Huffpost: Top Five Sports Bars in Chicago
- Dec 6, 2017
- 1 min read
Updated: Aug 6, 2022
Party Earth, Contributor | huffpost.com
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.
I love how you highlighted Sluggers! ragdoll playground It’s my go-to spot for game nights. The vibe is unmatched, and the food? Seriously the best nachos in town! Can’t wait to gather my friends there again!
What I like about Sluggers is you can choose your own night: stay planted on the main floor for the game and the dance floor, or sneak down to the pool hall when you want actual conversation, or go full-send with batting cages and dueling pianos. That “pick your shift and the whole thing changes” idea made me think of a caesar cipher—tiny tweak, totally different output.
Calling it “eclectic” makes sense once you break down the floors—sports-and-shots chaos up top, chill pool vibes downstairs, and then the upstairs stuff that feels like a mini carnival. The whole description is so over-the-top it almost reads like a scene you’d stylize with ghibli ai, like Wrigleyville as a whimsical cartoon backdrop.
The “typical Wrigleyville scene” part is dead on, but Sluggers pulling you from dance floor to pool hall to batting cages is what makes it stand out from the usual sports-bar template. Also, after a night in a place like that I always wake up like “why did I think this outfit was a good idea,” which is basically my personal hairstyle ai moment in the mirror.
That top floor lineup—batting cages, arcade room, dueling pianos, even the stripper pole—explains why people talk about Sluggers like it’s an attraction and not just a bar. The arcade mention instantly made me think of blockblast, like that same “one more round” brain itch, except here you’ve also got a game on every TV.