Taking a shot: Bob McCullough's draws sports fans, pool players

Business has been booming since Bob McCullough's opened last fall. The strip mall sports bar has been packing in locals looking for a place to shoot some pool or watch a game without spending too much on food or drinks.

Motif: The bar offers 14 TVs tuned to sports games. You can keep your eyes glued to multiple sets from almost any spot. The center of Bob McCullough's is a large wooden bar where the selection of bottled beer is displayed in a refrigeration case. Pool table-style lamps hang over a set of long wooden counters just behind the bar and smaller black tables are scattered throughout the rest of the space. A display case houses trophies from the local sports teams the pub sponsors. Small stained glass lamps with the Cubs logo decorate the corners, and a nook near the door features a pair of couches for lounging.

Four tables are used for pool leagues Tuesday and Thursday, and $5 per person will get you as many games as you want any other night. The walls of the billiards area are lined with pictures of the Rat Pack and pool balls and tables. Wednesday nights, video game fans compete in Wii Bowling and other sports games, and the dart boards are also used for a weekly dart league.

Service: It took nearly 10 minutes for our table to get any service and there were always big gaps between visits from our waitress. With a view of the kitchen, we sat and watched our food cool on the countertop before our server finally delivered it to us. The Blackhawks had brought out a big crowd when we visited, but the flaws in the service went well beyond what we'd expect and forgive from a busy night.

Liquid consumption: The menu features plenty of beer by the bottle and on tap, including Guinness, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, 312 and Fat Tire. Prices are low, with $1.99 Miller drafts and $6.99 Miller pitchers being the best deal.

Food: The half-pound Angus beef burger is the most popular item on the menu, served with a choice of salad, steak fries, waffle fries or onion rings. The beer-battered rings were a delicious side, sweet and crispy rather than greasy. Our favorite dish was the honey-mustard glazed chicken, the sweet taste of the meat going well with the sauteed mushrooms and pretzel bun. The hot wings were a disappointment. Half of the order was overcooked and lacking sauce; the other half was unremarkable.

Crowd: Locals decked out in shirts, hats and T-shirts representing their team pack in for big games, cheering and screaming during plays. Age skewed to the mid-30s though there were both older and younger groups.

Parking: There are plenty of free spots in the large strip mall lot.

Overall: A casual neighborhood bar where you can hang out with other local fans and keep drinking into extra innings or overtime without emptying your wallet.