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    Emerald Loop

    3.5 (717 reviews)
    Open 11:30 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

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    EMERALD LOOP ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    John A.

    Stopped in for dinner. Service was ok, she was a vegetarian so she could really recommend things. So I decided to go with bangers and mash for the Irish spirit. For was ok. Nothing to write home about. It's more of pub food and drinking place. They was getting ready for st paddies day.

    Irish Sausage Roll
    Jill O.

    It just feels good the second you walk in. It's warm, cozy, and welcoming. It's a great place where you can grab a cider, watch the game, and actually relax. Our server was incredibly kind and enthusiastic, which made the whole visit even better. The sausage rolls are a must. And the curry dipping sauce they come with? I would (and have) put that on literally anything. The spice bag might be my new favorite thing. It's chicken pieces, fries, spices, peppers, onions, all shaken together. The chicken was juicy, the fries were crispy, and it I kept going back to it even after my entree showed up. I ordered the corned beef hash from the brunch menu and you can tell it's homemade. Even better with a little Irish mustard. My partner had the grilled cheese and it was way better than either of us expected. With the snow coming down outside, it all felt like peak comfort food. Don't miss this place. It's exactly the kind of pub you want in this weather.

    Happy Hour Menu
    Dominique C.

    I came to Emerald Loop for food and drinks before going to see a theater show. It is one of the few places in the loop that has a happy hour that goes to 7pm. Fun Irish themed bar with a big afterwork crowd. They have a pretty good happy hour with a lot of option that include food and drink. My friend got the mushroom flat bread which she said was good and it was big. My friend got the fried pickles which weren't great. There were a lot of them but they weren't well seasoned and they were too heavily breaded. I got the carne Asada steak salad which is good but I think its weird that it comes in a tortilla bowl but hey you have the option to make it into a burrito. Our waiter was good and made sure we were never waiting too long. I would recommend this place as one of the best happy hour/dinner spots in the loop.

    Fire Grilled Chicken Curry Bowl (less avocado because that is not my thing)
    Maggie T.

    We tried Emerald Loop because our Illinois family suggested it! It did not disappoint! Everything we ordered was delicious! The service was great and everything we ordered came out exactly as requested! The portion sizes are generous too. The atmosphere was cozy and fun! Definitely try Emerald Loop if you are in Chicago!

    Espresso martini
    Liv L.

    We tried emerald loop before a show at the Chicago theatre and made a reservation for dinner on a Saturday evening at 5pm. It wasn't too busy when we got there but did fill up later on as we ate. I got the espresso martini which was super smooth and delicious. I liked that it was on tap and made with nitro cold brew. My husband got a sample of the Irish cider but said it tasted like apple juice so he didn't get a full size. I ordered the sausage roll from the appetizers and when it came out didn't have the curry ranch which I was excited to try and it took a few times asking the server to finally get it. The roll was great and I liked it with onion jam. My husband got the bangers and mash and loved it. We did also hear the table next to us have issues with our server so it seems that the service can be hit or miss. Overall a really lovely place for some solid Irish food downtown.

    St Patty's Green Beer and a shot of Jameson
    Sabrina M.

    Love the food, drinks, and atmosphere. My go-to spot after work. Lively place and Connor is great.

    Blackened Atlantic Salmon
    Abigail P.

    This restaurant is open until 2:00 am. We were recommended by Paul at the Hoyt's. He gave us a flyer for a complimentary appetizer. Inside was packed, so we sat by the bar for faster service as we were hungry. This is an Irish pub- inside with decorated in green and the light were dimmed. We started off with our free appetizer- sweet chilli wings. These were so spicy but good! I had a Passion fruit margarita and the blackened Salmon.

    Irish Sausage Roll
    Nancy P.

    Stopped by during happy hour while walking around down town. We got a table outside and got a couple blue moons and a sausage roll. The sausage roll was amazing! It was just sausage on a puff pastry but they paired with real mustard, a jelly, and a sauce I was not familiar with. The jelly was hands down the best with the roll. I loved the other sauces but the jelly was so delicious with the sausage. Our server came by a few times to make sure we were doing good. I'd definitely come back and choose outdoor seating again.

    Heather B.

    Seated right away when we arrived. It was very festive, and they had some dancers. I didn't like that they go table to table to ask for donations though. That's a turnoff, but they didn't come to ours. The burger was good, so was the grilled cheese and tomato soup. The service does take a little longer than normal. Overall a good experience.

    Loop Chicken Wings (8 count)
    Teresa H.

    These wings are fire! I got the boneless with the sweet Asian chili wow! All my friends loved the sauce. We came here for some late bites and beers. Our waitress was great! We seemed to annoy the hostess. Wish they had more bar real estate! But they have lots of seats!

    Wisconsin Cheese Curds Irish Curry Chips
    Chtran97 ..

    Food and drink were pretty good (we loved the cheese curds!). The raspberry bubbles drink was also good. Unfortunately, our visit was largely marred by the poor service. We were more understanding when the place was busier during a bears game but once the majority of crowd left we were left nearly abandoned for the rest of our visit without cause. We had to stare at our server from afar for her to even come over to us. Probably wouldn't come again.

    Chicken wings
    Janet S.

    I felt lucky that I was able to get a dinner reservation for 9 people the Sunday of St. Patrick's weekend. We were seated in the back where it wasn't too noisy. Standard pub fare, I had a chopped salad which was fine. Hubby had some chicken wings. Service was timely for our large party.

    Fish and Chips
    Penny B.

    Emerald is a great place to go catch a game and have dinner at the same time. They have a pretty extensive menu so we didn't get to try a lot of dishes. The service was quick and staff is friendly. It's a typical sports bar vibe in the restaurant itself. I'd say it probably cleaner and more chic than normal sports bar however. Now the food. - Fish and Chips: Too expensive for what it was. The fish itself was a little too crunchy and fell apart too easily inside. - Chicken Curry Bowl: Decent bowl but the avocado was a little strange for a curry bowl. But overall, it was pleasant enough. - Buffalo Mac and Cheese: Huge portion! Typical buffalo chicks mac and cheese. It was good. - Fried Pickles: The ranch they serve the pickles with is so delicious! The pickles themselves were good but needed a little more crisp. - Pretzel: It was soft and warm and also huge! The cheese sauce is what you'd expect. The mustard was really good. One of the best I've tried I think. I would definitely go here again for the bucket deals and the location! I would also try some new dishes.

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    1 year ago

    Great place to grab a beer and a quick bite late at night. The Sheppard Pie was good and filling! Crowded but not terrible.

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    2 years ago

    Great food and reasonable prices. The restaurant's decor and service are also very good. A must go for late night food in downtown Chicago!

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    1 year ago

    Ireland in a bar. So well done and such great service. Emma was fantastic and took great care of us.

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    Page 2 of 18

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    Review Highlights - Emerald Loop

    We stopped in here before heading over to the Chicago Theater for the "High Fidelity' Cusack screening last May of 2018

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Lizzie McNeill's Irish Pub

    Lizzie McNeill's Irish Pub

    (345 reviews)

    $$

    Near North Side

    I love this place. Bummed that the outdoor seating isn't set up yet because it's such a beautiful…read moreday, but looking forward to it soon! Lizzie's is always a must stop for us whenever we're in town and I recommend it to everyone. When the weather gets there, it's right next to the centennial fountain too, so that's always a fun thing to see. Our servers are always fantastic and always do the perfect amount of checking in which very much is an art form! I think the best deal they have is their double dog basket. Two Chicago Dogs and fries are a perfect combo at a perfect price. Also, right now, it's the perfect time to be "sick" at work and come and watch all the games for March Madness on all their TVs!

    This is a fantastic pub right on the Chicago River - the staff is terrific and the food and drink…read moreofferings are top notch-- For a special flavor burst ask for an Irish Mist on the rocks! When the place busts out into a Polish song the bar becomes unhinged, making it the go to spot in Streeterville ! When watching sports at Lizzies, you're in for a treat as the pub provides its own referee, exclusive to Lizzies, who helps you understand close calls and the impact of getting them wrong on the outcome of a game- no other bar provides this kind of expertise anywhere in Chicago! there is also financial advise doled out free of charge , derivitives and clawbacks are among the specialties of the in house expert. All in all a great time , I could not recommend this cozy pub more strongly!

    Timothy O'Toole's Pub - Blacken chicken melt and Garlic Parmesan Fries

    Timothy O'Toole's Pub

    (1.4k reviews)

    $$

    River East, Near North Side

    Timothy O'Toole's is a tasty Irish pub and sports bar on a corner in Streeterville - Near North…read moreSide, Chicago. We stopped in on a Friday midafternoon (May 2026), and found a moderate crowd, good food, and good service. For starters, we had perfect calamari. Crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. It went well with the medium-spicy salsa they provided. This is already a win with any cold beer and any game on their many tvs! We would definitely it get again! We had their shepherd's pie: really flavorful Guinness Irish beef stew under a deliciously creamy layer of parmesan mashed potatoes, nicely crunchy on the outside with a lightly toasted top, and Irish soda bread. Delicious and satisfying! We loved the pastrami reuben sandwich, and we're not even big fans of sauerkraut in a sandwich. But in O'Toole's version, everything came together in a perfect union - the pastrami, the thousand-island dressing, the sauerkraut, and the griddled marble rye. We deliberately left off the Swiss cheese, and maybe that's the trick (for us) to balance the sauerkraut? Well, it worked nicely this way. We were still there towards the end of their weekday 3-6pm happy hour, so we got the $9 Chicago Handshake! A shot of Mälort & an OldStyle chaser! "Mälort-face" free of charge!

    First time ever here and the food was great! We decided to stop here cause it was the only thing…read morereally in walking distance with the kitchen still open once we finally were able to eat. We were greeted with a warm welcome at the door and the server was very friendly and checked on us often. The interior was loud - obviously it's a bar! But that's too be expected. However, we enjoyed the atmosphere and it was clean and had lots of seating options with several TVs and good music. We tried the pretzel trio and we inhaled it so fast!! The pretzels bites were more like light bread sticks than dense pretzel dough and I really loved that. They were lightly toasted and just the right amount of salt. I loved ALL the dips. The beer cheese was tangy and the honey mustard had just the right bit of sweet and sharp and the brown mustard was perfectly chunky and funky hahaha I absolutely loved the house made chips that came with my birria grilled cheese and the consomme was so yummy I could have drank it straight. The meat was flavorful and well cooked. It paired really well with the sourdough. Would definitely come back!

    O'Callaghan's - Waffle chili cheese fries

    O'Callaghan's

    (314 reviews)

    $$

    Near North Side

    Sat at the bar because it was Friday night and the tables were all taken. I liked the variety of…read moremusic, the ambience, the atmosphere....and the burger and fries! That burger----was SOOOO GOOD (Char Burger) and the waffle fries were kind of crispy- good! They had an NBA game playing on the tvs. Service from both bartenders was great- Our main server had great attention to detail. (realized they forgot the mustard without me saying anything) All in all- great! (Skip the fish and chips- get the char burger!)

    I came in with three friends and we grabbed a high-top table. We ordered a few rounds and…read moreeverything was going fine. Toward the end of the night, two of my friends left, and the remaining two of us paid our bill and were finishing our drinks while waiting for our Uber. At that point, the bartender came over and told us she needed our table for a large group. The table wasn't reserved, and we were clearly just finishing up. We told her we were about to leave anyway, but the way it was handled felt really abrupt and rude. What made it worse was that she immediately brought a group over to take our table, and even they were apologizing to us because they seemed uncomfortable with how it was handled. I've worked in bars and restaurants myself, so I completely understand needing to manage space, but there's a way to do it respectfully, and this wasn't it. Unfortunately, this experience left a bad impression, and despite having been here multiple times before, I won't be returning.

    The Gage - Apple Pie Basque Cheesecake ($14) - creamy cheesecake, spiced apples, butter streusel. Too sweet in my opinion.

    The Gage

    (3.7k reviews)

    $$

    The Loop

    The Gage has been a staple on Michigan Ave since 2007 and there's good reason for that. Consistency…read moreis the key to success in this part of town. The clientele is a balance of tourists visiting Millennium Park, businessmen grabbing lunch or taking a client out to dinner and/or weekenders hanging downtown looking for a nice meal out in a contemporary setting. Folks visiting The Gage will not settle for okay food and average service. And they're willing to pay for quality because it's either an "occasion" or the tab is being picked up with a company card. We visited on a Saturday morning for brunch, and everything about the visit was on point. The service was friendly and prompt. She knew the menu and made fantastic recommendations. The space itself is clean and inviting - nice enough for a business dinner, but casual enough for jeans and a hoodie. The food and drinks were all delicious, and the price point was exactly where it should be for a sit-down, table service restaurant in the heart of the city. It gets crowded here, so reservations are a good idea. Usually there's a reason if a restaurant has been around for a while and you constantly need to make a reservation. The Gage checks all the boxes.

    I know this restaurant is often full of tourists, but hear me out. It's really decent food and the…read moreprices could be higher. I've been coming here after visiting the art institute or before the symphony for the last 14 yrs. I've had brunch, lunch, and dinner and I've never had a meal to complain about. My kids love the fish n chips and I love the curry poutine. After not finding a single poutine I liked in Quebec, I just figured I disliked poutine. Turns out, the only one I like is at the Gage. The last time I was here, my daughter asked for her egg on the side of her avocado toast. It mistakenly arrived on the toast. She said it was fine and didn't want to make a fuss, but our waiter still offered free dessert for the mixup. Great service. Great fried pickles. Nice ambiance. And price points I don't complain too loudly about. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not outrageous

    Miller's Pub - World Famous Baby Back Ribs

    Miller's Pub

    (1.6k reviews)

    $$

    The Loop

    Had a great time at millers pub! Chris at the bar was friendly and personable and welcomed me in…read morelike he knew me. Great lively atmosphere and plenty of draft selections to choose from. French dip sammy hit all the right feels and was tasty. I wish the horseradish sauce had a bit more horseradish to give it more zip but it was a great sandwich all around. You will not be disappointed. Bustling late night crowd on a Friday and food flowed til midnight and drinks til 2am.

    Atmosphere is extremely important to me, especially when I'm looking for a place to unwind after an…read moreevent. After leaving the symphony, we wanted somewhere nearby to grab a meal and have a good conversation, so we ended up at Miller's Pub at 134 S. Wabash. My colleague had made a reservation, but honestly, it didn't seem necessary, you can easily walk in. Miller's Pub is a longtime Chicago staple, and we were seated quickly. The space is much larger than it appears, with a classic Irish pub feel and an antique charm that gives it a lot of character. Our server was enthusiastic, attentive, and very accommodating throughout the night, which we appreciated. Food-wise, we ordered a variety of dishes. I kept it simple with a salad topped with carrots and chicken, it was just okay, nothing particularly memorable. One of my colleagues ordered a chicken sandwich, and another got what might have been the most massive fish tender I've ever seen. If I ate fish, I definitely would've tried it, and she said it was really good. Unfortunately, what really impacted our experience was the atmosphere. There was a choir conference happening nearby, and a large group of attendees came into the pub and started singing, loudly and continuously, throughout the evening. While it was entertaining for the first couple of songs, it quickly became overwhelming and disruptive. It didn't seem like other patrons were enjoying it either, there was little to no engagement or applause, and I found myself wishing the staff had stepped in to tone things down a bit. I understand that a bar environment can bring in all kinds of energy, but this went on far too long and really took away from the experience we were hoping to have. Based on the food alone, I'd give Miller's Pub 3 out of 5 stars. But factoring in the overall experience, it's closer to a 2.5 out of 5 for me.

    Emerald Loop - irish_pubs - Updated May 2026

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