Nightlife in Lisle

For 20 years , friends have convened to sip suds and share bites between the knotted-wood walls of this casual eatery. Groups gather at booths and tables or lounge at the bar to chat, while the glow of neon Bulls and Wrigleyville signs illuminates 25 different types of half-pound burgers topped with red onions, fried eggs, or taco fixings.

Visitors can also drink in live music on the weekends or take the stage themselves during open-mic nights. WiFi keeps Internet surfers connected, while darts occupy those seeking the classic pub gaming experience. A Golden Tee kiosk blends golf with video games to satisfy players unable to book Pac Man as their caddy.

Q Sports Bar & Grill couldn't fit all its pub attractions under one roof. There were too many beanbags, not enough room for the pool tables, and nowhere for the darts to hide. So, guests can get their Q fix at locations in both Darien and Downers Grove. An Internet jukebox plays convivial tunes as waiters take food orders, describing, if asked, the kitchen's bounty of housemade chicken wings, turkey clubs, Angus-beef burgers (Darien), and burrito and taco entrees (Downers Grove).

Both restaurants invite patrons to wend through a sea of green-felt pool tables and keep in touch with sports via high-definition TVs. Additionally, Q's Darien location boasts a large projection screen and in-booth models in addition to the regular wall-mounted TVs. The Darien spot is also the place to catch performances by local and nationally touring musicians or soak up vitamin D on an outdoor patio.

On any given day at DJ's Sports Bar, 11 flat-screen televisions light up with sports broadcast by the Big Ten Network, ESPN GamePlan, and NFL Sunday Ticket. Customers digging into their half-pound, char-grilled 100% beef burgers can peruse fantasy-football stats via free WiFi before league meetings. Bartenders sling frosty brews, glasses of wine, and specialty cocktails from the full bar to fuel patrons playing games of Golden Tee, darts, or "throw darts at the Golden Tee machine."

Conceived by Las Vegas restaurateur Mark DiMartino, Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery evokes Ireland by way of Vegas, with waitresses dressed in plaid mini kilts shouldering trays of chilled beer and pub fare. Like an enchilada stuffed with four-leaf clovers, the eatery’s irish nachos interpret a south-of-the-border classic in a Celtic way, slathering potato chips in cheese sauce and seasoned ground beef. Alternatively, pot roast and vegetables simmer traditionally in the Olde Dublin irish stew’s Guinness-infused beef stock. Barkeeps pour a full bar’s worth of wine, cocktails, and beer, which surfaces in bottles, bombers, and multi-brew mixes such as the Blue Moon-and-Guinness combination. 56 high-definition TVs—including three jumbo TVs and four screens on the outdoor patio—glow with a ceaseless parade of professional and college baseball, basketball, and hockey, and live bands add to the entertainment smorgasbord on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coconuts Comedy Club, located in Jack’s Joint since 1998, has been luring in chuckle-seekers for more than two decades with a glittering stage filled with nationally touring comedians. To keep growling stomachs from heckling comedians out of frustration, visitors can mute tummy rumbles with a full menu bursting at the seams with saucy wings, 14-inch hand-tossed pizzas, and brawny steaks.

At ComedySportz, the spontaneity of improv humor marries the competitiveness of athletics in three weekly shows that churn out laughs for roughly 100 minutes each. During a match, two opposing teams of comics square off as a referee presides. The teams launch into sketches and routines fueled by audience suggestions, much like on the TV shows Whose Line Is It Anyway? and World News with Diane Sawyer. Since random, casual outbursts are so integral to the show, no two performances are the same, and many fans check the lineup to see when their favorite funnypeople take the stage next.