Seafood and Sports Bar to Debut in Long Vacant South Loop Space

A long vacant South Loop restaurant space will become home to a new seafood-focused sports bar this week. All Star Seafood & Sports is slated to open Friday with jumbo shrimp, lobster claws, red king crab legs, and more available by the pound, according to a Facebook post. The space was previously home to craft beer pub Villains, which went through several iterations before it permanently closed in 2018.

All Star will feature a robust drink list, including 18 draft beers ranging from “easy drinkers” like Krombacher Pilsner to more hoppy brews, wheat and Belgian styles, ambers and dark beers, and a “fruity” Berliner Weisse. Cocktail fans are in luck, with 10 selections available, along with a number of bottled and canned beers, plus red and white wines.

The aforementioned oceanic delights, sold by the pound, are offered in three preparations: “West Coast” (sea salt, herbs), “Southern” (Cajun), and “East Coast” (Old Bay). Other menu items are divided into “surf” and “turf” categories. The former includes shrimp, soft-shell crab, or oyster po boys, ceviche (shrimp, scallop, citrus, tortilla chips), and a New England-style lobster or crab “Surf Roll” (toasted bun, fried pickles). Landlubbers can opt for sports bar classics such as chicken tenders, chili lime wings, and a meat-free Beyond Burger (cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayo, vegan bun).

Villains, the building’s former occupant, opened as a neighborhood bar in 2007 about and then closed five years later. Ownership quietly relaunched in 2015 a block south of the original site to 730 S. Clark Street. The revamped spot featured a robust beer list starring 40 options from Danish brewery Mikkeller and a creative menu with dishes like smoked beef tongue and, for previous Villains fans, a Slagel Farms burger that earned critical acclaim. Owners later opted to shift toward a more “casual-accessible menu,” but ultimately closed Villains in 2018, ending the venue’s 11-year saga.

There’s no word yet on what the new space looks like now or how many it seats, as All Star Seafood & Sports ownership has not yet returned a request for more information.

The new sports bar is slated to open Friday in South Loop.

All Star Seafood & Sports, 730 S. Clark Street, Scheduled to open Friday.