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For $10, today’s Groupon gets you $25 worth of food and drink at Theory, a sports bar with a convenient downtown location at 9 W. Hubbard St. Theory’s a great place to watch a Cubs, Sox, or Bears game after work, so buy a few Groupons and treat some friends to upscale sports-bar food, drinks, and games.
Take your Groupon in for lunch, dinner, or drinks and catch the games—and we mean all the games. Theory has a ton of flatscreen TVs and comfortable seating. Try going with a group and getting the private room in the back of the bar to have your own game-day event.
Theory is like a sports bar, but classier. It’s a sports lounge, where baseball games are watched in silk hammocks and bad strike-calls elicit chants of "pish posh." Maybe not quite that classy, but the food, service, and drinks at Theory are definitely a step above your average sports bar. Month-old, over-salted beer nuts are a thing of the past. For lunch, try the lightweight tagliata (NY strip-steak sandwich with shallots and horseradish) or the BL2T (bacon, lobster, lettuce, and tomato sandwich). If you drop by after work, there’s the shakedown (the fish of the day with potatoes and vegetables) or the BBQ skirt-steak sandwich. Pair your food with a specialty drink, such as the John Daly (sweet-tea-infused vodka), the stalker (rum and ginger ale), or the Nolan Ryan (bourbon-soaked Advil tablets).
Reviews
Metromix gives Theory a 4.5-star rating. Yelpers give it 3.5 stars and two Citysearchers give it four. Read what a few have to say:
- “Exceptional food, awesome atmosphere, and great staff! All in all this place is a winner!!! The babybacks are phenomenal - I just salivate thinking about them! Bravo to Chef Merel! I love the fact that its [sic] more of an upscale sports bar -way more classier than your typical bar! I will for sure be back...” – Lauren M, Yelp
- “Theory has great drink specials and a chic atmosphere. I would recommend it for happy hours!” – dilworla, Citysearch
- “Great ambiance. Great food. Great hosting. It's just a comfortable place to meet friends and enjoy something beyond traditional pub fare. Plenty of screens to catch the latest game. Nice outdoor dining area too.” – Thomas B., Yelp
Beer Nut Reviews
With all the outstanding menu options, you won’t have to resort to beer nuts at Theory. Even if they were available, why would you want to, with all the bad beer-nut reviews? Yelpers are disappointed with beer nuts, giving them only two stars. Here's what they're saying:
- “Beer nuts suck! One time I got one stuck in my throat and I started coughing. It was really embarrassing.” – ihatebeernuts
- “My advice to people who have yet to try a beer nut: Don't bother. They taste icky and make you want to die.” – beernutskilledmymother
- “I ate a beer nut once, but it was against my better judgment.” – Peter Wiskinski
Theory
More than 20 plasma-screen TVs cast a flickering glow over Theory, an upscale sports lounge owned by a seasoned DJ that intertwines American comfort food with Mexican and southern twists. The eatery's muted spotlights single out undiscovered scalp models and house specialties, such as baby back ribs in signature sauce and pulled-pork sandwiches made from house-smoked meat. Tiny heart icons indicate cardio-friendly eats on the menu, through which gentle breezes riffle on the outdoor patio. Theory also houses a private party room modeled after a home theater that showcases three TVs clinging to exposed brick, low tables, and cushy chairs. Within the dining room, courteous servers skirt a marble-topped bar and don invisibility cloaks to avoid obscuring television screens showing NFL or NCAA games.