It's an Irish bar, and that in itself really doesn't ever do much for me. That said though, we still had a good time drinking cold beer and checking out the scene. Would I ever make a lone trip just to come here? Um, no. But, considering there are quite a few places right next door, it does add a pit-stop when crawling around...
Enjoy Suckas'!!!
This is one of my favorite bars! You will always have a good time here. The crowd is fun and relaxed. Most nights you will find people singing along and making new friends at the bar. I have dropped in looking like a mess after pub crawls and dressed up after weddings. This is a place you really will have fun no matter what kind of night you are having.
Review Source:So my wife and I came here after looking for good local pub. It is defiantly a solid pub, no frills, but good atmosphere. It's laid back and a nice crowd (don't know if they rolled out the drunken Irishmen at the bar just for us.) Really nice flat screens to watch the big game.
It's an Irish pub, so all your usual suspects for beverages with some local brews. My wife was happy their Magners was nice and cold. We ordered a spin dip; it came to table pretty fast, so pre-made obviously, but its a pub so again right on par. We did really appreciate though the fresh pita and chips. My wife Caesar salad was solid, nothing to write home about, but enjoyed. I had the baked Mac n Cheese. I really liked it. Just the right amount of cheese and large noodles, worth I try if you are in mood.
The server checked on us often and kept us happy. Overall it's perhaps a 3.75 star, but we rounded up as it was good experience.
More than an Irish bar, this is a great Chicago bar. A historical place that has been a tavern since the gangster days. Check out the interior and exterior and it is easy to see why this place has appeared in numerous movies, TV shows and commercials. Try to get there on the morning of the downtown St. Patrick's day parade and you might catch the Shannon Rovers marching across the top of the bar itself. Excellent beer and Irish whiskey collection to go along with solid pub food.
Review Source:Emmit's was awesome, and it seemed like it was just out of a movie. We were looking for somewhere to go on a sunday night and walked in here. It was surprisingly packed, the we notice the sign for a wedding reception. We are just about to leave when we're told the bar is still open for business as well.
Everybody was really friendly. You could tell the wedding party was having a good time. The whole bar was singing along with Leavin' on a jetplane at one point. It was almost surreal.
As far as the actual offerings of the place they had a decent tap list and I didn't have any food. The experience alone was worth 5 stars.
I slinked in here after a party in fulton market before catching the blue. Sat at the bar, it was late, asked if they were still serving, asked about specials, bar tender clued me into a 6.95 burger that was phenom. The fries were actually good too, i threw a little vinegar on them. Washed it down with a stone levitation. Rock solid meal and basketball on the tube, what is not to like :-) The service at the bar was spot on.
Review Source:I only had drinks here, so I have no clue about the food.
The gang and I were wandering the downtown area when we spotted this bar. We decided to try it out because it wasn't crowded to the eyeballs, and it looked pretty low-key and unpretentious.
As predicted, it was low-key and unpretentious. The music wasn't so loud that I couldn't hear people talk, which is really important to me. The crowd was dressed casually, which is also nice, 'cause guys with popped collars and girls in eye-shattering shiny dresses and heels only accentuate what a cheap slob I really am. Overall I felt very comfortable because nobody was screaming obscenities, starting fights, and being boorish; people were just chillin' and having a good time.
Our waitress was attentive, fast, and really sweet. It's rare for me to encounter such a great waitress/waiter at a bar. Â
A Guinness is a Guinness no matter where you go, but for some reason it tasted so damn good here.
When we left at around 3 am, a few interesting people hanging right outside the door proposed that we go do some sinfully delightful activities, but we politely declined. Part of me really wanted to say hell yeah.
Great, chill bar. Lurve it!
I love Emmits, it's my neighborhood go-to as i live across the street! but i have to say i was recently thoroughly disappointed when i brought a group of friends there raving about how their chicken fingers are in my top three across Chicago.
I had been talking about them all day, and when they came out, i realized that they had changed them since the end of last year, and i was devastated.
They are soooo terrible now and are like fake cafeteria, frozen food..
CHANGE THEM BACK!!!!
So I thought I'd start my St. Patty's Day a week early, and ventured over to Emmit's this past weekend. Apparently I'm not the only one who had the same genius idea.
At 8pm on Friday night, this place was packed, but not uncomfortably so. We managed to snag a booth and settle in. While service was a bit spotty and absent, the beer and atmosphere completely makes up for it.
I'm a Guinness girl. And these had to be some of the best pours of Guinness I've had in memory. Maybe they put leprechaun tears in the water. Or maybe I just think it's better because I feel like this is actually a legit Irish pub.
Reasonably priced drafts ($5-6), with tons of TV's for your viewing pleasure. Only knock: the women's bathroom was absolutely disgusting. I mean, I blame that more on my fellow female patrons than anything, but ick. nast.
Parking: Â pretty easy street parking in the area, some metered and some free.
This was a bizzarre little pub but decent enough. Â Would I have come here, had Daniel Ocean not had slipped Linus a business card telling him to go here? Â Probably not. Â Would I have checked out a certain table that Mr Clooney and Mr Damon sat in? Â Doubtful.
But they had decent beers at okay prices. Â Fine by me!
Very "old man" vibe going on in here though. Â Us two ladies looked out of place. Â But we did it! Â Check another movie locale off the Chicago list!
Great place to watch a game. Always has beer specials. Great cozy, old-pub style atmosphere with a very friendly waitstaff. PBR specials almost every night, and a good selection of local and domestic beers.
Never a long line at the bar, always a friendly crowd, and great appetizer and bar food. Definitely a gem in Chicago to check out! Get there early! I went here last for Halloween and it was a very fun time! Everyone was dressed up in costumes, from 21 years old to 51 years old!
This is one of those bars that just feels comforable to hang out in. Â It is not corporate and just feels like one of those family neighborhood bars you want to drink at.
This bar is quite famous...it has been in several movies and tv shows over the years. Â This bar was home to Uncle Buck...yes that loveable John Candy use to drink here when it was called O'Sullivan's. Â In Oceans 11, Matt Damon is handed a card that says, "Meet me at Emmits" and when he shows up George Clooney is there. Â In fact, I remember the day they filmed that...they were making fake snow to put on the street. Â CBS also had a tv show called Turks and this was their bar. Â I am sure that list goes on and on but that is a little Hollywood Triva for our neighborhood bar.
The beer is always cold and the food is really good for bar food. Â My wife had a salad here and the lettuce was really fresh. Â I've had the burger and it was tasty and cooked perfectly. Â The staff is really friendly too...the waitress went out of her way to make my little one feel comfortable.
Parking is easy...depending on when you get here...there always seems to be some street parking. Â Public Transportation is easy too because the Blue Line El stops here at Grand. Â Luckily I live near by and I can just walk over any time!
Conveniently located off the Blue line, staffed with friendly people, and a good selection, this place is a winner. I stopped in for a couple of beers, and ended up trying out their shepherd's pie. Let me tell ya- when you're drinking, THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE is what you want to eat. Fills you up nicely, tastes delicious, and keeps you rockin' all night.
Their beer selection is nice, and it looked like they had a good bit of Irish whiskey as well (sorry, I'm a scotch guy...). There was a table behind me of what you might call "high-fivin' white guys", and I absolutely loved it. This is the place for that. Meet some friends here, have some beers here, and try the shepherd's pie. You'll be in good company.
I'm a big fan of this bar. Due to the location and ambiance. Surprised I haven't written a review yet actually. Been coming here since I was young...
People are friendly & actually professional & fun. They won't ignore you until you leave.
It's a dark wood, kind of Irishy bar. It's open, has booths, an upstairs, great eats, high ceilings, fireman's bar.
Go to Emmits & then go again.
Emmits is down the street from our apartment and I am thankful for that. It's a great pub to hang out at.
The food - not so wonderful. But you know what? I didn't come for the food. Just the drinks please =)
We came here with a group of 10 or so on St. Patricks day around 10:00 and had an EXCELLENT time. We nabbed a table upstairs (where there was an extra bar) and watched the Shannon Rovers from a prime spot. Couldn't have been better!
Hit this place up for a drink next time you are in the West Loop.
The bar Godilocks strikes again. After being bounced from Butterfly (they were closing early), hating Buddha and then landing in Emmits, we tried to make the best of our night. It was our first night in Chicago and we were determined to have a good time.
So by all accounts we should be drinking Irish whiskey to have this so-called "good time."
I toyed with my Jameson and Ginger and decided this bar would be fun any other night but it was too loud, too bright and we wanted to have some fun.
Bye Emmits, it was fun but not quite our steez that night.
Almost two years to the day, and I'm writing another Emmits review! I can remember the last visit like it was yesterday, but those days are kinda gone , sadly. Emmits is still a great hang, though. They have a great jukebox, and it's the kind of place where you'll end up talkin' to people who were born in Ireland, or just the person sittin' next to you that had a hard day on the Trading floor. Good times, good people, at Emmits.
Their Nachos are pretty good. 3.5 stars on my Nachos list. Monterrey Jack cheese was the star that brought it all together, and real jalapenoes. Was not a fan of the taco sauce they put on, but it was also served with guacamole, and sour cream and salsa on the side. Nice. Portion was big enough for two.
They've got tappers of Jameson, and also have Smitwick's (Smittick's), and don't ask for a Killian's Red (it happened!)- they don't have it.
St. Patrick's Day is approaching, so the Irish feel of Emmits might be the perfect place to celebrate!
Our dinner group started pre-drinking here while waiting for our table at La Scaola. Then we came back after dinner. That's how much we liked the place. Plus, the upstairs area was big enough to hold our group which ended up growing as the night went on. Our waitress was a trooper with going up and down the stairs with all our drinks and shots orders. Fun times all around. I'll be back.
Note: it did get extremely warm up there, but our waitress turned on the AC before we even asked about it. Thank goodness. Me, my drink, and the heat were not mixing very well. So big thumbs up to her.
Now, if you all know me well enough, then you would know that bars just aren't my scene..even if they're irish. I didn't come here by choice, as a group of friends were staking out to surprise a friend who was eating dinner across the street for his birthday w/ the parentals. It was a Monday night.
Since I had to sit at the bar alone for a majority of the time I spent here I had the time to take notice of my surroundings.
The bartenders were friendly enough. I had a glass of Cab I believe and it was very tasty. I tried the Chicken Cesar Salad with low expectations, and I was indeed very satisfied. The dressing seemed homemade and the chicken was very fresh and flavorful. This is a great thing.
The clientele was seriously all men. Older men who may or may not have been sitting there since 3pm and it was 8pm by the time I got there. I would say this is probably a local place where everyone gets hammered. I wonder if it's a creep/sausage fest on busier nights.
Once all of my friends arrived, we starting doing some shots to get the night started. I suggest not ordering a "bomb" of any kind here unless you want to vomit. They use Roaring Lion here which is a redbull copycat served from the soda gun behind the bar. This means it's A) WARM and B) Absolutely sickening. FAIL.
Not my kind of establishment but I'm sure some people enjoy it.
Emmits needs to either get an air conditioner or invest in a better one because it was HOT up in this mo fo last night. Â Yes, I know Chicago is in the midst of a heat wave of sorts, but come on. Â Proper A/C is a must.
Moving on then...
I'm down with Emmits. Â
** They have great specials every day. Â I'm talking about you $7 turkey bacon wrap and $5 pint glass sized sweet tea vodka and lemonades. Â
** There wait staff is kind and speedy. Â Exactly what I need from people serving me drinks and pub grub.
** You might actually find real Irish people with accents hanging out at the bar. Â I did. Â Said Irish folks were nice.
** Speaking of nice... The rest of the non-accented clientele are pretty darn friendly, too. Â No frontin' in Emmits. Â This is the type of place to just hang out, be yourself and chat with your fellow bar-goers.
** I don't know if I'd go to Emmits on a Saturday night expecting a rager. Â It seems to me as more of a chill, after work bar. Â Rage on at RedNo5 down the street.
** If Emmits is a bust you can always head next door to Richard's Bar to rock out to the juke box and eat hard boiled eggs.
Emmitt's is my go-to place before a Hawks game. It's easy to park around there (somewhat) and it's not jammed packed with people like WestEnd. Â You can find a seat, chill out and if needed, take about a $10 cab ride to the UC.
I was here once after the Paddy's Day parade and had a grand old time whooping it up with Shannon Rovers and NYPD and NYFD...ya that's right ladies....now you know where to find em this year!! :)
Food is good...I've only had the grilled cheese from here and it wasn't bad.
Definitely a fun place later on at night. A good crowd each time I've been there. Normally Irish people, but like I said, good crowd.
Whenever I go to this roomy, loud, slightly shady, fun, Irish dive bar, I always wake up with a wee bit of a headache the next day. Â I'm not sure what it is about this place, but it just makes me want to be a little bit... naughty. Â Uninhibited. Â Loud. Â Giggly. Â
Strangers will talk to you. Â The waitress will check on you often. Â They have Taboo. Â The music is pretty good. Â The wings are really good. Â And they have what you want to drink on tap. Â I like it here.
Another Irish bar in Chicago? Wait, this place is way cooler than you are thinking. Emmits has a long and rich history on this corner and has even been featured in a number of movies. Despite the fame, this bar has remained fun and low key. Here are some more reasons to love Emmits:
1. The Quesadillas
2. Fish n chips
3. Pub burger
4. Guinness tastes better / stronger here than anywhere else
5. Lots of TVs for watching Chicago teams
6. Friendlier than normal servers
7. The booths
8. Right off the blue line, so even in the dead of winter its an option
9. Low tourist count
10. I don't have a ten - just wanted an even number
Come here for a beer or four!
They pour a mean Guinness.
Imperial 20 oz pints; the traditional Irish way and the only way in my book. Not served until settled. Complete with a shamrock imprinted in the foam.
That was the highlight of my night here. The rest of the experience was just Meh.
The music was too loud and we had to shout to hear each other. When we asked our waitress if she could turn it down a bit, she gave us the rudest look and turned up the music. It got so loud my ears were hurting because we were seated right under the speakers. Lovely.
We ended up leaving shortly after this incident to seek a quieter atmosphere.
Hopefully, if you decide to make a drink stop here, you'll have a nicer waitress who won't seat you under the speakers.
I want to like Emmit's, I really do. It's a lofted Irish pub mere blocks from my humble abode. Â But, when it comes right down to it, the place leaves me feeling a little apathetic. Â Meh. Â
I can't say any particular thing has stood out for criticism, but neither has anything positive stood out. Â To be honest, despite 4 or 5 return trips, I still can't find myself feeling particularly passionate about this place, either way.
The crowd is a mixture of neighborhood residents and area workers. Â Melissa is quite right in that the place tends to be dominated by men. Â The waitresses are nice without falling over themselves to please customers, and my friends have generally had nothing negative to say about the mixed drinks or food that we ordered. Â Added bonus? Â The beer selection tends towards European brews, although you can still find American stalwarts on tap. Â Attempting to get served at the bar, regardless of the number of customers present, has always been one giant FAIL for me, here.
I generally love Irish-style pubs, but for whatever reason Emmit's just does not do it for me.
I was referred to Emmits by a friend who claimed they pour the best pint of Guinness in town.....a very bold statement to make to a Guinness connoisseur, I might add, but a couple of other compadres reaffirmed her opinion so off I went......
Low and behold she was right! Great location, friendly helpful bar staff, and the handful of times I have been there the joint has been hoppin'......and unequivocally the "BEST PINT OF GUINNESS" in the Chi !!!
Post Lube was here after the Elite party.
Fun times, good service, great Tequila Sunrise.
Really nice place, big booths, not cramped at all, I looked at the menu but didn't order anything, it seemed really reasonable.
I wish that I was getting recruited to take part in a bank heist on Las Vegas by George Clooney. But I wasn't...I was just getting drunk, but that's ok!
Finally got a chance to check out the place Clooney got Damon to go in on a Las Vegas bank heist in one of my favorite movies, Ocean's Eleven.
Checked this joint out with fellow yelpers after the Elite Event at Mars Gallery. The waitresses were really nice and took care of us. Really cozy, spacious booths towards the back near the bathrooms. This place is bigger than what I exected it to be. They had my favorite Stella for $5.50, which was great. Pretty cool crowd in this place. Some of the patrons even took an interest in hanging with us for a while. Due to the Stella warping my mind, I cannot remember too much more about this place, except for the fun I was having with my yelp mates. I will definately go again!
Great bar in a great area and just so happens to be right across from my old girlfriend, The Funky Buddha Lounge.
The first time my teeny little feet crossed this threshold, they were en route to the nearest bathroom. Â Luckily nobody who worked here had a problem with that. Â I'm sorry, sometimes waiting for the Grand bus is a bitch.
Tonight however, I was accompanied by someone who works in the area and we decided to grab some beers and eats. Â The spinach artichoke dip was definitely awesome and chunky and worth the $$. Â Way better than the suburban chains of my spin/arti/dip past. Â I got a burger, not amazing, but good, and I now have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch so that can't be bad. Â My dinner date's fish n' chips seemed to be equally satisfying and the bite that I sneaked was pretty rad in my book. Â
We saw some dude who looked way too much like Neil Patrick Harris and the whole atmosphere was a bit off putting, but hey, it could be worse.
I don't know how I managed to never set foot in this joint before yesterday, but man was I pleasantly surprised.  It seems to be a true blue irish bar as opposed to a lot of other ones, but I have no idea for sure and didn't give it a DNA test.  I walked in and they were playing some old kinda obscure Faith No More and Primus...BIG PLUS in my book.  Drinks were average priced, a nice of 10 or 12 taps like you would expect...Guinness, Blue Moon, 312, etc. In particular I was happy to see they had Kalamazoo/Bells white. The waitress was nice enough, but it was at times very hard to get her attention in a relatively empty place  and puzzlingly didn't know what a weiss beer was.  Ah well, she was cool enough to go grab smokes from Richard's for my friend. Â
We shared the chicken quesadillas which were decent if a bit average. Â What more can you do with cheese, chicken, and a tortilla I guess? Â I had the pulled pork sandwich which was REALLY good. Â Or maybe I had a lot of beers. Â Decent bar food, nothing that special but certainly hit me where I wanted hittin'. Â
Overall it was a cool beer bar I would happily go back to, where I got fucking smashed and am still nursing said hangover at the very moment of writing this. Â I could see it getting into my pantheon over time.
Good place, friendly waitresses and bartenders that pour a proper pint of Guinness (complete with the clover in the foam).
Specials highlights:
30 cent wings on Sunday -- sizable wings, with a delicious vinegar-base spicy Buffalo flavor
$4 pints of Guinness on Wednesday -- it's Guinness!
Food-wise:
I love the Pub Burger, a nice half-pounder with bacon. I also like the Fish and Chips (I forget which day it goes on special). The traditional Irish Stew was okay. (This version has barley in it, and unfortunately I kept comparing it to the one I had in Dublin).
Drink-wise:
An average selection of beers on tap. Think Guinness is too heavy? Try a Smithwick's, which they have on tap.
TV-wise:
4 flat screen tvs, 3 across the bar, one visible through the main seating area, and an old CRT-TV for the booths in the back. Most times they will show the obvious sporting event. They are more likely to show Blackhawk games than Bulls game. (but the Bulls suck this year, so it's no surprise!)
Parking:
Depending on the night you go, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to find street parking within walking distance.
Music:
You are at the mercy of people who make selections at the jukebox. Otherwise, the bartender on duty usually has something decent playing.
So how fun is this place? Â I stopped by here the other night with friends to grab a beer and catch up and ended up having a really good time.
The bartender was friendly, the beer was cold and the people surrounding us were fun and funny, in that order!! Â
Of course- I also liked that it is located in an old bank building (circa 1890) so there are remnants all around of what the structure once was. Â I hear that the old vault is now the wine cellar. Â I was also told a story by the bartender that the old bank was a front for the Italian mob in Chicago (funny- all I wanted was a beer and here I get a little bit of Chicago history!)
For those that know me- I am a historic building nut so anytime an old building can be re-purposed so that future generations can enjoy it- I am happy. Â Put a couple of beers in me and my happiness increases!
The menu looked good so it's definitely on my "try" list for when I am back in the neighborhood.
Check it out. Â You might even feel the presence of one of the old Italian mobsters hanging about one of the back corners of this fun Irish bar. Â Hmm . . . Italian bank to Irish bar- bet that is causing some tongues to wag in the hereafter!
Went here on a Saturday night, it was crowded but not overly crowded since we were able to find a small table in the back after only 15 minutes of standing around. Â Drink prices were reasonable and the customers all seemed to range from mid 20's to early 40's. Â I was not a huge fan of what the crowd was playing on the jukebox that night, but that isn't their fault. Â
Our waitress was very nice, but she kept forgetting us so we had to wait awhile for drinks. The bartebders there were working hard though and fast
My good friend's relative partially owns this place, so I should start out with something less than glowing. Â I know a lot of people who hate this place. Â Although it's never bothered me, this place does not attract a very young crowd like any good Irish-styled pub. Â It's a lot of cops and firemen. Â So don't go there looking or the hip, young scenesters of Chicago.
Although many of my friends would be considered hipsters, I still feel totally at home at Emmits. Â I have to admit, it was a lot more fun when my friend worked there and we'd stay after closing sampling whatever new beer they had that month. Â But I still like going back there and relaxing.
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