Best Bars To Watch Thursday Night Football In Chicago

Sports bars abound in just about every neighborhood in Chicago. And you can bet that just about all of them will be airing Thursday Night Football. But if you want a bit more of a special experience come game night, check out these five Windy City bars, and you won't be disappointed.

Mike Ditka's
100 E. Chestnut St.
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 587-8989
www.ditkasrestaurants.com

Da Coach's restaurant in the Tremont Hotel might be known for its steak, but it's also the perfect place to honor a legend and watch a game of football (while surrounded by football memorabilia no less). While you watch the touchdowns in the sports bar area of the restaurant, you can also nosh on the steaks, or you can enjoy classic burgers, where there's at least one burger named after a football legend, "The Fridge" burger. Seafood dishes, among an array of other American classics, also grace the menu.

Michael's Original Pizzeria and Tavern
4091 N. Broadway Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 929-4149
www.michaelspizzachicago.com

If you have a hankering for pizza while watching NFL football on Thursday night, head up north to Uptown. In addition to thin crust pizza, Michael's Pizzeria serves up over 4,000 sporting events on its 30 TVs every year, and a large part of that is NFL football games. Thursday nights also often feature food and drink specials.

Timothy O'Toole's Pub
622 N. Fairbanks Court
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 642-0700
www.timothyotooles.com

Timothy O'Toole's might be an Irish pub, but it's also all about football. In past years, it has hosted ESPN nights (featuring ESPN trivia and giveaways), hosted fantasy draft parties and organized a trip to lingerie football games. But one of the best reasons to head to Timothy O'Toole's to watch some NFL football, on Thursday night or otherwise, is because Chicago Bears players, like Robbie Gould, are known to drop by post game.

Related: Sports Bars with the Most TVs in Chicago

Public House
400 N. State St.
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-1240
www.publichousechicago.com

No matter what game is on, you'll find it at this River North bar/restaurant. After all, it has 300 square feet of TVs (which translates to 27 very big TVs). Even better is that you won't have to leave the table, especially with its pour-it-yourself table taps. Enjoy the game, and the beer, while also noshing on some quality pub food.

Brownstone Tavern
3937 N. Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 528-3700
www.brownstonetavern.com

This Lincoln Square bar might be a "Butler University" bar, but come football season, it'll be showing all of the games (college football and NFL). While you root for your favorite team, whether it's the Chicago Bears or not, there are some great food and drink specials to be had. The bar is also a great, and welcoming, place for a fantasy draft party.

Related: Best Sports Bars in Chicago

Elizabeth SanFilippo is a freelance writer, who enjoys trying new foods from all over the world. But her favorite city for culinary treats will always be Chicago. When not writing about food, she's writing about a variety of topics for numerous websites and blogs, and working part-time at a culinary vacation company based in the Windy City. Some of her work can be found at Examiner.com.