Animal Crackers
Animal Crackers
Joey Slotnick, Molly Brennan and Jonathan Brody star as the Marx Brothers in the classic slapstick.
With baseball season upon us, Chicago bars kick it into high gear to draw in fans and non-fans alike, offering cheap eats, drink deals and plenty of flat-screen TVs. If you’re not heading to the game, celebrate Opening Day the cheap way at one of these spots. The Cubs kick off the Wrigleyville season April 13 at 1:20 p.m.; the White Sox opener is today, after getting rained out Monday.
Just want a place where you know the game will be on? Check out our favorite White Sox bars and Cubs bars.
Jefferson Tap & Grille
Celebrate MLB’s opening week on Tuesday with the Chicago Baseball Museum with a free hot dog and nacho buffet from 3:30-5:30 p.m., $2 domestic drafts and a raffle drawing with plenty of prizes. The event costs $25 at the door and all proceeds will benefit the Chicago Baseball Museum. Prizes include tickets to Cubs and Sox games, as well as autographs from Jermaine Dye, Ron Santo and more.
Finley Dunne’s Tavern
The Lakeview bar will host a White Sox home opener party (yes, you read that right), complete with $15 Budweiser and Bud Light buckets and garlic cheeseburgers for $7.
Timothy O’Toole’s
The Streeterville bar will air the Cubs’ home opener on 45 TV screens and provide a handful of drink specials, including $15 Old Style buckets, $6.50 Smirnoff Twist martinis, $7 baseball bombs (Jagermeister and Red Bull) and $14 select bottles of wine.
Stretch Run
If 45 screens aren’t worthy of your attention, try 240. This sporting club boasts more than that actually, and can guarantee you won’t miss any of the upcoming Sox and Cubs action. The bar will be offering drink specials for both teams’ home openers, including $4 20-ounce drafts and a special Black & White Sox on the Rocks drink (Blue Curacao, raspberry liqueur and Black Cherry Effen garnished with a float of cream in a rocks glass over ice, $4.50). For the Cubs opener, Stretch Run will have $3 bottles of Bud Light and a $4.50 Blue Cubs on the Rocks drink (Blue Curacao, Bacardi Limon and Sprite garnished with grenadine and a maraschino cherry).
Reggie’s Music Joint
The popular South Loop spot will open up at 10 a.m. for the Sox opener, offering $1 tacos, 50-cent wings, $3 draft beers and vodka cocktails and $4 bombs, along with bus rides to and from U.S. Cellular Field.
Full Shilling
The return of baseball season means one thing for this Wrigleyville bar: free hot dogs. The dancing Full Shilling Hot Dog Man will once again be handing out complimentary all-beef Red Hot Chicago dogs complete with all the trimmings. The free eats are offered one hour before and after every home Cubs game, with the purchase of one beverage. Free hot dogs begin at 11 a.m. on April 13. The bar also offers Cubs game -ay drink specials, including 24-ounce cans of Miller Lite, Bud Light and PBR for $6. The bar is equipped with more than a dozen HD plasma TVs that will broadcast all Cubs home and away games along with all other Major League Baseball games.
Lottie’s Pub
The Bucktown neighborhood bar will serve 25-cent wings and $5 20-ounce Miller Lite and Coors Light drafts throughout opening day for the White Sox.
Ann Sather (Belmont)
As the Cubs take on the Colorado Rockies in their home opener (April 13), Ann Sather’s Belmont Avenue location will show its support for the home team by offering a deep-dish Chicago-style omelet that will replace the Denver omelet in its regular menu line-up. Baked like a frittata, the Chicago omelet will be prepared with premium locally-grown ingredients procured at Green City Market, including eggs from TJ’s Free-Range Poultry Farm in Piper City; cheese from Prairie Pure Cheese Co. in Belvidere; and Italian sausage from Twin Oaks Meats in Fairbury, Ill. The Chicago omelets will be available from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and cost $9.75.
The Lodge
If you really, really want to be at Wrigley when the first pitch of the season is thrown, but you don’t have a few hundred bucks to spare, head to The Lodge on Opening Day. The Gold Coast bar will be giving away a pair of rooftop tickets (including catered food and unlimited beer, wine, soft drinks and water) during an 11:30 a.m. raffle. Even the losers are winners here, as there will be free hot dogs and $3.50 Bud Light drafts all day at the bar.
Merkle’s Bar and Grill
Can’t wait for “next year” to begin? Merkle’s Bar & Grill is offering an $85 ultimate bus package that includes a ticket and bus transportation to the Cubs’ April 11 game against the Brewers in Milwaukee, as well as a food and beverage tailgate. There are only 50 tickets, so work fast if you want to go.
Check out Centerstage Chicago food and drink deals!
Veggie Bingo
Raise money for community gardens while playing bingo for prizes such as locally produced honey and hot sauce, handmade soaps and–the grand prize–a box stuffed with fresh fruits and veggies. Also includes free hot dogs and tofu dogs and a guest caller each week.
Green City Market
Shop locally farmed and organic meats, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, honey, baked goods and more. The market also features chef demonstrations and kids’ activities.