Beer, sports and pizza - a simple recipe with great results
In the age of growing conglomerates with ridiculously large sports bars, a small, neighborhood place can be quite the relief. Sal's Pizza Pub and Sports in Lombard has been a mainstay in the town since the '90s, but with bigger and flashier bars sprouting up around the 'burbs, can Sal's retain its charm?
Motif: Located inside a strip mall, Sal's Pizza Pub and Sports greets patrons with a chalkboard featuring the bar's menu of starters, dinners, sandwiches and more. Past the board is the rest of the bar, and it is a small one, at that. The walls are covered with an endless supply of sports pictures and memorabilia. We're talking Michael Jordan and the Bulls' championship years plus the '85 Bears. Sixteen televisions adorn the walls and every single one of them was tuned to the night's football game. Space not covered by sports memorabilia or televisions is blanketed with neon beer signs.
The bar itself is U-shaped, with plenty of seating around it. On top of the bar was free pizza for happy-hour guests to indulge in. In the back there's a dart board. Sal's is a neighborhood place, and they keep it fairly simple.
Crowd: On the Monday I visited, the crowd was mainly guys from the neighborhood out for some football and beer. Look for a few more women on the weekends.
Service: Service was friendly and efficient. The sole person working the bar had his hands full, but still did a good job at keeping drinks and food in front of people.
Liquid consumption: Sal's has a full bar but at a place like this, you would be better off enjoying a good old-fashioned beer. You'll find a decent selection of brews on tap, including Miller Lite, Guinness and Blue Moon. The month's current special is $3 Beck's bottles. Other daily drink specials include $5 Coors Light pitchers on Tuesday, $3 Captain and Cokes on Thursday, $2 Bud and Bud Light on Friday and $5 MGD pitchers on Saturday.
Food: Sal's Pizza Pub and Sports obviously serves its namesake pizza with many different toppings such as pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, chicken, Italian beef and a lot more. There is much more on the menu besides pizza, including sandwiches, burgers, nachos, chicken wings, buffalo chicken strips, soups and salads.
Sounds: On this Monday night - no surprise - the sounds of football and loud conversations dominated the bar. If for some reason you're not watching sports or talking about sports, Sal's has an online jukebox to claim your ears' attention. Come in around 9:30 p.m. any Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday to be greeted by the sounds of karaoke.
Parking: Since Sal's is located in a strip mall, there are plenty of parking spots.
Overall: Sal's is cozy and low-key, and that's a good thing. A lot of bars lose any real identity trying to be everything all at once. Luckily, Sal's sticks with its winning combination: beer, television and pizza - a simple setup with big results.
Sal's Pizza Pub and Sports
410 West 22nd St., Lombard
Hours: 11 a.m. - midnight Monday - Thursday, 11 a.m. - 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, noon - 11 p.m. Sunday