Throw your high heels aside and flip down that popped collar: Hubbard Street may be known for trendy outposts like Rockit and Cabaret, but just beyond the nightclubs' glitzy exteriors sits the city’s superior spot for sports and sipping.

Serving brews and baseball to Chicago fans and late-night drinkables to the downtown crew (it's open 'til 4 a.m. and serves food until 3 a.m.), Mother Hubbard's is the perfect place to catch a game or enjoy a pitcher of beer in a fun, casual setting. High-definition plasma screens line the walls (seven 10-foot televisions, to be exact). The beer list towers at 26 options, offering specials each day. Friendly waitstaff deliver orders promptly, and for those who want to do more than just watch a game, pool tables line the back room alongside one of the country's largest collections of exotic beer bottles.

Try the basket of chicken wings, voted the best in Chicago by CBS TV, and wash down the tangy sauce with a house-recommended Raspberry Weiss beer; the contrast of spicy and fruity is unbeatable. Mother Hubbard's serves its wings on the entire giant bone, so be sure to ask for extra napkins. Don't want to make a mess? Opt for a "legendary" Mother Hubbard's burger, a basket of cheddar jalapeno poppers or a Chicago-style pizza. Think conventional bar fare prepared at an above-conventional level.

Stop by any day of the week and enjoy a different special; we love the $5 tequila cocktails on Mondays. And don't be surprised if you rub elbows with some spillover from the swanky clubs next door—Mother Hubbard's is occasionally visited by celebrities, most recently Saturday Night Live comedian Horatio Sans and ESPN announcer Joe Theisman.

Centerstage Reviewer: Carly Schwartz