January 10, 2025

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Best sports bars for watching football playoff games

By Aimee Barrows

January 10, 2025 at 7:01 am CST

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. — Rookie's Sports Bar in St. Charles was voted Best Sports Bar in Kane County in the 2024 Best of the Fox contest. (Sandy Bressner – sbressner@shawmedia.com)

It’s college and professional football playoff season, and whether you’re a die-hard fan or just enjoy the game-day atmosphere, finding the perfect spot to watch the action is key.

To find the best sports bar in Kane, Kendall, McHenry and DeKalb counties, as well as the best wings in the Illinois Valley, we asked our readers to weigh in for the Shaw Media Best of the Fox, Best of the Illinois Valley and DeKalb County’s Finest contests. The results are in, and here are the top-rated sports bars, as voted by audiences.

BEST OF THE FOX

KANE COUNTY

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

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

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

KENDALL COUNTY

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

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

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

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

DeKALB COUNTY’S FINEST

Fans gather at Fatty's Pub & Grill to watch a big game in this Shaw Local file photo. Sam Buckner for Shaw Media.

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

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

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

BEST OF THE ILLINOIS VALLEY

BEST WINGS: Skoog’s Pub and Grill, 155 Mill St., Utica

ONE OF THE BEST: Rip’s Tavern, 311 Main Ave., Ladd

ONE OF THE BEST: Smitty’s Bar & Grill, 308 Gary St., Leonore

Food Restaurant The Scene St. Charles Sycamore Crystal Lake DeKalb Yorkville Oswego Utica

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.