In the midst of Ohio State’s 20-plus game winning streak, we sent our writer (an OSU grad) to McGee’s Tavern & Grille (950 W. Webster Ave.) in Lincoln Park on a November Saturday morning to watch the Buckeyes battle the Illini. From this report, he dispatched a list of reasons why McGee’s in the best Ohio State alumni bar in Chicago. Watch them there for the regular season’s final game against Michigan on Saturday, November 30, at 11 a.m.
1. The call-and-response. Throw out a rousing “O-H,” and you’re guaranteed to get a return “I-O.” You’ll be welcomed instantly.
2. Scarlet and gray everywhere. Speaking of which, wear scarlet and gray if you want to fit in (maize and blue if you want to be shunned, a Kirk Herbstreit mask if you want to be loved, hated, and then driven from the state).
3. The 32-ounce, custom red plastic mugs filled with great, cheap American beer. The mug itself costs $2 (refills are $8), and it bears the school’s Block O logo.
4. The bone-rattling air horn. It blares every time Ohio State scores. Situated above the main bar in the front, it doesn’t appear any different from a fire truck’s horn. Even when bracing yourself all the way at the back of the house, the sheer volume startles. One can’t help but tense up in anticipation. Many cover their ears. When I was watching the Illinois game, the Buckeyes won 60-35. That’s nine blares from the air horn.
5. The confetti cannons. The bartenders shoot them off after touchdowns. When they do, be sure to cover up your mug, though expect to accidentally ingest several of the colorful, fibrous, Fruity Pebbles-ish strips.
6. The two-for-one O-bombs. The offer is announced over the loudspeaker every time Ohio State scores, and stands for 15 minutes. For the uninitiated, O-bombs are about as simple as drinks come: Red Bull mixed with Bacardi O. It’s not a shot, exactly—it’s probably about 3 ounces of liquid—but the idea is to throw it back like one so that you barely taste its signature citrus-y, chemical-y flavor.
7. “Hang on Sloopy.” The school’s adopted song since forever plays frequently over the loudspeaker. In fact, as I approached the bar from Webster Avenue, I could hear it playing down the block. It was a pleasant reminder of Saturdays back on campus.
8. The inflatable Brutus the Buckeye. He’s posted up just outside the front door, welcoming Buckeye faithful.
9. Tom Piazza. The owner of McGee’s opened the spot up in 1987, before Lincoln Park had become sanctuary for breakfast cafés and multimillion-dollar mansions. Tom says: “I’ve seen this area go from one of the most dangerous parts of Chicago to one of the nicest.”
10. Ohio State Alumni Club of Chicago. They hang out at the front door at McGee’s, which makes regular contributions to the alumni club, and just this year sponsored a tailgate in Evanston for the Northwestern game. “No bar does a better job or recreating that hometown feeling,” Ken Pietsch, the club’s Gamewatch Chair says as a guy slaps him on the shoulder in passing. “…[Alumni] love having a place to go where they can experience the same atmosphere as they would on campus.”
11. The breakfast burritos and thin-crust pizza. A breakfast burrito and omelet represent respectable weekend brunch options, but they appear nowhere near as popular as the thin-crust pizzas.
12. A crowd. When I was in attendance, the bar was packed by 11:30 a.m. For a game against Illinois.
13. "Carmen, Ohio." The ritual singing of this song is a scene any Buckeye relishes: strangers bonded by mutual experience, their arms draped over each other’s shoulders, singing the final stanza: How firm thy friendship…O-HI-O!
Photo credit: Greg Kester, Groupon
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Sports Bars in Westmont
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Philly T's
$24 for 20 Wings or Two Appetizers with Four Beers for Two People at Philly T's (Up to a $52 Value)
Glasses of frothy beer paired with wings, nachos, or mozzarella sticks; sports every night
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Appetizers for 2, 4, 8, or 10 People at Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery (Up to 50% Off)
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Pub Food and Drinks at The Howard Street Inn (Up to 45% Off). Two Options Available.
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Select Local Merchants
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."
222 E Chicago Ave
Westmont,
IL
US
Another Round Bar & Grill slings bodacious beers and a full menu of robust American fare in a sporty atmosphere outfitted with two bars and a host of flat-screen TVs. A bounty of boneless wings huddles in 6-piece ($5.49) to 50-piece ($38.99) bundles, spanning flavors such as zesty garlic, chili lime, and extra-hot three alarm. Ample appetites meet their match with the bagel burger ($8.49), a half-pound patty topped with american and cream cheese and forged in an aerodynamic shape that flies deliciously down gullets. Tacos, chili, and pizza also make appearances on Another Round's all-star roster, while 20 draft beers wash down delectable dishes, saving the trouble of ripping a fire extinguisher off the wall. An outdoor patio enables summertime sun soaking, while inside, a roped-off lounge area provides privacy for unveiling secret teleporter blueprints.
5141 Main St
Downers Grove,
IL
US
Mark's On 66 straddles the border of two distinct culinary philosophies, sating rumbling stomachs with a menu of timeless Tex-Mex standards while entertaining eyes and ears with sports-bar-style dartboards, TVs, and games. Overstuffed burritos and steamy fajitas intermingle with American-inspired burgers molded from quality beef and steak. Complimentary WiFi and matches on the in-house Wii add to an ambiance often tinged with upbeat notes and perfectly in-pitch meal orders sung by live musicians.
6542 Joliet Rd
Countryside,
IL
US
It's rare to witness even a second of silence at Maxum Bar & Grill, where the air is forever filled with the clinking of beer mugs, the clatter of pool balls, and the chatter of friends. Twenty television screens speckle the walls, sending the buzz of sports games out across the 5,000-square-foot space. On weekend nights, the lively joint echoes with the strain of live rock-band performances and DJ sets.
The atmosphere is equally boisterous in the kitchen, where juicy steaks crackle on the grills and huge pots bubble with housemade soup. Chef Kurt Guzowski and his chefs bustle about folding housemade sauces, tender meats, and fresh seafood into burgers, wraps, and other pub favorites. They shower plump chicken wings in a choice of seven different sauces, including tangy teriyaki and savory garlic. They also prepare the catch of the day according to customer specifications, grilling, sautéing, or enraging fresh fish filets until sizzling hot.
9300 Kingery Highway
Willowbrook,
IL
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Don?t let the shepherd's pie, fish 'n' chips, and draft beers fool you. Though Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery snatches up the best cultural fragments of Scotland, England, and the Emerald Isle, the eatery started in Las Vegas. Restaurateur Mark DiMartino sought to combine the communal, rousing feel of pubs in the British Isles with the campy fun of American sports bars, pairing hearty food and traditional trappings with televisions and waitresses clad in mini kilts and alluring plaid halter-tops modeled after William Wallace?s eveningwear.
Since its founding, Tilted Kilt locations have popped up in 25 states and two Canadian provinces, serving all manner of hybrid dishes such as the Scottish cheese steak, the Sloppy Jane made with sliced turkey or shaved rib eye, and the Tilted Guilt, an ice-cream sundae perched atop a cookie.
6320 Rte. 53
Woodridge,
IL
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Evviva fosters a warm, inviting atmosphere with friendly service and a dining room festooned with natural stone, wood, stained concrete, and tables of varying heights. Dig into the menu—a mix of Italian and American favorites—to find grilled calamari ($9), pizza bread ($5), burgers ($7.50–$8), a grilled chicken pomodoro panini ($7), and popular specialty pizzas such as the hawaiian, which does the hula on hunger ($11–$21.50). A lengthy list of signature martinis for sipping at Evviva's U-shaped granite bar enhances entertainments such as a jukebox and occasional weekend DJ sets or live music ($7+).
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