I'm posting on behalf of my fiancé since he doesn't have a yelp account. We went on our second date here, and have been trivia Tuesday regulars for the past two years. We have gotten to know the staff and Drew the trivia emcee. On what I thought was a regular trivia night, my fiancé proposed as a trivia question. The staff and Drew were beyond wonderful helping him plan this proposal for several weeks, posting our photos on the TVs, and even providing a fancy bottle of champagne to congratulate us! Thank you Theory for the happiest night of our lives!!! read more

Theory - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great place to hang with friends after work. Small back room for a private party. Staff is amazing and fast.

I've been here for lunch three times in the last six months or so (Groupons) and I like it enough to go back and pay full price. I've had the ribs each time ($11) and they are tender and delicious. They came with fries that were very crispy and a side salad. There has been a decent crowd each time (twice during the week and once on Saturday) but it hasn't been busy enough that I felt rushed. The owner/manager(?) came around each time and thanked us for coming in and sounded like he was genuinely glad that we were there. read more

Being the little yelp-oholic that I am I obviously checked the reviews before I ventured to Happy hour with my girl friend at Theory, I couldn't believe how many of them were about Theory being out of things. SOOOO true, and such bad business !! The waitress said they get their alcohol deliveries on Wednesdays, really, how hard is it to order enough beer, your a bar ! We both drank the strawberry mojitos, I was slightly worried because the waitress said there were no real strawberries in them, but they were delicious !! We split the crab dip, it had lots of crab meat in it, though it was kinda of watery and lacked in flavor. Definitely not worth $11. Theory is not cheap, and for that price they do not deliver. read more

Great vibe for a sports bar - when I went for a Bulls game on a Saturday round 7pm, the music was bumping and the place was packed. Even with a packed house, the host went out of his way to clear us a table without the slightest hint of Hubbard Street snobbery (much appreciated). The food is surprisingly good for a sports bar - typically you don't see Grilled Mahi Mahi on the menu at a place you go to watch da Bulls. I had the fish tacos and was pleasantly surprised at the quality - fish was cooked really well, there was a nice cabbage slaw on top, and the guacamole-based sauce was really tasty. They also feature some surprisingly good craft cocktails along with a solid beer list. This is the sole reason Theory is getting 3 stars: the music volume. The DJ was pretty awesome, even people that we're in the middle of eating dinner stopped to get their dance on. But it was bumping so loud that we literally had to shout to talk to each other across the table. I understand that they want to create a mini-club vibe, but you can do it without the music cranked to "11". read more

I'll be honest here, I try to avoid Hubbard Street like the plague normally as it just gets obnoxious with the weekend crowd. Although, that being said, I have been to Theory a few times on random week days and early on the weekend and I've always had a decent experience. When they issued a Google Offer for $10 for $20 earlier this year, I snagged one figuring it would be a great place to get a drink or two after work. I arrived around 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon to a unique crowd. It ranged from middle-aged women taking a break from shopping and having a drink and a bite to eat to some early 30-somethings pounding shots of whiskey and Miller Lites at the bar. I snagged a table at one of their high-top tables with incredibly plush seats (literally, you sink right on in) and looked over the menu while I waited for my boyfriend to join me. They have a decent beer list (albeit small) with some seasonal offerings, which is always nice to see. Their food list can appease even the most picky of eaters, ranging from vegetarian to gluten free to juicy burgers and sandwiches. The beers are on par price-wise with bars in the area, ranging from $6-$8 for a craft beer and a bit cheaper for the domestic offerings. We chose to get the Goose Island Christmas Ale (I can never pass this up when it's on draught) and the Rogue Mocha Porter with their chicken fajita lettuce cup appetizers. The drinks promptly came out, and the food shortly followed. The appetizer consisted of six lettuce cups, a whole chicken breast cut up, crisp sauteed peppers and onions, and a variety of sides to top your lettuce wrap. Everything tasted fresh and made to order, and it's one of the more flavorful (and healthy) appetizer offerings I've seen at a bar. The atmosphere at Theory is very nice and sophisticated--think of it as a high end/fancy sports bar. There's a lounge area in the back which I've never seen occupied, but I'm sure it gets plenty of use with the transformation of Hubbard Street on the weekends. Their service is also pretty decent as well, no complaints at all here. So why the three stars? In my opinion I'd much rather stick to the neighborhood bars in the city where you can get a better offering of beers/food for a much lower price. I try to avoid downtown bars as they're normally packed with tourists/rookies and they're all seemingly generic. Theory is great if you have the right expectations, and I definitely will be back if I need time to kill while in the area. read more

My favorite bar in River North hands down! First off the staff is awesome and the owner is a Hawkeye. Being an Iowa graduate I might be a bit biased but this place is legit. Probably my favorite place to watch a Hawks game and to take my friends who are visiting from out of town. On top of the fun atmosphere they have some seriously good food. My favorite is their bite sized nachos. Every nacho bite has the perfect portion of toppings and I could most definitely eat 3 orders. I will always be loyal to Theory as long as they keep doing what they're doing and their staff contributes to be amazing. read more

Theory is a good sports bar in downtown-ish Chicago. Good beer choices, good food, good service, LOTS of screens crammed in their space so you can get whatever game you desire on TV. Casual yet upscale, probably because of its location; I was there 2 consecutive evenings and most people looked like they had just come from a nearby office or were headed to a night on the town in spiffy fashion. Trivia Tuesdays. The manager quickly put on the Nationals game for me and the Cubbies and White Sox were plentiful on the other screens as were a number of other baseball games. Overall a good experience and I will return. read more

Awesome drinks! Friendly bartenders and delicious food! The owner is great as well... Very involved in his business you can tell! read more

Theory - Great Cider selection! Delicious food! Friendly bartenders!! - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

10 of us recently went to Theory on a Friday night to check out the $2 Miller draft and $5 chicken fingers special - and I was pretty disappointed with the place. This place is TINY. Everybody jams into this tiny area L-shaped area by the bar once you get in the front door because there's really not anywhere else to go. The main "restaurant" seating is in the back, but there aren't a whole lot of tables back there either (especially once large groups like mine start showing up). The staff here is very friendly and accommodating - which is the one great thing about this place. The bartenders were pretty good about checking in to see if you needed anything, which is pretty rare for a place that is as packed as Theory. We got seated around 9:30 but unfortunately, we could only keep our table till 10:30 because they wanted to turn the area our table was in into a "dance floor"...um, I thought this place was a sports bar and grill?? There are a lot of TVs and they had the Bulls game on, but that was about the extent of it. The food was decent, but nothing spectacular. I would stay away from the buffalo chicken fingers - too much sauce and it was way too salty. The sandwiches aren't bad in general. Their tater tots are the saltiest tots I've ever had (and i LOVE tater tots). All in all, I think if this place weren't so crowded it wouldn't be half bad, but it is definitely not my kind of "sports bar". read more

I would best describe this sports bar as: "A nice, clean, inviting place to to watch your team play that you would feel good about taking your girlfriend, wearing jeans and a jersey or a suit and tie after a meeting." -RMM As soon as I walked in I was greeted by the hostess and manager. Being from Houston I asked if I could watch the Astros game. Without hesitation he found me a seat and changed the TV to my game. It was busy also. It was trivia night (Every Tuesday - fun, fair, not "local' Chicago trivia, many gift card prizes and Cubs tickets) Really all the staff were very friendly. I really appreciated that. The bartender was very sweet and engaging. She gets a thumbs up for sure. Did not eat much but the tater tots. They were tots... cant really review food on tots... I had a really nice time being there alone. I was made to feel at home although I was not a local. I will be back for sure and I encourage you to relax and go watch the game at Theory...Or play Trivia.... Just go! read more

I chose this sports bar primarily because of its veggie food options as most of my friends coming were vegetarians. It worked out perfectly as it was not too crowded, too loud, or too busy. We had the table for the evening, lots of appetizers and drinks, watched our game from multiple angles, and didn't have to yell during conversations. read more

We came here for lunch and was surprised by the interior of the bar. It's a high end sports bar with lots of TVs (everywhere you turn, at any angle) and 4 inch thick granite bar counter top. We came in on a week day for lunch, and there was no wait. Our server was Kelsey and she handed us the menu right away and we ordered 6 sliders - ok, they are mostly bread than center. They are filling because of the buns not the meat. pulled pork sandwich - without the BBQ sauce the meat is dry. We thought the food was decent but price was on the higher end. We paid $30 dollars not including tip, which is high for lunch and sandwiches. The bar grew busy and Kelsey forgot about us, we had to wave her down to get refills on water. The owner/manager was nice and invited us back. I don't know if I would come back without a groupon. read more

By far the best sports bar I have ever been to. There are tons of televisions and the manager, who was incredibly friendly, accommodated my groups' need to watch three separate NFL games. To make a long, great, experience short: The customer service was amazing, the atmosphere is one of a true sports bar, and the food was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend the chicken nacho bites! read more

I was in Chicago for a conference last week, and had some downtime one Monday night so I decided to stroll around the city and find a sports bar to watch the Orioles game (who are having an amazing season, by the way. Orioles Magic.) This wasn't any ordinary Monday, though- on this Monday, the Chicago Bears were on Monday Night Football. I knew my chances to catch the game in a Chicago sports bar were super slim. I looked through Yelp and decided to head to a different sports bar down the street from Theory (the name of which I don't remember anymore.) I walked by Theory on my way there, saw what looked like a cool bar, and hopped in there instead. Immediately, an employee in an Expos hat (maybe the owner? a bartender? host? I'm not sure) asked what I was there to watch, and they turned the Orioles game just for me- on MASN, the local Baltimore network with Orioles broadcasters, no less. In two hours, every single TV in the bar was on the Bears game- except for one- they kept the Orioles game on, just for an out of towner. Can't say most places would do something like that. Theory had a good selection of cheap beer on tap, and the atmosphere was great. The staff (again, especially Expos hat guy) were extremely friendly- one of the nicest bars I've ever been to. Can't say enough good things about this place- next time I'm in Chicago, I'll definitely be back. read more

I love Theory. My girlfriends and I usually stop in around 10ish for some drinks before we head out to another bar. We have never had issues getting a table and the staff/servers are always super polite. If we come in late, they immedialty warn us that the kitchen would be closing soon so if we would like to order we can make sure we get whatever we want. I like this about them so that we don't get stuck waiting around with no server, and then it's too late to order food. I haven't ordered food with them since a holiday work party here, but remember it being good. This place gets pretty crowded on the weekends as it gets later into the night. Drinks are always good, and the music is the best part. One of my favorite spots. read more

Ok, THE WINGS ARE FANTASTIC!!! They are half priced on Wednesdays. I'm serious, they are huge and meaty and the sauce is great (buff sauce). They have other flavors like garlic, bbq, teriyaki, etc. I will be back on Wednesdays no doubt about it. The end. read more

We first stopped in here on a Thursday night (it was a game night) and just wanted to have a drink. It was VERY busy but the waitress said we could have a table until 7pm as then it was booked for a reservation. Awesome, thanks! The drinks were good and the menu looked awesome. Fast forward three days and we came back for dinner.. Not a game night, pretty empty so we got right in. Some drunk guy at the bar was getting kicked out cause he could hardly sit in his chair.. free entertainment! The food was such a disappointment! We ordered fried pickles and the batter on them wasn't cooked all the way and they were really soggy. I ordered the chicken tenders and they were also SO much batter and very little chicken. Hubs ordered a burger and it was just okay, nothing special. All in all, I'd say this place is good for drinks and MAYBE some bar food. Oh! and check in on Yelp for a discount on your tab! read more

This was my first time in Theory and it was a great experience! Very well organized, clean, lots of nice TVs for sports viewing and very personable staff. Great Beer selection and the Boneless Chicken Bites were good. I definitely will be back!! read more

So for five minutes this morning, we stood outside on the street trying to figure out what the heck the name of this place was. The Ory? Theo Ry? Ooohhhh....Theory! (100% literacy cannot be expected after only one cup of coffee.) Popped in for drinks and apps after work this evening. I had a glass of the Hob Nob pinot, Jeff K had a couple of Coronas, and we split an order of Forking Knife Nachos and Better than Buffalo Wings. I LOVED the nachos. They're prepared amuse bouche style, each chip a perfectly balanced bite of guac, beans, chihuahua, sour cream, tomato, red onion and cilantro, though I couldn't taste the jalapeno citrus oil drizzle. It was served with a salsa fresca on the side, but I didn't even try it, as I thought it was deliciously nummy as is. The wings were...not quite what we expected. Offered the choice between BBQ and hot sauce, we picked hot. Each wing was perfectly cooked, meaty, juicy and light, (not stringy and chewy like you might find at other places), and the quantity of sauce was right on (not drippy, not skimpy). However, to these tastebuds, the sauce was off. It was like they took a cup of teriyaki sauce, had a chipotle walk through it with its socks off, and then tossed the wings in it. Zero heat. Theory's self-description says it's American/Mexican/Southern BBQ. I suppose the sauce was representative of those flavors, but it lacked depth. I would encourage Theory to come up with a more traditional hot wing sauce, especially since they need to compete with Hubbard's, which is right next door. Don't though, for the love of God, change the cooking method. Leave that tastiness just as is, please. Prices are acceptable for the area, service was wonderful, and co-owner Joel was definitely involved, checking with every party multiple times and greeting every individual that walked through the door. Keep an eye on this one, fits a distinct need on Hubbard...upscale sports bar. Looking forward to hearing what other Yelpers yelp! read more

If you are an 80s baby and you're looking for a spot to go watch some games, listen to good music, and eat some great food THIS IS THE SPOT. Hubby and I rarely get out due to the life sucking children but when we do we try to have fun. The staff is friendly and the steak nachos are fiyaahhh. I was able to dance like no one was looking, because we got there at 9 (and the young folks don't arrive until about 11:30). Definitely will be coming back! read more

Theory - Steak nachos and chicken quesadilla. Both delicious! - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I always love going here for Thursday night football. My only wish is that they bring back the chicken alfredo pizza. That was so amazing.

Awesome menu selection that can literally satisfy any palate. Love their rice bowl as that is my go-to with chicken. They have an amazing turkey wrap that is filled to the brim and seasoned fries that remind me of Arby's, but better. Pretty fairly priced and well worth it above all else. Definitely check this place out. read more

Come for the daily specials, stay for the ribs I guess. This place is pretty mediocre in almost every way. I've visited this establishment three times and each experience has been pretty average at best. The only redeeming thing about Theory are the ribs. The ribs are good and goes well with their sauce. Also, the fries and tots are enjoyable. Overall, the menu is somewhat lacking. Theory is considered a sports bar, but the interior comes off as a wine bar. The decor is way too polished to be a sports bar. I don't think a business should call itself a sports bar just because ESPN is playing on the TV's on mute. Twice I have been here during big games and the "sports bar" didn't think to actually turn on the volume. Lastly the crowd give me the douche chills. read more

Had a terrible experience here last Thursday night. Had to relocate plans last minute and noticed an empty table on the patio here. Ran inside, grabbed the hostess and had her seat me stat before anyone grabbed it. 20 minutes later, my friend shows up and no one has been to the table yet. Thankfully the doorman hears me relay that to her and grabs someone for us. The place was busy and as an industry alum, I understood and wasn't mad about that. What did ruin our experience was the terribly slow service and quality of the food. Everything was clearly frozen or pre-made, and over-seasoned to compensate for the lack of flavor and freshness. We ordered the pitch of sangria, which was pretty much just cheap red wine and club soda with a handful of apples chunks tossed in for appearances. Our waitress wasn't quite rude, but she was certainly not friendly. Her annoyance with having a table outside was palpable. This place has potential- great location, actually really nice design (TVs are in weird places so not ideal for sports viewing). Food needs an upgrade to get up to par with the rest of the neighborhood and give your staff a lecture about customer service. read more

Might just be one of my favorite spots on Hubbard St... The key to this place is to get here early. Even on weeknights...you can snag a great table by the bar, but you have to be here around 6pm. I know...you gotta cut out of work early! The menu is great. They have drink + food specials every night but you have to ask what they are. On the Wednesday I was there, they had $6 vodka drinks and $2 sliders. Tuesdays are $5 burgers. So if you take advantage of the specials you can drink and eat pretty cheaply. The food tastes delicious yet the drinks are kinda weak. I see Theory more as an after-work spot on the weeknights and then a sports-bar on the weekends. I'm thinking that there are better bars on Hubbard to get drunk and go crazy; but Theory is nice if you want to keep it a little more low-key. read more

We came to theory to watch the Michigan football game and were able to make reservations for 8 people. The service was great, especially since the bar was so busy for the game. The food we got was all good, but would highly recommend the tater tots- they were spectacular! read more

Taking advantage of the Yelp offer for a 5 dollar Monstrosity burger we headed to Theory for some good, cheap grub. It was the best 5 dollars I have spent in a while. The burger was phenomenally cooked and incredibly juicy, the pulled pork was tender goodness, and the pretzel bun just topped it off. Never have I been so thankful for yelp. And the service was amazing, if you decide to dine at Theory ask for Katy. She's the bomb. read more

Theory - The Monstrosity. - Sports Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was visiting from the New England area and met Joel at a tailgate he was hosting at solider field. He was very welcoming and hospitable. He told us to check out his bar after the game and we did. The food was amazing, service was great, and the Patriots atmosphere made us feel like we were at home away from home. If you're in the area i would absolutely recommend that you stop by. ( not on a Sunday if you are a bears fan during football season though haha) read more

Theory was an awesome place to eat at! I went with my mom, dad, and sister and we all loved the food. I ordered the Theory Club and it was absolutely delicious. It came with either tater tots or fries, and I chose the tater tots. The service is really great there, too. We were seated quickly and we had a good waitress who didn't mess up our order or forget about us. The place is full of tvs so you can watch whatever game is on from any angle. Overall, I loved this restaurant and I would definitely go there again if I'm ever in Chicago again. read more

Awesome bar! Great food, music and best place to watch sports! Owner is so friendly and always present!

Horrible, greasy food, bad service, bad ambiance. Would not recommend, not even for drinks.

This place was awesome! I met some friends here for the KU game, they are huge fans! The owner dropped by because his sister (i think?) went to KU and took really good care of us. He told us all about the way he designed the place, how there are rooms in the back you can reserve for a watching party and his specials during the games. We loved having him drop by to just say hi and chat throughout the time we were there. The food was amazing, I always get nervous ordering food at sports bar kind-of-places but this was delicious. This is our new go to KU bar in the city! read more

Went to Theory for March Madness. Service was off the charts, great vibe for a sports fan. Location top notch. TVs in every direction. Owner Joel is a rock star, couldn't recommend this place any more! read more

Now, I don't regularly dish out 5-stars, but this place was just what I needed after a very rough week. I was impressed. We had previously tried to visit Theory on a weeknight and it was jam packed, with a wait of over an hour, at best. We thought we might have better luck on a weekend for lunch, given that we could avoid the happy hour crowd. Success. Atmosphere: The décor here is great; loft-like, with dark walls, exposed brick wall and lovely lighting. The chairs & seating are very contemporary and comfortable. Also, I snuck a peek in the back where there is a nice lounge VIP area - would love to check that out sometime! Great TVs, music at just the right volume, and located in lovely River North. Food: I'm a sucker for presentation, and this place has pretty high end food options and food presentation; not what you'd expect from a sports lounge. Appetizer: I admit, most of the 5-stars account for the wings - SO GOOD. They were so fresh and hot, and the buffalo sauce was very tasty; didn't taste like they had just dumped a jar of store-bought buffalo sauce like most places. They were crispy, spicy, yet not overly. Also, it came with a very large portion of celery and carrots. You can also get other flavors such as: mustard bbq, bbq, feta garlic, teriyaki, and spicy chipotle. Will definitely come back to try these others out! Lunch: I ordered a half slab of their baby back ribs. The portion was plentiful (enough for 2 people to share) and was delicious. The ribs were tender, covered in smoky, tasty bbq sauce and had some bits of bacon crumbled on top. You get your choice of side (I went with fries - tasty!) and it came with a side salad that was HUGE and just what I needed to avoid a meat overload. Drinks: While I didn't have any libations, I noticed they had a decent variety of beer - however beer snobs may scoff at the fact they "only" have 4 craft beers. However, I did see some fun specialty cocktails I will definitely try next time (I'm looking at you "Angry Nerd"). Service: Our waitress was very friendly and was on top of things. Also, our lunch was brought out just as we finished our appetizers - perfect timing! The bus boy was very friendly and courteous too. They have a ton of great food & drink specials every day of the week. Loved the décor and overall atmosphere. We will definitely be back -but most likely on a weekend to avoid the happy hour weeknight crowds. Loving the American/Mexican/Southwest menu here! read more

You absolutely cannot beat the service at this fantastic restaurant/bar. We had a large party of 20 - the owner seated us in the back room that was absolutely PERFECT!!!!!! We ate and drank all day in a comfortable environment and had excellent service - great food - and delicious drinks! I cannot say enough about the owner Joel. He checked in on us numerous times. A real class act. I highly recommend this bar! read more

We live right around the corner and wanted to give this new restaurant a try. I loved the cute names that everything has on the menu, like the "Theory Fries" and "Shakedown" for the grilled fish. I decided to order the "Tickled Tom" BBQ chicken sandwich. The description made no mention of spicy and with my LOW tolerance of spice I couldn't eat more than two bites. My boyfriend didn't think it was that spicy. I didn't wanna be "that" person to send back food so I just ordered the special $7 chicken tender meal. The chicken tenders were very "frozen" bag tasting. Soggy and not worth the $7. I absolutely love sweet potato fries and there fries are mixed so I was really excited to get the fries. But I was a little let down on how soggy they were. They seemed to be pre-made then put under a heat lamp for at least 30 mins. But I do want to mention the great parts of this experience: Great Service, server was very understanding and bus boys very quick. The chairs at the dinner tables are incredibly comfortable. Sangria on Tap! Friendly and cute Hostess read more

The food here was pretty good although the crowd was eh for me. It is supposed to be a sports bar, but it cloaks itself with fancy looking white dishes, cloth napkins and long utensils (you know what I mean). Games are on TVs fer sure, but the apps are not your 'regular, corner sports bar'. Okay. They do have wings, mac & cheese, nachos...but when they are served so fancily, it is trying to take a step above the regular. Alright, the food. It was Thursday which meant half-price wine bottles and half-priced appetizers (it seems that they have some sort of special each week, but I am not sure of what). Going half on the apps went from like 6-8p (it def stopped at 8p). My friend and I had chicken tenders, chicken wings, french fries, mac & cheeses. Yum to all. And I ordered tater tots w/o realizing that they came with the app chicken tenders. I feel as though I scored there. And the tenders and tater tots were in the same bowl so I saved space too. I am so green. Anyway, the drinks - Bacardi and diet coke(b&dc) for me- were of an okay strength. I am not sure so I will give a drink price range : $6 to $8. The crowd seemed more folks who came post-work and decided to stay for a little bit. It is a sports bar sooo...Interestingly enough, there is some sort of class distinction going on btw. Theory and it's next-door neighbor, Mother Hubbard. Or, it could be because I am taking 3 classes on multiple philosophical and sociological theories that I notice some difference. So, will I be back? Fer sure. On a Thursday for half-priced yummy apps. read more

Not just your ordinary bar... Since this place has it's competition cut out they have to bring their A game. I would say that the drink specials are pretty good and the food is okay. The serve up more than the ordinary bar treats but nothing really knocked my socks off. I went to watch the superbowl here and I have to say it was the second time I had been there to actually watch a sporting event and need to say that not all the TVs are stratigically placed. There was a lot of neck straining and turning around of the heavy bar stool...although the bartenders seem friendly and the service is quick I would probably pass and go across the street to Rockit first before grabbing a seat here. read more

This place has douche bag written all over it on a Saturday night, which is sad considering the food is actually pretty decent and the bar itself has a ton of TV's and a great location in River North. The bar area itself is a bit narrow, which means navigating the place when it is packed isn't exactly a ton of fun. I remember having the crab dip with pita chips which was a lot better than we expected. The drinks were good, about the same price as any other bar around the few blocks of Hubbard lined with bars and clubs. Next time I'm going to watch some sports, I'm skipping Theory. But, if I just need a place to meet up with friends after work or something, I'd definitely go to check out their daily drink and food specials which are all pretty legit. read more