The ESPN Zone is ESPN's answer to the ever increasing number of sports bars and restaurants that are popping up every where across the nation.
The first ESPN Zone sports bar opened in Baltimore in 1999 and I visited it in May of 2000. At the time, it was pretty neat, by far the best sports bar I'd ever been in. There were televisions every where, there was information every where. For a sports fan, it was pretty amazing.
And it's for kids of all ages, too. There's a monster game room upstairs in the ESPN Zone that has all the current cool games from video to table games, from shooting baskets to throwing footballs at targets. However, kids under 18 must be accompanied a parent or guardian.
They have a special V.I.P. area with a lounge and special recliner seats. And, of course, just to pry more money out of you, they have a gift shop area, as well.
The food is OK and overpriced. The beer selection is OK, as well. But what brings you in and sucks you in is the modern industrial decor with tons of games on for you to watch.
The one in Baltimore is down in the Inner Harbor section near Oriole Park at Camden Yards stadium (see map), which is, by the way, the best baseball stadium I've ever been in.
The other two ESPN Zone's I've been to are in Las Vegas and Chicago. There's eight ESPN Zone's altogether. The ones in Las Vegas and Chicago are about the same as the one in Baltimore. Except the one in Las Vegas is in the New York New York hotel and casino, and is literally just next to their sports book area.
ESPN Zone in downtown Chicago on E. Ohio
As I said, the ESPN Zone can get a little pricey. My friend Scott Schroeder and I sat in the one in Chicago a couple three weeks ago watching the Iowa/Michigan State basketball game while Cindy and Scott's wife, Marcia, were out shopping. We were there for about two hours and our beer tab - just our beer tab, we had no food - came to over $50 bucks. We did drink some beer, but certainly not enough for us to be getting close to being gassed.
The ESPN Zone's are neat places, but there are a number of other sports bars that are a much better value.
(Update - The ESPN Zone in downtown Chicago is now closed. It closed in 2010 and was replaced by a Brazillian steakhouse.)
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