Looking for a place to have a beer, watch the game, and play some shuffleboard? Well, then you're in luck. Wellington's, just off Lincoln Avenue in Lakeview, specializes in all three (though the shuffleboard is on a table, not on the ground). A quartet of flat-screen televisions show sports, sports and more sports throughout the space (and the sound is piped into the bathrooms, so you won't miss a play). The TVs are a bit of a departure from the rest of the decor, which looks something like a forties-era train station. A big clock (don't trust it) is mounted in the middle of the dark wooden bar, and the tin ceiling and stained-glass cabinets give the place an old-timey feeling.
The beer list is pretty standard, keeping the spectators slaked with drinks like Newcastle, Sam Adams and Miller Lite. A wide variety of liquors are available, and some amusingly large bottles of Knob Creek and Jim Beam are tucked away behind the bar. Don't be surprised to see folks walking around wearing big, white shuffleboard gloves on (including the bartender) or to find that everyone gathered around an especially tense game in the back corner. Private parties are welcome, if you just can't stand the company of strangers, and while there's no food available, you can eat anytime. Stop in, grab one of the bar's 18 seats, and settle in for a while.
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Centerstage Reviewer: Mac McCormick