Leader Bar

Avondale / Irving Park, Chicago –

Leader Bar is a sleek sports den that would be perfectly at home in the yuppie paradise of Lincoln Park, but instead resides on an unassuming stretch of Irving Park Road surrounded by taquerias, auto shops, and funky markets.

Despite a blindingly bright sign over its door, the interior is quite classy, with lots of exposed brick, dark wood, and a stone fireplace that all give the space the feel of a cool friend’s tricked-out basement.

The open room is anchored by an enormous bar at the center, with varied seating from plush rattan chairs to chocolate leather booths creating different zones. No matter where guests sit, however, they have a clear view of the many flat-screens lining the walls, while a garden patio in back is home to a giant projection screen all its own.

The venue certainly has the trappings of sports bars in preppier neighborhoods, but its location draws a more diverse crowd, with some families, middle-aged dudes, and just regular laid-back twenty-somethings interspersed with the Big 10 alumni. And though the menu is pretty standard, the burgers and flatbreads are quite popular, as are daily specials on everything from tacos to beer buckets.

Minus the raucous cheers during a big game, there’s never a raging party scene at Leader Bar, but this shiny watering hole definitely fills the burger, beer, and Bears needs for the preppy sports fans that increasingly call Irving Park home.