first.  I assure you that one week is not enough to cover everything.  Then again, if you know where to go, then your entire Chicago experience will be very much worth your while.

If you want to know the best bars, clubs and bars in the Windy City, there is one website that you can surely trust.  When I visited a while back, I checked out Drinkedln and I sure was not disappointed.  I found out that the bars they recommended are indeed among the best in the city.  I had such a grand time because the party hot spots offered a good mix of the right crowd, alcoholic beverages I have not heard of and some heavy dancing which for me are the ingredients of a perfect party.

One of the clubs I visited while I was in Chicago was the Smuggler’s Cove.  The name of the place sure got me interested.  The name isn’t your typical bar in the United States and apparently, so was the entire place in general.  The moment that you entire the Smugglers Cove, you immediately know the feel and theme of the place.  Being there is just so fun and exciting. Match it with a good cold drink of alcohol and you are all set for the evening.

Do you want to veer away from meat and try to be a bit more healthy before your drinking spree?  That is perfectly possible in the Windy City.  Why not savor the unique vegetarian cuisine that Soul Vegetarian East has to offer?  The food is very flavorful and light to the stomach at the same time.  Of course, the night is still young after dinner and the last thing that you want to do is to head home.  Well, you will be pleasantly surprised that Soul Vegetarian East offers some of the best drinks that the Windy City has to offer.  Who would have guessed that vegetables and alcohol would go so well together?