JL's Pizza & Sports Bar in Palatine aims to win over fans
JL's Pizza & Sports Bar in Palatine wears its designation as an official Blackhawks bar proudly, right down to the bold red and black color scheme. But even with hockey season over and the Stanley Cup making its triumphant Chicago rounds, the bar is worth a visit.
Motif: JL's opened in March in the spot formerly occupied by Pop's Bar and Grill. The new owners plan to keep things casual, with an atmosphere that will encourage families to give it a try for lunch or dinner.
The Blackhawks logo is painted on one red wall, and team flags keep the hockey allegiance going. High ceilings include wooden beams and exposed ductwork.
Seats around a large zig-zag-shaped bar and a mix of high- and low-top tables provide plenty of space and views of the large TV screens along the walls. There's a small outdoor eating area as well.
Food: Starters include all the usual sports-bar MVPs: chili-topped nachos, bacon-studded potato skins, fried mozzarella sticks and mini burgers, as well as lightly breaded calamari served either with a traditional marinara or tossed in a spicy Buffalo sauce.
We started with the chicken wings and were happy we did. Moist, meaty and messy, they hit all the right notes. The extra napkins our server dropped off did not go to waste.
Pizza is a top seller, with good reason. We enjoyed the crisp crust and generous amounts of the fresh veggie toppings. The menu also has a number of salads, sandwiches, burgers, wraps and entrees, with ribs being a popular pick.
Liquid consumption: JL's has 10 beers on tap with a selection of cocktails and wines.
Crowd: The bar's biggest crowds came during Hawks games. It was quieter on the night we visited, with a mix of casually dressed patrons talking over drinks and chatting up the friendly bartender.
Sound: You could hear the main TV, but the volume was just right — allowing us to talk and either follow or ignore the televised action.
Service: Our server was friendly and highly attentive, stopping back to see if we wanted more drinks and keeping water glasses full. When a burger arrived with the bacon we'd asked them to hold draped over the patty, our server quickly offered to replace it with a fresh one.
Parking: There's plenty of parking nearby.
Overall: JL's offers a casual spot for watching sports or grabbing pizza and a beer.
JL's Pizza and Sports Bar
19 N. Bothwell St., Palatine, (847) 202-9069, <a href="http://jlspizzasportsbar.com">jlspizzasportsbar.com</a>
<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday