Sportsman's Club — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

Worst bartender experience I have ever had. My friends and I did a bar crawl on 11/26 for her golden birthday - the Sportsman was one of the stops (we were all so excited to try this place as none of us has ever been there) - we were “greeted” - I say in quotes because it was the most unwelcoming/irritated restaurant welcome I have ever heard of. We all work together and some of us are bartenders/managers/servers so we know what good service is supposed to be and we know sometimes you have your off days, so we never let it bother us and always tip. The male bartender was SO beyond pretentious - we were only there for 45 minutes and yes, we did take up practically the entire bar but to act like WE are an inconvenience when your establishment is to serve people - when you have a wide open bar the minute we walk in - go take your poor attitude elsewhere.

Due to his terrible, terrible, demeaning attitude - this lead to a few of my friends grabbing a bottled beer instead of a cocktail because the last thing I wanted was a bartender with a terrible attitude to make me a $15 cocktail with minimal effort.

We all wanted to love it here, but the male bartender that was working this past Sunday night is the sole reason myself and 19 others will not be returning. I’m sure the place as a whole is great - as this review does not speak on behalf of the entire establishment - and I hope he is the one rotten apple of the bunch - but I hope Sportsman deeply takes into consideration who they hire...

Went here for the taste talks Chicago closing night party with Altos tequila.

The decor is Backwoods rustic while being beautiful and sad at the same time. The chandelier is gorgeous.  It is made out of deer antlers, and I hope that these  are faux or found on the ground and not taken from deers that were killed just for this purpose.

I am not a fan of the Taxidermy theme, in fact it makes me think of this place as more of a Hunters only club or Refuge.

I love the vintage booths in the front of the bar. They are very unique that they have a checkerboard built into the table top. It was very enjoyable to play Checkers with my  companion. There's only four of them, so get there early if you want to sit in a booth.

The atmosphere is very laid-back and reminds me of an old-school neighborhood Tavern with the long wooden bar and the Art Deco lighting.

There is a beautiful backyard outdoor garden with a fireplace, picnic tables, and a small bar which would be a great spot to enjoy in good weather.

A big minus is that they are cash only,  and do not serve food. I was told you can order food to be delivered here though and there are plenty of choices in the...

This place is a mood. A bar that looks like it used to host secret meetings for either union reps or amateur taxidermists—wood-paneled, dimly lit, subtly chaotic, and better for it.

The cocktail list is short, printed, and framed on the wall like gospel. It doesn’t need a menu the size of a novella. We went with a white Negroni and a mezcal Old Fashioned—both spot-on. No flair, no smoke guns, just drinks that respect your time.

As for the crowd, it’s a cozy chaos of Chicago archetypes: bros in full-zip ribbed sweaters at one end of the bar, shacket guys in vintage hats at the other. A couple of fresh-faced bartenders clock in to brace for the post-5:30 wave. You’ve got beer-and-brat energy blending seamlessly with the visible-tattoo crowd. Everyone belongs, even if no one quite matches.

It’s stylish but not trying too hard. Aloof but not unkind. Dim but not moody. And exactly...