Popping into pubs one afternoon/evening we finally found nirvana when we entered Celtic Crossings. Â John behind the bar was welcoming and poured a perfect pint. Â The look of the place reminded me of pubs in Dublin and then John greets you with an Irish accent and you here that echoed by several customers too and it transports you to Ireland. Â It was quiet enough to talk yet still lively. Â Hands down our favorite bar in Chicago and the most authentic Irish bar I have encountered in the US. Â There is no kitchen but they can do pizza, frozen I'm guessing but we didn't try it.
Review Source:Love this place.
Little Irish Pub with tons of character and great bartenders.
No food except for pizza which isn't terrible, but not fantastic - more like food if you're really drunk. There is a thai place across the street though - I've ordered from there and taken it into the pub. They're cool like that.
The crowd is laid back and everyone is nice. Great place for happy hour or any hour!
Great ambiance, more mature (BUT FUN) crowd, and great music. Â Aaron Wilhoft is freaking amazing with his guitar and song requests... his voice is beautiful and he can get a crowd going. Â He does a mean Brittany Spears... seriously. Â He plays on Friday nights, and we think he's just amazing. Â This bar is quaint and unique, and feels like a little Irish Pub. Â Good drinks too!
Review Source:Maybe it was a bad night, maybe it was just that I had stopped off at five better bars that day. Â I popped into Celtic Crossings on a Friday night recently. Â When I walked in, I said to myself, "This is where I want to be. Â Quiet Irish pub." Â We sat at the end of the bar, and ordered a pint of Smithwicks and Miller Light or something. Â Both pints were vile. Â Both tasted like the taps in this place hadn't been cleaned in ages. Â After two sips, we left the pints on the bar and walked. Â I've spent a lot of time in Irish pubs over the years, but this one honestly falls way below the mark. Â And why would you drink some dirty beer when you can walk out the front door and go to any number of places with a better pint. Â Sorry Celtic, you blew it. Â Don't waste your time if you are looking for a traditional pub with good pints.
Love the bar itself. Â Hate the pints.
Guinness check, atmosphere check, true characteristics of an Irish pub check, live music check, fireplace check. Celtic Crossing is a blast ... this is the kind of place you can come for a drink and end up staying the whole night #beentheredonethat I would highly recommend this to anyone looking to hit up DT Chicago
Review Source:This bar has become my home away from home whenever visiting Chicago - been there 3 times and to this pub at each one. Â They graciously (and famously) put up with a bunch of U2 fans plugging the jukebox before the July 5th show in 2011, and the 30 of us still talk about that night as the best fan get-together we had - now many of us go back just because of that night. Â John & John are so welcoming... and they know how to pour the best Guinness in town. Â
If you want a REAL Irish bar in Chicago, this is the place. Â Down to earth service, a wonderful jukebox if you fancy it, a great chat with the regulars and bartenders - a place I wish I could take home with me to Canada. Â I suspect that when I visit Ireland this summer it will be hard to find a place as good as this in Dublin, but I'll certainly try ;)
I love John and John. I love walking into this place and feeling at home. From the two-kiss greeting, to the Guiness poured correctly, from watching soccer games with other people who know what they are talking about  to just having a beer by yourself and just enjoying a beer, is simply great!
If you want a friendly and truly Irish bar run by real Irish lads, this is the place! The crowd is an interesting mix of a few tourists who have wondered off the beaten Mag Mile path and regulars. Non-pretentious, not "in your face"/over top, kitchy Irish. Just straight and simple and good. They will have my business til the day I die!
Relaxing, cozy, and inviting -- Celtic Crossings is a great bar! Feels like an authentic Irish pub. There's a jukebox and one of the best parts is that it's not blasting top 40 music so you can actually have a great conversation with friends here.
The fireplace is PERFECT on a freezing Chicago night around River North. Nothing beats defrosting by a warm fire while drinking some Guinness.
I personally recommend the Irish Coffee -- it consists of Jameson whiskey and coffee with a dollop of whipped cream. Strong and never fails to warm you up.
After walking Michigan Avenue a few times over, I was parched. Â Nothing quenches my thirst better than a good drink. Â I wanted to try a cider beer and ended up with Magners Cider by recommendation of the bartender. Â I would highly recommended it, SO very good.
The bar is like any typical Irish Pub: a large solid wood bar, pictures, mirrors, bric-a-brac, live music paired with good beer and daily specials.
I must have passed this place a hundred times while I lived in Chicago yet I never went. I ended up here because another place we were going to had a private party. We picked the seat up front near the fireplace and ordered some Irish Coffee to warm up. My brother's friend comes in and she starts telling us how this place has the best Guinness pour in Chicago.
I've been to so many places around Chicago and to Ireland and I am thinking skeptically that perhaps there is a chance but unlikely. There haven't been many places in the US that have a 'good' Guinness pour. However, one sip of this Guinness and I was a believer! Wow! If you're into Guinness you absolutely need to come here. I'd love to come here sometime for the live music, too!
Celtic Crossings is still one of my favorite pubs in the city. Â You can count on good, friendly, avuncular service from the best bartenders in the city, mostly from across the pond. Â And you can get a good pour of Guinness there as well. Â I had the tastiest pint o' black I've ever had last night at Celtic Crossings. Â
The only problem with Celtic Crossings is that it is almost always dead, except for you know when. Â It's sad that a spot like this, with the ambiance, the service, the beer and the warmth of the hearth as well as its bartenders and patrons gets such a paltry amount of business. Â
This weekend was the first time I've been in Celtic Crossings since they added the televisions. Â They must have added them sometime after Parade Day, since that's the last time I was there. Â I asked the bartender why they added the televisions, and he told me that the joint had been sold about a year ago. Â Luckily for him, and for us, the new owners kept the bartenders. Â I believe their names are John and John. Â One sings. Â One is like your uncle. Â Both are gems. Â I imagine they added the televisions to try to attract more patrons. Â It's not working from what I saw last night. Â This place used to have them three deep on a Friday night. Â Sadly, those days are gone. Â But it's not lost its charm at all. Â And I still like it. Â I only hope that it is able to stay in business.
I'd recommend Celtic Crossings for a quiet drink or two, whether pre-game, post-dinner or whenever. Â Just don't go expecting a lot of action. Â
Still four stars.
Hmm.. As far as "Irish" pubs go, this place was not bad. Â I have seen many in Chicago fail to capture the essence of a pub in Ireland. Â The decorations and little knick-knacks around the walls were all a bit cheesy if you ask me, but other then that - the place was very comfortabe and welcoming.
As expected, the place was very pricey for a downtown pub with $6 for a pint of poorly poured Guinness, and ironically, $6 for a shot of Jameson.. go figure. Â
When I say the Guinness was poorly poured, I dont blame the young kid pouring the Guinness, completely. Â They were giving it away for free that night, so the kid was pumping them out one after another. Â Apparently he didn't take the free lesson on how to "Pour the Perfect Pint" that they had going on - either way, it wasn't terribly bad (Yes, I am Guinness snob)
Would I come here again? Â Yes - if I was in the area, but I wouldn't make the trip out here just looking for a random pub to hang out at, there are plenty of those in the city that are less costly.
Celtic Crossing is my new love. Â Old irish charm, not overly loud music, there are two TVs, and of course the men from eire!
My friends and I ventured there yesterday for the trivia they have started on Mondays. Well not many people showed up to the trivia being new and all, however they decided to do a free round for us and bought us drinks! There are few better ways to my heart than free cider.
So really the thing you should get from this review is:
1) go to trivia. good questions and the questions are read in an irish accent=AWESOME
2) this bar is the shiz niz.
I love this bar. Â It's the best Irish pub in the city. Â There's nothing fancy, just like the bars in Ireland. Â A group shows up on Sunday nights to play music in one of the booths, and from time to time one of the patrons will start singing. Â Everyone in the bar quiets down and listens. Â Usually the singers are pretty good. Â Usually :)
John is not only the bartender, but also the lead singer of an Irish band. Â He will sing if you ask nicely, and he's very good. Â The new owners put up one TV, but it's never turned on. Â The fireplace gets going in the cool days.
All in all, this place is great. Â If you have ever been to the emerald Isle, this will instantly take you back. Â No food or fancy fluff, just good people, good music, and good guinness. Â What more do you want?
After a karaoke disaster over at Blue Frog, my friends and I found refuge at Celtic Crossings. Â At 11:30 on a Saturday, it was not crowded and not loud, which was exactly what we were looking for. Â
Now, I'm usually the first one to make fun of Irish bars in the city - they all seem the same. Â Celtic Crossings, however, was a nice little joint. Â Friendly barkeep, cider on tap, probably the best Guiness pour in the city, and it was easy to get a table. Â
I was a little confused by the techno-y music on in the background, but other than that, I dug it. Â It's not a destination by any means, but I'd definitely head back here if I was in the neighborhood.
A couple of my college friends came up from Nashville to celebrate St. Patty's Day (I know, I know, I'm laggin a bit on my Yelp responsibilities) and we decided to stay in the River North/Gold Coastish area...and Celtic Crossings was our first stop.
Ok, well I had NO idea how PACKED (!) this place was going to be on St. Patty's Day at 6:30pm...alll the suits showed up and crowded the place, almost to the point that you couldn't move if you tried. To me, that says, good bar! What says, Irish bar! was the doorman, who was as Irish as they come. There's nothing like old Irish dudes hitting on girls in their twenties...much welcomed on a holiday like this.
They had various beers on tap, bright green walls, interesting artifacts and your typical River North clientele...but man, I would go back to drink some Guinness and some Irish car bombs any day.
Love this pub.
Love the perfect Guinness pour, love the Johns, love the Pat, love the music, love the patrons, love the authentic Irish hospitality, love the big ol' bar, love the fireplace, love the Irish, love everything!
And most telling of all, I even loved being here for five hours on March 14, 2009.
Finally, a decent Irish pub that's the real deal. Cozy and warm, it is not a fake Paddy Mc'O Donovan's pub that you find in Lincoln Park or Wrigleyville or most of Chicago for that matter.
Good bartenders, a fireplace, a proper pint.
If only they served some good authentic pub food, this place would get 6 stars.
First best thing about Celtic Crossing: no tv's
Second best thing about Celtic Crossing: the fireplace is heaven on a cold afternoon or evening
Third best thing about Celtic Crossing: they know how to pour a proper Guinness
Other goodies at Celtic Crossing:
-Best bartenders around
-Great clientele
-You can have food delivered
-Lots of cute Irishmen with accents
Looking for an Irish pub that actually feels like you could be in Kilkenny or Dublin? Â Well Celtic Crossings is that bar.
Great bartenders (John thanks for making small talk with me and my friend), nice cold beer and patrons that are there to have a drink not schmooze with others all night. Â It's your basic bar- no food, just good drinks and some friendly conversation. Â Nice.
Here's an important  tip, though.  If you don't like beer- go with a mixed drink.  My friend ordered wine and they must only get requests for it when the moon is full as it had turned and tasted more like vinegar than wine.
Oh well- who orders wine in an Irish bar anyway?
These days Celtic Crossings seems like any other Irish pub (though not among the new batch, those with plasma TVs). But it will always have a special place in my heart.
I was 19 and a summer intern at an investment bank, my first real job. I went to my very first happy hour with real working professionals at Celtic Crossings. I felt very grown up there, especially since my fake Florida license said I was already 26 at the time! I think I drank mostly Guiness and didn't appreciate all the selection they offered. But it was still a lot of fun!
This bar completely deserves its very high ratings. I have been here several times, nearly always on weeknights, and quite often have been the only person in there without a brogue. I have very Irish heritage and this bar is one of the only places I can Irish Dance without people looking at me weird.
The bartenders are very friendly, and try out some traditional Irish music from the jukebox. Close your eyes, and you'll feel like you're in a pub in Galway, trust me!
Tried Celtic Crossings last night on New Year's Eve - and, yep, the other reviews you'll read here are all right on target. Â I find that particularly impressive given that it was New Year's Eve - not exactly your typical evening for most bars. Â
The bartenders were great, the Guinness really is the best I have had in the city, and the other folks in the bar seem to be remarkably friendly. Â My wife and I were sitting at the bar when another couple came in and asked if the bar stool next to us happened to be available. Â We said "yes", and then we volunteered to scoot down to allow them to squeeze in to the bar - and they bought us a round of drinks to thank us. Â Very cool.
The place was really smoke filled, but, of course, that will no longer  be an issue as of January 1, 2008... My only "complaint" with the place is the lighting.  It is way too bright in the rear of the bar area.  I felt as though I was sitting in a train station, not a bar.  Nonetheless, this really is a great spot - a must try if you like your Guinness poured correctly.
I have visited Dublin and this reminds me of the pubs  I drank excessive amounts of Irish beer in while I was in Ireland.
No TVs so you can have a conversation. A great selection of Irish beer. The Guinness still doesn't taste as smooth as Ireland but it's much better than at any other Irish pub in Chicago.
This became the Friday after work spot of choice about a year ago and we keep coming back for more.
I'm not one for all the Guinness marketing crap (the extra 30 seconds doing the shamrock in the foam is so painful when you're thirsty) but the guys at this place have got it down - perfect round head and NO SHAMROCK.
I'm also fairly sure that this is the only Irish bar in Chicago which actually has Irish people working there. Â I'm pretty sure you'll never see St. Patrick's day decorations sponsored by Corona in Celtic Crossing. Â (you guys know that's weird, right..?)
Great atmosphere, great jukebox, great staff. Â Even after they demolished the 'kitchen' (Mister G's RIP) I still want to come here every Friday.
I don't know what a pint costs here, because all of them were purchased for me, but a bag of crisps runs $2. I didn't like that.
What I did like was the two Johns, the spaciousness, the friendly people, the AMAZING Guinness (like drinking sweet air) and the music.
The elder John met us at the doorway with a smile and a "come in out of the rain!" You don't get that from many barkeeps.
Was it the combination of being in an Irish bar with Bono singing "Where the Streets Have No Name" on the jukebox? Â Or was it being out of the freezing Chicago wind and into the womb of drinking pint after pint of Guinness from tap?
Either or, Celtic Crossing is a awesome bar and a good time. Â Most of the time, Irish bars scare me. Â In my city, Long Beach, Irish bars are the equivalent of a sorority social gone wild. Â The jukeboxes carry tunes that are over 90 beats per minute and have choruses that make you want to smash yourself instead of getting smashed.
I found this place to be quite pleasant. Â The patrons all seemed to be here to drink and not be seen. Â This is my kind of place. Â The decor is truly charming and very Irish by my standards (which are limited, but who's checking?).
Lots of different beers to choose from, including a few I've never heard of. Â I stuck with Guinness and Boddingtons and had a lovely evening. Â The next time I visit Chicago, I'll make sure I stop by Celtic Crossing to get my Irish beer fix. Â This is another great spot in a great city.
The LOWDOWN Chicago Style...
Plus 2 stars for having all of my favorite beers.
Plus 2 stars for having a relaxed atmosphere with absolutely no pretense.
Plus 1 star for a great location and jukebox.
End of part 2.
This is the only Irish bar I consider just like home, due in the main by the two Johns that work here, and the great pint of Guinness they serve.
When you know that the famous Irish come here and the real Irish too then you know that you have the most authentic Irish pub in the city.
If you stay the whole night on a Fri and/or Sat (and John C is in the mood), he will give you a traditional song at the top of his lungs that will make you remember why Irish music is so powerful ! go raibh mile maith agaibh!
Best place for Guinness in Chicago. Â I think the get it directly from Ireland it's so good. Â
The owners are awesome and at any given moment they can burst into song...and it's great!
Tip: If U2 is in town hang out here you just might see Bono and the Edge enjoying a pint as this is one of the bars they visit when they come into town.
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,915 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
