Lombard sports bar scores with craft beer, food and — yes — bacon night

Since opening in December, Overtime Bar & Grill on Roosevelt Road in Lombard has been bringing in sports fans with its multitude of TVs and keeping them there with a great selection of craft beers and food that goes well beyond your usual sports bar fare. Add in quirky events like bacon night, and Overtime is proving to be a hangout even when nothing exciting is on TV.

Motif: You'll have a good view of a TV no matter where you sit here. Walls are lined with beer signs and framed jerseys, and the bar also sports two pool tables, a dart board and a golf video game. A fenced-off patio with a fireplace is in the works.

Crowd: The bar was packed when we visited during a Blackhawks playoffs game with everyone from 20-somethings to seniors clad in a blend of jerseys, T-shirts and polo shirts.

Food: There's no microwave or freezer in the kitchen so you can count on all the ingredients and dishes being fresh. Overtime hired a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts as its chef, and he and his team make everything except the bread on site, changing up the menu every few months. He puts a twist on standard dishes like the Lombardian, a burger topped with breaded and deep-fried cheddar cheese served on a pretzel bun. Instead of tater tots they have croquettes, big fluffy balls of potato topped with a delicious spicy ranch sauce. If you've got a sweet tooth, you can also indulge in some crème brûlée, watching the chef fire up the sugar on top at the kitchen window before garnishing it with mint and strawberry.

The most popular food option is the Thursday bacon menu. The selection changes weekly but includes dishes like bacon-wrapped chicken wings, bacon mac and cheese and the bacon shmellow, a bacon s'more inspired by a customer suggestion. Dishes are also paired with cocktails like a maple bacon martini.

Liquid consumption: Revolution Anti Hero is the owner's favorite so you'll always find it on draft here, but the rest of the beer selection changes seasonally. They're currently pouring summery brews like Bells Oberon and Leinenkugel Summer Shandy and offering plenty of craft beers by the bottle including Mad Hatter IPA and Magic Hat Pistil. Craft pints are $3 Thursdays and Miller and Bud family beers are $2.50 Monday through Thursday.

Service: Despite the big crowd, we were greeted quickly when we grabbed a seat at a table and servers regularly dropped by throughout our visit.

Music: Overtime hosts local bands every Saturday and there's never a cover. The bar occasionally brings in country DJs who teach dance moves you can practice to the music.

Parking: The bar has a small free lot, but many visitors park in front of nearby closed businesses when it's full. The owner, who's a Lombard resident himself, will pay the cab fare for Lombardians who don't want to worry about parking or driving home after having a few drinks on Friday or Saturday nights.

Overall: Overtime is a bar where you'll be comfortable hanging out, even when the game goes long.

<b>Overtime Bar & Grill</b>

801 E. Roosevelt Road, Lombard, (630) 376-6947, <a href="http://otlombard.com">otlombard.com</a>

<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday