Sports Bars in Lakeview, Chicago, IL

As the home to Wrigley Field and the sub-neighborhood of Wrigleyville, Lakeview is probably one of the sports bar capitals of the world. Sports bars in Lakeview aren’t all from the same Cubbie cookie cutter, however. From stadium-adjacent legends that mimic the feel of sitting in the outfield to polished pubs catering to specific alumni groups, bars exist for fans of every face-paint-stripe.

The epicenter for any sports-bar pilgrimage has to be the corner of Clark and Addison, where the historic Wrigley Field marquee looks down upon the always-packed bars butting up against the baseball stadium. On game days, The Cubby Bear, Murphy’s Bleachers, Casey Moran’s, Harray Caray’s, and all their siblings on Clark, Addison, and Sheffield, pack them in as they have done for generations. Even in the off-season, these bars cater to a fun early-20s crowd, which tends to bar-hop south along Clark Street, hitting up newer kids on the block like the more upscale Red Ivy and edgier Rebel Bar.

Away from Wrigleyville, the majority of Lakeview sports bars still bleed Cubbie blue and red, but the entire neighborhood is packed with spots devoted to alumni of specific schools. Unsurprisingly, the Big 10 is heavily represented, with multiple bars for every school on football and basketball gamedays. University of Michigan fans love the rowdy Duffy’s, University of Illinois alums can enjoy the laid-back Schoolyard Tavern, and Wisconsin Badgers can pretend to be back up north at the kitschy Will’s Northwoods Inn. Every day of the year has some sort of sporting event on TV, and Lakeview sports fans always have a place where they can duck in and cheer.