For a hotel bar the food is shockingly delicious. The yogurt parfait was excellent. They put a significant amount of smoked salmon on the avocado toast and more avocado than I've ever seen in avocado toast and I'm from the home of avocado toast. The service was excellent. The Mac and cheese is incredible as well with short rib and corn bread pieces inside. Fish and chips were flavorful not overly greasy and fries were excellent as well. I highly recomendable this place! read more

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I got the Kale and Brussel sprout salad. Very healthy flavorful salad. Was disappointed with the Guiness. You would think an Irish pub knew how to properly poor a good Guiness. read more

I looked up some places for my daughter and I to eat as we have varying needs. Saw decent reviews and thought it would be a good choice since I love me some Irish bars. The daughter got the fish sandwich with fries and that was decent. Overpriced but that's expected. Whatever you do, do NOT order the pan-seared salmon. It wasn't what I would define as seared and it had ZERO flavor. I ate what I could but salt and pepper can only do so much. Not long afterwards, I got sick to my stomach. I am now full of regret. read more

One star because zero isn't an option. In town for work and walked over for a bite to eat. Service was slow but the bartender was nice and accommodating. I asked about two dishes and was steered to the Fish & Chips (one of my choices). Food was simple and tasted okay. I had not eaten anything else that day I was hungry and cleared my plate. About 3hrs later I had mild indigestion and 2 more hours went by and it was full blown food poisoning. Nothing was undercooked but me at this point and the next day I was down for the count. I would've just let this go but today I spoke to a coworker who also went there for a late bite and she too was sick that evening. So two people who ate completely separately and different things in the menu both ended up with food poisoning. I think management needs to take a good hard look at the cleanliness of the restaurant and their staff. read more

Like many yelpers, I was skeptical of the "brash" advertising of an old-school Irish Pub co-located with a grand hotel. However, once seated and greeted with hospitality cider and Irish whiskey...my heart melted and gave way to the great things that are Kitty O'Shea! This Pub is a great place to unwind and enjoy some good food! The fish and chips, the ridiculously good bacon appetizer and everything else that arrived at the table was YUMMY!!! If you're looking for a place with hospitality, quality drinks, and solid food choices, look no farther thank this corner pub! read more

The food was not good. I had fish and chips and it was over cooked like it was in the dep fryer twice. That cod was like rubber. I had a guiness that tasted stale. The waitress was friendly and attentive. read more

The food - not bad. The booze - too expensive. The ambiance on St. Patrick's day - no, no, no, no, no, no, stay away! The ambiance on election night? Everything you could possibly want, as long as you are a Dem! Basic "Irish" pub food, much better than your standard hotel bar, you can typically grab a meal here without being too disappointed. Good selection of booze, very friendly staff, comfy seating if you can manage to get a booth. Normally, this would be a solid 3 star for me. That being said, what really makes me give this place 4 stars is the fact that I've been coming here to view election returns for 16 years or so - it's the "unofficial" drinking place of the Dem party. Yep, they all come here - if they've been elected or helped someone get elected, they are probably drinking here during post-returns, it makes for really great people watching. In fact, every time I've met the Mayor, it was in here - that alone is worth a star. Am I going to go out of my way to drink here? Nope, but if it is an election night, this is my 1st choice of Chicago bars to watch the returns come in and either celebrate or drink until I (temporarily) forget various Bush administrations. read more

I can think of about 20 Irish pubs off the top of my head that are better than Kitty's, but if you've got someone from out of town staying at a hotel off Michigan Ave it's not a bad option. The food is decent, they pour a good Guinness and there's usually some sort of live Irish music so your mom and dad will probably get a kick out of that. Mine always do. My biggest issue has always been the under staffing here. It's taken forever the couple times I've been before, but last night our poor waitress was incredibly swamped. We waited for a good half hour till our drink order was taken and almost that for it to arrive. Our girl was hustling so it definitely wasn't her fault, but another employee or two on the floor probably would have stepped up the overall star experience. read more

BEER: yes! BABES: eh, not really. IRISH MUSIC: yes! If only for a shot of Jameson Whiskey and a beer, along with the LIVE Irish music, go there. I will go there again, next time I'm in South Chicago. SERVICE: Very good. I had a cute guy waiting on me & who was very attentive. So, I tipped him well and he got me drunk. FOOD QUALITY: I had something Irish to eat and it was ok. I was mainly there for the booze and entertainment. ENTERTAINMENT: I'm not sure which nights they have the LIVE Irish singers; but, there were 2 old Irish guys who played traditional Irish songs, which I appreciated while drinking my whiskey and beer. RETURN?: Absolutely! RECOMMEND?: Yes! Don't deny yourself. Get the Jameson whiskey shots. :) read more

REVISED - A big group of us go here every year after the Shamrock Shuffle ( a race). This place gets packed right after the race but we're (about 15 of us) always served promptly. Now considering I've only been here after the race and I can only imagine how stressed the staff gets with large groups. I was there yesterday and our server Julia was prompt, had our orders all right, broke out 4 checks correctly, and even checked on us from time to time with limited room to move. Way to change my opinion on our favorite after race hangout. read more

For a hotel dining establishment, I was very pleasantly surprised by Kitty O'Shea's. We were a bigger group, in town for a conference (7, and expecting 2 more), and they were very accommodating. Our server was very friendly, answered the questions we had, and didn't bat an eye when we needed our alcoholic beverages on separate tabs. We started with the cheese plate (three cheese options with raspberry jam, and crostini), and the curry fries (with a cheese sauce, and a curry sauce), and an order of the Award Winning Mac and Cheese. This was so odd, it was compelling and good. We passed it around the table and all shared. It had cauliflower and golden raisins, was topped with a puff pastry and a miso butterscotch sauce. It is worth the try! I had the Shepard's Pie and it was excellent - highly recommended. Some of the folks in my party had the Fish and Chips and there were also pleased. In addition, Kitty O'Shea's has a nice selection of Irish Whiskeys. read more

uh! What do you mean they don't have nachos or wings or potato skins or any of my other favorite appetizers on the menu??? :-( We stopped here after the Y-ME walk for a drink and a snack. It wasn't too crowded inside, even though there were reportedly 33,000 people at the walk a few blocks away. My friend ordered a plate of potato wedges that came with a spicy cheese dip. Yum-mee. They opened the patio for us, even though they weren't fully staffed for it. It was nice to be able to sit in the sun drinking a beer. They have Smithwick's on tap, which made my parents happy. We hung out on the patio until the sun disappeared behind the building. read more

Maybe it's what I ordered I thought. Maybe I just don't like these kinds of fries I thought? Nope it's not me it's you Kitty O'shea's. Someone offered me their free appetizer because they didn't like it and that's when I realized that I just don't like you Ms. Kitty! The appetizer was cold and it was JUST brought out. My fish was a little over cooked and my "chips" weren't quite so chippy. However, this was right in our hotel so can I complain that much? Probably not but I will. I'm also willing to assume it had something to do with the fact that it was election night and everyone and their brother was out and that this is RIGHT across my Grant Park. And for that you get three stars and not two. On a good note the drinks were stiff, very stiff actually and who can complain about that? read more

Had my introduction to KO'S during my first Cubs Convention. Big space. Many nooks and crannies. Lots of Irish paraphernalia/pictures on the walls. I enjoyed a Smithwicks and the Fish & Chips. The F & C were a good version. The moment that I will remember was when Cub's pitcher Randy Wells (and wife?) coming into KO'S with no entourage. Mr. Wells headed straight for a physically challenged young Cub Fan and spent . 20+ minutes with the youngster and his family. Class Move read more

Desperately needs some TV 's come on this is a business travelers spot . Bar is broken up and doesn't have a fluid feel at all. Been here many times over the years too bad Hilton doesn't have what is current ( sports bar theme) Sad. Food is okay read more

Food not that great. I had the sirloin and potatoes. Sirloin was ok, potatoes were not good. For $28, no salad, no bread, just the steak and a small serving of potatoes. I'm still a little hungry after the meal. read more

5 stars for the dessert & the memory of the Arizona Cardinals BEATING the Vikings!!!! Go there and get ready to have some fun! read more

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Came in here for lunch on a Sunday because the first couple places we tried had long lines. Didn't really know anything about the place but it didn't have a line so we were sold. The lunch menu seemed pretty normal with your usual sandwiches, salads, burgers, etc. We also got to choose our seating so that was a plus. Our waitress was friendly, attentive & prompt & didn't seem to mind us sitting around & chatting for a bit after we'd paid the bill either. read more

Overpriced, bland food, flat Guiness, wait staff who affect the "I'm so BORED" look and refuse to make eye contact because, god forbid, you might want something (appetizers, a refill, maybe the bill after being ignored for 45 minutes despite the fact that there are only two other occupied tables and 5 waitstaff....) Go to Fado. Fabulous food, FABULOUS Guinness, WONDERFUL waitstaff. read more

Kitty O'Shea's is a Chicago Tradition For St Patrick's Day! If you start out there for St Pat's, you cannot go wrong. It is classy, with good food, and service. It is St Patrick's Day so you can't expect it NOT to be crowded. But unlike other places, you get served, and with a smile. They have live Irish Celtic Music, with Attitude! NOT Rock n Roll Music, advertised as Irish Music, like a lot of places around the City, and Suburbs. You can clap your hands, chime in singing, and stomp your feet, THE WAY YOU'RE SUPOSE TO! None of this shy, lackluster, boring behavior, like at other Pubs. They'll have Pipers, and Steppers, and clean bathrooms. It is really nice, not a bunch of drunks, puking and ruining everything, for everybody. I have gone to other places (like a fool), and been very disappointed. But I always return. There's a $10 Cover, and well worth it! Slainte! If you want a boring Americani celebration, go to Ballydoyle's in Downers Grove, and Irish Times in Brookfield, LOL read more

Staying at the Hilton for a conference and stopped in the first night for dinner with my colleague. Had an amazing, HUGE, Caesar salmon salad that hit the spot. I even took half back to my room for a snack later, and that never happens. The lettuce held up really well in the mini fridge. The bartender who waited on us was friendly and attentive without being overly intrusive. Will definitely stop back in for a drink during the remainder of my stay. Also has outside seating, which looked very inviting. read more

Irish bars like any ethnic establishments are easy to replicate, but hard to authenticate....This is a fancy way of saying: You can throw a bunch of Irish stuff on the walls, but that doesn't make it Irish...Any hotel bar will especially suffer accordingly Kitty O'Sheas seems to pull it off, however. The bar, a make or break item in any Irish pub, is good. The soda bread is good, and my not so Irish veggie burger was likewise...good. But like in life..It is the little things...The waittress with the accent and the guiys singing Irish tunes. At some point, you have to say, yeah this place is Irish enough read more

Nice little pub inside of the hotel. I think you can enter from the street but I was so blarney wasted I can't remember how I got out, let alone in. So they hosted a work event here, basically 100's of people in the construction industry gettin fershnickered. but they handled the volume very well, were patient and didn't seem frazzled. They even had an Irish dude working at the bar. I drunkenly ate off of strangers plates - Chicken wings - these were ok Pretzels - standard Good little place, worth a visit. They even had a bunch of dudes come thru with the bagpipes. Word. read more

Stopped in here for a break during the Blackhawks convention. The place was bustling. We ordered a few beers along with their pretzels and hot wings. Food was pretty good, beer was cold. Enough said. Service was good. Not a bad stop if you're in the area. Cheers to all read more

Every year I am here for a Christmas party. For such a large, lively crowd of mostly men, service is exceptional, the bar is flowing with great drinks and the food is very good! Great atmosphere! Directly across the street from Grant Park if afterwards you wanted to stroll outside. The owner made his way through the crowd and made sure everything was going well. Trays of mini corned beef or pulled pork sandwiches and several varieties of chicken wings were well prepared. Tasty and filling! I had no complaints and would venture into Kitty O'Shea's at some point outside of the Holiday season. Excellent Irish Pub! read more

Wandered over here on Friday night after a day at Lollapalooza and had a decent time. It's a hotel bar, so you'll be hanging out with tourists, but since all of them had a Lolla story, it was fun to share in them. The place is clean and decorated and they had a dude playing some traditional irish songs making for a pleasant atmosphere. The bartender was awesome, though I may be more than a little biased toward an Irish bartender. But the Guinness should come in a Guinness glass. This is the Hilton, after all! The waitstaff get uniforms, and so should the drinks! So yeah, I'll always choose Fado for a Guinness, but it's nice to mix it up every once in a while. And when you're in Grant Park, this place is super convenient. read more

Got the Atlantic cod sandwich and the Cesar salad to go (hotel guests only can preorder). The sandwich was good. Good sized fish that wasn't too battered and nicely fried. Good condiments on the sandwich that complement the fish and the bread was good and soft without falling apart. Could have used a spicy kick to it but not everyone likes spicy kicks... The side of fries were nice and thick and also well fried and not overly salad either. A+ The Ceasar salad came with crisp lettuce and freshly shaved parmesan cheese. It was nice that the salad did not come with dressing on it to keep it fresh however they forgot to add the dressing to the to go bag. Having taken the food to go to go I ate it without dressing. :( read more

Perfect place to meet someone you kinda know, but don't really know. You want to get to know them better, but if it turns out you're stood up or they're not your cup of tea, you can treat yourself to a meal smile and go home from anywhere in the Chicago area safely or onto another adventure. read more

This place is pretty much useless. To be fair, it is a hotel bar, and hotel bars have that bad stigma to begin with, but, for the area, I'd rather hit up Starbucks down the street. We were staying at the Hilton, which in and of itself was a horrid experience, and we were craving dessert late one night. We had very little options, without going all the way to State Street or the Mag Mile, and after walking to the closed Dairy Queen, we settled on Kitty O'Shea's. There was a convention that was at the hotel that weekend (the premise of our stay, actually) and this place was packed. Apparently the other bar that is housed in the hotel doesn't stay open very late, so everyone goes here. On top of all of the loud chortling coming from the attorneys, there was very loud, pretty bad music playing. I'm accustomed to Irish pubs; BF is by default an Irish citizen, and I wear a Claddagh ring. I have no beef with Irish things or Irish music... it actually makes me want to jig. But this music was just abysmal. Nevertheless, the quest for chocolate takes precedence over all, so we sat down and ordered. Well, sort of. We waited about 20 minutes for our very cranky waitress. She took our beer order, and ID'd us. I'm used to it; I know that we look ridiculously young, and I have that youthful glow. But this lady sat and looked at my ID for about 2 and a half minutes. Looking back from the picture to me about 4 times. WTH? I did not have complete reconstructive plastic surgery, and I look pretty much the same as I do in my driver's license. She finally gets the information that she's looking for from my license, and she disappears to return about 10 minutes later with our beer. For dessert, I ordered the Guinness chocolate cake (I LOVE stout cake), and BF ordered the bread pudding. Again, it took awhile for this to come, and when we got it, it looked okay. Who is going to hate on chocolate cake? Sadly, the cake was disappointing. I've baked and had stout cake before, and I know what it tastes like; the beer gives it a beer-y, hoppy, twang, and the chocolate is super intense. This cake didn't taste anything like a stout cake. And it had some bland chocolate mousse in it that was kind of a let down. There seemed to be something Bailey's flavored, but that was the most potent flavor. BF's bread pudding came straight out of the microwave. It was an okay texture for something that had low expectations, but the flavor was overwhelmingly orangey. I like an orange flavor to baked goods, but it shouldn't taste like it was doused in Sunny D. I did end up going here a second time, while BF was in the convention during the day. I just ordered a beer, and intended on reading my Nook outside. Apparently, although the place was dead, this irritated the waitress. I've had better... it's Chicago, there are tons of bars that would exceed this place! read more

In a bit of a bar wasteland (Michigan Ave across from Grant Park) this is a nice little spot tucked in between the Essex Hotel and the Hilton. I was just there on a quiet Saturday afternoon with some friends in town staying at the Hilton, and it was moderately busy, but is big enough that our group of 6 all were able to get bar stools and a table together. This is a decent place if you're in the area and want a quick drink or some pub food...I've eaten here before and its not really my fave type of food, but I think they do a good job for what it is (ate the same thing in Ireland a few years back and wasn't thrilled about it there either). read more

I was not really sure what to expect...it is afterall a hotel bar. I used to travel a lot and am not very fond of hotel bars. The sterotypes are true...married men and woman who get out of town for the first time in 5 years and they are on the prowl. They act like it's Mardi Gras and they haven't had a drink since that keg stand at the Delta Gamma bash. What? you don't believe me? it's true. Anyway, This place does everything to squash those stereotypes. Truly an authentic irish bar. There are some tourists there, but it seems to draw a pretty local crowd as well. Service with a smile, good craic (look it up if you aren't irish), and pretty good traditional irish music. Definitely recommend this place...enjoy read more

Kitty O'Shea's is just o.k. I've been here a couple of times to meet up buddies staying at the Hilton. Be prepared to receive expensive drinks in plastic cups and room temperature food on over sized plates. Yes, I received a margarita in a small plastic cup. The "grilled" salmon was extremely dry, room temperature and seemed like it was nuked in the microwave rather than grilled. I'd stick with an appetizer and a cheap beer for a safe dining experience. The positive: they have live music nightly and friendly service. I'd come back for a beer and some live music. Maybe. read more

I did not have a meal here. The place was busy and there were many people eating. So, you're on your own to discover if the food is good or not. I was here for the bar...no surprise, huh? This seems to be a place where hotel guests and area business people will gather for an afternoon adult bevergae. The service is great and the beer/alcohol selection is great. I was there when it wasn't too chilly and really enjoyed sitting on the patio watching all the people. Yes, the co-eds walking to and from the college certainly added to the watching enjoyment (that's what you do when you're a single guy). I would definitely come back here for drinks. I REALLY want to try their Shepard's Pie and other items on the menu. At that time, I'll adjust my star rating to reflect the enjoyment of all their offerings. read more

My hotel was overlooking Grant Park in downtown Chicago. I'd just walked the length of the park when I spotted this place. The smell drew me in the door to check out their menu. Before I made it to the menu I made up my mind. All it took was a look around at all the food on the tables. It all looked amazing, and smelled even better. I met my coworker and headed straight back there. We were short on time, only had an hour before we needed to catch a cab to the airport. We sat down right away, but the place was packed. Within seconds we were greeted, had Bloody Marys made well and laced with salt rim, olives, pepper and horseradish. It had plenty of kick. Based on her suggestions we chose the Shepherds Pie and the Chicken Pot Pie. Both were piping hot; the Pot Pie was covered with a light and flakey pastry and the shepherds pie was toped with evenly browned creamy mashed potatoes! It was unfortunately the flavor that didn't have a voice. I added a bunch of pepper and some salt to liven it up. i was tempted to ask for hot sauce, to give it something more than reduced sodium gravy. Ok, maybe it wasn't reduced sodium, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. The meal was a little spendy ($56) for what we ordered, but then again we had a few Bloody Marys. What? They were that good! I guess I might go back there, but mostly because the service was outstanding, the front door is a vintage as well as the decor. The view is great too! It's overlooking Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain. read more

Good service and food, but the fish and chips serving is kinda small for the cost. Two small pieces. Otherwise, woulda given 5 stars. read more

Kitty O'Sheas - Fish & chips. Portion too small. - Irish Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went to the Hilton for the Blackhawks convention this past weekend. Went into Kitty O'Shea's for lunch around 1PM on Saturday. All the table were full so my little (read under 21) sister and I found a bunch of empty stools at the bar. Grabbed two seats and were promptly told by the bartender that my sister wasn't allowed to sit at the bar. Seriously, you're going to enforce that under 21 can't sit at the bar at 1PM on a Saturday? You've got to be kidding me. At this point we should have left and gone elsewhere but a table was opening up and we were starving. It took nearly 15 minutes for the waitress (I believe her name was Stacy) to come over and take our order. She never apologized for the wait. Placed our order: onion ring appetizer, chicken sandwich, fish & chips, a Pepsi, and a Guinness. Drinks arrive. What kind of Irish pub doesn't serve its Guinness in a tulip glass? When I drink a Guinness I don't want it in a plastic Solo cup. After about 45 minutes the waitress comes over and tells us our food should be out shortly. Never asks if we want another drink. In the mean time, the table next to us that sat and order after us received their appetizer. They ordered the combo platter that included onion rings, chicken wings, etc. Waitress came over again and said our onion rings will be up soon. About ten minutes later the waitress brings us our meals. Still no onion rings. Sister seemed to like her chicken sandwich. Fish was tasty, but portion was very small. Fries were generic, frozen and from a bag ordered from Sysco. We finish eating without a followup from the waitress. Finally she comes over and asks if we want to cancel the onion ring order. Ya think? Waitress brings the bill and it is almost $40. Horribly overpriced. I feel bad stiffing servers so I left her about 10% but I could have easily justified leaving her nothing. I understand that there was a very large gathering of people with the Blackhawks Convention as well as a Pampered Chef convention so most of the blame can't fall on the waitress. The management needs to say, "Oh, there will 20,000 people at the hotel today. Maybe we should schedule a few more servers and cooks." There is no excuse for piss-poor management. However, the waitress could have been a lot better than she was. If I could offer 0 stars I would. Will never return. read more

Huge disappointment. I got the Shepard's Pie...terrible. After eating maybe 1/4 of it...I got rid of it and ordered a side of French Fries. Even these were terrible. There will be no further dining here! Only one thing to do here - drink! read more

Service was very friendly and very slow. There were only 2 servers which I assume is part the aftermath of the pandemic. The food was very good. Worth a return visit. read more

My wife and I hit for an early dinner about 5pm on a Wednesday night. We had just checked into the hotel and were hungry and didn't really want to walk anywhere. I had also heard some good things about Kitty O'Shea's, and wanted to at least give it a shot. The first shot I have is that their beer list absolutely sucks. You have the option of crappy overpriced macro domestic, or crappy overpriced macro import. Guinness, Killians, Kilkenny. Come on, if you are going to tout yourself as an authentic Irish pub, have some good beer! Anyway. We seated ourselves and were seen pretty quickly. I ordered the burger (as recommended by the server), and my wife ordered fish n' chips. The fish and chips came wrapped in "newspaper" (which was a pretty clever presentation, I didn't expect it), and the burger came piled about 10 inches high on the plate. Shoved through the top was a massive marinated olive and cherry pepper that made the thing so topheavy that it was about to fall over. Now, the whole thing with their signature burger is that it comers with a pretzel bun on top. That sounds great in theory, and it sort of works well in practice in that the taste makes sense and is decent. Where it falls through is when you try to pick up this massive burger, manage to squeeze it down enough to take a bite, and then realize that -- surprise -- pretzel bread is as dense and tough as lead when it's not absolutely fresh. I'm a big dude with a big mouth and I basically had to deconstruct this burger to eat it. Not what I wanted to do at all. On the upside, the hand cut fries were pretty decent, and the burger itself was cooked to perfection, and had great flavor. If the damn bun issue had been solved it would have been a great burger. The fish and chips were pretty good, and probably worth the cost. Service was okay, we were ignored when the bar started to fill up, but I can forgive that since there were two conferences in the hotel. The server also seemed basically pissed off about everyone being there as well, which I can't forgive so easily. When you work in a restaurant in the Chicago Hilton, conventions and conferences are a huge part of the job. Overall, an overpriced bar with sometimes-good food, and decent entertainment at night. I wouldn't hesitate to eat there again if I absolutely had to, but there are so many better choices within a few blocks distance. read more

I had a burger here and it was good. The bun was made out of a pretzel and it wasn't soggy or problematic like somebody else mentioned. It made the burger memorable but not necessarily great. The fries were okay. The Guinness was good after a long day but at $7 apiece they ought to be real pints served in real pint glasses. Instead, they are 14.9 oz. just like the cans you buy in a eight pack. The glass looks like a pint but it is a smaller version that holds less. The waiter/bartender guy was great and it's a nice enough place but I wasn't even feeling my twenty one dollars worth of Guinness. I'd go back... read more