Red Ivy Restaurant / Sports Bar

WRIGLEYVILLE, CHICAGO –

On a stretch of Clark Street next to Wrigley Field where almost every business is a sports bar, Red Ivy – named for the iconic ivy on the stadium’s outfield wall – fits right in, albeit with a slightly more upscale, club-like vibe bolstered by its vaulted ceiling, sultry red lighting, and weekend DJs.

Comparatively mellow during the week, the venue perks up on the weekends and big game days when long lines of well-dressed sports fans and young professionals make their way in to find a spot at the sleek mahogany bar, or meander through the dark red curtains into a semi-private room to settle into intimate wraparound booths.

A projection screen and nearly a dozen large TVs – including two in the men’s bathroom – ensure that no one misses a move, which is good news for the multiple generations of Cubs fans who show up on game days, noshing on paper-thin pizza and other Italian fare inspired by Palermo’s, a nearby restaurant under the same ownership.

The tone changes on Friday and Saturday evenings, however, when dinner with the parents gives way to a deluge of rowdy fraternity and sorority types who prefer dancing to DJ-spun hip-hop and house to checking out the scores.

Red Ivy may bill itself as a sports bar, but seeing as the raucous weekend crowd shows up all year long, sports are clearly not the only thing hiding behind those velvet curtains.