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River Shannon

4.1 (191 reviews)
ModerateIrish Pub
Open 12:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)
Updated 2 months ago

River Shannon Photos

Business Info

RIVER SHANNON ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Divey
Casual
Juke Box
Moderate noise

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Lindsay K.

I was visiting family and wanted to find somewhere to go that I could take the pup with me -- and I didn't want to be forced to sit outside (you're only about 1/3 dog-friendly if you only allow dogs outside... cuz Chicago sit-outside season is about 1/3 of the year). Anyway, this came up in a search and was in the old neighborhood, so it seemed like it'd be a fun place to try. Turns out this is where my mother used to hang out in her 20s - love that the neighborhood bar is still going strong. And especially love that they let dogs come inside. We visited on a weekday afternoon when it wasn't super busy, so it was fun getting to talk to the bartender and discuss the neighborhood. Will definitely go back.

Yours truly enjoying a Lagunitas

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4 months ago

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2 years ago

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8 months ago

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7 months ago

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2 years ago

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1 year ago

Ya know this place is cool and all great service. Did you know they have hot dogs?! The best Chicago dog dog is at river Shannon's

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

Great bar, I love the drinks! I also enjoy petting the dogs at the bar, it's a great time!

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1 year ago

Great service and atmosphere! Darts and Touchtunes were great as well. Classic neighborhood bar for weekend get togethers.

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Awesome atmosphere, great employees! We had so much fun, definitely recommend this bar if you are in the area!

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

Total dive bar in the neighborhood. It's in a good area, but it's the definition of unspectacular. Beer selection is crap.

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8 years ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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5 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Traveled here from PA just for the Day to pick up new puppy. Great service , great atmosphere only wish they served a selection of food.

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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9 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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Review Highlights - River Shannon

It's a little small but its more of a neighborhood bar than the nearby Sedgwicks or Stanleys, much better crowd.

Mentioned in 20 reviews

Read more highlights

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After a Saturday morning run by the lake, my SO and I stopped here for lunch…read more The first impression was great--clean and spacious, with a large bar and plenty of TVs showing college football. We were greeted right away and seated quickly. I ordered the chicken and broccoli sandwich with feta, provolone, and aioli on a fresh bun, plus fries. The chicken had a nice crisp without being dry, the broccoli added a fresh crunch, and the toppings tied everything together. The fries were also excellent--crispy and well-seasoned. My SO had the chicken avocado club, which our waitress Mariah recommended on garlic bread instead of the standard option. That swap was spot-on. Speaking of Mariah--she was fantastic. Friendly, attentive, and made us feel well taken care of the whole meal. The only downside was the appetizer pricing. Most options I saw hovered around $20, which felt steep. Our sandwiches, in the mid-$20s, were fairly priced given the quality, but I probably would've tried an app if the menu had more budget-friendly choices. Overall: a great spot for watching sports or enjoying a solid meal. With slightly more approachable appetizer prices, this would have been an easy 5-star experience.

This is a great place to come to watch sports games as they have so many TVs inside. They also have…read moreespn+ for those wondering. Our server made great recommendations. The mozzarella logs didn't have much a difference from normal mozzarella sticks but great cheese pull. The Cap'n Crunch calamari really surprised me. It's not overwhelmingly sweet or anything, but has a great crunch and flavor. I ordered extra pickles on my buffalo chicken sandwich and oh boy did they do me right! They added such a perfect amount asa pickle lover. Lastly, the margherita pizza was the only underwhelming bit. It was fine, but I wouldn't recommend it when there's other great options.

Lone Wolf - Espresso martini

Lone Wolf

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A really large bar that is made for a pre-table ready drink…read more - surrounded by so many it-girl returns Tobi's the perfect place to come in and grab a beer, cocktail, or glass of wine before your table is ready - the place is huge with tables and booths all around the outside and a large circular bar. even though the bar was crowded, the bartenders worked fast and we had drinks in a blink of an eye - I got the "thyme" drink and it was interesting. sweeter than I expected but had the unique herbal flavor promised. it was about 50% ice which was not great for a $16 price tag in chicago - the beers are a good deal though and they have a solid selection. with the Olympics on, it's a great place for a few beers.

I was waiting for my name to be called back to Au Cheval, so I found Lone Wolf next door and…read moredecided to stop by for a drink. Clearly a popular local spot even on a weekday. I was surprised by how busy it was for a Monday night at 7pm. Super chill bouncer at the door checking ID. I situated myself at the corner of the bar and was served the cocktail menu right away. I got a Mountain Mama cocktail, which was a citrusy gin cocktail. Fruity, refreshing, and not too sweet thanks to the bitters. The cocktail was so tasty that I came back for a night cap after I had dinner. For my 2nd round I got the Do Not Carrot All. Loved the smokiness of the mezcal and balance of flavors. Shoutout to the bouncer for remembering who I was and welcomed me back.

Miller's Pub - World Famous Baby Back Ribs

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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.

O'Callaghan's - Waffle chili cheese fries

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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.

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

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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!

River Shannon - irish_pubs - Updated May 2026

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