Now that LSB has closed down, where can Millikin students go to let loose?

Downtown Decatur has answered the call, as Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill opened, only one mile away from Millikin’s campus.

Hotshots Sports Bar & Grill is part of a chain based out of St. Louis, Missouri. The location opened last October and has been looking to attract more of the Millikin community. 

The bar is spacious, an ideal place for a big crowd of college students and offers different forms of entertainment. It has darts, pool tables, and of course many TVs, as all sports bars should. 

Although it might be a little pricey for college students, the food is good and the bar is currently working on ways to be more accessible to Millikin students. For example, they are currently working on possibly getting a shuttle to and from Millikin on the weekends. The shuttle would run every two hours and pick up and drop off students because although downtown Decatur is not too far from campus, no one wants to walk that far, and this alternative would be safer for students.

The atmosphere on a Saturday night is pretty lively. The night started off somewhat quietly at around 9 pm, but as time passed, the bar attracted a bigger crowd. People were playing pool and darts, sitting at tables and gathered around the bar, offering plenty of options for parties who may be looking to eat, play, or just drink. 

I tried their Hot Asian Wings, which were $13.45 for 10 wings, so maybe a little pricey for college students once you add up your drinks. The wings were good though and the portion was filling, and they’re seasoned with teriyaki, red pepper and garlic. 

Hot Shots offers the option to get less or more wings, depending on how many you want. They’re not too hot, instead it’s a good mix of sweet and savory, and they are a good alternative for anyone looking to get out the usual places in Decatur (which most of the time consist of Mexican restaurants). 

My personal favorite item food wise is their Buffalo Chicken Dip, made with cream cheese, diced chicken, Hotshots Wing sauce, St. Louis style pizza cheese, and a basketful of tortilla chips. The dip was a great appetizer that could easily be shared by two or more people since the portion is generous enough. 

Buffalo chicken dip is always a great appetizer, especially at a sports bar, and Hotshots’ does not miss. It was good enough for my friends and I to fall into the trap of eating too many chips and almost filling up before our entrees came out. 

The service was good, the waitress was very attentive and charismatic, even as the bar got busier. The food was brought out in around 10-15 minutes. Surprisingly, a Gin and Tonic was only $4 and was pretty strong, so if you don’t like your drinks that strong, I would recommend asking the bartender or waitress to use a lighter hand for it. The Moscow Mules there are great, they were also strong, but the drink was a lot more balanced, so the taste of alcohol is more diluted. 

Overall, Hotshots is a great newer option for Millikin students to get out of the Millibubble and have some fun over the weekends. Students often complain about how little there is to do around Decatur but many of us don’t actually take the time to explore places around Decatur, which is somewhat understandable due to safety reasons, but Downtown Decatur is a good area that we don’t often take advantage of. If you are looking for an alternative to LSB or The Winery, I recommend trying Hotshots.