Bars With Outdoor Games in Chicago – Do More Than Just Drink

There seems to be more and more bars catching onto the notion that sometimes it’s nice to do more at a bar than just drink. Below, we have listed a number of bars with outdoor games in Chicago. Pretty much all of these options are only available spring through fall– but one does offer curling in the winter months [which is pretty rad].

Bocce Ball

Bocce ball is almost like horseshoes– rather than having a solid stake in the ground, a ball is tossed (pallina) and the remaining eight balls (four for each team) must be thrown as close to that one as possible.

Cody’s Public House
1658 W Barry Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 528-4050

Kaiser Tiger
1415 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 243-3100

Pinstripes
435 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 527-3010

Bags / Bag Toss / Cornhole

This game may be known by many names, but the entertainment remains throughout. This game is super simple and probably at the top of my list for drinking games outside.
The setup is simple and typically played with four people. You have two rectangular boards spaced out opposite of eachother– each board has a hole cut in it towards the middle top. Each team takes turns tossing the bean bags onto the board in hopes of making it through the hole for maximum points.

Cody’s Public House
1658 W Barry Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 528-4050

Chief O’Neill’s Pub
3471 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 583-3066

Drink Nighclub
871 E Algonquin Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 397-3100

Murphy’s Bleachers
3655 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 281-5356

Temperance Beer Company
2000 Dempster St, Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 864-1000

Weeds Tavern
1555 N Dayton St, Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 943-7815

Windsor Tavern
4530 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 736-3400

Ping-Pong

Ping-Pong is a classic. It may take some hand-eye coordination, but don’t let that deter you while you’re drinking– eventually you won’t care. You can find the rules here, but my favorite way to play is to put a can of beer on each side of the table. Place it in the middle, almost to the edge closest to you. When the ball hits a beer, the person who’s beer it is must take a drink. If you drop the ball on your own beer, you must drink. Essentially whenever the ball touches a beer, no matter what reason, someone must drink. If you knock your beer over, that’s a point and you must finish your beer. If the loser still has beer left over, they must finish it (and perhaps buy the winner a round).

Ada St.
1664 N Ada St, Chicago, IL 60642
(773) 697-7069

Parson’s Chicken & Fish
2952 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 384-3333

Volleyball

Summer in Chicago is phenomenal. You can’t celebrate warm weather much better than sand volleyball– whether it be in a sand court in the city, or a sand beach along Lake Michigan.

Augie’s
1721 W Wrightwood Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 296-0018

Castaways
1603 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60614
(773) 281-1200

Drink Nighclub
871 E Algonquin Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 397-3100

The Foundry
85 Executive Dr, Aurora, IL 60504
(630) 978-2088

Oak Street Beach Food + Drink
1001 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 988-4650