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the eu pub crawl gets sporty

    There aren’t many things that Jacksonville loves more than NASCAR and football, so a good sports bar is something we have plenty of, but on Father’s Day you’ll want to take Dad to an especially cool place. So the EU drinkers went out to find the classics as well as the newest sports spots in the River City. We were surprised to discover that some of Jacksonville’s classic sports bars, namely the Stadium Club, has recently been converted into a strip club, then back into a sports bar. So now it’s a creepy sports bar with no draft beers, but it does have a mirrored stage and a stripper pole. But there are some new places that are great. Get your beer goggles on, Dad, we’re going on a sports bar spree. We can’t cover them all, but this is a good place to start.

Chicago Pizza & Sports Grill

Address or Directions: 8206 Phillips Highway on the corner of Baymeadows Road

Type of Place: Restaurant and Sports Bar

Serving: Domestic and imported draft beers, some bottled beers, house wines, and full liquor.Atmosphere: Sporty as all get out with an open, spacious dining area, and private booths.

Amenities: Sports video games, flat screen televisions everywhere you look, including in each booth, and a patio that looks like a football field.

Drink Specials: Happy Hour is Monday – Friday, 3 pm – 6 pm, half off on domestic drafts, house wines and well drinks.

This summer in Jacksonville can remind Chicago people of the infamous heat wave, but otherwise transplants hungry for the spirit of Chi-town should head to this uber-sports bar. The local stalwarts that you think of when you think sports bars are drowning in alpha meatheads and drunken assholes, but in this slice of southern Chicago, they focus on sports sports sports, so don’t worry about those lushes. The walls are littered with pennants and you can pick your own channel at every booth. So get your friends together to enjoy the big game on one of their projection screens, or you and your date can slip into a booth and watch Seinfeld while the rest of the joint hollers at the Jags. Their prices are reasonable, they have the only authentic Chicago dogs in town, and the vibe is casual. If you want a sports bar that isn’t old and tired, this is the perfect place.
–Johnny St. Thomas

The Stadium Club

Address or Directions: 3225 Southside Boulevard, Suite 8 (On the corner of Southside and Beach).

Type of Place: Restaurant and Sports Bar

Serving: They have a full bar however, all of the beers come bottled and all of the liquors are on tap. No ####. There is also a huge menu with daily specials available.Atmosphere: Although it’s a sports bar, you really feel like you’re in a strip club. There’s a bar, a few booths and stand alone tables, and a stage featuring a pole. Rad.

Amenities: Sports video games, a coupla pool tables, 8 flat screen televisions, and a large projection screen.

Drink Specials: Daily cocktail specials Monday - Saturday.

When I was asked to cover a sports bar, I was stoked. Who doesn’t love throwin’ back some suds whilst watching a match of athletic competition? So, you can imagine my surprise when I sat at the bar and got an eye full of E!, Wheel of Fortune, and Animal Planet! It was as staggering as learning that there were no draft beers, so…I settled for a draft Crown and ginger. Seriously, the liquors are ALL on tap. That’s not bad, but this place is under renovation, and it needs it. The crowd was miniscule and it really doesn’t have a “Sports Bar” feel like it used to. It does have potential, and they are working on it. You probably won’t see me back in here until they get it up to par. But hey, be your own man and give it a look. After a couple cocktails, maybe you’ll use the stripper pole.
–John Dooling

Box Seats

Address or Directions: 4329 Blanding Boulevard Wilson & 103rd.

Type of Place: Sports bar & grill

Serving: domestic draft beers, bottled imported and domestic beers, house wines, and liquor bar as well as a full food menu.

Atmosphere: The service is great, the facilities are fairly run down, but this is a neighborhood bar. A Westside institution, which isn’t always saying much.

Amenities: Pool tables, bunches of arcade games, televisions everywhere, two inside bars and a patio bar.

Drink Specials: Happy hour is all day on Monday and from 2 pm to 7 pm Tuesday – Friday. They also have dollar drafts all day on Tuesdays and various other beer and liquor specials throughout the week. The drink prices are definitely what keep the customers coming back.

Dooling just turned to me and said “This place has class…Class C Hepatitis.” Unlike Chicago Pizza, this IS the sort of place where alpha meatheads go to get drunk and rumble with Westside’s best. When we pushed our way through the rowdy rabble of men outside who were leering at the teenage waitress in short shorts and sneering at us, our first instinct was to leave, but we didn’t want to let Westside rednecks smell our fear, so we went on inside. Once they warm up to you, this can be a very friendly bunch, but when the beers wear off, going four-wheeling at “Smokey’s cousin’s house” might not sound like as much fun as it did when you were all beer-faced.
–Johnny St. Thomas

The Mudville Grille

Address or Directions: There are 3 locations, We are at 3105 Brach Boulevard.

Type of Place: Restaurant and Sports Bar

Serving: Domestic draft beers, domestic and imported bottled beers, house wines, and full liquor. Atmosphere: A great nostalgic sports atmosphere complete with commemorative bats, pictures, and Wheaties boxes. A bit heavy on the baseball theme, but hey, this is where Casey Jones struck out. I however hope not to…

Amenities: A slew of video games, televisions, and pool tables. There’s plenty of seating too. Also, on Wednesdays they have Karaoke and Thursdays there is Trivia.

Drink Specials: Happy Hour is Monday – Sunday, 2 pm – 7 pm, $2.50 20 oz. beers. Also, on Thursdays during trivia and all day Saturday and Sunday the 20 oz. beers are $2.50.

Unlike the notorious Casey Jones, anytime you arrive at Mudville Grille is right on time. I actually think the atmosphere is bearable and I dig the baseball and football memorabilia strewn throughout the place because it makes you feel like you are in a real sports bar. Holy Crap! I also ordered a beer and it came in a 20 oz. glass!! Not one of those tiny handled mugs. I’m impressed. Ok, in all seriousness, the Mudville is a pretty cool joint and the food is pretty good too. It is a place where you can bring the family and have a meal or hang out with the boys and watch a game. I recommend it (over the Stadium Club).