It's a gold mine for watching awkward first dates. "Teaching you chess right now would be like trying to teach you something...I don't know...impossible," I heard as a guy shut down his date's ambitions to be the female Bobby Fischer. Aside from those situations, Guthries is a haven for fairly prices drinks and hours of fun with friends. It's a board game bar full of laughter and drunken competition. This spot is cozy like Mama's basement, if she happened to have superior taste in odd lamps and an affinity for decorating her ceiling tiles with baby heads and naked ladies. I felt right at home at our table lacquered with a map of Paris as my group pondered whether Ms. Peacock could've possibly committed murder in the courtyard with a candle stick. A couple beers later and we'd figure it out. The kitchen is limited but they kindly encourage you to order from surrounding restaurants to be delivered to the bar. They even have a can brimming with tattered take out menus to choose from. Pizza party and Clue anyone? Fried rice fiesta and UNO? You get my drift. Fun place, get your butt over here. read more

Guthries is awesome. I dont know why I dont go here more often. They have great beer selection, a nice beer garden. They claim to have 50+ board games (I played taboo for 2+ hours yesterday after the cubs game). The 2' by 4' ceiling tiles done up with art work in completely different styles and techniques is very interesting and can keep one occupied for some time. This would be a great place for a first date, because if the conversation is moving slow, you can just bust out pictionary or battleship. read more

Bartenders are a-holes. They made it seem like I was bothering them to pour me a beer from the tap. Why work in the service industry if you hate people!? I will never go back. read more

I love the idea of this bar. Board games, awesome beer selection, and cozy tables? Sweet. Sadly, the reality didn't live up to the hype. There were tons of games, but a lot of them were missing pieces and were un-playable. The beer was good - if you could get one. (I'm guessing the surly waitress mentioned below was on the job again.) And yeah, cozy neighborhood joint with douchey, entitled just-out-college kids? Not my idea of a fun night. Please pick up this bar and move it to a more chill neighborhood and you'll have a customer for life. read more

Made it to here before all of the hullabaloo, and bodily fluids that went flying. I decided to sit with my group of gals after a night of Chinese Friendship. We did not make it to the back of the bar to join the yelp crew involved in some trivia and apples games. We sat next to the bar to stay warm and toasty, and unraveled in a fierce game of scrabble. BEWARE you must check the letters in this game. We were missing the letter H and the letter V. Not to mention there were three blank tiles, instead of two. OK sis I'll give you the 50 extra points for your seven letter word containing all 3 of the blank tiles! Then Challenging words gives you nothing to lose since you own the lead. (We did not check the letters before playing). Apple cider was good. Blue moon on tap. Chocolate martini with Bailey's hit the spot. The hot chocolate I was told tasted watered down. Smoking ban not in effect here, yet. The entertainment was free I have never witnessed a bar brawl. But the beginning started off as a C-C-C-Cat Fight, and then ended with a person being thrown out and continued outside with the bartender being hit with a shoe. All kidding aside, bodily fluids may not be the best way to settle a dispute, but then again I only saw what happened by the bar and outside. I would never have visited had it not been for a yelper inviting me to the event. But if I do go back get ready for me to call out "Challenge!" read more

300+ reviews are great but they all say the same thing: It's a fun place, quiet, friendly place to go and have a drink or two and play some old school board games! First time I was here it was with others in a class I was taking. Since then I have been here a few times. It's a great place for a first or second date just to go have a drink and play some board games. read more

Yeah, this place is pretty cool. It really is my kind of bar. I LOVE board games and it looks like they've gotten more games since the last time I went here. I also like that they laminate the instructions. They even have RIsk!!! I will definitely come here and dominate a table for a couple of hours some time. I actually quite like the back porch area, it's more brightly lit than the indoor area which can be good for playing games. I really need to go here more often! read more

When you're in the mood, this place'll do you right. I recommend bringing your own crowd, cash, and a competitive spirit. If you don't need it for the games, then you'll certainly need it to pry a drink out the bartender. In his defense, it was rather busy, he was clearly in a sour mood, and still poured me a fine gimlet when I ordered one. So, the deal generally seems to be that your drink will be so strong, you won't need to bother him more than once an hour. Seriously. read more

Usually whenever I walk past Guthrie's it is crowded to the brim, making me very hesitant to come in. Not feeling in the mood for a crowded bar on Clark, I decided to head over to Guthrie's for a midnight game of Scrabble. When I got there there were a few people smoking outside, which made it look like the place was crowded again. Much to my surprise, I came in and found a table by the window that was unoccupied. The lamps were cool and the ceiling tiles had artwork all over them. I quickly walked around looking for games and found a shelf with probably over fifty sets of games and cards and snatched the Scrabble board. Other people in the bar were playing Connect Four, Jenga, cards.The Scrabble set was in reasonably good condition (considering it's probably run through a zillion games of drunken Scrabble). I stopped myself from counting and checking if there were a one hundred tiles in the bag since I would have had to play even if two or three were missing. Harp was on special for $3.75 and several other beers on special were listed on a chalkboard in the middle of the bar. The waitress must have come every five or ten minutes, which was somewhat annoying but I give her props for keeping on tops of things. A few friends joined later and played Battleship and unlike some other Wrigleyville spots I didn't feel like I was crowded into a corner and didn't get any beer spilled on me. The bathroom could use remodeling, but I suppose it matches the old school decor in the place. Overall cool place and laid back place to chill and play board games. read more

Would come here again! I do agree a little that the bar team can be a tad crass, but I work in the service industry too and it can be tough! Especially at a busy place where a lot of people don't know their limit. I have to say, we played Monopoly, Chess, Connect 4, and two rounds of Jenga, and had a great time on a cold January Day in Chicago! Even though there wasn't a whole lot of sense of urgency from the bar team, $6.00 for beers all night isn't a bad deal in Chicago, when you include the board games. Plus as a bonus, you are allowed to order Grubhub from anywhere and get it delivered to the tavern which was super awesome! Thank you for an enjoyable evening :) read more

I don't frequent this place a lot, but I should. This place is an institution, and its so funny that everyone has heard of it. They have almost every boardgame you might have grown up with, and the place is chill enough that you can actually play them. I just went today, and with a few friends, it was a perfect way to spend Sunday afternoon. What makes it great is that if you get hungry, which you are bound to do so if you are playing a intense game of Scrabble, you can order food from neighborhood places and have it delivered. We saw a menu from Art of Pizza, and right then, we knew we were getting stuffed pizza (which is probably the best stuffed pizza in Chicago, IMHO). I would stay away from the Hot Toddy though. It tasted like Lemon water. read more

Awesome neighborhood dive bar with a great beer list and prices. A fun place to just have a more relaxing evening with some board games. A perfect place for a first date without out any fuss read more

Tucked away, as if trying to disassociate itself from all of the surrounding sleazy sports bars, Guthrie's offers a relaxing, sportless alternative to the Wrigleyville scene. The back patio, the metal cans with local delivery menu options, the CIDER ON TAP (we always get excited about this), PIMM'S CUP (they do a fantastic pimm's cup in a fancy glass with cucumber) and lots of games, from pre-school to raunchy-raunchy, I love coming here mid week for an after work drink, after a cubs game to celebrate, with a slightly smaller percentage of bros around, or just to go out on a random Saturday and eavesdrop on a big group playing "Would you rather...". Guthrie's also offers lots of good opportunities to prove how awesome you are. For example, while ordering my 127th pint of cider, two guys playing trivial pursuit asked me if I knew where the trans-siberian railroad began and ended. The looks on their faces when I nonchalantly replied that it's in Vladivostok and Moscow basically made my night. As if that was even a hard one. read more

Our bitchy bartender pretty much ruined it for us (short brunette wearing a dress). Group opinion pretty much went from people not being sure if she was being rude to a consensus of "she's a rude bitch." First she came outside and went on some antagonistic spiel about how the bar was going to get busy later (cubs game) and she couldn't have us "taking over the bar." The bar was pretty much empty at this point and we told her that we'd "condense" if needed (we really weren't taking up much space). Second she came over and was like "just do you know, there isn't table service and you guys will have to come inside to buy drinks." Given that everyone was drinking a drink, I think we had all figured that out. Third, she told someone in our group who was at the bar buying his second drink that each of us needs to be drinking. We were drinking and most of us were on our second drink (8pm on a Monday night in an empty bar). She basically just put out a hostile vibe and gave us the impression that she didn't want us to be here. Considering that we were about half of the people in the bar and it wasn't like we were stealing space from other customers, you wouldn't have thought she'd want to antagonize us so much. Also worth mentioning is that we were sitting in the outdoor area on a muggy 90+ degree day while the air conditioned inside remained pretty empty. It's like...I get that you make your living on tips. That doesn't mean like you can look at your customers as tip jars with legs. Just because some girls put out after being bought dinner doesn't mean you could put a $20 bill in their hand, tell them to order a pizza, and get the same results. I'm sure she goes home and bitches about how people don't tip her very well and uses it as an excuse to hate the world. read more

OK, well I am about to join the huge slew of folks that think that Guthries rocks in every way except the staff. Great beer. Great room. Great games. Great. Great. Great. And in her defense, the cute, short-haired bartender was very nice. But... who are these bitches that they hire as servers?!?!?!? With the economy being rough right now and so many people looking for jobs, can't they find anyone to at least smile, bring a beer, make eye contact, not walk away in the middle of your order, OR say thank you? Just ONE of those things would have been an improvement. (I was there on 3/6/09 so check your schedules ladies, yep, I'm talking about you.) It was really sad because I was there with great people, playing a great game, and drinking great beers. It was a big bummer to have to deal with 2 complete bitches for waitresses. Let's just say, its been a LONG time since I've tipped under 25% and I really felt that I was being generous with 15% at Guthries. read more

Love Guthrie's up until last night. So I called ahead to plan a group party as they were annoyed from us bringing around 20 people at 5pm last year and we wanted to do the same this year. I called and was told they don't accept reservations and that it should be fine. I even told them the date and how many people would be coming, which was around 20. Lady on the phone didn't seem to care and said they don't accept reservations and we can just show up. So we get to the party date and arrived around 530, and boy was the bar tender pissed. She wouldn't stop complaining about how big our group was and that she did not want to make drinks that was not beer because they take too long to make and she doesn't make good tips on them. WTF???? She complained that our group was too big and should have informed them that we would be coming. Well we did!!! Then, she would complain about our group to the rest of the customers at the bar. I'm sorry, if you have drinks on the menu and all you want to serve is beer because it's easier, then don't have other drinks on the menu that is not beer. We also explained to the bar tender that we did call and tell them we were coming with a big party, but all she could do was scoff at what we said. I can't believe the audacity to complain about bringing people into a business and complaining about the tips, especially when the economy is bad and before she even received a tip from any of us and assumed we would tip bad. Come on! We even brought people who haven't even been there and would think they would appreciate the new business. I don't usually complain, but this was ridiculous. read more

Wahoo! Finally came here on a Monday night for some beer and board games. They really need to update their website, they had a lot of other great beers here that I was happy to see once I got inside. This place is so freakin cute, and it's just so nice and cozy. They have a good amount of board games, and duplicates of most. They have a great selection of IPAs and some crazy seasonal mixed drinks. With a bucket of menus of places around the corner, you can't go wrong with delivery, and most of the restaurants are very familiar with the joint. I will say this place is pretty hoppin--so nice to see! The board games--like you would assume have received some lovin, so some are little more worn than others, but they DO try to waterproof cards games/games with cards/toys, etc. read more

Comfortable Northside spot and a great place to grab a drink and play some board games. I love a neighborhood spot that makes going out simple, enjoyable and offers plenty. Stop in after or before a cubs game or drift in in any evening. read more

Love the seasonal drinks and the intimate vibe! I could spend all day there hanging out and playing board games.

I LOVE doing stuff while I'm at a bar...and by stuff, I mean, playing things, and by playing things I mean games of some sort. Guthrie's has you covered on the stuff, play things, and games of sorts. I believe I read somewhere that they have 50 board games. Awesome. A big group of my friends and I cozied up in the back room and played Cards Against Humanity for quite some time this past weekend. Great bar. Fun 'stuff' to do. Inexpensive drinks. They let you order in food. The only downside, the back room kinda smells and it gets cold in the winter months but neither of those will stop me from coming here. read more

I love this place EXCEPT for the service. The staff was really unfriendly. yuck. I loooooove the ceiling. Look up when you're there. They have TONS of games! We played jenga. so fun. The space is a little tight. I like this place. read more

How did I go three years in the city without visiting this bar?! Great place to chill with friends, order food from local grub hubs, and play a plethora of board games. Although some of the more popular games were snagged by the time we arrived, we found and got hooked on Balderdash for the evening. I just have to say that it's an awesome game, especially when you've been drinking. I particularly enjoyed all the groups playing Battleship near us, especially when we would hear the 'Bsssshhhh' sound a la Seinfeld. The only poor mark of the evening (and hence -1 star) was the waitress - she just sucked. Period. The girl needs a new occupation, me thinks. Cozy bar - probably the perfect place to go on a weeknight. Gets a bit crowded on the weekend, so if you decide to go, go early. read more

If drinking and board games are your thing then this is the place to check out. They have a GIANT wall of games that patrons can take and use while attempting to get drunk. The beers on tap are less generic than Budweiser and Miller, so, enjoy the microbrews while you're there. However, it might be best to order two drinks at a time, since it was very difficult to get a drink at the bar since the bartenders seemed to be in their own world. If you happen to go with a group, there's a giant backroom that can be reserved for such an occasion. Don't expect to find meatheads or dumb blonds here, most people come to play board games and have an actual conversation....not exactly the scene for the above mentioned people. read more

I usually volunteer to go to a tavern early and establish territory for my group so that we have a table and no hassle. This is especially necessary at Guthries because it's small and popular with nerds like me. The waitresses don't mind if a lone person camps out at a table for 4 as long as they keep ordering drinks and I am happy to oblige. Guthrie's has hit upon a rather interesting combo - booze and board games. It cuts the testosterone content of the bar in half. It makes Guthries a cute place to take a date or drink with mild-mannered friends. There is limited spillover from the frathouse bars on Addison and Clark, so Bros 'n' Hoes drama is rare. Nobody gets rowdy, nobody gets mean, everyone's laughing and drinking. The worst you see is an good-natured argument over someone cheating at Monopoly. Guthrie's game selection has swelled recently to include some of the more intellectual/adult strategy games along with the Milton Bradley rainbow of fun. Settlers, Quelf, and Apples to Apple have been spotted there. With cheap beer, drink specials and hot drink concoctions that made me purr, Guthries was a joy to occupy space at during winter. I can't wait to see how it plays out this summer. read more

This is one of the few outposts left in Chicago where you can still completely embarrass yourself and nobody will judge you out loud. That said, I would obviously never do that here. But I know some people who would. I like to watch. Everybody's got it covered. It's your childhood board games made adult with a lot of alcohol. The beer list is actually pretty impressive for this dive-y place in Southport - they've had good selection every time I've been there, regardless of season. I didn't grow up with half the board games they have here. Sometimes I feel like a martian, and other times pitiful that I was probably more able to learn this stuff when I was 6 than I am now as an adult. There is no food here. Your options are Taco Bell, tamale guy (he'll roll in with the cooler sometime around midnight), or asking some guy on the street if you can use his microwave. Plan accordingly. The funniest part about Guthrie's is that somehow, within all the crowdedness, people lose ALL of their self-consciousness here. Want to hear a bunch of girls start slinging shit at each other while playing Connect 4? Get into a huge tablewide argument about your Scrabble word not being a word? Only at Guthrie's can you get all that - plus a few beers, and the sheer joy of knowing other people have friends just as weird and offensive as yours. read more

It was nearly empty on a gloomier than usual Sept. day...which I loved. Chris was bartending and let me tell you, he makes the best damn spicy Bloody Mary I've had in the city. It was in fact he who increased my appreciation for the Bloody Mary on a previous visit. It was a drink I once thought hid in the shadows of its fancy accoutrements - a cocktail shrimp here, a skewer of cheese and salami there - most of which seemed to be used to disguise the fact that the actual drink itself was mediocre at best. Chris changed my mind. He throws in a fair amount of horseradish and tops 'er off with Guinness making his recipe a nice blend of spicy yet mellow and it's so good it requires little gussying up - just three olives and a lemon wedge. Another patron asked how my Bloody Mary was on this visit and I assured him he wouldn't be disappointed. Wouldn't you know, he said it was one of the best he's ever had as well. I just high fived myself at the memory. Gutherie's manages to do something that is nearly impossible in this city - it makes me long for winter. I can't wait to cozy up to a table and enjoy some board games and bloodys on a chilly Sunday Funday. read more

Guthries Tavern - Above the bar. - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

THE PERFECT FIRST DATE PLACE! I love this bar! "YOU SANK MY BATTLE SHIP!" "Connect Four" "Where?" "Right here diagonally!" "pretty Sneaky sis." read more

We headed to Guthrie's last night for a evening of board game fun; how can you not love a place that lets you indulge in the board games of your youth...though I did get quite a beat down on Candyland. Crowd was nice and i really liked that for a bar, it wasn't too smoky. I only wished that they had a larger selection of beer on draft. read more

I first visited Guthries this past November to celebrate my friend's birthday, after looking on Yelp for a nice bar with board games. I chose the place because of all the good points reviewers mentioned: - Accessible location near Wrigley that doesn't carry over obnoxious drunks - Large selection of games + good selection of drinks - The ability to get almost any kind of food delivered from their big tin of menus - Really chill atmosphere and good vibes We arrived around 8 to have a surprise party/game night and were really lucky to come to a completely empty back room, a nice additional space separated from the main area. One of the walls here is decked out with board games! It was great having our own private party room. No one visited/bothered us (no waiters at the time so we went to the bar to order drinks). We played all kinds of games, took pics, played music, had some beer and their special warm winter drinks, ate pizza and Mexican, and all in all had the best time. Everyone left expressing how much they liked the place and wanted to come back. Definitely makes a great hang out spot, so bring a date or your friends! read more

This is maybe my favorite place to go drink on any non-weekend night. If you're in the mood to just get together with friends for drinks and something really low-key, this is the place to go. The board games are all missing a piece or two, which adds to the appeal and leads to interesting piecemeal versions of the games that you play ("I guess we'll use a...dime instead of a playing piece. And let's use napkins for the score!"). You can't get any food here, but as others have mentioned, you can always order out from local places, and they even give you a bucket with the menus they have compiled. Good drink specials, too. Overall, one of the best places to go on those nights you are just catching up with friends. read more

I'm not the biggest fan of the neighborhood, but Guthrie's is by far the best place in the area. It's the perfect winter bar- cozy, kitschy... and with board games! Drink prices are pretty standard. It's great on a weeknight when it's not terribly crowded. I love the decor- my favorite touch the doll faces on the ceiling ;) Be sure to go around the holidays- aside from it giving off a simply cozy/warm ambiance, they offer a holiday drink menu, with some tasty whiskey, hot cocoa, and cider drinks. Crowd is usually pretty good- the bulk of the Wrigleyville crowd must stay around the corner at the myriad sports bars. All in all, a cute, good bar if you're in the neighborhood! read more

Awesome bar, very chill and without any of the fratty, obnoxious people Wrigleyville is known for. Even on a Saturday night around 11 o'clock there were open tables. It was noisy but not earsplitting, you can actually have a conversation with the person next to you without yelling. My gf and I had a drink each and an order of perfectly crispy mozzarella sticks, and the tab came out to be around $17 with tax and tip. They lose one star, however, for the utterly inattentive bartender who ignored us for 10 minutes even when all she was doing was sitting there. read more

I like board games...No, I love board games. That's the reason why I like Guthrie's so much. Guthrie's is a great place if you're looking to hang out with a group of friends and compete the night away in board games. Plus, you can order some excellent neighborhood pizza delivered straight to your table. read more

Do you hate the Wrigleyville scene? Do you laugh at the chickadees who run around in slushy winter weather with no jackets on because they would *totally* clash with the *super cute* outfits underneath? Then welcome, friend, to Guthrie's. Don't be alarmed that it's on Addison, just step inside and you'll realize that it's worlds away from the surrounding dreck. As soon as I walked in and heard Pearl Jam on the stereo - the Philly 2003 bootleg to be exact - I knew I was in for a fantastic evening. Five hours later, full of scrumptious Backwoods stout and Cozy Noodle (as others have reported, they allow restaurants to deliver), and three new board games added to my repertoire, I wholeheartedly decided that Guthrie's would be my new home away from home. Other reviewers have covered the bases pretty well, so all I can add is that I enjoyed it so much that I'm already planning on having my birthday bash there...in April. read more

Will not come back... the bartenders seem to forget we were paying customers and were downright rude! One of them literally yelled "I'm in hell" when the group next to me ordered their drinks! read more

There are two basic things required for survival: 1. Board games 2. Bars Add 1 and 2 together and you get Guthrie's (also the number 3). 85+ board games, a full bar, and plenty of room combine to make Guthrie's a perfect spot to gather with a group of friends for a casual evening. Add in their massive collection of take-out/delivery menus, and you have a truly can't miss spot. The rear seating is fantastic in summer/spring/fall (but honestly, what does that add up to in Chicago, 4 months?), as they open up the windows. On the flip side is the fact that those seasons have Cubs baseball, and once games are out, drunken Cubs fans wander in and what was once a quiet, empty place, turns into an overly crowded, noisy bar. Mixed drink prices are surprisingly reasonable, although you may have difficulty getting a hold of a server on busier nights (and they don't take too kindly to you just heading to the bar). read more

I love games. I love my friends. I love summer. Put these all together and you have a fun night at Guthries. They have a huge selection of games and a lot of good drinks. You can order food from other restaurants or bring it in which is nice. The back porch is good for a big group (this place tends to be packed) but it gets really hot back there. The staff was nice enough to open up the big windows...but on a really hot day, try inside for the AC. I cant wait to come back!!! read more

This is just the most fun place to go hang out. Prior to the smoking ban, this would've gotten less stars merely for the smoke effect, but now it really couldn't be better (unless they served food, but they do have menus from alot of places in the area on hand). They have a wide selection of beers (I'd go with the BBK) and every game you can think of! Not to mention the people watching that can take place after a bunch of drunk people decide it's a good idea to play Jenga. It's just a really good time. read more

This is a great bar for a first or second (or third) date - it's laid back and the games are definately a good way to keep the conversation flowing during those awkward first date moments. But then again, I'm not exactly into the club scene. Nice atmosphere - the painted ceiling tiles remind me of my high school art project. For juvenile giggles, check out the Jenga that different folks have written various obscene sayings on, from the lame (Lick your neighbor) to the hilarious and informational (sexual acts that I can't mention in a public forum). You'll find yourself laughing like you're in high school again. At least I did. They have no food other than peanuts, but they have a big binder that you can order food in and have it delivered right to your table. read more

Why can't this bar be in Andersonville? I've only been here once, but I love the board game bar idea. It was a very relaxed atmosphere with a good beer selection. The ceiling art is pretty cool, except for the doll head one, that was actually fairly creepy. Oh, and the clown. I hate clowns. read more