Where to Watch the World Cup in Chicago

The World Cup kicks off today, and for soccer fans, that means a whole month of being glued to to the tv watching the games. In Chicago, dozens of bars will be broadcasting the games and offering food and drink specials to go along with them. Here are some of the top places to watch the World Cup in Chicago.

Opening early

  • English will open early for all 9am matches and will offer special breakfast items like Belgian waffles, frittatas and breakfast burgers.
  • Irish pub Poag Mahone’s in the Loop will open between 6:30 and 8:30am Monday through Friday, depending on game time, serving French toast, frittatas, and corned beef hash.
  • Beckett’s Public House in Lakeview will open at 8am, serving English breakfasts until 10am, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Specials include $3 312, $4 Dogfish Head 60-Minute IPA and $4 Smirnoff on Friday and Saturday, and $4 Guinness, Harp and Smithwicks, and $15 buckets of Miller products on Sunday.
  • Crew, a gay sports bar in Uptown, will open at 9am and offer a free breakfast buffet.
  • River North’s Fado Irish Pub will open early for every match. Breakfasts sandwiches will be available, and in July, drink specials will include $5 Heinekens and Stella Artois.
  • Known as the place in Chicago to watch soccer matches all the time, not just during World Cup, the Globe Pub is sure to be packed for every game. It will open 30 minutes prior to every game, and offer specials like $4 Carlsberg pints in June.
  • The Temple Bar (formerly Fearon’s) in Lakeview will open early for matches, and will be serving $4 Magner’s and $2 PBR.
  • USA fans should head to Division Ale House, which will open at 8:30am for 9am matches for all Team USA matches.

Best food and drink deals

  • Mahoney’s Pub & Grille is offering drink specials like $3 Bud products, $11 domestic pitchers, $16 domestic buckets and $5 Jameson during games.
  • Old Town Social, opening early on game days, will offer great deals like $4 drafts and $12 pitchers of select beers (from the countries playing), $2.50 sliders and mini hot dogs and $6 appetizers.
  • Italian small plates favorite Quartino will offer wines from countries like France, Argentina, Germany, South Africa, Greece, Italy, Australia, USA and Italy for $7-$12 per glass/quartino and $21-$36 per bottle.
  • The Red Canary, in River West, will open at 8:45am and offer $15 buckets and $40 table kegs indoors and on the patio.
  • Like Quartino, River West Latin-themed restaurant Carnivale isn’t showing the games, but it will offer cocktails from participating countries. Choices include a strawberry caipirinha (Brazil), sangria (Spain), margaritas (Mexico), Vino Verde (Portugal) and more.

For die-hard fans

  • OTB bar Stretch Run will have a designated World Cup Room with space for just 40 people plus 12 TVs and a projection screen. Specials like $4.50 bottles of Heineken and $22.50 buckets of Heineken Light will be available.
  • Small Bar – Fullerton is the Official Bar of the U.S. Men’s National Team, and they are serious about soccer. They’re showing all  64 Cup matches in HD, offering tons of give-aways and specials like $4 Carlsberg and Bitburger drafts.

Re-playing late

  • Can’t watch the games in the morning? Several bars will be re-playing morning games for the after-work crowd. Many are also offering dinner specials to go along with the games.
  • Nacional 27 will re-air the morning’s games from 6pm to 9pm each evening, with food and drink specials based on which teams are playing.
  • Timothy O’Toole’s will also be re-airing the games at 6pm, offering globally-inspired burgers. global burger specials.

Photo by lindsaybanks