The 10 best sports bars in Chicago

This list covers the 10 best sports bars in Chicago for fans who want the game on with the sound up. These are the sports bars Chicago fans keep coming back to, from the Wrigleyville bleacher gates and the blocks around Rate Field to River North, the South Loop, the United Center area, Ukrainian Village and North Center.

The list favors bars built around watching sports: lots of screens, sound on for the big games, fan clubs that call the room home and, where possible, decades beside a ballpark. Styles vary, from a Wisconsin tavern and three soccer pubs to a two-floor River North lounge. Most are casual. Burgers at Will’s Northwoods Inn run $13 to $15, while Theory and The Staley are the more upscale rooms.

How we chose

The order comes down to how well each bar does the one job that matters here: putting the game in front of you, with the sound on and a crowd that cares. Years next to a ballpark or arena counted for a lot, as did steady recommendations from Time Out Chicago, The Infatuation, Choose Chicago and other local outlets, and a real role as home base for a team’s fans, whether that team plays in Chicago or overseas. Food, price and comfort broke ties, and every bar was confirmed open in October 2026. The fan’s guide to every Chicago team has a team-by-team primer.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Murphy’s Bleachers

Across Sheffield Avenue from the Wrigley Field bleacher gates, Murphy’s Bleachers has been pouring for Cubs fans since the 1930s, when the place was a hot dog stand called Ernie’s Bleachers that sold beer by the pail. Jim Murphy, a former Chicago cop, bought the bar in 1980 and gave the place his name. Today the brick-floored room fills well before first pitch, and plenty of TVs keep the bar useful when the Cubs are on the road. Decades of history, steps from the bleachers, put Murphy’s first. If you are skipping the game, stay put: you can hear the stadium crowd from the bar.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 3655 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

Why they made the list

• The bar was Ray’s Bleachers from 1965 until the Murphy purchase in 1980.
• The rooftop deck above the bar opened in 1984.
• Pearl Jam rehearsed on the roof in 2016 before a show across the street, WBEZ reported.
• Beth Murphy ran the bar from Jim’s death in 2003 until her own in 2023 and spoke for the rooftop owners in their fight with the Cubs over outfield signs.

See the full directory listing

The Globe Pub

Soccer is the main event at The Globe Pub, a North Center pub on Irving Park Road that opened in 2004. On big match days the line forms early. As assistant general manager Hector Estrada told Fox 32, “They come as early as six in the morning.” The Premier League lists the pub as a home for Arsenal, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace supporters, and the kitchen leans British, with fish and chips and Scotch eggs with curry aioli. That commitment to overseas sport puts the Globe second. For a Saturday morning kickoff, get there before the doors open.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 1934 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60613

Why they made the list

• The Infatuation counted 45 draft lines in 2023, from local beers to harder-to-find European pours.
• Choose Chicago puts 20 TVs inside a building that is about a century old.
• For major tournaments the pub runs screens with the sound on both inside and on the patio.
• The pub takes reservations and also welcomes walk-ins, according to the Premier League’s U.S. bar finder.

See the full directory listing

Cork & Kerry at the Park

Sox fans have made Cork & Kerry at the Park their first and last stop of the day since the pub opened on Princeton Avenue, one block north of Rate Field. The bar is the second location of a long-running Beverly Irish pub, and the Armour Square outpost keeps the same formula: Guinness, Irish pub food and plenty of TVs. Time Out, InsideHook and Choose Chicago all send White Sox fans here. A spot this close to the ballpark, with that much local backing, earns third place. Order the Irish egg rolls, and on game days leave time for the crowd at the door.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 3258 S Princeton Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Why they made the list

• The pub moved into a building that was already a White Sox watering hole, with big windows along 33rd Street.
• The Sox-35th Red Line stop is a short walk away.
• InsideHook singled out the Irish egg rolls in its 2023 roundup of non-chain sports bars.
• The Beverly original on Western Avenue dates to 1988, and the two pubs share one website.

See the full directory listing

Theory

Big games get the full treatment at Theory, a two-floor River North sports lounge on Hubbard Street that managing partner Joel Sorinsky opened in December 2008. Time Out Chicago counts more than 60 TVs, and the bar’s own event posts flag which broadcasts run with the audio on. Formula 1 races are a regular draw, and Iowa football fans take over on fall Saturdays. The room is dressier than most on this list, with cocktails and a brunch menu, but people still come to watch. Screen count and sound this close to the Loop put Theory fourth. On Formula 1 race days, reserve a few days ahead.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 9 W Hubbard St, Chicago, IL 60654

Why they made the list

• Groups of six or more can reserve by phone, and the bar is locally owned.
• Time Out describes the crowd as lively without getting too rowdy.
• The bar is between State and Dearborn streets, about a block from the Grand Red Line stop.
• Champions League finals and college football are fixtures on the bar’s event calendar.

See the full directory listing

Cleo’s

A block east of Damen on Chicago Avenue, Cleo’s bills itself as Chicago’s home of international soccer, and the weekend Premier League crowd backs that up. Opening times move earlier for some matches, and the kitchen cooks until 25 minutes before close, which matters at a bar open this late. Brick-oven pizza, wings and the french onion soup that The Infatuation praised are the orders. Out back, a big tarp covers part of the patio so rain does not stop a match. Soccer depth and late hours land Cleo’s at No. 5. When no league is playing, the outdoor bocce courts are open to anyone.

Hours: Mon noon to 4 a.m.; Tue noon to midnight; Wed-Fri noon to 4 a.m.; Sat noon to 5 a.m.; Sun noon to 4 a.m.

Address: 1935 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Why they made the list

• The bar has a 31-foot bar, a 1,200-square-foot patio and more than 50 specialty and local beers, per the Premier League’s U.S. bar finder.
• Bocce leagues on the courts are run with American Bocce Co., and most teams play four against four.
• WBEZ found fans of the U.S., Mexico, Germany and England sharing the room during the 2022 World Cup.
• The back dining room opens onto the patio and can be booked for private parties.

See the full directory listing

The Barn Hockey Bar

Hockey fans heading to the United Center have The Barn Hockey Bar, which took over a popular sports bar’s space on Ogden Avenue in 2023. The name borrows the nickname of Chicago Stadium, the Blackhawks’ old home. Time Out counts 50 TVs, the walls are full of hockey memorabilia, and the bar top is plastered with trading cards. The menu leans on rink puns, like the Za’mboni pizza, and there is air hockey for intermission. A room built around hockey, a short walk from the United Center, puts the Barn sixth. Groups should ask about the Gilmore Room and its golf simulators.

Hours: Mon-Fri 4 p.m. to midnight; Sat 1 p.m. to midnight; Sun 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 1659 W Ogden Ave, Chicago, IL 60612

Why they made the list

• Partners Spencer Montgomery and Paul Marobella met while serving on the Blackhawks Foundation board.
• Le Habitat Poutine was the dish Axios Chicago recommended in 2024.
• Time Out puts the walk from the United Center at about seven minutes, which makes the bar an easy post-game stop.
• Pizzas run $18 for the Quattro Fromage and $20 for the Hot Honey Pepperoni.

See the full directory listing

Will’s Northwoods Inn

Packers fans have a Lakeview home at Will’s Northwoods Inn, a Racine Avenue tavern that has billed itself as Chicago’s authentic Wisconsin sports bar since 1991. Packers and Badgers games run the show, though Cubs, Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks games get airtime too. The menu is straight from up north: a pound of cheese curds for $13, Johnsonville beer brats and walleye bites, with Leinenkugel’s to drink. Thirty-five years as a Wisconsin outpost put Will’s seventh. Come on a Friday for the beer-battered fish fry with marble rye.

Hours: Mon-Tue 2 p.m. to midnight; Wed-Thu noon to midnight; Fri noon to 2 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sun 10 a.m. to midnight.

Address: 3030 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL 60657

Why they made the list

• The bar throws Musky Fest, a September street festival that reached its 35th year in 2026.
• Packers Everywhere, the team’s official fan program, has held free pep rallies at the bar.
• Smash burgers and cheeseburgers run $13 to $15 and come with fries or tots.
• The bar is about three blocks west of the Wellington Brown Line stop.

See the full directory listing

Sluggers

Steven Strauss opened Sluggers in a former auto body garage on Clark Street in 1985, when Wrigleyville had only a handful of bars, and the bar is still family owned. The main floor has more than 40 TVs, six of them 10-foot screens. Upstairs is the reason to bring friends: batting cages that pitch baseball at 70 mph and softball at 40 to 60 mph, plus skee-ball, air hockey and electronic basketball. There are dueling pianos, too. The games upstairs, which make a long Wrigleyville day easy, earn Sluggers the eighth spot. Questions about the cages go to the game room’s own line, (773) 472-9696.

Hours: Mon-Thu 3 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Fri 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.; Sat 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Address: 3540 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657

Why they made the list

• Strauss, who died in January 2022 at 76, had worked at his father’s Symphony Liquors before opening the bar, NBC Chicago reported.
• The upstairs cages also have their own entrance on Clark Street.
• The bar warns that hours can shift on Cubs home game days.
• The bar sits just south of Addison Street, steps from the Wrigley Field marquee.

See the full directory listing

The Staley

Former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije founded The Staley, a South Loop sports bar on Michigan Avenue that seats up to 300. The name reaches back to the Bears’ first years as the Staleys, and the walls carry framed jerseys and action photos from Chicago sports. The Staley is the newest bar on the list, with craft cocktails, plenty of draft beer and a family-friendly room near Soldier Field, McCormick Place and Museum Campus. The Staley ranks ninth: too young for a long history, but a strong Bears room near the lakefront. Semi-private areas can be booked for watch parties and office outings.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 1736 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616

Why they made the list

• The bar opened in January 2025, ABC7 Chicago reported.
• Twelve large TVs are placed so most seats have a view, according to Choose Chicago.
• The Staley is part of Pangea Restaurant Group.
• Fox 32 described the room as Bears-themed, decorated in blue and orange.

See the full directory listing

AJ Hudson’s Public House

Lakeview’s soccer crowd has gathered at AJ Hudson’s Public House, on Ashland Avenue at Grace Street, since the early 1990s, back when the bar was known as Ginger’s Ale House. The pub calls itself Chicago’s original soccer pub, and the Premier League lists supporters groups for Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle, Watford and West Ham as regulars. Time Out reports that every Chicago Fire match makes the screens. AJ Hudson’s rounds out the list for the sheer number of clubs that call the room home. Overseas club games draw fans at dawn, so arrive early.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 3801 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60613

Why they made the list

• The pub carries more than 110 beers, according to the Premier League’s U.S. bar finder.
• The Chicago Red Stars named the pub their official bar for the 2016 season, and the Chicago Local 134 supporters group has long watched away games there.
• A wraparound sidewalk cafe has TVs of its own in warm weather.
• WBEZ singled out the pub as a hangout for England supporters during the 2022 World Cup.

See the full directory listing

Also worth knowing

Uptown fans who care more about the pizza than the pregame scene can head to Michael’s Original Pizzeria & Tavern on Broadway, where Time Out counts more than 50 screens. The ultra-thin tavern-style pie comes cut in small squares; Time Out suggests the Michael’s Special with giardiniera added.

Old Town’s pick is Benchmark, a two-floor bar on Wells Street with more than 40 screens and a retractable roof over the upstairs. The Infatuation rates the food above average for a sports bar, so order the burger, a side of tots and the skillet cookie.

See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.