Wrigleyville's Best Bars - Bleacher Nation

What would a trip to Wrigleyville be without a place to drink with your friends? Thanks to input from dozens of big time Chicago Cubs fans all over the ‘net – including the incomparable Sons of Ivy – we’ve put together a list of the best bars around Wrigley Field. You can have a drink before the game and head over to Wrigley, and come on back for a good time after – or maybe just stay and watch the game! It’s all part of the Wrigleyville Experience.

Use This Interactive Map for Information on and Reviews of some of Wrigleyville’s best bars. Just Click on the mugs.

Note: This map is provide as a helpful Cubs resource. Bleacher Nation is not affiliated with any of the bars or the Chicago Cubs.

Harry Caray’s Tavern

3551 N. Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
Tel: 773-327-7800

I don’t know about you, but I still miss Harry. It’s nice to know that at the Tavern that bears his name, we can still feel connected to him. Harry sure loved his beer, and at Harry Caray’s Tavern, you can too.

A self-described “perfect blend of a lively sports bar and classic tavern,” Harry Caray’s Tavern is something of a destination type bar. Some people like the smaller, hole in the wall places; some people like a classy, upscale place. But regardless of your preference, there are some places you just have to go. Harry’s is such a place.

So tip one back for Harry. But don’t do the whole pour one out. It’s a nice thought, but the floor gets sticky. And they frown on that.

(UPDATE: Sadly, this location of Harry Caray’s Tavern is closed. But you can still check it out at the Navy Pier.)

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

Casey Moran’s

3660 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-755-4444

Casey Moran’s – namesake of “get a brain, morans”? I doubt it – brings you high-definition on thirty(!) 52″ plasma-screen TVs. As they say, there’s not a bad seat in the house to watch your favorite teams.

Casey Moran’s has five fully-stocked bars, a garden cafe with retractable roof, an upper level VIP lounge and new rooftop garden. It’s a slightly upscale Irish pub experience.

Oh, and it’s across from the players’ parking lot, to boot. So get ripped, and then stalk, er, I mean say hello to your favorite Cubs.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

The Cubby Bear

1059 W. Addison St.
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-327-1662

Located right across the street from Wrigley Field, the Cubby Bear Wrigleyville is one of the best places for Cubs post-game parties.

Local Cubs fans like the proximity to Wrigley, and the “open” feeling of the place.

The Cubby Bear has over 30,000 square feet of space, live music, great food, and private rooms overlooking the Wrigley Field Marquee. They’ve even got five projection screen TVs and over 75 plasma TVs throughout the bar. Yo.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

The Irish Oak

3511 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
Tel: 773-935-6669

The Irish Oak is a family-owned slice of Dublin in the heart of Wrigleyville – it’s been called as authentic an Irish pub as you’d find anywhere. It features delicious Irish food (well, I mean, if you’re into Irish food) and naturally, plenty of Guinness.

The Irish Oak not only offers all the classic Irish food and drink you can stand, but also hires Irish waitstaff. In fact, everything found inside or outside the bar was imported straight from Ireland.

Though you’ll feel like you’ve been whisked away to Ireland (yeah, that was cheesy), you won’t miss any of the local sports. Just look up on the six FOOT by five FOOT gigundo TV, and you’re sure to catch all the action you want.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

Guthrie’s Tavern

1300 W. Addison St.
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-477-2900

Guthrie’s Tavern is a welcoming, laid-back place to meet people for a microbrew or a Sierra Nevada. It’s even been called the place to be for “dating for nerds,” and trust me, that’s a good thing. Guthrie’s just has a different kind of “homey” feel. There isn’t even a jukebox – the bartenders pick CDs to play.

And that isn’t all that makes Guthrie’s different. There’s a bookcase full of … wait for it … BOARD GAMES! Getting drunk and playing board games with your friends is surpassed only by one activity: getting drunk and playing board games in a bar.

There isn’t any Cubs decor around the bar, so you’ll have to get your fill of that at Wrigley Field, which is just a couple blocks east.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

Murphy’s Bleachers

3655 N. Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-281-5356

Murphy’s Bleachers is a top notch Chicago sports bar. Naturally, it’s located right across the street from the entrance to the Wrigley Field bleacher section, at the corner of Sheffield and Waveland Avenues. Murphy’s boasts that it is nationally known as the place to hang out before, after and during Chicago baseball games for fans, players and – wait for it – celebrities.

Murphy’s is also located beneath one heck of a great place to catch a Chicago Cubs game – the Murphy’s Rooftop.

The bar is loaded with cool Cubs memorabilia, huge TVs, and, of course, booze. If you make it down to the basement, and are into that kind of thing, check out the sweet beer pong table. It gets packed for pre-game, but the beautiful ladies selling you the drinks will make you forget about that ‘rill quick. That, and the fact that it feels like a college football tailgate, right there at Wrigley.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

Sluggers

3540 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
Tel: 773-248-0055

Sluggers (full name: Sluggers World Class Sports Bar and Grill) fancies itself the Wrigleyville area place to go for much more than just a drink. And they’re right. They have 12 foot big screens, Plasma screens all over, and over 30 TV’s to see your favorite sports teams in action. They also do the dueling pianos thing, and that’s pretty cool.

Upstairs is where Sluggers really separates itself. They’ve got a full indoor sports complex with batting cages, trampoline basketball, electronic football, basketball, ski simulator, golf, skee ball, virtual driving games, air hockey and more. And nothing says great time like getting drunk at the bar, and then jumping on a trampoline.

And even if all that isn’t for you, Sluggers is great simply because it is huge. That means there’s almost always a place to sit and enjoy a cold one before or after – or during – the Cubs game. It’s a “sports bar on steroids.”

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

Gingerman Tavern

3740 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60613
Tel: 773-549-2050

The Gingerman Tavern is not a sports bar, Cubs hangout or anything like that. The one TV in the front room isn’t even going to have sports on it.

But that doesn’t mean the Gingerman isn’t awesome. It’s got a local hangout feel, some pool to shoot, and a heck of a beer selection. The smooth jazz or blues music enhances the laid-back atmosphere. I’m told that if you’re luck, you might catch some hot alt chicks, if you know what I mean.

It’s somewhere a little different to hang out in Wrigleyville and have some awesome microbrews.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

John Barleycorn

3454 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
Tel: 773-549-6000

John Barleycorn’s is technically a pub – but it’s enormous. Not so enormous that it doesn’t sometimes get a bit crowded, but that’s a good thing: it means it’s popular. And popular = good, right?

Barleycorn’s attracts a twentysomething, good-looking, yuppyish crowd, and is trendy in a good way. The hottie ratio is also one of the highest in Wrigleyville. Take advantage, boys. Because odds are, compared to them, you’re ugly.

The upscale atmosphere is set against a huge bar, and a gigantic (sensing a theme?) upstairs dance floor. Even if you aren’t into the whole dancing thing, it’s great people watching. Or, look out the big window at the view of Clark Street and, of course, Wrigley Field.

Quotes and pictures from the official bar site.

The Full Schilling Irish Sports Pub

3724 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
Tel: 773-248-3330

The name pretty much says what the Full Schilling is all about. Irish pub. Sports. Booze. Full.

Fox TV voted the Full Schilling the best place to hang out before a Cubs game, and it’s easy to see why. Awesome bar area, awesome Cubs fans, and a great sports feel. And I didn’t even mention the huge party pitchers and FREE – yes, free – hot dogs. Dude. That’s awesome.