Where Every Big Ten Fanbase Watches in Chicagoland (And Where the Fox Valley Actually Goes)

Go be with your people.

Every alumni bar, from Wrigleyville to Aurora, with honest drive times from St. Charles. Plus the one room in the Fox Valley where every game is on at once.

Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap · Fox Haven Square, St. Charles IL · Updated September 5, 2026

Simple EJ’s is the Fox Valley home for any game on any Saturday. A 22-foot LED wall, stadium-quality sound, 200 seats, and a scratch kitchen. Now for the honest part: if you are a die-hard, you sometimes want a room full of your own people, singing your own fight song, at a bar that has flown your flag for thirty years. So here is where every Big Ten fanbase actually goes in Chicagoland, and what the drive looks like from St. Charles.

Where Does the Fox Valley Watch Big Ten Football?

Most Fox Valley fans watch Big Ten football within fifteen minutes of home, because the Chicago alumni bars are 50 to 70 minutes away and the season is twelve Saturdays long. Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap at Fox Haven Square in St. Charles was built for exactly that Saturday: a 22-foot LED wall for the featured game, screens throughout a 6,149-square-foot room for everything else, and free parking in 320 dedicated stalls plus 148 shared.

The catch is fair and worth saying out loud. A sports restaurant in St. Charles is not going to be wall-to-wall scarlet and gray at noon. If you want the whole room jumping around on the third quarter break, the city bar wins that day, and we say so in every row below. For the other eleven Saturdays, or for the family that is not driving to Lakeview with a six year old, the Fox Valley option is on Kirk Road. Our sibling post covers the local Saturday in detail: where to watch college football in St. Charles.

Which Chicagoland Bar Does Each Big Ten Fanbase Call Home?

Every bar in this table was checked against the alumni club’s own page, the bar’s own site, or the university’s official game watch directory. Drive times are rough, off-peak estimates from St. Charles, IL 60174. Add 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon with a Cubs game in it. Where a fanbase has no suburban home, the Fox Valley column names Simple EJ’s in St. Charles, because that is the honest answer for anyone west of Route 59.

Team	Recognized Chicagoland bar	Neighborhood	Drive from St. Charles	Fox Valley option
Ohio State	The Butcher’s Tap, Old Crow Smokehouse, Bandit, City Nikki’s (Alumni Club of Chicago sites)	Lakeview, Wrigleyville, West Loop, River North	55 to 70 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Michigan	Duffy’s Tavern, Sully’s House, Moe’s Cantina (U-M Club of Greater Chicago sponsor bars)	Lakeview, Old Town, River North	50 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Penn State	Smoke Daddy (Grand Ave), Derno’s on Diversey, Golden Boy BBQ (Penn State Chicago chapter)	River West, Lakeview, Elmhurst	City 50 to 65 min; Elmhurst about 35 min	Golden Boy BBQ in Elmhurst is the closer alumni room. Simple EJ’s for the Fox Valley.
Iowa	Theory, Merkle’s, Blue Bayou, Clover, Willie Lill’s, plus Miller’s Ale House on Route 59 (Chicago Iowa Club sites)	River North, Wrigleyville, Lakeview, Aurora	City 55 to 65 min; Aurora about 25 min	Miller’s Ale House in Aurora is the official suburban Hawkeye site. Simple EJ’s for St. Charles and Geneva.
Illinois	Budweiser Brickhouse, Finley Dunne’s, Tree House, Weather Mark, Mirella’s, Joe’s on Weed (Chicago Illini Club Watch Zones); Orange & Brew, Downers Grove; Burnt Barrel Social, Sugar Grove (Suburban Illini Club)	Wrigleyville, Lakeview, River North, South Loop, Downers Grove, Sugar Grove	City 55 to 65 min; Downers Grove about 30 min; Sugar Grove about 20 min	Burnt Barrel Social in Sugar Grove is the closest Illini room. Simple EJ’s for the split table.
Wisconsin	Will’s Northwoods Inn, “Camp Randall South,” a Badger bar since 1991	Lakeview	55 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Nebraska	Kirkwood Bar & Grill and Fox & Hound (official Chicagoans for Nebraska sites)	Lakeview, Schaumburg	City about 60 min; Schaumburg about 35 min	Schaumburg is closer but the wrong direction from the Fox Valley. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Indiana	Joe’s on Weed St. (Hoosier alumni game watches, reserved tables through Tock)	Lincoln Park	55 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Minnesota	The Other Side Bar (Chicago Gopher fans’ listed home)	Lincoln Park	55 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Michigan State	Chicago Spartans alumni club, city bars; check chicagospartans.com for the current season list	Wrigleyville, Lakeview, Gold Coast	55 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Northwestern	Timothy O’Toole’s (official Northwestern watch party site)	Streeterville	50 to 60 min	No western suburb site. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Purdue	Avenue Tap & Kitchen, which bills itself as Chicago’s home for Purdue football, with every game on with sound; the Purdue Club of Chicago posts its own watches on purdueforlife.org	Lakeview	55 to 65 min	No suburban home. Simple EJ’s, St. Charles.
Maryland, Rutgers	No dedicated Chicago bar found for either	None	None	Simple EJ’s, St. Charles. Your game will be on.

Where Do Ohio State Fans Watch in Chicago?

Ohio State fans in Chicago watch at four Alumni Club of Chicago game watch sites: The Butcher’s Tap in Lakeview, Old Crow Smokehouse in Wrigleyville, Bandit in the West Loop, and City Nikki’s in River North. All four are listed on Ohio State’s official game watch directory, all four run game audio, and The Butcher’s Tap has called itself the Chicago home of Buckeye football for years.

None of them is in the western suburbs. From St. Charles, the closest is Bandit at roughly 55 minutes on a good day. For a Michigan week, make the drive. For the rest of the schedule, Ohio State is on the wall or a screen at Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles every Saturday, and nobody will make you sit near the Michigan table unless you ask.

Where Do Michigan Fans Watch in Chicago?

Michigan fans in Chicago watch at the U-M Club of Greater Chicago’s official sponsor bars, including Duffy’s Tavern and Grille in Lakeview, Sully’s House in Old Town, and Moe’s Cantina in River North. The club lists its sponsor bars on the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan site and encourages Wolverines to rotate through them during the season.

Like Ohio State, Michigan has no official suburban site west of the city. Sully’s House in Old Town is about 50 minutes from St. Charles. If you live in the Tri-Cities and want the Michigan game with a Tomahawk Pork Chop instead of a parking hunt, Simple EJ’s at Fox Haven Square is the Fox Valley option, and the maize and blue table gets the same sound and the same screens as everyone else.

Where Do Penn State Fans Watch in Chicago and the Western Suburbs?

Penn State fans have three Penn State Chicago chapter sites: Smoke Daddy on Grand Avenue in River West, Derno’s on Diversey in Lakeview, and Golden Boy BBQ in Elmhurst. The Elmhurst room matters for this list, because it is the only Nittany Lion alumni site in the western suburbs, about 35 minutes from St. Charles.

One correction to a rumor that still goes around the Fox Valley: D&G Brewing in downtown St. Charles, which some Penn State fans used as a meetup, has closed. There is no longer a Penn State room in St. Charles proper. For a White Out night, Golden Boy in Elmhurst is the closer alumni pick. For a Saturday noon kick with the kids, Penn State is on at Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles, where kids under 12 eat free Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 pm with an adult entree.

Where Do Iowa Fans Watch Near Aurora and Naperville?

Iowa fans have the deepest suburban setup in the Big Ten. The Chicago Iowa Club lists five city sites (Theory in River North, Merkle’s in Wrigleyville, Blue Bayou and Willie Lill’s in Lakeview, Clover in River West) and three suburban sites, including Miller’s Ale House at 778 N Route 59 in Aurora, on the Aurora and Naperville line.

Miller’s on Route 59 is about 25 minutes from St. Charles and is the official answer for a Hawkeye fan in the Fox Valley who wants the club atmosphere. It is a fair concession: on a big Iowa Saturday, that room will be blacker and golder than ours. For St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia families who want a shorter drive, Iowa is on at Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap at Fox Haven Square, and the smashburger, made from a special blend made exclusively for Simple EJ’s, travels well to a Hawkeye table.

Where Do Illinois Fans Watch in Chicago and the Fox Valley?

Illinois fans have two alumni clubs feeding them. The Chicago Illini Club runs Watch Zones at Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern in Wrigleyville, Finley Dunne’s in Lakeview, Tree House in River North, Weather Mark Tavern in the South Loop, Mirella’s in Wicker Park, and Joe’s on Weed Street, plus Orange & Brew Bottle Shop and Tap Room in Downers Grove. The Suburban Illini Club adds Burnt Barrel Social in Sugar Grove for its game watches.

Sugar Grove is about 20 minutes from St. Charles, which makes Burnt Barrel Social the closest official alumni room on this entire list. If you are an Illini and you want the orange crowd, that is your Saturday. Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles is the pick when the table is split, since the Illinois game goes up next to whatever the rest of your group is arguing about, with brunch from 10 am on Saturdays.

Where Do Wisconsin Fans Watch in Chicago?

Wisconsin fans in Chicago watch at Will’s Northwoods Inn on North Racine in Lakeview. Will’s has called itself “Camp Randall South” and Chicago’s original Badger bar since 1991, partners with the Chicago Badgers alumni chapter, and runs game audio, Jump Around, brats, and cheese curds year round. It is one of the most established single-school bars in the city.

It is also 55 to 65 minutes from St. Charles, and there is no Wisconsin alumni site in the western suburbs. For a Badger fan in the Fox Valley, Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap at Fox Haven Square puts Wisconsin on the wall or a screen every Saturday, with the full beer list on our beer menu and the food on the main menu. We will not attempt Jump Around on the sound system without a quorum.

Where Do Nebraska, Indiana, and Minnesota Fans Watch in Chicago?

Nebraska fans have two official Chicagoans for Nebraska sites: Kirkwood Bar & Grill on Sheffield in Lakeview and Fox & Hound in Schaumburg. Schaumburg is about 35 minutes from St. Charles, but it is northeast, which is the wrong direction for most of the Fox Valley. Indiana fans gather at Joe’s on Weed Street in Lincoln Park, where Hoosier alumni game watches run all season and tables can be reserved through Tock. Minnesota fans use The Other Side Bar on North Clark in Lincoln Park, the Chicago room listed by Gopher fans as their home.

None of the three has a western suburb home. For a Husker, Hoosier, or Gopher in St. Charles, Geneva, or Batavia, Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap is the Fox Valley option, and the walk-in only policy means a party of four on a Saturday just shows up.

Where Do Michigan State, Northwestern, and Purdue Fans Watch?

Michigan State fans are organized through the Chicago Spartans alumni club, whose bar list has always been in the city (Wrigleyville, Lakeview, Gold Coast). Check chicagospartans.com for the current season’s official rooms before you drive. Northwestern lists Timothy O’Toole’s in Streeterville as its official Chicago watch party site, with other sites in Orland Park, Midlothian, Des Plaines, and Prospect Heights, none of them west. Purdue fans have Avenue Tap & Kitchen on North Paulina in Lakeview, which calls itself Chicago’s home for Purdue football and basketball and shows every game with sound; the Purdue Club of Chicago also posts its own watches on purdueforlife.org.

Maryland and Rutgers have no dedicated Chicago bar that we could find. If you wear a Terp or a Scarlet Knight into Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles, your game will be on somewhere in the room, and you may be the only one watching it, which is its own kind of luxury.

What If Your Table Is Split Between Two Big Ten Teams?

A split table is the one thing a single-school bar cannot solve, and it is the thing Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles does best. The featured game goes on the 22-foot LED wall with stadium-quality sound, and the rest of the Big Ten slate runs on screens throughout the room, so an Iowa fan, an Illinois fan, and a Michigan in-law can share one order of wings without anyone switching the channel.

Saturdays start with brunch from 10 am to 2 pm, which lines up with the noon kickoffs, and the room runs until 2 am for the late West Coast games the conference added. Full hours are on our hours page. If you are the person in the group chat who has to pick, this is the pick that keeps the group chat civil.

How Do Groups of Eight or More Get a Spot on a Saturday?

Groups of eight or more email groups@simpleejs.com with the date, the game, and the headcount. Simple EJ’s in St. Charles has been walk-in only since September 1, 2026, so there is no reservation system to fight with, but the groups inbox is how an alumni chapter, a fantasy league, or a whole youth soccer team gets set up together in front of the wall.

That inbox is also the answer for Big Ten alumni chapters looking for a western suburbs game watch site. Most of the fanbases in the table above have no official room west of Route 59. Simple EJ’s at Fox Haven Square has 200 seats, free parking, a 22-foot wall, and a scratch kitchen. Send the email. We answer.

How to Pick Your Saturday in Three Steps

Can You Bring Kids to a Big Ten Game Watch at Simple EJ’s?

Yes. Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap in St. Charles is family friendly until 8 pm every day, and Charlie the mascot works the room until his 8 pm bedtime. Kids under 12 eat free Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 pm with an adult entree, and the kids menu is on our kids menu page. After 8 pm the room is curated for grown-ups.

That is the practical difference between a Fox Valley Saturday and a Lakeview one. A packed city bar at kickoff is built for the alumni crowd, not for a booster seat, and many of them restrict minors once the room fills. Check before you drive. If the plan includes a seven year old in a hand-me-down Hawkeye jersey, St. Charles is the plan. Meet the mascot on the Meet Charlie page.

Make It Your Home Field

Simple EJ’s runs two memberships for people who plan on being here most Saturdays. Founders Club (21 and over) is $14.99 a month and includes your second drink on every visit. Charlie’s Crew (families) is $24.99 a month, $12.99 for each additional kid, and covers kids under 12 eating free Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 pm. Details on our loyalty page.

Can’t Figure Out Where to Go? Simple EJ’s Has It All.

If you cannot figure out where to go on a Big Ten Saturday, Simple EJ’s Kitchen & Tap at Fox Haven Square in St. Charles has every game in the conference on at once, no reservation, free parking, and a kitchen that takes the food as seriously as the football. For a fanbase with no suburban home, for a table split between two schools, or for anyone who is not driving to Lakeview twelve Saturdays in a row, it is the Fox Valley option, and it is a good one.

When your team has the big one and you want your own people, go be with your people. The table above tells you where. Every other Saturday, the wall is at 300 N Kirk Road. Sundays are covered too: Bears season at Simple EJ’s.

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