Cubs fan and love good food? Here’s where to watch

Playoff fever is here: The Cubs have earned their Wild Card spot, and will face off against the Pirates in a playoff match Oct. 7.

Lacking tickets, where does a Cubs fan go to watch the game? Sure, any bar with TVs will do, but at a typical sports bar, you’re risking soggy wings and lackluster burgers. Here are a handful of sports bars where the TVs are plentiful and the food well above average.

Don’t see your favorite on the list? Tweet us @ChiTribFood.

Bar Siena. The Randolph corridor’s only sports bar offers plenty of TVs for watching, and a Fabio-Viviani-executed menu of Italian-accented pub food. A wood-fired oven cranks out excellent pizzas, and if you order nothing else from the menu, get one of these (though the duck mac-and-cheese will make you happy too). Lunch and dinner daily. 832 W. Randolph St., 312-492-7775.

Frontier. Wide-screen TVs don’t cover every surface of this two-level restaurant; it just seems like it. But along with the inescapable views of the game, there is Brian Jupiter’s remarkable menu, chock-full of imaginative game dishes such as turtle Bolognese, lamb chorizo and alligator scallopine (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it). There are plenty of more-familiar dishes (burgers, fried chicken, tacos) for the less-adventurous, however. Dinner daily; brunch Saturday and Sunday. 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-772-4322.

Fuller House. A seriously legit, bi-level sports bar with plenty of viewing opportunities and a kitchen that puts a lot of effort into seemingly simple-sounding dishes, such as Buffalo shrimp, lined prettily along a rectangular plate and sprinkled with blue-cheese crumbles. Burgers are big and hearty, and beverage options include craft beers, cocktails, a respectable wine selection and two dozen whiskeys. Lunch and dinner daily. 33 E. First St., Hinsdale, 630-537-1653.

Howells & Hood. Good viewing is available indoors and out at this sprawling restaurant, though the screens don’t dominate the entire view, thankfully. The restaurant is known for its massive selection of beers on tap, and the menu hits all the pub-food favorites while also offering such upgraded choices as halibut and porchetta entrees and a very good charcuterie board. 435 N. Michigan Ave., 312-262-5310.

Old Crow Smokehouse. Posted hours are dinner only Monday to Friday (plus weekend brunch), but this country-music (live and DJ) restaurant, a one-minute stroll from the Friendly Confines, opens early for day games (as early as 10 a.m. for noon starts). Twelve-panel video walls and more than a dozen other TVs ensure you won’t miss a single play. Apple-smoked ‘cue is the menu’s main thrust, though there are plenty of other pubby choices, and when it comes to beverages, moonshine cocktails and beer are the go-to picks. 3506 N. Clark St., 773-537-4452.

Old Town Social. It’s not all-sports, all-the-time here; many of the TVs retract when this place goes into restaurant mode. But when there’s a game on, there is no shortage of views. The food is excellent -- notably, specialties such as duck wings, chicken and waffles, and the OTS burger, topped with bacon, Gruyere and a fried egg. 455 W. North Ave., 312-266-2277.

Phil Vettel is a Tribune critic.

pvettel@tribpub.com
Twitter @philvettel