Sportsden Pizza & Pub the

One of my favorite places to watch a football game.  Yes, it's smokey, yes the tv's and the entire place in general are a little dated, but I can deal with that.  The food is good and the prices are really cheap; the appetizers are mostly deep fried, but that's typically what I want when I'm drinking beer.  The pizza is always good, thin crispy crust and browned cheese.  The best part is they take reservations, which is nice on gamedays since the place can get pretty packed if the Colts are playing.  There is a family room for those under 21 or if you're bothered by the smoke.

While home for the Thanksgiving holiday, wifey & I were craving a good thin crust pizza. Upon entering The Sportsden, I was immediately caught off guard by the thick cloud of smoke---ugghhh! Seriously, after living in Chicago for the past year, it is SO nice not having to endure smelling this crap while dining. Nevertheless, we stayed for dinner & beers.

Wifey ordered the grand slam mini pizza, full of every imaginable topping. I ordered the stromboli sandwich. When our food arrived, I immediately noticed that their portion sizes have shrunk compared to the last time I dined here. (I believe it's worth noting that there has been a change of ownership in the past year). In addition to the shrinking portions, the quality of the food sunk faster than the value of the U.S. dollar. All jokes aside, The Sportsden, albeit a dive bar, used to have one of the BEST thin crust pizzas in the country, as far as I'm concerned. In addition to the pizzas, they USED to have amazing sandwiches, and dirt cheap, ice cold beer.

Back in the day, we used to sacrifice our lungs, and gladly open our minds to the strong possibility of coming down with cancer, due to the amazing food, at trailer park pricing. Unfortunately, it seems as though the new ownership has tweaked the menu, down sized the portions, sacrificed quality, and raised prices. Granted, I'm no Harvard grad, but I'd say this is NOT smart business. Why fix something that does NOT need fixin'?

So, being severely disappointed with the changes, I can't give The Sportsden more than a 2 star review. Granted, it doesn't matter how I rate this place, because I highly doubt many (if any) of their "regular" patrons have access to the internet. The last time they have logged on to the 'net, is probably the last time they visited a Dentist.

On a positive note, the bill, including 2 pitchers of beer, a pizza, and stromboli was only $27. I tipped $5, and the server was so thankful, I assumed it's the most gratuity she's received in quite some time. If my wife wasn't there, I probably could've got dessert for free...