Cancel

Open app

Search

Merkle's

3.5 (187 reviews)
Open 11:00 am - 3:00 AM (Next day)

Merkle's Photos

Business Info

MERKLE'S ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Juke Box
Loud
Casual
Good for groups

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Merkle's

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Jason K.

Probably my favorite dive bar style grill in Wrigleyville. The food is good and the drinks are even better. What I like the most about going there is the live music after Cubs games. The front door style windows open fully on a nice day and when you add a live artist playing acoustic guitar, it really brings out the vibe of the bar. The staff is super friendly and don't forget to bring some singles so you can hang them on the wall!

Where to go!
Trevor P.

If you haven't been to Merkles for the wings then shame on you. This place is awesome. Old-school Chicago bar great environment and anything you want to drink. Iowa Bar and feels like Dazed and confused! Holly Cows Band plays after the Cubs game. Come check it out. It's legit

The bouncer on 9/25
Nadia H.

I go to wrigley with friends but this the first time in my entire life have I ever been treated so disgustingly and it's honestly a huge wake up call to a part of the world no one should have to experience. I went here with a group of friends, 3 white people and 3 southeast Asian people. We got separated and me and my 2 friends stepped outside to try to call the others in the group and then go back inside. The bouncer last night refused to let us back and said they're closing (it was 1am and the bar closes at 3am). When I asked him to go get my friends since he wasn't letting us back in, he yelled "get the f*ck out of here, I f*cking said no". I have never been spoken to in my life like this. The craziest part is during these interactions, he let 3 other white girls inside and later a black couple tried to get in and he rejected them as well, saying they're closed. My 2 southeast Asian friends and I waited 25 min outside until my friends finally realized where we were and came out. We were all disgusted with this experience and can't believe this bouncer was hired and treating people like this. I really hope Merkles chooses to take a closer look at this bouncer (working on the night of 9/25/21) and realize how is affecting the image of this place and individuals that are impacted by his actions. Edit: I'm seeing past reviews and it looks like this place has a history of hiring racist bouncers. For the benefit of the doubt I was suggesting this was a one time case but it appears Merkles is continuously choosing to run their business like this. I'm sorry to all the people who have been affected by this blatant racism.

Disgustingly racist. I have no trouble coming in. Bouncer would not even look at my id. He told me and my other friends of color that we were not allowed in. After denying us, he laughed and proceeded to let in the group of white people behind us in. My friends and we're not going to be treated that way so we questioned him. His only response to it was "your attitude sucks get the fuck out of here". The manager said they had a one in one out rule, but let four people, white, in when nobody came out. Him and the establishment should find help in bettering their treatment to people of color. By previous reviews, doesn't seem like they give a shit enough to change. I won't stand for the racism & I hope this even just helps turn away one person from going to this place. Wish I could give a negative star.

See all

2 months ago

Laid back atmosphere, drank my first Old English beer there as my first visit to Chicago!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Business owner information

Photo of Russ B.

Russ B.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

23 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Great bar for Cubs Game! Emilee is the BEST bartender on the block! Chicken Tenders are fire!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 2
Love this 1
Oh no 1

3 years ago

merkles was amazing !!! my waiter Kenny was wonderful! he was great. very attentive and made great conversation.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Mike D.
51
73
155

5 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Great Xavier bar for BB games! Food is spot on. Highly recommend the grilled chicken salad!!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 2
Love this 1
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Service wad amazing! We loved Adam! Great night after the cubs! 11/10. Fast and asked us about drinks and our stay in chicago!

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 2

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Great place to grab a few drinks before the Cubs game. We did not get any food but loved the beer selection and the low key atmosphere.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Mark S.
44
312
688

10 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 1

9 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Gary R.
3
46
12

7 years ago

Excellent wings! Very friendly staff. Great place to watch Iowa and Chicago Bears football!

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

19 years ago

Helpful 8
Thanks 0
Love this 5
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

12 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0
Photo of Dee W.
187
1604
1301

19 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0
Photo of Mike K.
86
431
19

16 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 5

Ask the Community - Merkle's

Review Highlights - Merkle's

This is a great place for any Cubs game, Iowa Game, or if you want good pub food at any point.

Mentioned in 22 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Wilde Bar & Restaurant

Wilde Bar & Restaurant

3.9
(1.4k reviews)
0.8 mi
$$

The service was quick and friendly! Tons of seating, both moody and library-esque inside with a bar…read moreand outside that is dog-friendly. They also have a jar of dog treats and water available for pups! Overall, the food was tasty! Nothing particularly amazing, although my mom did say the toffee coffee pie was her favorite dessert she'd had in a long time (and she just came back from France/Belgium). I thought the apple pie was tasty and unique, with a thinner crust than typical pie.

Back for round 2 and Wilde was even better than I remembered! We visited near St. Patrick's Day, so…read morethings were even more festive and busy than usual. Every time I visit, the decor never ceases to impress. It's classy but unpretentious and you can tell folks are there to have a good time. We arrived at about 8:30pm on a Saturday and it was packed. Luckily, we were able to snag seats at a bar before a table opened up around 9pm. A note that they don't take reservations (but I kind of wish they did!), so this isn't the place to go if you're in a rush. They had a special seasonal menu going for the holiday, and we started with the reuben hush puppies. While they were more like croquettes, they were extra crispy, cheesy, and juicy with the most delicious thousand island dressing. I wish they would offer this year round! For mains, we ordered the corned beef and buddha bowl. I really liked the horseradish aioli that came with the beef- while the meat could've been more tender, it had a great flavor overall. The cabbage actually tasted pickled and the carrots sweet; non-traditional, but tasty! The buddha bowl had a very wide range of veggies and perfectly cooked rice. I could drink that spicy peanut sauce. I appreciated how large the portions were, which definitely softened the price as we left with plenty of leftovers. All in all, we had a great experience- if you haven't checked Wilde out, I highly recommend doing so!

Photos
Fireplace Seating-2023
Fireplace Seating-2023
Reuben hush puppies
Reuben hush puppies
Wilde Bar & Restaurant

See all

Bird's Nest

Bird's Nest

3.7
(553 reviews)
1.4 mi
$$

(Kari's Rating 8/10)…read more Came in on a Friday night about 8 o'clock, and I didn't realize there was a basketball game tonight, so the bar was really packed with IU fans. I heard off this place from an Instagram video from a food blogger. There wasn't initially seating when we first got in, but the bartender/hostess helped us make a makeshift table. We also didn't have a chair so she had to go find a chair and she found one so really appreciate her hustle. The wings came out pretty quickly, the honey barbecue wings were really sweet, and came with a substantial amount of sauce. The ranch was impeccable. It was not too thin and came with celery. The birds nest hot sauce was relatively hot for a medium. I was definitely feeling the spice after two or three. I think there was a little too much sauce on the wings for me, personally, but overall very good. The volume is really loud because everyone was there for the game, so we kinda had to yell over each other to have a conversation. We got our check pretty quickly and the servers were really attentive. I would definitely come back if I was in the area, but I probably wouldn't come all the way from River North for this again.

Wings Rating: 4.1/5. As of now, my favorite buffalo wings in…read moreChicago. Delicious. Ambiance Rating: 3.9/5. Proper sports bar with a great neighborhood feel. Service Rating: 0.5/5. Waitress forced us out of our table. We were eating wings during a weekday football game. We told the waitress we were planning on leaving at halftime of the game. We got our check with 3 min left in the half so we could leave immediately after the first half ended. Instead of letting us stay for 2 extra minutes, she forced us out of our table and told us we could watch the rest of the game standing up at the bar. Not the way to treat paying repeat customers.

Photos
Bird 's Nest . 2500 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL Pub Sport Bar Wings Burgers Pizza Salads Chili etc. Pool Darts JukeBox . Cool!
Bird 's Nest . 2500 N Southport Ave, Chicago, IL Pub Sport Bar Wings Burgers Pizza Salads Chili etc. Pool Darts JukeBox . Cool!
Bird's Nest
Bloody Mary

See all

Bloody Mary

Merkle's - bars - Updated July 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...