WestEnd

West Loop, Chicago –

Classy WestEnd entices hardcore hockey and basketball fans to slide onto rich, brown leather stools and benches that line this 5,000 square-foot bar, while they gaze lovingly at thirty-three TVs tuned exclusively to sports.

Framed Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago Bulls jerseys serve as wall art, while a prominent strobe light erupts in a seizure of colors whenever a home team scores. Fanatic fans and young professionals quickly fill up the massive main bar and smaller back bar after work, while more reserved patrons who prefer to enjoy the game and their pub grub in relative peace can head to a private party room.

On weeknights, WestEnd caters mostly to West Loop yuppies, as well as a smattering of police officers, a few date nighters, and nearby gym rats looking for a bite to eat after some good burn on the squat rack. Fridays and Saturdays bring in the youngest and liveliest crowd, when college kids catch a game or two during daylight hours and dance it up to a Top 40 DJ at night.

When the Blackhawks play, however, WestEnd becomes a sea of team colors, and an electric buzz – accompanied by an ear-splitting horn – explodes through the crowd after every home point.

In a city known for the intense rivalry between fans of its two baseball teams, WestEnd’s proximity to the United Center gives Chicagoans a chance to come together over hockey and basketball instead.