Aurora's Chelios' Pub shoots for neighborhood feel
Sports bars have popped up all over the suburbs. Too many, though, are bland cookie-cutter versions of corporate-run chains. Not so with Chelios' Pub & Grill in Aurora.
Yes, Chelios' has sports playing on widescreen TVs — 17 of them, in fact. Yes, the walls feature Chicago sports team paraphernalia — mainly Blackhawks. Yeah, the menu features classic sports bar fare. However, Chelios' feels a bit more like a one-of-a-kind family-run neighborhood place.
Owned and run by Chicago-area native Pete Chelios (cousin of NHL legend Chris) along with his brother and mother, the restaurant features an upgraded pub menu with local flavor and fresh ingredients, a nice selection of beers and drinks, a welcoming staff and comfortable seating. Add reasonable pricing (most sandwiches are in the $6.95 to $7.95 range) and you've got a real “go-to” place for great meals and a night out watching sports.
Motif: The pub, as mentioned, offers widescreen TVs and sports team décor, yet the place also has a bit of a neighborhood bar feel. Chelios' features a large center bar with seating on three sides, with booths and tables (mainly high bar-style seating) on both sides.
Service: Friendly, welcoming, attentive staff with quick service at bar and at dining tables.
Liquid consumption: Bartenders pour a nice offering of beers, including basic selections such as Budweiser and Miller lines with premium picks like Goose Island 312, Guinness, Blue Moon and Bass Ale. You can find beer and drink specials nightly (such as $2 pints on Mondays) with special mixed drinks on any hockey night.
Food: Chelios' sports a large and varied menu. There are 24 appetizers, nine salad choices, 13 burger selections, 27 sandwiches and six entrees, plus Southwestern dishes, pizza, daily specials and a kid's menu.
Since it was our first visit, we stuck with some pub classics. We started with the Buffalo wings and were rewarded with eight very large wings, freshly cooked and seasoned exactly right, and at $6.95 a good value. Our second appetizer was one that isn't too common on American menus, a variation on the French Canadian staple poutine. These Canadian cheese fries were thick, fresh-cut and crispy, smothered first in brown gravy and then in cheese sauce. This dish was full of flavor, filling, messy and naughtily caloric — the perfect “comfort food.”
I followed that up with our bartender/waitress' favorite, the Black & Blue Burger. You could taste the freshness of the burger — no frozen meat here — a half-pound Cajun-seasoned patty covered in melted, real blue cheese (not just an ounce of crumbled bits you get on so many other B&B burgers) and served on a fresh-baked bun. This one was a winner.
My dining companion chose the Uncle Angelo's Italian Sub and was rewarded with a tasty sandwich with tender capicola, spicy pepperoni and salty salami with mozzarella, red onions and peppers on fresh bread. An excellent example of what a real Chicago style-Italian sub should be — loaded, juicy and spicy.
Sounds: Low-volume music played over the speaker system, and most of the TVs were on low as well. Chelios' has karaoke on Thursday nights. Owners plan to add a weekday trivia night and live bands on weekends.
Crowd: Chelios' attracts a mix of age groups from the area, but mainly seems to be a place for the 30-plus crowd. Neighborhood folks and after-work regulars dominate on weekdays; families with kids frequent the restaurant at lunch and dinner.
Parking: Large strip-mall parking lot in front.
Overall: Open since November of 2009, Chelios' Pub & Grill is an excellent choice for both the sports fan and those looking for good food. The extensive and affordable menu, with some great twists on the normal sports pub fare, offers something for everyone.
<b>Chelios' Pub & Grill</b>
2150 Ogden Ave., Aurora, (630) 585-7650, cheliospubandgrill.com
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday
Note: A second location is scheduled to open in February on Kirk Road in Geneva.