I work at Wrigley. Â NO!! Â I don't have a mullet. Â Bernie's is the place to go to before and after the cubs game. Â It is a great place to people watch. Â Standard drinks. Really, Really good food. Â If poss, sit outside. Â I have been to a few drinks places in and around Wrigley. Bernie's is a great place.
Review Source:I've been a Bernie's regular for a while now, so it's a damn shame I haven't written a review.
The staff always seems happy to see you and ready to make you happy whether it's a busy game day or a Tuesday evening in winter. On top of that, it's a nice change from the juvenile shenanigans that take place south of Addison.
Good beer, good food, and good service is a mantra for just about any establishment, but a tight neighborhood connection sets Bernie's ahead of the rest, while still being inviting to tourists. Cubs' opposing fans need not be afraid.
For whatever reason I never pre-game at bars north of Addison. Ended up hitting up Bernie's before a recent Cubs/Cardinals game and it wasn't bad. Clientele was not overly fratty and obnoxious. Drinks were the standard Wrigleyville over charge, but still a decent selection. Food was good although the wings were pretty mediocre. All in all, I'd pre-game here again.
Review Source:This spot has slowly grown into my favorite Wrigleyville bar. Â The serves are friendly, the food is really good, and the drinks are reasonable. Â They even have free shuffleboard! Â The bar itself is probably one of the smaller Wrigleyville bars, so it can get packed on the weekends. Â If you have a large group get there early and you will have a great time.
Review Source:Bernie's is a great bar to stop in before or after a Cubs game and grab a few drink and/or a quick bite to eat. Â They make a pretty good, and pretty massive, sausage and beef sandwich. Â I'm a fan of the crowd here-laid back, not too frat-tastical like some of the other Wrigleyville hot spots. Â In my opinion its nothing too special but it just is what it is....food, booze, and a quick walk to Wrigley Field.
Review Source:Bernie's is still the best bar in Wrigleyville during the season. Â It's almost like a high school reunion every time you go to Bernie's. Â It's impossible to not run into people you know in Bernie's. Â The crowd is nicely mixed, although sometimes a bit of a sausage fest, laid back, fun and drunk, but not stupid confrontational drunk, even with fans of the other side. Â It's all good fun. Â And they have tater tots. Â Just make sure you bring your hand sanitizer with you. Â
Four stars.
Went here on a bar crawl. Drink prices weren't horrible, but the thing that I cannot understand is why a bar in Wrigleyville, especially a somewhat dive-y bar, would have a $20 credit card minimum. This is literally the ONLY bar I have ever heard of with a minimum above $15 (and that's only once place I can think of). Everything else is either $10 or no minimum. I've been to clubs downtown that don't even do that. As I said, I was on a massive bar crawl, so I can't really comment on the normal atmosphere, clientele, or treatment of customers by the staff, but I was really put off by that minimum. Not that I wouldn't drink that much and more on a normal night anyway, but that just seemed outrageous to me for the place we were at.
Review Source:Probably one of the best spots to hit up before a Cubs game. Â The beer is reasonably priced. They have tons of room both inside and outside of the bar. Â Staff is fast and friendly and the crowds are good people as well. Â Check out this bar anytime and your sure to enjoy yourself and not spend too much money doing so.
Review Source:Bernie's is the bar where everyone knows your name. Unlike many of the Wrigleyville haters that have reviewed this sports bar, I personally love the neighborhood. I will admit my bias, as I called it home for a few years. Anyway, I would recommend Bernie's to anyone looking for a good time out in Wrigleyville that doesn't want to hit up one of the dance clubs.
Bernie's is a sports bar, with TVs covering every available spot on the walls. When I was a regular there, they were always nice enough to put at least one television on the Red Sox game, which shows that the employees are flexible and willing to accommodate. When it's nice out, they have a great beer garden as well as a tent in the back. As fun as the crazy weekend nights are at Bernie's, I have to admit, the weeknights are great there. Come summertime, they open up the bags-playing (a beanbag throwing drinking game) area in the back.
I live in Lakeview, right? Â
BUT, I hate Wrigleyville bars. Â Despise even. Â Bcorn was awesome back in the day....but not so much anymore.
Anyway, my three bestests and I were out after the Cub's game and searching for some cheap food. Â Destination? Â Somewhere we didn't hate with a passion. Â We started out at Rockit, but quickly realized that everything was over $10. Â Plus, the crowd seemed a little too stuffy for 9pm on a Tuesday. Not fans. Fail. Â
Enter Bernie's! Â Yes, I may have been too quick to judge this place. Â It looks like any other annoying 21 year-old filled bar in Wrigley. Â But, once you walk through the bar and enter the huge beer garden/patio, you realize that you just discovered an amazing secret. Â How did we never know this existed before?! Â MIssing out, for sure.
I adore that you can order food from the little counter in the patio. Â Convenience at its finest! Â My friends and all seriously OD'ed on cheese that night - grilled cheese, waffle fries w/ cheese, cheese stix...Good god. Â The grilled cheese ($4 w/ fries!) was awesome - and came with american and swiss cheese. Â Â Cheap and delish!
Friendly staff? Â Yes. Â Chill crowd? Â Yup! Â Perhaps I should give Wrigleyville another try? Â
...Eh, probably not. Â
But Bernie's definitely has points in my book now!
went here right before the Cubs/Pirates game on Memorial Day. Â Drinks and food are reasonably priced (even though you are in Wrigleyville). Â Great beer garden and tv's all around so that you can keep up with all sports. Â Service was slow, but it was right before a game and there were a ton of people there, so not sure I can fault them too much on that.
Review Source:Sports bar. TONS of flat screens. Was not crowded on a Friday night during the Sweet 16. Nice staff. Cheap enough. Decent overall.
I generally avoid Wrigleyville like the plague, but this place did not scare me and was filled with normal folks (meaning not filled with drunken sorostitutes).
I think I'll come back with friends during baseball season. Review to be updated at that time :-)
I'll unabashedly fluff Bernie's. Â It's, by far, my favorite pre-game spot in Wrigleyville. Â There's nothing like grabbing a spot outside and wolfing down a beef and some cold beers on a beautiful summer day. Â There's a ton of room on the patio and plenty of seating indoors. Â If things are a little too crazy downstairs, there's a little more room and a number of tv's upstairs.
Review Source:Ok this will be completely honest - I won't go near this place with a 10 foot pole - yet its a great place to go if you're a Cubs fan, or just a baseball fan in general. It's the best place to go to spend a cool night out with friends drinking and talking, lots of room in the back and a patio and tho food isnt going to kill you, either. Of all the bars in the area its the first place i'll recommend to anyone who asks because it gives you what you want...just dont go looking for somewhere to sit right after a Cubs game because it fill up fast! The fall and winter months are best for me as its not as crowded and makes for a great small Chicago sports bar.
Review Source:I came here with my cousins during my Chicago trip and I must say I'm a fan of Bernie's! Good food, cheap drinks, and a laid back neighborhood crowd... Bernie's is where the older cub fans head after the game.. Service can be slow once the place fills up.. But after a couple of car bombs, two fisted bud lites my beer goggles were in FULL AFFECT! Â Gotta love the variety of people and the music catered to those who wanted to dance to rap/hip-hop to salsa and rock! Â I must say this is one of my favorite bars in Wrigleyville...
Go Cubs!
Bernie's is one of my favorite after-game watering holes. For some reason Bernie's doesn't seem to get as obnoxiously crowded as some of the other post-game haunts on the street, which for me is a plus.
I love the beer garden out back and the patio on the side. The back area is nice and open with tv's so you can catch the post-game recap if you like. There are a few port-a-potties out there so you don't always have to go wait in line inside. Before you turn your nose up at the port-a-potties, these were better maintained than the ladies room, in which 2 of the 3 toilets were clogged. Â I can't comment on the food because I've never eaten there. I know there's also an upstairs bar with another set of bathrooms too, but I've never been up there.
Bernie's is a great place for an after game drink that doesn't get too rowdy or annoying. Drinks are reasonable and the beer garden is great!
Located less than a block from Wrigley, Bernie's is usually packed to the brim during home games. Of course I decide to drop in while the Cubs are on the road and found the bar to have about five or six people. I got to give the bar credit for having giant-ass TVs and making sure the audio was on during the game instead of a jukebox. They had $3 domestic bottles as a special on Friday night which included Heineken, 312, Amstel Light, Corona, and other beers. I would not recommend the buffalo chicken sandwich as it is a bit bland. Other than that, the staff was friendly and made small talk and the other random people there were also polite and knowledgeable about the game.
Review Source:In the winter of 06, my roommate and I joked while walking down Clark St that we should go to Casey Moran's more often sheerly out of the principle that it was cold and much closer to us than the bars south of Addison. As the temperatures dipped, the joke then ended up being that we'd go to Bernie's because it was 30 feet closer than Casey Moran's. Ironically, in 2007 Bernie's did become the bar that started off many summer nights. I love this bar. If I could label one bar in Chicago "my" bar, it would be Bernie's - hands down.
Bernie's is your typical Wrigleyville 2 room pub with a narrow front room lined with tables that gives way to a larger back room. The beer garden is covered  with ample seating, and on Sunday nights in the summer there is almost always a game of bags being played. A few years ago, they added an upstairs area (I believe there used to be apartments on that level) that is a little more upscale looking than the pub look below with mauve colored walls and tile designs. One warning: the tile upstairs is very slippery when wet, and it is easy to slip!
Bernie's is a family owned establishment, and if you patronize their bar regularly (Sun-Thurs and before midnight on the weekends), their bartenders will take the time to get to know you and hold a pretty decent conversation. The music isn't too loud (they do turn it up when they get busy) and they have good bar food for when you want to munch after a few drinks.
I first came here midweek in the Spring of 2007 when a date and I wandered over after Uncommon Ground had closed for the night. He had paid for dinner, so when he went to the washroom, I went to pay the tab. Our tab was $12 and the bartender informed me that there was a $20 minimum for cards. I told him to run it for $20 because I didn't have cash and he offered me shots so that I could get my money's worth. Seeing that this was a first date, I didn't want to get loopy while he was walking me home, so politely declined. He then handed my card back to me and said "don't worry about it." I felt bad because I wanted to tip him, and he said a tip to him wasn't worth ripping me off for two drinks. I have since been served by this bartender numerous times and he gets no less than 40% from me every time. However, over the years my bill isn't always as large as it should be.
The only negative part (and it's become more funny than anything lately) about Bernie's is that they do have a Wrigley vendor named Donnie that parks himself there regularly. Donnie is your typical creepy old man (mullet and all) that thinks he can date cute young girls. One day, he asked a bartender to put my next drink on his tab and ever since he gives me the full court press whenever he sees me. My friends find this hilarious, but I always feel so bad for him! So if an old guy in mullet offers you a drink, don't take it! He will never leave you alone!
This winter due to the business of my job, family commitments, and various adventures in dating, I took a slight social vacation from the bar hopping that had fueled my previous summer. Last weekend, I made my way down to Bernie's Sunday afternoon for lunch and a drink. Other than a brief stop in on St Patty's Day, I hadn't been there since November. As we walked in the door my friends showed their IDs and as usual I fished for mine in my huge purse until I heard the bouncer say "Are you serious? Alexis, you're good." I'm REALLY looking forward to this summer!
Right across from Wrigley Field, this establishment is either packed to the gills, or pretty empty, of course depending on the Cubs schedule. Â I've been here on several occasions, and it's always a good time.
However, this time, I was pleasantly surprised by a little 'secret' that I will share with all you women who hate standing in line after drinking 26 Old Styles....
THERE IS A UPSTAIRS BAR WITH A BATHROOM!!
I was given this bit o' information from one of the friendly staff guys as he saw me doing the Pee Pee Dance. Â I took a glance in front of me, 3 women waiting, and behind me, 4 women looking irritated. Â I took the chance, got out of line, and bolted upstairs.
No line, no wait. Walked right in, did my business, and walked out.
So next time you're celebrating a Cubs win, or drowning your sorrows after a heartbreaking loss, head to Bernie's.
And use the fabulous upstairs facility!
I came here a couple of times and it's been a great alternative to the (at times) obnoxious bars in the area. Â If there's a Cubs game (or when The Police played at Wrigley), not as many people show up at Bernie's, but you still get a nice crowd.
There is outdoor seating on the side, as well as the beer garden in back. Â Don't count on discovering a favorite meal from the little counter in back selling food (I'm not sure if they only do this on busy nights?)... But I can't speak for the rest of the menu. Â The rest of the food did look good, though.
No line, good prices, friendly people, like I mentioned- a nice alternative to Casey Morans, Cubby Bear, Red Ivy, etc. Â Just don't tell too many people, so it stays that way..... :)
I liked this place until one of the doormen started being a jerk. He hassled my friend and I about our driver's licenses and made us recite EVERYTHING on there. We're 24 years old and live in the area! He then made rude comments about my boyfriend's clothes. he had a hole in the knee of his jeans. its a freaking sports bar not a night club!
Its a shame because it was a fun place before that d-bag started working the door! I won't be back
LOVE BERNIE'S!!! It's the perfect after work spot for a bunch of teachers that want to sit and chat, have a couple drinks, and eat greasy bar food on a Friday. It's relatively cheap, which makes my bank account happy. They have a large outdoor patio that is enclosed in the winter. The bartender/waiter has always been very attentive. Bernie's is the type of bar that you go to spend time with friends. It's a fun no-frills bar.
Review Source:Such a fun place to watch a Cubs game (even though i hate the cubs). The beer is comprable to the other places around here during games. I love the food! The grilled cheese is one of the best i've ever had and they actually had brats. I love that! It gets really crowded after games and there are only two stalls. But get there early and you should get a table. Especially outside.
Review Source:Feels like a poor-man's Casey Moran's with more history. Â Absolutely stay away from this place when the Cardinals, Reds, or Sox are in town. Â
On a somewhat-related note, I can't pass up the opportunity that their outdoor seating takes up about 90% of the sidewalk. Â I mean, it's plain silly. Â Make sure you watch for cabs zooming up and down Waveland when you walk in the street, because the sidewalk is almost always clogged with oblivious Cubs fans.
Pretty good for summer drinking. I like the outdoor patio and the fact that they have so many bars in this place. I dont like waiting for my beer.
The only time I dont' like this bar is when it's very dead. Normally, I like a bar with a few people in it for socializing...sort of a family feel. But the bartenders here aren't real friendly and they have odd regulars that are just annoying old guys - not charming or funny.
So for Cubs games - espcially when they are away - it's good. Any other day, I'll pick a different bar.
We were definitely one of the more dressed-up people here, but it was after a Cubs home game, so what could we expect?
I'm going to probably have to revisit this review someday if/when I come back & hang at the downstairs main bar, because I was only here for a private party upstairs.
It's a Wrigleyville bar & we had a hard time flagging down our waitress (who was non-existent in re-filling our drinks). Â I also stood there at the bar where there were only 3 other people & waited forever as the bartenders looked at me, then looked away. Â That was kinda annoying.
I'm going to give it another chance, maybe, who knows, someday, if I'm up there cuz they happen to have the best mac & cheese bites in the city. Â They have a bit of chicken wing sass to them & they REALLY hit the spot.
Bernie's is one of my favorite bars in Wrigleyville, and definitely my favorite place to hang out before/during/after Cubs games. Â It's got a big outdoor area, a friendly staff, and good drink prices even on game days. Â Also, pretty cheap but good bar food which is important after a full day of drinking. Â I always have a good time here.
Review Source:Good place to grab a quick bite to eat before or after cubs games. The menu is basically anything they can throw on their big ole grill and they dish it up pretty quick.
It can get crowded after games and the bathroom situation is limited, but it draws a good crowd of drunks. (warning: high sausage factor)
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