It’s 3:30 p.m. on a recent Sunday and even though Sportsman’s Club doesn’t open for half an hour, a line has already formed outside on Western Avenue for its annual Backyard BBQ series. At 4:05 p.m. the bar seats are filled. By 4:15 p.m. the back patio is packed, with food and drink lines snaking around the compact space.
While Memorial Day may be the official start of summer, for a number of Chicagoans, the weekly guest chef throwdowns at this Ukrainian Village tavern, featuring restaurants such as Boeufhaus, Rose Mary, Gibsons and J.P. Graziano, signal the season has truly begun.
In theory, taking a dive bar and giving it a thoughtful facelift doesn’t sound like a recipe for long-term success in today’s fickle nightlife scene. But that’s exactly what the group behind Sportsman’s Club — Heisler Hospitality (Matt Eisler and Kevin Heisner) along with managing partner Wade McElroy and partner and VP of operations Jeff Donahue — did.
More than 10 years later, Sportsman’s is still going strong, as are those backyard cookouts. Spotlighting 16 restaurants per summer and drawing in a hundred-plus fans for each, the Backyard BBQ series, which starts late May and ends early September, has welcomed thousands of guests.
To grasp the popularity of those Sunday gatherings, however, you first have to understand what makes Sportsman’s special.
“We opened it to be a neighborhood tavern and a place that you could come in any day of the week however you were dressed,” Donahue says of the partners’ vision for Sportsman’s Club, which shares the name with the original bar that opened not too long after Prohibition ended.
Adds McElroy, “We wanted to create a place that was super comfortable and fun and had serious cocktails but was also a place where you could drink a High Life and shot of whiskey.”
Heisner took control of Sportsman’s interior design, which was in rough shape, McElroy says. Cozy booths were added on one side of the long space and plenty of taxidermy on the walls. A large French tapestry was added behind the original bar, a striking anchor for the room. “We wanted to lean into the aesthetic that came with the name Sportsman’s Club but not make it feel overly ‘hunty lodgey,’” McElroy said.
When they opened in December 2013, the 1,000-square-foot back patio was a dirt pit. A few months later, after paving it with bricks and adding a grill and picnic tables, Sportsman’s hosted its first Backyard BBQ. Additional improvements since then have included a handful of pergola-covered tables, a firepit and a small stand-alone bar.
But Sportsman’s has always been more than just its visual appeal.
“If you cultivate a good community in a spot where people come in two or three times a week, they will get to know everyone who works there and each other,” McElroy says. “That, to me, is one of those magical things about a neighborhood bar.”
From the get-go, it was — and still is — a hospitality industry hangout.
“When Wade and I opened Sportsman’s, it was the first bar we did ourselves,” Donahue says. “We’ve both been a part of some great bar openings and it was us taking all that experience and asking ourselves what are the things we like.” Collaborating with their industry friends, whether it was chefs or local DJs, topped their list.
Which brings us back to those backyard gatherings.
Initially, they were “a free-for-all kind of thing,” Donahue says. “There were some years where the lines were too long, chefs would run out of food early and maybe people were getting a little too loose, which translated into not the greatest guest experience for some of them.”
In 2021, Sportsman’s general manager DJ Dodd took over organizing and running the barbecues. “DJ has a keen sense of what makes them special and how we can offer that in the best possible way,” Donahue says.
One of the things Dodd added was a curated selection of natural-style wines only available in metal ice buckets at the backyard bar. “People share wine, pouring glasses for their friends,” McElroy says. “It brings a convivial energy that we really love.”
Dodd also heads up the guest DJs for the events, with thought given to matching the styles of the DJs with that of the restaurant.
When it comes to choosing participating restaurants, Dodd counts his years of being a customer at Sportsman’s before working there as giving him an insider’s perspective of what guests want. “We’re not just inviting our neighbors,” he says. “We’re inviting chefs from all over the city.”
Finding a healthy mix of beloved Chicago institutions, many of which return year after year, and exciting new faces is also top of mind for Dodd. Newcomers this year include Nine Bar, Boonie’s Filipino Restaurant, Le Bouchon, Maxwells Trading and Mi Tocaya Antojeria.
“I always love coming here and we’ve been wanting to do it for a couple of years,” says Le Bouchon’s chef de cuisine Henry Zimmerman. For their recent Sportsman’s appearance, menu items included escargot boudin blanc, cured mackerel and grilled purple asparagus. Caviar bumps were also on offer. “We gave a little sampling of things on our menu and just slightly tweaked them to make them work in an outdoor environment,” Zimmerman says.
Mi Tocaya’s Diana Davila credits her chef de cuisine, Derek Serrano, as the driving force for their participation on June 23. “It’s nice to do something to get back to the roots of why we do what do and that’s that we love cooking,” she says.
When it comes to the menu, Dodd gives the chefs free rein but encourages them to create something they wouldn’t traditionally offer. “If they’re more of a high-end spot, they might go full low brow. Whereas if they’re more of a casual spot they might elevate it and bring something new to the table.” The restaurants keep all the money they receive.
Dodd recommends restaurants bring 200 servings, but sometimes even that isn’t enough. “One year, Kasama prepped over 300 burritos, and they stayed here until 9 p.m.,” he says. “That was one of the crazier turnouts we’ve seen.”
Not surprisingly, the Backyard BBQ series has earned plenty of loyal fans.
Joe Borgese has been to most of them since he moved to Chicago nine years ago. “It’s always a good time and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon,” he says. Borgese recommends arriving early and bringing cash.
Kevin Finnegan estimates he and his friends have been to about 40 of the events since they started coming to them eight years ago. “It’s a good opportunity to be outside and enjoy great food, drinks and music while supporting local businesses,” he says. His tip for beating the crowds? “We park ourselves at the bar across the street at 3 o’clock and when we see a line forming from the window, we’ll walk over.”
It’s not just the attendees who have fun.
John Manion of El Che Steakhouse and Brasero hasn’t missed a summer yet. “Over the years, Sportsman’s has become the cultural center of the Chicago service industry,” he says. “It’s a great way to celebrate with the community and, honestly, it’s our cooks’ favorite event of the year.”
Each year, Manion tries to do something new and inventive. One time, he brought a towering metal rack and hung huge tomahawk steaks on it to cook over the fire. This year on June 30, he’s planning a Che-Brasero mashup. “It’s always ‘Let’s go over the top,’” he says.
Lula Cafe’s Jason Hammel has participated in the last five years. “Sportsman’s is the industry’s bar, and we want to support and celebrate the hard work and friendships that go into the hospitality community,” Hammel says.
This year’s Lula event on Aug. 25 should be especially celebratory as it’s near the date of their 25th anniversary, to say nothing of their recent James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality. “We are having birthday celebrations all that week and the barbecue is the culmination of that,” Hammel says.
For its final barbecue of the year on Sept. 1, Sportsman’s is hosting the return of a beloved Chicago restaurant, Analogue. Additionally, there will be surprises throughout the summer, Dodd says, including a late-night brunch from one of the city’s most popular restaurants.
“We’re grateful to still be here and be a part of the neighborhood and the community,” Donahue says. “That’s really rewarding and meaningful to us.”
948 N. Western Ave., 312-296-9885, drinkingandgathering.com
Lisa Shames is a freelance writer.
