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Grand (Red)
Merchandise Mart (Purple Express, Brown)
State/Lake (Orange, Brown, Purple Express, Green, Pink)
Mon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m.
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I love this place. This is a prime spot to hit up if you are doing happy hour on Hubbard. It's the only pub on this street that isn't over-hyped and over-priced. It is filled with people who like to drink and live in Chicago (not a suburb of).
They have a good selection of beers on tap and they give you a basket of pretzels with mustard (rather than... nothing?). Believe it or not, this has saved me from getting completely obliterated during happy hour on days when I come in on an empty stomach.
I know there's an upstairs - but I never really have a desire to go up there because it's fine as it is downstairs. I'm assuming there's dancing upstairs - because when I go to the bathroom (at the very end of the bar where the stairs going upstairs is), I can hear the music and it's definitely dancing music.
You will undoubtedly leave here drunk. That's just from my own personal experiences. If you're lucky, you might see a fight - or accidentally get pulled into one. If you think you won't get into one because you're a girl, you are very wrong and you better start learning how to throw a punch.
This is the reason why I can't give it the full 5 stars. I love this bar but I have 2 complaints:
1) Why do the doormen make people wait outside of the bar? I understand the capacity problem - but I hardly believe it requires a line. This isn't Howl at the Moon. You're making people who specifically went there to avoid lines and just have a happy time drinking... wait in line. It makes no sense. It's a pub.
2) Don't hire scary waittresses. Especially one who pick fights with female customers just because her idiot boyfriend tried to hit on them. If I'm going to "take it outside", I'm going to get into a cab and go home.
That's all. 4 stars because I truly do enjoy myself when I go there. Not 5 for the two reasons listed above. Oh and I hear the food is not awesome. But really, why would you go there to eat? You go there to drink. Dur. Eat the pretzels and call it a day.
The bartender upstairs seemed all sorts of put out when we mentioned we'd be ordering food. We'd have to play waitress to ourselves up there, apparently. That wasn't the problem --- his whole attitude about it was. Really ... if I wanted to get attitude, I'd go across the street.
The food was meh, the drinks were meh (come on ... learn to pour a proper pint, for cry eye), the music was entirely too loud, & my friend ruined a new pair of pants because there was some unidentifiable goo under the table.
Too many places in the neighborhood to settle on this place.
So I can only attest to the pretzels, beer, & level of service at an event I attended recently here… Read more »
O'Callaghan's was the site of a mini-reunion amongst a few of my ex-co-workers. One of my colleagues did a great job of reserving the space on the second floor (I imagine the experience on the first floor would be much more crowded and therefore more annoying). There was plenty of space for our group, and plenty of good beer going down as well. The big screens were showing a couple of ballgames, so what more can one ask for at a bar? Another group was coming up to this space as the last ones of our group (including me) were shuffling out, but there was no pressure for us to leave from the staff, so that was cool.
It was really good to see some of the gang from the ol' office, so that's why I picked this as my 1000th review.
Thinking some of the other popular neighboring spots with outdoor seating would be crowded, I came here with co-workers in hopes of getting a table outside. Surprisingly, it was crowded inside (and awfully quiet for lunch time) than it was outside. ("A nothing to do with this review" note: I thought I'd never been here, but when we went inside it hit me. Years ago, I saw Scott Ian of Anthrax sitting at a table next to us. A friend's boyfriend and I were the only ones at our table who recognized him. No, we didn't bother him with a picture or an autograph, but we thought it was cool at the time.) Okay, back to my review...
We went in to let someone know we would be sitting down outside. It took about 15 minutes or so until someone else realized we were out there. The menu offered typical pub grub: sandwiches, fries (waffle or regular style), salads, soups, etc. all for about $12/less. I had a pretty decent turkey burger. It was a good size burger that came with a nice amount of waffle fries. It's not on the regular menu but happened to be on the "today's special" sign by the front door. Our orders also came with fortune cookies. Random, right? Food was good enough for lunch, and service was okay. I wouldn't rule it out as an option for lunch or an after-work place for drinks.
In case you were wondering, my fortune said I should take that needed trip and buy my ticket now. Hmmm...
Whoa, people booze hard on Mondays, indeed.
Ok, admittedly I rolled up in here around...oh, 1am on a Monday. So Colleen, NOT. Anyway, I needed some serious food in mah belly, STAT. So, this was it. And I must say...the food was pretty amazing, and that wasn't the 14 martinis speaking either, it was good. Chicken 'n chips: well done!
To the group of married guys singing old 80's tunes...well, live and let live I suppose...but really, where are you supposed to be right now? You are very obviously not "industry peeps" cutting loose, and I am fairly certain your wives did not give you license to get rip roarin' drunk in Chicago and hit on unassuming girls with chicken 'n chips. Mmmmk, really. Go home. Or, at the very least...pipe down. I'm trying to get sober up in here, and you are making me want to drown myself in Jameson. I don't even l like Jameson, so this speaks volumes.
Besides the (wedding) Band of Brothers...this place was A-Ok. Quick service, waitress was not takin' shit from no one (good), and I can see this being quite a decent late-night stop off...
People watchin' at its finest, as its right across from Rockit...
So, with Hubbard street in mind, I took my friend that was visiting down that way, and he insisted we stop here. Not a bad idea I will admit.
It was a mixed crowd... very mixed. Marrieds, college age, etc etc. But it was fun. We scored a patio table and made some jokes with the bouncer and listened to the band that was playing at rockit, fo free. Someone next to us ordered fried cheese and it looked and smelled AMAZING so I may have to go back to try some food there!
Ronnie was right--the chicken and chips are delicious. I thought "Seriously? Chicken tenders? I'm [age humorously redacted] years old." But I went with it. Great drunk food--waffle-cut fries with the skins on and three lighly battered chicken strips, both in a generous portion. Only SEVEN dollars too. I got mine with some pretty good barbecue sauce, but their mustard sauce is divine (thanks Penny!).
Otherwise, this is just a bar. They have some beer taps, some liquor bottles, probably one of those mixer guns (but I couldn't prove it), tables, a bartender, a waitress...yep. Nothing to recommend it besides the chicken and chips.
Also, I found it laughable that their Beer of the Month special was $6.00.
So my friend and I are planning on going to Wicker Park/Bucktown to hang out and grab some drinks. Turns out the blue line is closed. FML.
He got off the blue line at Clark and Lake and started walking, and called me to tell me it was closed, and I got off the brown line at the Merch. Mart. and met him a couple blocks away.
We start walking down Hubbard and I remembered I'd been to O'Callahan's once a few months ago and it was decent.
The bartenders were great. Really amusing and VERY conversational (which is a MUST if you're going to work in the service industry). They had a "Mount Gay Rum" rubber bar mat on the bar which I immediately KNEW would be mine by the time I got home that night. They made us way too many Jamaican 10 speed shots, and comped quite a few of them. they put up with us as we sat there for almost EIGHT hours and were semi obnoxious.
I can't say anything about the food, but god bless the booze at this place.
It was a TAD on the pricey side. And by a "tad," I mean that our bar tab for TWO people came out to over $200. For a Sunday. In O'Callaghan's defense, we WERE there for almost eight hours, but still. This was AFTER they comped some drinks.
However, I got a sweet bar mat out of the deal that is now sitting in my kitchen looking awesome, right beside my "F-Word" magnetic poetry on my fridge :) (They actually gave my friend permission to take it for me!)
Moral of the story: Don't close down a 4am bar when you both have to work the next morning, and one of you has a 1:30 meeting that you want to actually make it to.
First, the pretzels with the mustard? WIN. Second, good beers on tap? WIN. Finally, a sweet upstairs party room for no-hosts and the like? WIN.
I always get excited when I get invited to no-hosts here because I know that the party will have its own bar, and its own little area for people to socialize. I tend to forget about this bar, but I shouldn't. It's a solid pub for happy hours, and it's in an area that needs it desperately.
My old co-workers and I were trying to choose a place to go for a Friday happy hour. Someone suggested O'Callaghan's. I was skeptical because of it's low Yelp rating, but my friend told us that despite yelp's 3 star rating, he gives it a 5. Turns out, our friend was full of crap: he'd never been to this bar, and needless to say, he's never allowed to choose our happy hour location again.
Granted the River North area is not cheap, but I wouldn't call a $5 Miller Light a "special." The place itself was nothing spectacular either. If you're in the area and going to spend that much anyway, you're much better off at Rockit where the music, food, and overall atmosphere is much better. The crowd is a mix of working 20-somethings, 30-somethings, and some ladies who got lost looking for the bathroom at Howl at the Moon and accidentally wandered across the street. The music selection was a little off as well- there was a lot of Justin Timberlake, and a lot of Spanish songs. No Irish drinking songs though, which might have persuaded me to give it an extra star. I'm picking the next happy hour spot, which probably won't be for a while, because we're all broke now.
I threw a company St. Patrick's day party here a few years ago, and they did a nice job. The food was good...the upstairs private space was nice...the beer flowed all night long.
I've gone back a few times since then and haven't really cared for the place. The service is kind of bad and it's full of frat boy meat-heads.
Last month I was looking for a space to throw a party in July and thought of O'Callaghan's. At first they told me we could have the party there and sent me some catering and bar package information. Then a few weeks later I got a call saying that I could not have my party there. They needed to keep the upstairs space free for "industry people." I asked if these people were having a party and she said no, they just need to keep the space open. So, they turned down the chance at having a party for 100 heavy drinkers (read: $$$$$) to keep the space empty for these "industry people" to look at. Weird. Just weird.
I wasn't too hungry so when I went here for lunch I just got a small order of chicken dumpling soup for $2.95 or something. My beer cost more.
There are 4 tables outside and we got one of them!
satisfied.
You know you can hang when you are a girl in the catering department of a hotel but would seldom be found out drinking with your staff. No, you throw down with the entire engineering staff. Every Friday night. That was my life for 10 years, and O'Callaghan's was the scene.
Was back the other night/morning and little has changed.
I will say, I much prefer the 4pm - 10pm crowd as opposed to the 2am - 4am crowd.
A little too heavy on the boobs, bronzer and doucheness.
OK. I've been hearing about this yelp site for a while now and I've been on here for a while checking out what others have to say about places I've been to. It's a bit of a mixed bag between the general public and myself. I agree on some places and TOTALLY disagree on others. But when I checked on what was said regarding O'Callaghan's a place which I have been frequenting for over 10 years now, I knew I had to write my first and possibly only review. I don't know how people can type reviews when they are obviously not educated enough to spell check their review that will be read by so many. Personal pet peeve. Anyhow O'Callaghan's DOESN'T as in DOES NOT serve free popcorn NO popcorn is sold there either! So to the reviewer who said the free popcorn got her eating she must be mistaken about where she was. Pretzels and mustard are free at O'Callaghan's but in my 10 years as a regular I've never seen popcorn served there. Now as for the several reviewers who pissed and moaned about the prices of the beers, well to them I say remember the area your in. It's downtown Chicago not the boondocks or whatever backwater bumble-#*@$ town you rode the turnip truck out of. I can tell you how you can tell it's in the downtown area though. Look into the sky and notice the tall buildings! One of them is the Sears Tower a Chicago building! $5 for a domestic is about the average price for the area. You have to take the bitter with the sweet if your going to do your drinking in an urban area where rents and taxes are high for the owners (of which O'Callaghan's is privately owned by the way) ((as opposed to corporations like the neighboring 'tard fest that is "Howl at the Moon" on a regular basis)) so if you want a normal person's bar which has a neighborhood feel to it in the downtown area O'Callaghan's is the one of the only places I've considered to have that feel. The staff is eclectic but that is what makes it feel "neighborhood like" that the staff alone has it's characters and you needn't rely on the never ending sea of people who go in and out the doors on any given night to find friendly conversation or feel like your at a place "where everybody knows your name". I'm obviously to close to this bar to give an unbiased review, but I know it to be different then what all these obviously mistaken reviewers are saying. Prices are the average if not a bit cheaper for the area. Food is served late and is always good. There must be about 20 beers on tap and about the same in bottle and the back bar of this place is an antique that IS OVER 100 years old! I know as I've met the owner himself and was told the history of it, bought in San Francisco and brought to Chicago specifically for O'Callaghan's which has over 18 years being in business in downtown Chicago! That alone says they must be doing something right as Howl at the Moon, Rockit & Cabaret (the last one Cabaret has already closed down ((they didn't make it a year even!)) Social Twenty-Five was Moda for those who remember and many others mentioned within other reviewers comments haven't stood the test of time yet. O'C's has and continues to. They have had and will continue to have my business as when I go out in that area I like to have a drink at a reasonable price and not have to deal with the corporate-owned places that cater to conventioneers and tourists and their staffs don't have the leeway to treat a regular to an occasional drink without getting permission from at least 2 of their managers 1st. WTF is that about the servers and bartenders are the ones representing the business to the general public and yet they have to get clearance to buy a regular drink from two managers who don't know you or anything about you! Hence my distaste for corporate run places and their manuals filled with rules on how to go about running a bar cookie cutter style.
This was the "B-team" bar on my St. Patty's Day adventure. Seriously, there was a line outside of Fado's at 8AM. A LONG line. Crap. What a buzzkill. Since our plan was foiled. . . O'Callaghans was next on the list.
This place did not open until 9AM. (Or "9AM - ish" the person on the phone stated). Fair enough. There was still a line outside but this was less painful after a few drinks down the street. To "fit more people in" the removed all the tables. OK, I get it but leaning against the glass is somewhat dangerous and makes me feel like I am squished inside a CTA train. Luckily, O'Callaghan's bouncers regulated well enough to keep the crowd down.
Beer was pricey - Miller drafts in plastic cups should never be over 5 bones. NEVER. I totally had waitress envy because our waitress was so SLOW compared to the waitress who served the people standing next to us. SO SLOW. Grrr.
This bar IS Irish. And it WAS St. Patty's Day. Apparently that was not a winning combination. Over-priced Miller Lites and slow service is not lucky at all.
They need to rename this place Douchey McGoverns. I came here last weekend to meet some old peeps I graduated high school with. It was set as a jumping off point since a couple other peeps were at Howl at the Moon across the street. I couldn't bring myself to pay a $10 cover just to pay too much for drinks and fill with hatred for unfunny piano players. So when those friends were done with Howl the plan was to meet across the street and we'd find someplace less crowded to catch up and see how the last 12 years have been treating us.
The bouncer made me nervous. He was really fat with a shaved head and an earpiece. Made it into the place without incident but he gave me the feeling there could easily be an incident if I didn't watch my smart mouth. First thing I had to do was piss. There's an upstairs and downstairs bathroom, had to wait in line for both of them. I also had to bob, weave and skinny myself up just to get to the bathrooms in the back. As I made my way to the pisser each time my pea sized bladder dictated I couldn't help but look around at the douche bag epidemic surrounding me. I'm talking about dude's wearing fake dog tags. I'm talking fat dude's in sport coats, white hi tops and Pat Riley hair. I'm talking tourists in town for a fucking ugly sweatshirt convention. I know I sound like a stuck up prick and I'm sorry. Don't get it twisted, I get that I'm not cool and I'm not overly attractive, but this place really pissed me off.
Finally all my former classmates arrived and we were able to scour the neighborhood for a more quiet place. I hate places that are expensive without reason. They are just as bad for taking advantage of their dipshit patron that doesn't know any better.
Another cookie cutter faux Irish pub. 5 FREAKING DOLLARS FOR A BOTTLE OF HIGH LIFE!!! WTFuck! I drink cheap beer because it is cheap. Service was crap and the atmosphere can best be described as Dorkt-tastic
This is a great afterhours spot, it's always full of industry folks, who are looking to unwind a bit. The only downfall is the bouncers from the other bars, who forget to let their guard down and have fun and get stuck in "prick" mode when they arrive.
Decent prices, nothing to write home about, but a good place nonetheless.
I went here with some friends for a late night dinner and drinks... This is your average bar, nothing special, but they do what they do well. The servers were on top of things and quick with our order.
4 stars for the breaded chicken salad!! I was really surprised with this. The greens were all really fresh and the the breaded chicken was not at all greasy and had a bit of a buttery taste that I thought was awesome.
Don't let the name fool you--this isn't a cheesy fake Irish pub, but rather a normal bar in an area replete with annoying chain/themed/trendy ones (e.g. Rock Bottom/Rockit/Cabaret, respectively). If I'm in this "'hood" (after a movie or something) just drinking beer or maybe a shot I'll go to Rossi's, but if I want something to eat and/or a decent martini, O'Callaghan's is the move. As others have noted, free pretzels with mustard are pretty nice as well.
Update: Waitaminute $5 for a Miller Lite draft?
My friends and I stopped in to O'Callahan's last Friday night after the Weber Grill's street festival. Reasonably priced drinks, attentive bartender, superb fried cheese, and a great crowd... very friendly... well.. a couple were a bit toooooo friendly... one guy told my (very cute) friend that she looked like Steven Seagal... (wtf?)... and another guy from Serbia came over and talked our ears off for about 45 minutes. He was very friendly, but a bit much. I finally told him that I didn't mean to be rude, but my other friend just broke up with her boyfriend and we needed some girl talk (she was wearing a 'happily single' shirt)... so we toasted the Facts of Life and he moved on.
Anyway.
I would totally go back again. I think the only thing that it needs to be 5-stars is more room! There's not much room to lollygag between the barstools and the tables and still have room for people to walk through. We felt like we were in the way the whole time.
The few times prior to last that I had come here I was already buzzed and payed no attention to the beer prices. Yesterday I arrived sober and found out that beers are 6 fuckin' dollars!! For bottle or for draft. And I am not talking about high end microbrews - I'm talking Heineken, Corona, etc. They have signs for special $5 Coors Lights - WTF, WTF and WTF???? I can go to an upscale bar and get beer for less. I'm never going to go there for beer again!
The bar across the street shut down and we got kicked out. I was starving and my buddy was thirsty… Read more »
Nice, unpretentious Irish bar located on Hubbard with all the "see and be seen places". We stopped by here on Thursday night to have a couple of "ciders" and had a good time.
It wasn't too crowded- we were able to grab a place at the bar and and relax a bit. Also not so loud that you couldn't carry on a conversation- but definitely a bustling place. Lots of choices of beer on tap. The place is long and narrow with brick walls and according to the bartender, the actual bar that we "cozyed" up to is over 100 years old.
There is an upstairs, but the story is that it is for the "industry" folks who frequent this place. Too bad as I wanted to see the pool table! I hear that it is even better than the main bar area. Oh well, maybe one of my friends in the industry will take me some day!
Nice atmosphere, a bartender who always could tell when I was ready for another (which seemed to be frequently the other night!), and a good crowd. Seems like a typical Irish pub to me!
Went here with some coworkers for happy hour, hoping to find a hangout bar we could call our new regular watering hole. How wrong we were. The actual bar is nice, laid back, and generally looks like your typical Irish-type bar. But when the so-called 'special' is a 5 dollar Miller Lite, no thanks. If this was our regular happy hour spot, I'd be broke in two weeks.
This is great bar in downtown Chicago without the "trending" scene. Its a fun place to get a beer or just any drink. The staff is attentive and helpful. I've been there several times and I've had nothing but friendly services. The great thing about this place is that you get a good mixture of tourist and local chicagoans. The prices are pretty reasonable and you don't feel guilty for buying your friends around of drinks. They do have some food for you to order and I have to admit that as far as bar food goes this place does a great job of making everything tasty. The fries are my favorite b/c they crispy and not very oily.
We got here after the concert, and it was a way to ease into the night. They have decent bar food as the wings were pretty good, but I wasn't even hungry to begin with. Or course, this hasn't stopped me from eating again and again. They serve free popcorn here which is addictive and got me starting to eat in the first place. This would be a good happy hour spot, and there were still some late business guys out even when were were out there at 10pm or so on a Monday night. The prices are average and the waitress was attentive.
felt like your typical irish pub. it has two floors. the main bar was packed. venture upstairs and you're more likely to find a table. one of the bartenders upstairs was not very nice and acted as if it was a chore to serve us drinks. dude its your job! drinks were cheap $5 wells, $5 shots. can't complain with those prices especially considering the area we were in. good place to kick start the night.
This is a solid three star bar. It actually would be a 2 star bar because the service wasn't that great, the soda was all flat, and the downstairs was slammed. BUT, the kindly doorman pointed out to us that we were welcome to go upstairs (what?? there is an upstairs??!) where we could drink freely while sitting at a table. Upstairs was practically empty, plenty of tables, a pool table, good music, and TVs. Great! Also, the chicken quesedilla rolls were yummy. My advice - head to the back of the bar and take the creepy exit door on your right to the far better scene upstairs.
After a birthday cruise on the lake for my wife last Saturday, we hit O'Callaghan's. My wife's cousin's boyfriend is a manager here and hooked us up with a nice little section by the windows. We drank well into the evening. It was a great experience. The staff was phenomenal. Even as the bar became more crowded, later in the evening, service did not fall off. Sure I over-drank, but when the Fat Tires keep coming, I keep drinking them. It's a personal rule I have and I try to adhere to it.
We always go to "O'C's" after work cuz it's open till 4 and 5am....I love their pretzel basket with mustard to dip in. The nachos are massive and my friends say the fish and chips are awesome as well. The bartenders are on top of things and always remember us. There can be some strange characters in here late at night, but they are harmless and pretty entertaining sometimes!
Fun place for an after work drink! It's a typical Irish pub, but a repreive from the Rockit's and Cabarets of the world. Their upstairs area is good to get a little breathing room.
This gets 3 stars cuz it's just O.K., and I think 3 Stars are just O.K. too. I went here the other night (a Tuesday) for a co-worker's birthday. Got there around 5, left around 8, we were able to get a few tables together, it wasn't packed--in fact I wouldn't even say crowded, and everyone was friendly and service was good. I'd go back if asked nicely.
Someone mentioned this place in a discussion and I realized I need to review it! I worked in the river north area after college and I went here a few times for lunch. I don't remember exactly what I ordered but I know this was the first place I tried "colcannon" which is mashed potatoes with cabbage/green onions in it. (Not sure what else) But I loved everything in this place. Then one year, I was downtown for July 3 fireworks - we ended up in this place. It was crowded but fine. My main memory is the WHOLE bar singing Sweet Caroline, which someone picked on the jukebox! I love this place and miss it! (Someone else posted about an upstairs....I had no idea....I am curious...)
I would say this is an okay happy hour, after work place. Don't expect anything else. It's not very big downstairs and the table space is limited, we hung out at the bar for about 30 minutes until one opened up. Plenty of variety on tap for a decent price.
I often come here for lunch or after work. Great selection of beers, tasty char-flavored burgers, and the friendly staff give the bar more of a neighborhood feel despite its River North location.
Go for great burgers and yummy waffle fries.
Enjoyed the Friday Happy Hour experience. Our server was awesome, and the drinks were decent (not weak, not steamrollers either). Overall, a run of the mill Irish bar, maybe a little nicer/neater tha you might expect, but standard for the neighborhood. I would come back...
I think everyone in Chicago has been to O'Callahan's because everytime I go there, whether its every year or every other year, I always see so many people I know there! Its a cool Irish bar with good ambience...
I love this bar! Its on Hubbard St but its not as snobby and ritsy as some of the other places, its just a chill irish pub. We were able to get a table here on a Saturday night which was awesome because we could watch the long line of people waiting to get in across the street. the drinks are pricey but our waitress was awesome at checking on us frequently
Small Irish Pub type bar on Hubbard-not too bad of a spot. If the other bars you might trying to go to are packed (Howl at the Moon) then you can always stop in here. Its a very cozy and fun atmosphere. They have a good assortment of beers on tap!
Food Specials
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
$4 x $4 Every Day
Neighborhood: Logan Square
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Pubs
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Near North Side
Category: Dive Bars
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