November 26, 2024
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The Scene

‘Drinksgiving’ is here: Reunite with old friends at these award-winning bars

By Aimee Barrows
Extensive improvements have been made to the original Rookies Sports Bar and Grill in St. Charles, which is owned by the Karas Restaurant Group. Exterior improvements including a pergola, stage, outdoor bar and seating for up to 100 are still underway.

Rookies Sports Bar and Grill in St. Charles, which is owned by the Karas Restaurant Group, won Best Sports Bar in the 2024 Kane County Best of the Fox contest. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

The Thanksgiving holiday isn’t just about food. It’s also about friends, family and good times. And what better way to celebrate than with a night out at one of northern Illinois’ finest bars for Drinksgiving, the Wednesday before the big day?

The idea behind Drinksgiving is that it’s a great time for old friends from school to hang out at bars and pubs to catch up with each other and have a drink before spending the weekend with family.

Whether you’re seeking craft cocktails, local brews, or a cozy atmosphere, we’ve got you covered. We asked our readers to weigh in for the Shaw Media Best of the Fox (which includes Kane, Kendall and McHenry counties), Best of the Illinois Valley and DeKalb County’s Finest contests. The results are in, and here are the top-rated bars and taverns, as voted by audiences.

The brewing staff at Crystal Lake Brewing, Pete Mangan, Brewmaster Ryan Clooney, Ryan Anderson and Ryan Wayghon cheers their beers at the Crystal Lake Brewing on Friday, May 3, 2024. The brewery is celebrating its 10th anniversary and recently won a bronze award in Brown Porter category at the World Beer Cup in Las Vegas.

Shaw Local file photo (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver Shaw Media )

BEST OF THE FOX

KANE COUNTY

BEST SPORTS BAR: Rookies Sports Bar, 1545 W. Main St., St. Charles

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BARS: Flagship on the Fox, 100 S. Riverside Ave., St. Charles

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BARS: Village Tavern & Grill of South Elgin, 464 Redington Drive, South Elgin

BEST TAVERN/PUB: Stockholm’s Restaurant and Brewery, 306 W. State St., Geneva

ONE OF THE BEST TAVERN/PUB: The Hive Tavern & Eatery, 204 W. Main St., St. Charles

ONE OF THE BEST TAVERN/PUB: McNally’s Pub, 109 W. Main St., St. Charles

KENDALL COUNTY

BEST SPORTS BAR: Rosati’s Pizza Pub, 1985 Marketview Drive, Yorkville

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: Burnt Barrel Social, 508 Center Parkway, Yorkville

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: Anchor Bar, 2440 Walter Payton Memorial Highway, Oswego

McHENRY COUNTY

BEST SPORTS BAR: Goal Line Sports Bar & Grill, 85 Brink St., Crystal Lake

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: 3D Sideouts Sports Tavern, 4018 W. Roberts Road, Island Lake

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: Rookies All-American Pub & Grill, 27 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake

BEST TAVERN: Sunnyside Tavern, 4206 N. Johnsburg Road, Johnsburg

ONE OF THE BEST TAVERN: Goal Line Sports Bar & Grill, 85 Brink St., Crystal Lake

ONE OF THE BEST TAVERN: Tracks Bar & Grill, 108 W. Main St., Cary

BEST OF THE ILLINOIS VALLEY

BEST BAR: Flo’s on Pulaski, 1309 Pulaski St., Peru

ONE OF THE BEST BAR: Troy’s Place in Arlington, 107 N. Main St., Arlington

ONE OF THE BEST BAR: Wedron Office, 2005 N. 35th Road A, Wedron

DeKALB COUNTY’S FINEST

BEST SPORTS BAR: PJ’s Courthouse Tavern, 202 W. State St., Sycamore

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: MVP Sports Bar, 124 S. California St., Sycamore

ONE OF THE BEST SPORTS BAR: Fatty’s Pub and Grille, 1312 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb

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Aimee Barrows

Aimee Barrows

Aimee Barrows is the editor of The Scene, Shaw Local News Network's entertainment section. The Scene is your go-to destination for all things fun in Northern Illinois. Prior to The Scene, Aimee was the editor of the Kane County Chronicle for five years, and a freelance reporter for Shaw Media for four years.