Merkle's Bar & Grill sits at 3516 North Clark Street, two blocks south of Wrigley Field, and it has built its name on a smart move: own a fan base instead of chasing all of them.
The bar bills itself as the Chicago home of the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Xavier Musketeers, and it opens two hours before every one of their games regardless of the posted hours. Per the venue's own listing, that game-day promise extends to Cubs first pitches as well. The pitch is belonging: walk in wearing the right colors and the room is already yours.
The room
The space is a classic Wrigleyville bar and grill, screens worked across the walls and a floor that fills shoulder to shoulder on the right Saturday. Harlow's bad-seat test reads fine here because the screen placement is dense enough that a Hawkeyes crowd packed three deep can still track the play. It runs loud and partisan on Iowa football Saturdays and Bengals Sundays. The trade-off is that on an off day for those teams the energy drops, since the room lives and dies by its allegiances.
What to order
Drink the beer and order off the American bar-and-grill menu, which is built for a long game-day sit rather than a tasting. The price level sits at $$, honest for Wrigleyville and in line with the neighborhood. The pre-game window, two hours before kickoff, is the value play before the room fills. Skip it if a quiet pint or a cocktail program is the goal, because Merkle's is a fan bar first.
The crowd and best time to go
The posted hours run Wednesday through Friday from 5pm, with Saturday opening at 11am and closing at 3am, and Sunday from 11am to 2am, though game days override all of it. The floor pulls a transplant crowd that treats the place as a clubhouse for its team. Arrive at least 90 minutes before an Iowa or Bengals kickoff to claim a seat with a clean screen line. A Cubs day game plus a marquee football window is the stretch to plan around, because the room turns over fast.
What regulars say
The repeated note across reviews is the fan-base atmosphere and the game-day opening promise, with the common gripe being the crush when two of its teams play the same day. Regulars advise checking which crowd owns the room before committing to a long afternoon. The team allegiance is the differentiator every review names.
Who it is for
Merkle's is for Iowa, Cincinnati, and Xavier transplants who want their people, for Cubs fans after a closer alternative to the corner bars, and for anyone who likes a room with a rooting interest. Skip it if the plan is a neutral sports bar or a cocktail list. This is a fan clubhouse, and it knows exactly whose clubhouse it is.
The verdict
Two things separate Merkle's from the Wrigleyville pack. The first is the allegiance, where claiming the Hawkeyes, Bengals, and Cubs gives the room a built-in crowd that shows up loud and on schedule. The second is the game-day opening promise, two hours before every one of those games, which most neighborhood bars will not commit to in writing. The trade-off is honest: pick the wrong day and it is a quieter grill trading on a reputation built elsewhere on the calendar. Come when one of its teams plays, wear the colors, and the place delivers exactly the partisan room it advertises.
For the rest of the city's options, see our guide to the best sports bars in Chicago and the editorial pillar on the top Chicago sports bars. Another Wrigleyville game-day pick is The Cubby Bear, while the wider scene is mapped in the Chicago bar guide.
Sources: Merkle's Bar & Grill official site (merkleschicago.com, 2026); Yelp reviews (n=187); Lakeview East Chamber of Commerce listing.
