Bears fans, unite! It’s time to come together and get behind your team. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or you just jumped on the bandwagon last week, this is one game you don’t want to watch from your living room couch. Get in on the action at one of these Super Bowl parties.
SUPER-SIZED PARTIES
Park West
322 W. Armitage Ave. 773-929-5959
We all want to see the Bears bring it home like they did the last time they went to the Super Bowl, but if you’re really serious about doing it up old-school-style, head to The Park West Super Bowl Party. The ’85 Bears did the “Super Bowl Shuffle” in their music video at Park West, and on Sunday you can shuffle your own kicks for free with 700 other Bears fans. Watch the game on 27 screens–including a 16-by-20-footer onstage–and tune in as ESPN 1000 broadcasts its pregame show live from the theater (1 to 5 p.m.). Other highlights: beer specials, a concert ticket raffle and Miller giveaways. 12:30 p.m. No cover.
Vic Theatre
3145 N. Sheffield Ave. 773-472-0449
That 20-foot-tall screen at the Vic isn’t just for midnight Brew & View flicks anymore. The Big Game Bash takes over the theater Sunday. All three bars will be open to help you keep the drinks flowing, and you just might score big when XRT (93.1-FM) raffles off prizes, including iPods and T-shirts. 2 p.m. No cover.
10pin Bowling Lounge
330 N. State St. 312-644-0300
Tickets to the game? Forget about it. You don’t need ’em anyway. While spectators in Miami are breaking out the binoculars, you’ll be watching the action up close on a mammoth 128-foot video wall spanning 24 lanes at Super Bowl Sunday at 10pin Bowling Lounge. There’s also unlimited bowling, an open bar, a food buffet and prize giveaways throughout the game–including a trip to Cabo San Lucas. Reservations recommended. 5 p.m. $75.
Enclave
220 W. Chicago Ave. 312-654-0234
Talk about going big. At Enclave’s Game Day Bash, you can party like a superstar with former Bears defensive tackle Steve “Mongo” McMichael, a member of the ’85 squad, while you sip premium cocktails from the open bar and graze a gourmet buffet. The River North nightclub is putting the game up on multiple screens, including 160-inch and 120-inch projections. 2 p.m. $60.
SUPER-SPORTY PARTIES
Joe’s Sports Bar
940 W. Weed St. 312-337-3486
Even if you arrive alone, you’ll be in good company at Super Bowl Sunday at Joe’s. The 900-plus-capacity mother of all North Side sports bars is showing the game on more than 120 screens–including a high-definition 10-footer and 12 72-inch projection screens. Booth and table reservations had been snapped up by midweek, but the rest of the bar (read: standing room only) will be open on a first-come, first-serve basis. 1 p.m. $20 cover.
Crew Bar + Grill
4804 N. Broadway. 773-784-2739
Uptown’s only gay sports bar is raffling off everything from a Brian Urlacher-signed football to porn starting at 4 p.m. Look for $9 Miller pitchers and $12 cocktail pitchers too. Crew opens at 11 a.m.
Other options for sporty queers ready to cheer: North End (3733 N. Halsted St. 773-477-7999) opens at 11 a.m., and at 4 p.m. puts out a $6 all-you-can-eat spread loaded with everything from fried chicken to Bears cupcakes. Wash it all down with $4.50 22-ounce frosted mugs of Miller and Miller Lite.
In Andersonville, chicks who love chicks can catch the game on an 80-inch projection TV and three 37-inch plasmas at Star Gaze (5419 N. Clark St. 773-561-7363).
The bar’s dishing out free chicken pizza and hot dogs, starting around kickoff time. Stick around after the game for karaoke.
Junior’s Sports Lounge
724 W. Maxwell St. 312-421-2277
If you can’t score at Crew, Junior’s Super Bowl Party offers another chance to win a football signed by Brian Urlacher–plus lots of other cool swag, like T-shirts and hats. (But no porn, sorry.) Catch the game on more than 20 high-definition plasma screen TVs, including individual TVs in the booths. There’s also an all-you-can-eat buffet of wings, brats, Italian beef, meatballs, salads and more from 3 p.m. through the end of halftime. Arrive early–around noon–to watch the Bears’ last Super Bowl victory. 11 a.m. $30 cover.
SUPER-SPICY PARTIES
Small Bar
2049 W. Division St. 773-772-2727
Small Bar’s Super Bowl Party and Chili Cook-Off has a recipe for victory: a $5 all-you-can-eat chili buffet and contest. Share your best homemade chili for a chance to win a spot on the bar’s menu throughout February. Or, just bring your appetite and settle in with a bowl of the spicy stuff while you watch the game on four flat screens and sip $4 Anchor Small Beer drafts. 4 p.m. No cover.
Salud Tequila Lounge
1471 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-235-5577
If you’re looking for a casual celebration with a bit of a kick, tip your sombrero to the Salud Super Bowl Party. Look for $5 tacos, $10 Coronita buckets and more than 70 premium tequilas, with two 42-inch plasmas tuned to the game. When the Bears win, toast ’em like a true champ with Salud’s newest acquisition, a rare 1800 Colleccion tequila ($300 for two ounces). 5 p.m. No cover.
Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club
3700 N. Halsted St. 773-525-1111
Did you miss the now infamous Janet Justin “wardrobe malfunction” the first time around? See a live re-enactment at halftime at the Kit Kat Lounge Super Bowl Party. The offbeat celebration also features the game on five jumbo screens, cheerleaders, the Kit Kat divas and drink specials. 5 p.m. No cover.
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metromix@tribune.com
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OPTION PLAY
Super alternatives
Don’t know a tailback from a halfback? These spots cater to you on Sunday. But don’t worry: Should you suddenly find yourself caught up in the excitement, they’ll have the game on too.
The Motel Bar
600 W. Chicago Ave. 312-822-2900
If the only game you care about is, um, your own, park it at Motel Bar’s Widows of the Super Bowl party. The bar is showing the game on a big screen as a formality, but you’ll likely be too busy browsing the “adult” toys, PJs, undies, candles and jewelry for sale to notice Rex what’s-his-name. And while football fans are chilling out with their draft beers, you’ll be heating things up with $7 specialty martinis and a cocktail-and-mini-manicure combo ($20). RSVP recommended for manicures. 5 p.m. No cover.
Eno
505 N. Michigan Ave. 312-321-8738
So you’d prefer a big red–a nice cabernet, perhaps–to the big game? Settle in at Eno’s Alternative Super Bowl Party. Watch the game on the mini-TV here if you must, but chances are the wine, cheese and chocolate flight deals will keep you occupied. Order a wine flight of your choice and be rewarded with gift certificates from shops on North Michigan Avenue. Order two flights, and Eno throws in a complimentary 10-minute chair massage. Wine directors Scott Harney, Jason Prah and Ilana Federman offer pairing suggestions. 5 p.m. No cover.
Minibar / Chicago
3341 N. Halsted St. 773-871-6227
If when you hear the word spirit, you think premium vodka–not face paint and ill-fitting mesh jerseys–you’ll feel right at home at Minibar| Chicago’s Super Bowl Cocktail Party. The dual bash with neighboring Winebar fields a lineup of sophisticated spirits, including a special 14-ounce Bears-themed cocktail ($7), infused vodka drinks, and 23 wines and tequilas. The bar also will raffle off a 20-inch plasma TV and serve up $4 hot dogs and jumbo pretzels. And, oh yeah, you can catch that football game everybody’s been talking about on two screens. 5 p.m. No cover.
