The Best Bars for St. Patrick's Day in Chicago

Beverly is Chicago's most Irish neighbourhood and Kenna's is its anchor pub — a low-key, no-frills operation that has been serving the community since before most of its current regulars were born. On St. Patrick's Day, Beverly runs its own parade, and Kenna's becomes the natural gathering point before, during, and after. The Guinness is poured correctly, the prices are honest, and the crowd is entirely locals who treat March 17th as a community event rather than a party.

Order: Pint of Guinness — the most correct choice in this setting, served at the right temperature

Keegan's sits in the Northwest Side's Portage Park neighbourhood and draws a deeply loyal local crowd that treats the bar as an extension of their living rooms. The St. Patrick's Day programme involves live trad music from noon, Irish food served throughout the day, and a distinctly non-commercial atmosphere that makes the occasion feel like what it should be — a community celebration. The whiskey selection is small but carefully chosen.

Order: Guinness and a Tullamore D.E.W. neat — the combination works particularly well in this setting

Named after the Chicago police chief who documented Irish folk music in the early 20th century, Chief O'Neill's takes the cultural side of its Irish identity seriously. The trad music programme runs year-round, and on St. Patrick's Day the sessions start early and go late with rotating musicians from the city's Irish music community. The food is genuine — colcannon, boxty, soda bread — and the whiskey selection runs to 80-plus Irish labels.

Order: Green Spot Single Pot Still on the rocks — one of the best arguments for Irish whiskey available in Chicago

Timothy O'Toole's occupies multiple levels in Streeterville and has developed efficient systems for handling the St. Patrick's Day crowd without collapsing under the weight of it. The Guinness pours are consistent across all floors, the whiskey bar section on the upper level is genuinely well-stocked, and the staff manage to stay competent throughout a day that would overwhelm most operations. Reserve a table on the upper level if you want to avoid the main crush.

Order: Jameson Black Barrel old fashioned — consistently made correctly here despite the volume of service

Fado's interior was built in Ireland and shipped to Chicago in pieces — the bar fittings, the wood panelling, and the glass all arrived from different counties and were assembled over several weeks. The result is a room that feels genuine rather than constructed, and on St. Patrick's Day it becomes the most central option for a quality pint in River North. The live music programme runs from mid-morning and the kitchen serves Irish food throughout.

Order: Pint of Guinness in the back room — quieter than the front bar and served from the same tap

The Gage sits directly across from Millennium Park and on St. Patrick's Day offers a more considered alternative to the Irish pub crowd nearby. The beer programme is serious — they pour Guinness and several Irish craft beers alongside a long list of Chicago independents — and the whiskey selection runs to 200-plus bottles. It fills up quickly on March 17th, but the room is large enough that it never becomes unworkable.

Order: Any of the Irish whiskey single pot stills — they stock Green Spot, Yellow Spot, and Red Spot alongside the standard programme

Delilah's has been one of Chicago's great divey whisky bars since 1994, with a collection of over 700 bottles and a clientele that cares more about what's in the glass than who else is in the room. St. Patrick's Day here involves a curated Irish whiskey feature list, live music from the afternoon, and exactly zero green beer. The prices remain as honest as they've always been, and the bar remains the best argument in the city for why dive bars matter.

Order: Whatever single cask Irish whiskey they're featuring — they rotate through interesting bottlings and March 17th usually brings something exceptional

The Globe Pub leans British-Irish in character and on St. Patrick's Day tilts fully green — the Guinness is poured correctly, the food comes from an Irish-influenced menu, and the crowd is neighbourhood residents who want a genuine pub rather than a themed event. It is the right size for the occasion: large enough to absorb a St. Patrick's Day crowd without becoming unmanageable, small enough to feel like somewhere you've actually chosen to be.

Order: Guinness followed by a Paddy's Irish Whiskey — correct for the day and underrated as a spirit