Harrigan's

So I really wanted to belong to an Irish pub that was closer to home than my usual River North haunts and I discovered this place. Irish bartenders and a fun atmosphere brings in a good crowd. The food comes from the neighboring steak place, which is awesome, and beers are as expected. The Guinness is a sloppy pour and the rest of the beers are often foamy, from what I could see, but hey, that's part of the charm, right? Great music is always playing and they often have live bands and theme nights. And if it's your birthday, they have a blow up sheep, I think. Sometimes they let girls dance on the bar- girls who should not be dancing on a bar- so that's kinda yuck.

So yeah, I really wanted this to be one of my go to places, but I have to admit that I haven't been back since a certain stunning bartender quit. Ah well.

This place has gone downhill in the last few years.  The owner is an extremely unpleasant Irish fellow who is way too loud and opinionated for my taste.  Last time I was in I, actually, threw down a $10 half way through my second beer and walked out I was so over this place.

There are plenty of better bars, in the area: Trinity, Paddy Longs, Galway Bay, Hidden Shamrock...or buying a bottle of V.O. and drinking it in a private garbage can.

I liked the vibe at Harrigan's, I'm a sucker for the classic Irish pub, but the beers were half-foam.  That's rude to the customer and simple laziness on the part of the bartender.  There are way too many pubs in Chicago for me to pay for foam.