Like so many Wrigleyville bars, Mullen's on Clark caters to a mostly-drunk, mostly-frat boy crowd. This is a sports bar in the classic sense: Five TVs and two big screen projectors play the game, while beer-drinking patrons play foosball, Golden Tee and darts (the real kind, with metal tips, so watch out!). The backyard beer garden consists of several tables set up in the alley, offering a better chance of finding a seat and a smaller chance of having beer spilled on you. The upstairs party room is available for private parties, occasionally opening to the public on the most popular nights.

Servers are more attractive than attentive, making the rounds as often as the crowded room allows. A variety of beers are available in bottles and on tap, but the emphasis here is inexpensive domestic brews, made even less expensive by daily drink specials. With almost all the food in the less-than-$10 range, the menu includes pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and a dizzying array of breaded-and-fried appetizers.

The crowd of fresh-faced Wrigleyville types in their early twenties are casual in an Abercrombie sense, with plenty of shorts-clad, baseball hat-wearing guys and short-skirted, cleavage-baring girls. Three dartboards at the back of the room and a foosball table tucked away to the side offer a chance to prove your skills, while music plays at a raucous but not deafening volume, making Mullen's as suited to friendly conversation as it is for a little friendly competition.

Centerstage Reviewer: Aimee Hall