I'm writing this only in the hopes that the owner will read it and change the menu back. Visited last night. Shamrock's service as always was fast and friendly, good beer selection, decent prices. The problem is, the menu changed drastically. What was once my go-to spot for predictably greasy bar food has apparently tried to class it up and the results are mixed at best.
Where are the southwestern eggrolls? Those things were freakin fantastic. What happened to the pizza? I know people from out of state who talked about Shamrock's pizza like it was the holy grail of bar pizza. Now, neither of those things are on the menu, replaced by seemingly homemade but mostly tasteless offerings. The stuffed burgers are an epic fail because they don't appear to be stuffed with anything; rather, the stuffings are sort of just mashed-in with the meat. The result is an inconsistently cooked burger. The onion rings tasted like nothing...not even onions, really. The tater tots: definitely homemade, but tasted like falafel. I mean, falafel's great, but not when you want tots.
I dunno man. I'm not saying the food was fantastic before, but those eggrolls were crave-able. But hey, the good news is, I could probably go back tonight and order the same things as yesterday and they would taste completely different. Just a feeling. EGGROLLS!
I have been here a couple of times and it is just your typical Lincoln Park bar. A very young crowd. It does differ from other Lincoln Park bars because it is not as run down. It is actually fairly clean. This might be because it is never really been that crowded and no one ever seems overly drunk. The service is kind of slow. Nothing I would write home about!
Review Source:We came here on Labor Day weekend on Sunday night. You would think that it would be a little busier considering most people didn't have to work the next day. Not here. This place was DEAD. We ordered a few drinks, which were comparable in price to other places around. The bartender was nice (also the only one working), but when we asked if we could still order food he said the kitchen staff may get angsty if we ordered food now since the kitchen closes in 25 minutes. Would you be angsty if I gave you my money as well? Me thinks not.
We ended up getting their fries that come with a soup-like dip and their pretzel sticks (like pretzel bread sticks) that come with honey mustard and a nacho cheese dip. The food was good (cheese dip could have been warmer), and it would have been nice if they had a different mustard.
The whole place was really dark and just...dreary. Not a place to come if you want to have tons of fun. I doubt we will be going back here.
Not a bad spot...not a whole lot to it either
Its a bar basically and they serve drinks...I had beer
The chick behind teh bar was nice and she wanted make sure me and my lady had enough to drink
They have a nice window that usually stays open during teh summer months to catch a nice breeze
It's a hidden gem sitting right out in the open at Halsted just south of Diversey.
Decent drink specials ($1 beer Thursdays, decent other day specials), cool atmosphere - went for a book club thing one Sunday and saw a trivia going on in the back on a Thursday, and good food - though if it's not a special, some things can be a little bit pricey (but delicious).
They also have some great craft beers on tap so definitely a place to check out.
The bartender was cool as hell and was from Philly which simply tickled my heart. There was someone playing live cover music which was actually super entertaining. I went on a Wednesday night. There were a plethora of $2 beers to choose from and a $3 Jamo shots which everyone in Chicago seems so enamored with. There isn't much out of the ordinary at this place. But I saw a sign for a movie night which might bring me back in the future. It was a really chill place though and that will defintiely bring me back.
Review Source:The food is absolutely awful; to the point inedible. Â I had the fish sandwich (cod in an Irish pub you'd think is a safe bet - it's not). Â It was rubbery. Â I chose the tater tots vs. the fries - a bad plan. Â They were so overcooked I didn't eat but one (and I LOVE crispy tater tots). Â My boyfriend had the cheese, bacon and tomato panini. Â It was made with nasty cooking oil which tasted old, and well, like cooking oil; it was soggy; the bacon was under cooked. Â Terrible. Â The fries were the only good thing on the plate. Â Even the beer tasted stale. Â I felt like I needed a shower after eating (and I wasn't even full - not worth continuing to eat it!).
This is the first review I have posted on yelp - I use it all the time to check reviews, but have yet posted one. Â Simply due to how horrible this dining experience was I had to spread the word. Â
Also, the server never checked back and never asked how it was... I think it's because he knew.
I visited Hidden Shamrock for some rambunctious Apples to Apples fun on a Tuesday.
Now, they have different specials each night. Â On Tuesdays, they have:
$2 Select Drafts
$4 Premium Drafts
1/2 Price Apps
4pm-8pm
$3 Jamo Shots
I didn't have a Jamo Shot so I don't know what that's about.
I did have 3 pints and an order of chicken fingers with fries. Â My bill came out to $14! Â Come on! Â Coming from Los Angeles, such prices are unheard off.
They had a decent amount of brews on tap. Â I had the Batch 19. Â The chicken fingers portion with fries was plentiful, and hit the spot after 3 brews. Â Plus, our server was great so can't vouch for the other reviews.
Also, at 9:30 p.m. they also have live music.
If you're in the area, check it out!
I can't remember the last time I thought to myself "totally yelping this" or for that matter the last time I wrote a low star review. Hidden Shamrock brought both out in me.
I've been a waitress. I am well aware that things get busy and hectic sometimes. I am well aware that Things Happen and other things Slip Through The Cracks. But not on a slow Tuesday night when you have four tables, all right next to each other, all in full view of your spot at the bar next to your friends with whom you appear to be having a lovely time watching the game.
I feel bad. Because honestly our waitress was a nice girl. But over an hour wait for tater tots (which were already ridiculously overpriced at $6 given that it didn't come with anything else) is unacceptable. Especially when you had to be reminded that they had been ordered 45 minutes after my friend had ordered them. Again, you weren't busy, so why did you forget? I won't go into anything else, like how often I attempted to get her attention (so many times) or order another beer only to fail, miserably. (And I'm no wallflower at this). But as my friend stated, we may have come here with a Livingsocial deal, but we were fully prepared to patronize it again given its good weekday deals and proximity to her job. Sadly, bad service makes me never want to go back. And reading other reviews, it seems as if bad service is a norm here.
And as a sidenote: It's a Tuesday night. The live music was nice but the volume was Too Loud. If I want to scream at my friend I'll pick a fight or take her to a real concert venue. I noticed another table also having difficulties continuing their conversation. This is the kind of thing, Hidden Shamrock, that makes patrons leave before they have bought as many beers from you as they had previously intended. Just turn the volume down a teensy bit so that we may all enjoy the music, but still speak at a normal enough volume. Seriously. My throat is actually sore this morning.
Rarely do I write reviews any more. But after visiting Hidden Shamrock tonight, I couldn't not write a review.
I visited with a friend, complements of a Living Social deal. I got there first and had to locate seating, which wasn't hard, but I did ponder for a bit in the middle of the place before I chose to sat down at a table. Few minutes later I was greeted and ordered a beer, delivered in a timely manner. Knowing my darling friend would love to eat some tator tots, I ordered some.
Friend came, ordered a beer. We finished those beers...but the waitress came back and only asked me if I wanted another and scurried off so quickly she had not even noticed my companion asking to get another beer for herself. Nearly 20 minutes later waitress appears again, this time asking both of us if we wanted more and nearly scurried off again, but I was able to ask about those tator tots (which at this point had been 45-50 minutes after I initially ordered them). Waitress said "oh sure!' as if she completely forgot our conversation 45 minutes ago about the tator tots and me ordering them. 10 minutes later we get the tots. Not at all worth $6. Not even some salt or pepper or ANYTHING sprinkled on them. It took another 5 minutes of friend to get our waitress's attention to ask for ketchup (which was NOT in the little basket thing...obviously or we wouldn't have spent five minutes trying to get your attention away from talking to some dude at the end of the bar.)
Also, they had a musician performing while we were there. And he was good. But holy hell, turn down the volume. We were talking (read: yelling) at each other with about 5 inches of space between and we could still hardly hear each other. We are not cranky old ladies.
We gladly would have stayed and had more beer, we would have gladly returned... it wasn't a bad place, but the service, horrible. No reason at all should the waitress have been so inattentive to us and her other 3 tables. Seriously, four tables, all right next to each other. (Also, $4 for Bud Light?!) We discussed on the way home we'd definitely return on Tuesdays for half price apps (4-8) and $2 domestics drafts, it's just too bad the service was an incredible turn off, so we won't be returning. We decided to leave a small tip (11%-ish), and let me tell you, we are good tippers (we both have worked in the servicing industry in various ways, including waitressing) and never has either of us left a waiter such a small tip.
I've been to Hidden Shamrock twice now. The first time was for a hash and the second time was for a live music event. Both times were pretty good. It's a standard bar with an assortment of beer and hard liquor.
At the hashing event they provided us with complimentary 312 beer. This was our kinda-sorta half-way point and we stopped in for just 15 minutes. They handed out a ton of beer and left us to our own devices. I downed two beers, used the bathroom, and we were on our way. It wasn't much time to get a real feel for the bar, but I was able to actually remember that I came here before. I'm kind of impressed with my intoxicated memory.
The second time I came here was over the weekend. I was there to see a band and got to check out a couple other acts as well. This time we were in the back bar and I've got to say that I prefer it to the front. We also ordered the Loaded Tater Tots and they were pretty damn good. Real nacho cheese sauce and smothered in bacon, sour cream and chives. The tots were chewy inside and crispy outside. Perfect.
As far as drinks - overpriced. Large PBR for $6. Yikes! That's real beer prices and PBR is not real beer. Granted, it's a beer I love sometimes. But they practically give you PBR for free where I come from. And Guinness was a whopping $7. I figured I'd make up for it by claiming my "free shot" through foursquare, but you didn't get to pick your shot. It was Jameson, which I promptly handed over to my boyfriend. Irish bars seem to be notoriously overpriced.
I won't object to coming here for concerts or special events. They have a pretty good set up and the bartenders are on it. I just don't think I'll go out of my way to come here. It's OK.
My boyfriend has played two shows in the back room here recently, and when I first found out where he was playing, I considered boycotting. Â A bar near DePaul in LP during football playoffs? Â No thanks. Â I will say Hidden Shamrock totally exceeded my (granted, very low) expectations. Â
I have little experience with the front section of the bar, but it appeared to be about what I expected - crowded, loud, and filled with people much younger than I am. Â The back section of the bar is actually really nice, though! Â It was much quieter and relaxed and the sound system is actually pretty good. Â We ordered food for everyone (pizzas and onion rings and other assorted fried items) - the food was fine, nothing great, but certainly not inedible. Â Drink selections are pretty decent, but a little overpriced. Â My Blue Moon was a pretty standard $5, but Guinness is an insane $7 per pint (this was a Sunday, and now I'm starting to wonder if I didn't get overcharged...I'm not sure I've ever seen Guinness that expensive anywhere...)
So yeah, this place is A-Ok. Â I'll make no special effort to go back, but I would definitely come back for live music in the back room.
Young DePaul crowd, cheap drinks, fun music, live performances in the back. This place is kind of a smorgasbord of weird things that you can do under the age of 25. I went to see someone perform in an a capella group in the back and was promptly greeted by people about 5 years younger than me, some of whom heckled me and the performers (I was just trying to squeeze by!). Not my favorite place and I will not go again unless I have a good reason to.
Review Source:I went here twice within a week so you think I'd give it a better review.
Well, the first time I went with my roommates, and we all were starving, hence the foods tasted good. We had a groupon and the bill came out to be 94 cents, so I was excited to come back here couple days later.
The second time was, however, not so hot. I ordered an Irish Breakfast burger because my one roommate had it couple days back, and it looked amazing. Mine came out WITHOUT the irish bacon (which was the reason why I got the burger in the beginning). I asked the waitress (who was no where to be seen and I had to wait forever for her to come back. She then had to check the menu and then went to the kitchen to check with the "chef."
She came back a bit later and said that the bacon is in there under the egg - I looked and it was ONE sad skinny piece of bacon, not IRISH bacon, and only ONE piece? Worse, she acted like I was the one who was mistaken. I didn't want to be a snob and argue but c'mon, Irish bacons are like hams, they're thick, and delicious, and I SAW MY ROOMMATE HAD THEM in the same burger couple days before. Â
You'd think because this place is an "Irish" bar they'd know their "Irish food." not so much. If you're going to order the same thing, check with your server first.
I had a blast here. Â There was an event going on in the back (Dating for Nerds). Â I never had a chance to come to these events. Â But today (on a very very cold day), I decided to try this. Â It was well worth it (although it seemed cheezy). Â We were playing board games (typical nerdy thing to do). Â There were 7 tables. Â The guys at table would switch tables every round, while the chicks would stay at the same table. Â I'm glad I went. Â It was a good way to meet people.......instead of getting trashed at bars.
Also, I had nachos. Â It was great. Â It had onions, a lot of cheese, sour cream, jalepenos. Â It was filling. Â I guess I was starving, so it tasted really good.
This is a nice, chill little bar near the Diversey stop. Â I live in the Loop, where hardly anything is chill, and if it is, that means it's totally lame and boring, so it's nice to find a regular ol' hangout-type bar.
Beers are cheap, with pitchers running about $10 or a couple dollars per beer. Â Service isn't bad either - unless there's a bar crawl going on, it's a sit-at-the-bar-and-don't-be-bumped kind of place. Â The crowd is diverse and generally good-natured, which makes for a good night. Â Plus, no one uses the juke box, so if you pay for a song it comes up next. Â Score.
The place is right around the corner from my friend's house but we had never been there until a while ago. Wednesday was half price wing night but none of us ordered them. My buds ended up ordering the sweet potato tater tots-I don't care for the sweet potato but they thought it was delicious. I ordered the 'Irish Breakfast Burger' which had and egg and Irish bacon on it. Delicious! Egg on a burger is normal but the Irish bacon-think more like ham or Canadian bacon was phenomenal. They also had $4 dollar premium pints which wasn't that bad but our waitress was a little absent minded and confused things a little. Not too bad, not so bad that kept us from going again later.
I had the Spicy Shamrock the next visit which was also a good burger. I love spicy food and this was pretty good. Their special that evening was $4 Miller lite or High Life tallboys which is okay for a weekend special but I am not a fan of either of those beers. A pretty good neighborhood bar with some pretty good burgers and good. 3.5 stars
Bargainous. I don't know how or why, but five great beers and an order of fries came to $16. I like this very much. The bartenders were attentive, speedy, and friendly, and deserve your generous tips.
A band was setting up to play, and looked about to start just as we were leaving (9.45pm on a Wednesday). The place felt very laid back with just a touch of the dinginess you expect and require from an "Irish" pub.
I have only been once, but from what I could tell this is a pretty fun bar. Â You can either sit in the back with tables and comfy chairs where it's not so crowded, or you can hang out in the front, where there's a little more action.
The servers are really nice, but not too quick, so beware on a Saturday night when it's crowded.
Prices were reasonable, they had really good beer specials.
I will def visit again.
This place is ok. The food was decent. $2 PBRs are also good, plus they have 312 (which is always a plus in my book).
It has a nice back area with lots of large booths with pooltables and dart boards. If you come here en masse, then you're sure to have a good time.
I've never been here for trivia night, but when I go and if it's good then this place is sure to earn an extra star.
This place has provided me with many a beverage, and as a result, many a hangover. Â Hidden Shamrock is large enough, with two rooms, plenty of seating, pool tables, and TVs so you can get your game-watching on if that's your thing.
I've never experienced the trivia thing, cause I would probably get annoyed. Â Whenever I've been here the atmosphere isn't too Lincoln Park/chad/trixie (read - bad) despite its location. Â
Good beer specials, nice jukebox, and not too-crowded. Â Merits a trip back when in the area, but not necessarily a special trip there.
Like a lot of people, I still only come here on Tuesday nights. Â I'm not at all sure what it's like on the weekends, but I presume like any shitty Lincoln Park Bar.
Tuesday nights, though, are awesome! Â They have Trivia Night, which is very excellent. Â The trivia is $20 for a team of up to four or $25 for five people. Â No more than five people on a team so no cheating! Â The questions are just the right amount of difficult - it's not too cheesy but it's not so hard that you don't have a shot at winning. Â There are seven rounds that are just the right amount of time. Â Quiz starts at 8:00 and ends around 10. Â The quiz at the Full Schilling on Clark takes FOREVER because they guy insists on slowly grading every round after its complete and then reading the answers. Â It's good questions, but not worth your time.
Sorry, I got off track. Â Anyway, this place also has good beer and good prices. Â On Tuesdays they have $3.50 Blue Moon pints and $2.50 Miller Family Bottles. Â Those are pretty good prices for an LP bar (not better than Trinity next door, but that's a different story). Â They have a wide array of beers on tap and a ton of bottled selections (domestic and international). Â Their food is also pretty good, as well. Â I wish they had food specials (half price apps or something) because the prices are a bit lofty, but the Loaded Fries (cheese, bacon, sour cream, chives) are delicious. Â
I like the Hidden Shamrock. Â I'm not sure if I'd be able to stomach it on the weekends but on Tuesday nights the only people in the place are there for the quiz so it's nice and spacious. Â There's room for everyone (not hard to get a table for your group) and you can sit anywhere (front or back) to play the quiz.
I'm the first to admit that in my late teens and early twenties (aka 2 years ago), I was a little bit of club trash. Fake baked orange, lots of sequins, and inappropriately short dresses really paired well with my Northwestern education. Â I hated bars and if there wasn't a $20 cover that my friends and I bypassed by batting some lashes, I wouldn't go in.
All that said, the fact that I kind of LOVE Hidden Shamrock is still mind boggling. Â It is not very big, but it's cozy and has coat hooks all around or booths where you can set down your stuff. Â Drinks are reasonably priced, and bartenders are friendly and attentive.
Wednesday night's open mic is a true gem in Chicago. It's currently hosted by Your Little Ponies, who can guarantee a laugh every time. There are a lot of regulars, but don't be scared; they're not the non-welcoming regulars. Drink specials are decent, and the bartenders are always friendly.
Highly recommended on Wednesday nights, but it can become a frat part on the weekends.
I've only been here on Tuesday nights when they have trivia so my review is probably irrelevant to someone looking for a weekend haunt. That said, for you trivia lovers, this is a fine establishment to flex your pop culture muscles. What really sets the Hidden Shamrock apart from the other trivia joints I've been is that the host writes his own questions, keeping things more topical and interesting. Most other pub trivias I've attended use the same cookie cutter trivia questions they order each week (and the fact they order them from a company is confirmed as I've heard many repeat questions from place to place and have had other trivia teams say this as well).
The food specials aren't bad, the drink specials aren't either. There's a nice fireplace lounge area in the back and the place generally makes for an enjoyable night of trivia.
This is a good place to go if...you like answering questions and drinking beer.
Large bar with pooltables and dart boards. I came here to cap off the night so I did not do much of anything but drink and watch the live entertainment. Although the guy playing music was not a 5 star act, he had synth music while playing piano and singing over top of it to popular pop and 80's songs. I must stress this was very entertaining. We also watched a 30 something bald man come in and hit on a 24 year old girl. She was embarassed about making out with him yet she continued all night and ended up leaving with her. Everytime she would dance with him we would crack up. Imagine Seth Rogen in Knocked up minus the dice move... that is about all this guy had. His best move was shake his butt back and forth. Drinks were cheap and there was plenty of seating for anyone who wanted it.
I would come back to this place in hopes of seeing such awkward hook-ups and the guy playing music again.
Stupid Pink Elephant ...
Things that happen when a bar serves the Pink Elephant:
(1) Â A grown man stared absentmindedly into a glass admiring the fact that he could see outlines of elephants in his beer;
(2) Â An adult woman spikes your drink with green food coloring, somehow dying your fingers in the process;
(3) Â A grown man marvels at the fact that the bartender advised him that his beer cost $8 a glass;
(4) Â A grown man walked out on his bar tab only to send out a text the next day to see who covered him;
(5) Â A grown man started passing gas, announcing it, and then walking away quickly.
And yet despite all this debauchery, I managed not to have a hang over the next day. Â Remarkable ...
This was a good bar, I had a good time, but didn't find anything special about it. Â I went here for the Steelers playoff game after finding my usual place, Durkins, jam packed. Â
I know this isn't a "sports bar" but they had lots of TVs in the back room, but only one with the HD Satellite, and that was the nice TV with "the mirrors." Â So of course I'm spoiled and wanted to watch that one, unfortunately, all the other TVs were the "TV of the future." Â The delay really stinks when you hear every body yell, then you see that Jacksonville has intercepted for the 3rd time. Â
Also, my first beer, a Fat Tire, was nasty. Â I think I had the first pull or the lines were bad. Â The bartender did give me my second on the house thankfully. Â But I'm not rushing to go back.
Great neighborhood pub. Â I have lived near the Hidden Shamrock for a year but only recently checked it out. Â We were bored, looking for something to do besides watch bad reality TV, so we decided to check out the Tuesday night pub trivia. Â Last year, we had gone to the Local Option's seasonal Pub Trivia night pretty regularly with friends who have been doing it for years. Â
The trivia at HS is much different. Â First of all, though the MC uses a mic, he isn't screaming or being obnoxiously loud. Â Second, he writes the questions himself, as opposed to using a franchise-type quiz like most places do. Â Pretty impressive! Â Third, and most importantly, there was only ONE sports question the entire night, which just thrilled me because I might as well be at another bar when those are asked. Â
It's a bit quieter, less raucous than the one at Local Option, but still fun. Â A nice, low-key, Tuesday night kind of fun. Â Also, the waitstaff were so friendly--it was really refreshing. Â Oddly, the Mediterranean salad was beautiful. Â It was the best salad I have ever had at a pub. Â Just to avoid being too healthy, I paired it with chicken fingers which were pretty standard.
Also, the jukebox is REALLY REALLY GOOD! Â I'm a big jukebox ho so this is important to me! Â I will definitely be back for more trivia, though it sounds like a place I would avoid on a weekend night.
Dear Hidden Shamrock:
If your actual closing time is 1:45am on Fridays, change your sign to reflect that at the door. Do not turn on the lights at 1:30 two minutes after selling me my last drink and start screaming for everyone to get out. Do not yell at my friends and me, including my pregnant friend, to leave. And especially don't forcibly guide my friend out the door with your angry little bouncer hand when she is practically already through the threshold.
I felt like I was at a bad frat party. Lame.
This place is great for a mid-afternoon pint. Â The place was empty as it was 2pm when we wandered into this fun little establishment. Â I enjoyed the decor - being a traditional American-Irish pub. Â
Around 430pm, though, this little place started to fill up with peeps looking for shelter from the heat outside. Â To my horror, a small hippy man and woman came walking out of some back room and proceeded to sit down on a couple of stools and yammer away with their crappy acoustic music. Â
I am all for live music, i love it, love it, love it... But damn, I could have done without these two howling away. Â It was a Sunday afternoon, and i don't know if it is a regular thing - but i won't be back in around 430pm on a Sunday again.
Rumor is that "Hidden Shamrock" describes a strategically placed tattoo that one of the owners has...
I, myself, can not confirm such things... but if anyone out there can, please do tell. Â
This is actually a fairly cool place, and if you must go out in the Halstead /Diversey area... this is one of the most bearable of the frat-tastic bars. Â The fireplaces are a nice touch, and the Guiness is pretty good too.
Been there twice. Â Once early on in the night and it wasn't happening at all. Â The other time the last 2 hours was crazy with attractive young yuppie girls raining down like cats and dogs. Â So soak it up or bring an umbrella. Â
Cool area nearby all around so make a stop near the end of the night here if you're going strong and want late night craziness.
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