- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Doc Ryan's
Rating Details »
Categories: Bars, American (Traditional), Pizza [Edit]
7432 Madison Street(between Beloit Ave & Burkhardt Ct)
Forest Park, IL 60130
(708) 366-2823
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- No
27 reviews for Doc Ryan's
This place seemed pretty fun when I came here real late on a Saturday 2 years ago...but don't come here on a Tuesday night unless you want to be the only person in the bar. It was really sad. I don't know, maybe it's because I live in the city and I'm a Yelper which automatically makes me a weekday drinker, but what is up with all these bars in the suburbs being so lame on weeknights??
I was a fan, however, of the bartender wearing a Padres hat while the cubs-padres game was on. As well as the drink specials. $12 buckets could be worse, I guess.
Bar 5
The night might be finally shaping up or have I've had too much to drink... I dunno at this point (he says in a drunken slur) .
Doc's is the "IT" bar in the area and I can see why. They have large two rooms plus an upstairs for private parties. The main room is the largest with giant round bar right in the middle of the room with stools all the way around. The second room has a smaller bar but lots of small tables plus a small stage that you can see from the main room as well. I didn't catch the cover band's name that night but they weren't half bad (but then again rocking out to Bon Jovi or Sublime is a must after a few drinks). Our group was all over at this point (and I think we lost a few down the street) but a couple of us found a great spot in the back bar so we could watch the band play. At this point not being in the massive crowd made my night and probably helped my liking of the bar. The bartender was very nice and again the drinks were cheap. They serve bar food and it looked actually edible. I'd go back here.
** They have a deal every night single night of the week of items as most bars do but what is really cool is that any night of the week you can pop in for a large cheese pizza and a pitcher of beer for only $12... I know!!!!!!!!!! $12!!
Probably the biggest complaint that I get from my friends comes from the fact (yes, fact) that I do not like loud bars. To me- going somewhere with eardrum shattering music/noise, and a bunch of dudes yelling "bro" in one another's ears is not a good time for me.
Call me lame.......... Go ahead.............
I can see the allure for some to go out with a plan to get blitzed while watching a baseball game and checking other people out. I can see why people like to be in an atmosphere that is lively, with music blaring and people yelling- you know, a crowd. I can especially see why people pick this place to do just those things.
This place though was never my cup of tea. Even in my early 20's this place was just too much. Too loud, too many Chads and Trixies, and too much "college" for me.
Doc Ryan's has such a great spot along a very happening stretch of Madison, but for my money, you are better off heading to one of the other (seemingly) dozens of "Irish" bars within a couple of blocks.
Read between the lines though- if you ARE into the things that I described above- then come here! You will love it. But if you are more like me and like to go out for conversation and a place to hang out with a group- head down the block a bit.
Average bar with average waitresses. Living in the city, I found that drinks here were much cheaper than other joints I go to on average. Where else can you pay $3.75 for a Sierra Nevada? Would come here again for some casual drinks but wouldn't be my first choice. I was a little spooked a few Saturday's ago when I was here and the place was practically empty. Effects of a bad economy? You be the judge.
I can't decide if I had a good time here because of the people I was with, or because it was 2nd on our bar crawl and we already had a few drinks under our belts- or because it's a fun place! Regardless, Doc Ryan's gets my vote for a fun place to hang with friends and grab a beer and some bar food.
First- this place is huge! If you are ever wandering down Madison Street and want some room to roam- this is your place.
I think we tasted every appetizer on the menu from quesadillas, to nachos, to cheese curds, to potato skins, to chicken strips and more. Nothing remarkable as bar food is bar food but we wanted food to share and we got it in droves! The menu has burgers, sandwiches salads and pizza on it, but we were in a snacking mood and snacking is what we did.
Service at the bar was good although that fell down a little when we grabbed a table as someone in our party asked to have the table wiped off and got a little attitude from our server.
But nothing was going to spoil our night on Madison street. We just packed up when we were done and ambled down the block to see what else this little slice of Forest Park had to offer.
Use to hit Doc's in my 20's (and earlier) and loved it. Recently went back and asked myself "why"? Maybe I'm a little older and maybe wiser but this place is really nothing more than a college bar.
The place looks nicer due to their renovations, but seeing drunk 21/22 year olds stumbling around wasted is not my idea of a good time. Surprised this place hasn't got popped yet for serving minors.
I don't really know what to say about this place. I was on my break at work thinking to myself while I read the newspaper and searched for some donuts to steal. I thought, "What is the worst bar I've ever been to?". It's not Doc Ryan's but Doc Ryan's is close.
Always crowded. Always loud. TV's always blaring sports. Bartenders honestly do the best they can (the only reason I give it two stars). I will give Doc Ryan's that much.
The crowd: Loud suburban college/recent college grad types. Local working types. Never had a problem with anyone in the bar but they are loud.
Two floors. Top floor usually not as crowded as the bottom. I guess what really freaks me out about this bar is the lack of tables and chairs on the first floor. I find that really strange. There's like these large standing spaces. It's not even a dance floor. They have huge spaces where people can just stand around. It's weird. And creepy.
I don't think I'll ever go back. Just not my kind of place.
No matter how much I seem to cry, scream and stomp my feet about my dislike for this place I seem to end up there a couple of times a year. Someone from the 'old neighborhood' wants to keep it low key and go there for their birthday for drinks. Or somebody else thinks it would be easiest to just go there as everyone knows where it is at. Oh holy hell, I even ended up there like 3 years ago for my birthday and I lived nowhere near at the time.
What in the world is low key about early 20 wannabe frat boys, I do not know. Or throngs of drunk folks of all ages acting a fool? Not to mention I think the finest beer one can get here is a Blue Moon. They might have Guinness but I am not about to try it because I am sure the tap is bound to be skunky as Bud/Miller reign supreme.
Also, parking SUCKS in Forest Park. Meters everywhere and cops patrol around just looking for the expired ones. Or for a car parked in a zoned area. And this area is not very accessible by the Blue Line or buses.
So why not 1 star? Because inevitably I will end up three sheets to the wind and forget that I hate half the people in there. And the bartenders/staff are friendly which must be hard considering the tools that come in on a daily basis.
If you live in Forest Park, you should not want to patronize this bar. The owner is suing the village, which in turn means he is suing you, the resident! Give your money to another establishment in Forest Park. There are many bars in Forest Park who would love your business.
And Monica A. is right, it is smelly.
I'd probably give this bar a 2nd chance, but my first impression wasnt a great one.
The bar is huge, that is a plus. The food was pretty decent (I got the paddy melt). Cooked just right, however by the time the food got to us, it was a bit cold. Not cold enough to hassle with sending it back and waiting another 45 minutes, but not warm.
The day we went there (this past Saturday) was the night of Forest Park's Saint Patricks Day parade. That was a mistake haha. It was insanely crowded, and seeing that most people at the bar and in the streets were already drunk when we showed up sober at 9, it made for an interesting night.
They have a lot of decent beers on tap, that is also a big plus.
The crowd just wasnt my type of crowd. I agree with other reviewers, very frat house/ drunk pledge sister, type crowd. The median age was probably 23, 24 ish, which is ok if you are that age and hang in those types of circles, but when your in your upper 20's or 30's + its not the type of people you want to be bumpping around with, especially when most people were drunk and id say 65% of the crowd were guys.
There was an almost fight towards the end of the night, which soured us a bit more on the bar.
Bathrooms are really nasty. I dont think Ive been to a bar in the Chicagoland area that has worse bathrooms then the ones at Doc Ryans. You know its bad when the WOMENS bathroom looks that bad.
Pluses: Various beers on tap (though your paying pint prices for beer in 12oz plastic cups)
The bar is big so on a normal day I can see where it wouldnt be insanely crowded.
The bartenders worked pretty hard, and didnt leave you hangging for too long.
The food was good, if it would have been warm.
They have pleanty of video games and bar type fun things.
Minues:
The crowd in the bar. Just not my type of crowd. Though you are going to hang out with the group your with rather then everyone else.
The food wasnt warm enough.
There wasnt really a waitress, so you had to keep going up to the bar to buy drinks.
When there is a waitress, they will not let you have seperate tabs from the rest of the table.
All in all, there are probably better bars to hang out in down there. I probably wouldnt go back again unless it was a special occasion for our freinds living down there.
Eh, it's smoky, smell, kind of gross. The wings are very vingeary, the prices are decent.
Slightly on the scummy side, but acceptable.
This is a decent bar. I was reading the reviews of those who Yelped before me and I did not get a gross/college bar/fighting nightly bar. It was a good mix of a crowd with older/middle age/younger people. There were quite a few people with cigars though and the heavy smoke filled the bar though.
The place was packed and they had this band playing 50's and 60's rock. The band was OK. The drinks were not overpriced and the waitress was very attentive to us. They seemed to have some good food specials ($1 burgers, $0.50 tacos, 1/2 price pizza, etc...) I didn't eat here but I would mind trying their food for that price.
Overall a decent time was had by all
Okay, this a a weird bar. Prices: decent. The employees: really nice. The bathrooms: dirty and somewhat dangerous. (I cut my finger on the stall door). The lighting: strange and uneven. Some places are really bright and others are really dark.
My main reason to right this review, however, is the food. They have awesome food. The fish fry that they have during lent is unforgettable. First of all it is only $7. You can get it fried or baked with a choice of seasoning and it comes with fries or mashed potatoes. The mashed potatoes are delicious. They are made from real potatoes and they are creamy and garlicy. It is delightful.
They have $3 beer pint specials ever month and they usually pick a high quality beer. Everyday of the week they have a food, booze, and beer special. The food is really cheap which only makes it taste better.
On account of the strange lighting I suggest that you only go in the daylight.
We were in on a Saturday night and the main bar only had 2 bartenders??? It was packed and full of people who don't look old enough to be in college let alone drinking (they started playing flippy cup on the tables spilling everywhere) It was not my choice to go here but the group vetoed me, and on the way home they agreed never again. The band was good but the room they were in was about 100 degrees and again only 1 bartender in there. The drinks are not very overpriced if you are looking for a silver lining.
Went here last night for a birthday party. The party was located upstairs away from the "bar" area. I was glad because I was worried it was going to have that frat boy feel to it. Well, it sort of did, but it wasn't over the top horrible.
The bartenders working the party were cool, and very attentive to our drinking needs. The music was good--all genres, you know typical bar music.
I will say that the place was a bit dirty. The bathrooms were really gross. It looked like they haven't been cleaned in days. (No bueno) So I have to knock off a star for that. And another because I live without this place.
Doc Ryan's is the "college bar" of the Forest Park (near Westside) area. A common meeting place during winter break/Thanksgiving, those weekends can be tremendously packed.
Doc Ryan's is 2 stories, a pretty big bar. Some nights have live bands that are usually pretty decent. Plenty of seating and room. In the summer, there is a rooftop porch which is awesome!
Definetly the "hip" place to go if you're in the area.
This is a moronic sort of a place. It's large. It draws a large crowd. That's the deal. The management hires far too few people to serve far too many people. The servers are really snippy - for good reason. So sad. The bars on Madison really need to catch up to the shops. There is a big old gap between nightlife and shopping here. I don't even necessarily need a fancy place. I just need a place where there aren't a million loud t.v.'s playing sports, regular service you would expect anywhere, and a whole lot of hot men. hahahahahahaha I'm funny. In a nutshell, there is a lot of room for improvement here.
Doc Ryan's is ok, I've been here a few times and havent had anything to complain about. However, I havent found anything to rave about either. They have live music, which is cool, but the karaoke is HORRIBLE. I mean, you really can't blame them for how bad their patrons sing, but WOW. The drink prices are moderate, and the place can get quite crowded.
It's a bar.. A place to drink. Nothing more nothing less. I would never try the food. the food is there to lower the insurance cost. It does tend to have a younger crowd but you get some older people in there to. It's a big hang out for a lot of local towns cops and fireman. just a nice little watering hole,
the only complaint would be the parking. all streeet and sometimes tough to find a nice spot. Forest Park has very little going for it but this strip of bars. Doc's gets the job done
I agree with Brittany - it's a bar and it's what you make of it. I went there last night with my fiance and we had a blast. A great cover band, Tramp Stamps, was playing. The drinks are cheap but good.
There are lots of games to play upstairs and outside seating upstairs as well. I've been here several times with different girlfriends and x-boyfriends and always had a great time.
The bar to end all bars situated right in the middle of "Irish Row." Come here if you want to see ex-boyfriends, old hook-ups or old classmates. And sometimes if you're lucky (or me), you get to see all three in the same night. Your ubiquitous Irish bar in a neighborhood filled with them. I go to see any of the aforementioned groups. Hey, it's usually interesting...
usually when I'm at doc i'm working, as the band is playing and i'm mingling...doing my thing, whatever. And the crowd is mixed. Some see it as a sports bar, so you'll get your regulars. Some see it as a college bar, so you'll get the 21 and 22 year olds. Basically Doc Ryan's is what you make of it. There's games and tv's upstairs along with a patio, so there's plenty of room. If you're looking to dance they have a spot for you too. Its always a much better night when the band is there...ahem, The Kingfish, plus the place usuall;y gets a good crowd. The bartenders and managers have been there for a while and do a great job of mingling, serving and keeping the peace. And if you're not careful they'll get you completely bombed out of your mind, and before you know it you really will be having the time of your life. Plus the food is pretty good, too. While they are good on having enough restrooms, you will have some parking issues. There's a meter and a small lot, and this place gets a crowd, so come early and get your spot. Doc's loses a star because they have a lobster game by the door. I'm not sure why...but hey, i'm not a fan. Even still, Doc's is cool.
Doc's is a popular neighborhood bar. While I agree about the frat boy/college bar comments others make if you were to go there the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, it is a cool place to chill on a Sunday afternoon in the fall to watch Bears games and eat good bar pizza. You just can't beat the daily specail: "buy a large pizza and a pitcher of beer for $12". The annual pig roast we went to last night is tasty, but way too crowded, kind of like the Wed. before thanksgiving.
I definitely agree with the college bar feel. I went there with some friends to celebrate a friend getting a job in the area (we are all seniors). Saw a bunch of people from my high school class there (although we acted like we didn't know each other). It was very much like the bars in Champaign-Urbana, which is dirty, kinda gross, and really smoky. Would go again with a good group but definitely would not suggest going there.
Seemed like this bar could be fun, but wasn't! It was a very lively place. There was a very young, rude clientele in here. The people wouldn't even move when we excused ourselves to walk by. The bartenders did not give us the time of day! So we left, without one drink! And for the bartender chicks- we would have tipped a hella lot more than your poor 21 yr. old college boys that you were doting on!
yeah i'm from the near west suburbs originally and doc's is not great but let's face it, there is not much else around unless you haul your butt out to the city.
spent many a night here for (1) underage goodness; (2) college-break holiday mediocrity; (3) finally, out-and-out crappiness, but with a nostalgic kick.
all in all, 3 stars.
Eh, this place is ok. Nothing fancy, and not a complete hole in the wall either. It is pretty big, so if you are going out with a large group this place would work fine. It reminds me of bars I used to go to in college. They don't go out of their way to woo you by any means, cause people usually come regardless. It's kinda dirty, and the bathrooms are rather gross. This from a guy who has a public washroom phobia, so take it for whatever it's worth. They often have live music which is fun, and you can go upstairs if you want to get away from it. The upstairs also has a rooftop beer garden for when you need some fresh air. The crowd is all over the place; from misplaced frat turds to a table full of your parents putting some drinks back. I've never tried the food, and probably never will. They typically have different drink specials for each night of the week too. If you want to relive your college days and get rowdy drunk, Doc Ryan's is the place to take you back.
