McFadden's is definitely your typical fratty bar, but it's nothing short of a good time. The music is good, and the servers are really friendly and down to earth. They have free bingo on wednesday nights, along with .50 cent wings and dollar domestic drafts. Definitely the place to be if you're looking for something to do during the week.
Review Source:Oh McFadden's, you make me sad. Â With the bar half full (before 9PM) how long do I have to wait to get a beer? and the bartender told me four, yes four times, that 'he would be right with me' I guess the people at the other end of the bar that were talking to were more interesting. Â Bad beer, check. Â Music too loud to talk to the person next to me, check. Â Bartender's that seem to hate their lives, check. Â I am pretty sure all their food is prepared straight from a freezer box, everything tasted like salty freezer burn. Â I didn't even like going to this kind of bar when I was in college. Â If you go in with low expectations, you will be just fine. Â This was my first and only time at McFadden's, like other reviews have said, if you are under 25 and your main objective is to get stupid drunk, insert Bud Light Beer tower, this is your place. Â Remember, low expectations!
Review Source:I havent been here in a little over 5 years and I discovered that nothing changed. Me & my pals dropped by already drunk and grabbed an available booth. I noticed the server had on a pair of cutoff shorts on with a pair of converse. Really?? You dumbasses really think thats gonna make people buy more drinks? Having a girl dressed like its 85 degrees on a 35 degree evening with a threat of a snowstorm??? Pathetic
Review Source:I have yet to find a bar in Chicago that I despise so much that I will never go back and tell everyone I know to avoid it like the plague. Well, I found it tonight. Avoid this place at all costs. It's dirty, the bathrooms are disgusting and broken, you get tricked into a terrible deal on wristbands (hint: they are a joke), beer comes in a plastic cup (think 6oz cups). You get your first drink in a glass pint glass, then it's half the size frat house style after that for the same price. 1 waitress for the entire place? Why are you drowning out conversation with a dj at 8pm? No one is dancing, no one lies the terrible music you play, go home.
Save yourself some time and avoid this place. Please.
Yuck. Â Stay away unless you are either underage or in college. Â Or if you like sticky floors, extremely loud top 40's, and older men waiting in the corners to ogle you. Â Service also takes forever and the bar is always either empty or full beyond capacity - no in-between. Â Some of the food (burgers, wraps) are actually pretty good, but service is spotty and it typically takes forever. Â Oh it also smells. Â Really bad.
Review Source:Only one thing I can say about this place, on the weekends it's gross. I'm not sure if I even fit in with the Division crowd on Friday and Saturday nights but I just couldn't shake the icky feeling this place left me with. We didn't have to pay cover on a Friday night, which was a promising start, but when we entered absolutely nothing made sense. There was no real dance floor, some people took to dancing on the seats of the booths scattered around. No one came to take our drink orders and when we made our way up to the bar it was 2-3 people deep, most of the people already had drinks and were standing at the bar trying to pick people up with cheesy pickup lines out of desperation since there was literally nowhere else to stand. A lot of drunk bachelorette parties were going down, maybe that's what all the fuss was about. I just don't think this place is worth the hassle, the staff was friendly but other than that it was just a little too much work.
Review Source:People would like this place a lot more if they took it for what it is: one of the best college party bars in Chicago.
It's a bunch of kids, getting drunk and out of control. If you are over 25, you might not like it, but otherwise, enjoy. Servers are all incredibly nice and friendly people.
This place sponsors our  team for Beach Volleyball on Tuesdays and it's been our post-game place every Tuesday night during volleyball season. This year, we've had the pleasure to have Melissa wait on s. This woman is so cool, so easygoing--even under pressure and crazy events. She rocks. The nachos, sliders, calamari, and tator tots are pretty awesome too.
The best part is also Tuesday Trivia, where your team can earn cash and rounds of drinks for cool team names, and the right answers of course.
By the way, to all the high maintenance people out there, it's bar! If you want upscale food, then go find upscale food in the area. Sheesh.
There is no reason to blast top 40s music with a DJ at 8pm on a Thursday. I know that I probably shouldn't have come here if I expected differently; however we won a free happy hour, so what can I say?
They have cheap drinks here during the week, but if it's after 9 just avoid it. This bar caters to the 'whoo hooo I Â wish I was still in undergrad crowd' which is not a surprise considering it's a Michigan State bar...
Yeah, I probably won't go back. Unless it's for another free happy hour, that is!
I have no idea why this place is so popular. No wait, I do. The simple concept of quantity over quality. We were there for our volleyball party. They offered some open bar wristband packages - a well package and a premium package. They didn't staff enough bartenders so it was hard to get a drink so most didn't get their money's worth. I bought a premium package and they conveniently ran out of some premium liquors so I had to get well drinks.
Some bartenders were sweet and others were dicks. The sliders we had were burnt. I will say the music was good mix.
Overall, if you're looking for a fun shit-show, this is your place.
I have been here multiple times and enjoyed them all. They have some pretty good drink specials on some nights and I have been here for wrist band birthday packages but I mainly enjoy the simple atmosphere of sports and music.
There are steps in the middle of the bar separating the two bars and the two dance floors which I think is stupid considering you have nothing but drunk patrons and that only increases the chances of people spilling on me and falling and hurting themselves.
The only problem I have had with this place is once a bartender lost my debit card and then repeatedly said that I never gave him one and that I had been paying in cash all night (I hadn't). He found it a few minutes later and was a little bit nicer about it. I really wanted to shove it in his face but I decided to take the high road and just tip him slightly less.
This place is what it is, and it excels at it.
It's a frat-type, party bar. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Expect college, just-out-of-college, bachelorette/bachelor parties, and old guys trying to recapture their youth. Just not my scene anymore.
Weekends it'll be crowded, loud, etc. Expect a lot of shots, etc.
Not extremely original, but it works for them
I had zero hope going into the bar that I would enjoy my time here. It helped having such low expectations.
I was here for a friends birthday party and we had a $30 wristband bar deal for 3 hours. That of course means some record breaking drinking will occur.
Bartenders were friendly :) Music was perfect for drunken, silly dancing.
It's definitely easy to get free drinks from dudes in this place. Just work a little lady magic and you're golden.
Somehow I got roped into thinking it was way cool to go to McFadden's on Wednesday nights. Â I was young and impressionable, and I haven't been back in a while. Â If enough people you know go semi-regularly, someone is definitely going to win a "party" at McFadden's which usually involves $2 well drinks for a few hours on a night of your choosing. Â Finding a table on a busy night is very hard, so you will be stuck standing by the bar or dancing in the crowded upper area by the DJ playing Top 40s. Â Everyone is super drunk and messy. Â The crowd is very young, but there are some older guys who will stand at the bar and creepily buy you drinks. Â The drinks are generally not good. Â I had the worst whiskey sour ever here, and I'm not even sure how you can mess that up.
You can have fun, but you can also have a horrible time. Â The amount of fun you have is positively correlated with how drunk you are. Â So plan accordingly.
The only reason I go here is because I love the food.
The Irish onion soup and blue cheese chips are to die for.
The service, atmosphere, and drinks are AWFUL.
Do not order a cocktail here, if you're going to drink- stick to beer! Â The bartenders make the absolute worst tasting mixed drinks I have ever had.
The service is some of the worst in the city, but if you're willing to see past that, the food is super yummy and reasonably priced.
I come here for 2 reasons... to black out with my girlfriends and act like were 21 again or because I live down the street and sometimes its just convenient.
Either way its a bar, people... get drunk and shut up. Â If you don't like loud music and seeing girls dance on the bar then go to the Jazz Club down the street. Â Yah I wouldn't come here every weekend and hardly ever come but when I do, I know what I am getting into and I always have fun. Â I love acting young and irresponsible :-)
To be fair, I was joking around with a random guy at the bar about it being my friend's birthday and it turned out to be the gm who brought her a bottle of champagne.
The bar was good. Â The DJ played some good hits and the staff was friendly. Â My only (VERY MAJOR) complaint was that I paid $3 to check my coat and the girl was gone by bar close. Â My coat was GONE and there was no on really to complain to. Â Seriously, coats were left on a chair and no one was there to monitor them
McFaddens. Â Irish! Â How exciting. I love the Irish, and their bars.
I opened the door and the first thing I saw was a waitress in daisy dukes, plaid shirt tied off below her boobs. Â Cowboy boots and cowboy hat. Â All the waitresses were dressed uniformly so, and they scampered about as country music reverberated through my ears.
Excellent - it's Redneck Trailer Titty night.
The crowd was overwhelmingly white. Â This wasn't a bad thing, of course. Â
Unless you happened to be the only chinese guy in the room.
On Redneck Trailer Titty night.
Educational as it was watching drunken Chicagoans creatively applying the wrong dance moves to country music, I decided that I need to get drunk if I'm going to stay here longer than 5 minutes and not stab myself in the face with my car keys.
I walked up to the bar which was fortunately uncrowded. Â Three bartenders were leaning back, with nobody to service. Â I stood at the bar, and waved to get their attention. Â One of them looked up, and then looked back down at his phone. Â The other two continued to talk to each other. Â I waved again. Â One of talkers saw me, and then flagged the guy with the phone and pointed at me. Â He looked up at me again, and then looked back down at this phone.
I waited about 15 more seconds before I walked away, without a beer.
It's OK.
Sometimes.
You're the only chinese guy in the room.
On Redneck Trailer Titty Night.
At the Irish Pub.
By the way. Â McFuckyou.
Holy moly me oh my. Â I've never been one for griping, but McFadden's completely blew my mind last night. Â It's almost admirable in a way - I hands down found the worst bar I've ever been to in my life. Â It actually made me start a Yelp account for the sole purpose of getting the word out (although apparently, I'm not the only one who's had a less than stellar time there)
This place perpetually smells like farts and puke, and the floor feels like its covered in fly paper. Â The bar is 80% guys who attack trashy chicks like animals in the amazon. Â The DJ would have been booed out of the reception hall at a wedding. Â The dance floor had 2 GIRLS ON IT. Â The rest were guys bumping into each other and trying to fight one another. Are you kidding me? Â And guys see this and 4 of them try to dance with one girl at once? Â Oh, and you say they're 45 years old and smell like onions? Â Sign me up for that. Â Testosterone must be pumping through the vents, because its apparent that if you bump the shoulder of a guy on the way to the bathroom, we all know that's a sign of disrespect. Â You must now fight them. Â Because we are men and must prove it to be so.
Also, I'm 5 foot 8 with pretty long hair, and I was wearing a blue v-neck with brown pants...this apparently infuriates the male population at McFadden's. Â I'm not gay, but have never been called a f*ggot so much in my life. Â Don't go to this place. Â I'm begging you. Â This is the worst time I've ever had in my life at a bar. Â Thank you McFadden's for showing me that all my expectations CAN be exceeded, even on the level of suck.
Oy vey (in honor of Rosh Hashana)!
Was there really a time in my life that I didn't mind bumping into gross sweaty people? Maybe I was just too drunk to notice?
This was the last stop of the night during my friend's bachelorette party! It had been awhile since I felt brave enough for a night at McFadden's, but nothing like a bachelorette party to get you in the mood.
After paying a $5 cover (what's that about) we did did our Red Headed Slut shots (the only shot I can handle these days), the bachelorette danced on the bars with the slutty looking girls who work here, and I tried my hardest to avoid all the sweaty men who tried to dance with me. Â The music was fun and we danced our hearts out...until the pain in my feet told me it was time to go home. Â At 1:30am it was way past my bedtime, but the party was just getting started at McFaddens!
Where does one even begin with this veritable Mecca of douchery? Â McFadden's is such a worthless establishment that I actually signed up with Yelp to write about it. Â If you think any publicity is good publicity, keep reading, and I'll make damned sure that you'll change your mind.
If you don't mind waiting in a roped off line for twenty minutes, the doorman is happy to relieve you of $5 for the privilege of entering. Â Ridiculous as charging cover for an "Irish" bar might seem, it's probably the most sensible thing about the place. Â Because despite the cover, McFadden's is almost always absolutely jammed with people. Â And I'd like to think that at least some of the other patrons were there just to see the worst bar in Chicago in action. Â You know, to give them something to tell their grandkids. Â To use Noel Gallagher's take on System of a Down: Â "After I went to McFadden's, I thought, I'm actually alive to have been to the shittiest bar ever. Â Of all the bars that have gone before and all the bars that'll be in the future, I was around when the worst was around." Â
It follows that such a crowded place wouldn't be suitable for anything but screaming at the person next to you. Â That's neither here nor there. Â However, it should be known that the music here sucks of its own accord. Â This is what you should expect, though, from a bar that has a DJ. Â
Another thing that belongs in clubs, not bars: go-go dancers. Â And the poor girls don't even get a cage to dance in at McFadden's; they're forced to strut their stuff on top of the bar. Â When this happens, every nimrod within 50 feet will move toward her for an extended upskirt glance, making it impossible to get a drink. Â Only McFadden's could actually hire a dancer to attract customers and keep them from spending money in the process.
If you can actually fight your way to the bar, you can choose from one of about five draft beers. Â Don't expect the Guinness to be on tap that night, because it's not like McFadden's is an Irish place or anything. Â And if you're there a bit later in the evening, you won't have to worry about holding a big heavy pint glass, because they will run out of them. Â No worries, you'll get a 10-oz plastic cup (same price) instead. Â According to the bartender, they're practically the same size.
Not much needs to be said about the bathrooms, because it's a bar. Â It's not going to be nice. Â But I can never get over the bathroom attendant thing. Â Every cent they earn is the product of guilt, not gratitude. Â The only time I'm going to tip you is if I'm drunk, there's ice in the urinals, and you're blasting Wilson Pickett on your mini-stereo. Â Talk to the guy at Hugo's Frog Bar for advice on this. Â Also, it helps to actually clean the bathroom once every couple of hours.
In an area chock-full of very bad bars, McFadden's takes the cake.
As I pulled up to McFadden's last night with my wingwoman in tow, we looked at each other and were like, 'Oh my God. Â This is going to be worst case scenario." Â And guess what? Â It was.
Okay... First things first. Â The ONLY redeeming thing about McFadden's is the stellar wristband party packages. Â $30 buys you three hours of open bar, including Effen Black Cherry vodka, which means one thing for me: Lights out. Â
Moving on.... It's REALLY, REALLY hot in McFadden's. Â It kind of smells like puke and there was no one in the entire bar I even wanted to talk to. Â And the DJ was playing quite possibly the worst music ever. Â For everyone who grew up in the burbs, I equate the music to what was played at the Paladrome, circa 1996.
As the night progressed, the cheese factor increased. Â Slutty women dancing on the bar and douchebags oogling them. Â The world's tiniest dance floor crammed to capacity with guys in striped shirts (Hello! Â It's 2009!) and girls in sequined mini-dresses. Â The creepy bartender who wouldn't stop hitting on me. Â No, I won't give you my number, pal. Â Back off.
As soon as midnight struck and my wristband special was over, I bolted the bar to head for greener pastures.
It's always way too crowded and sweaty here, and the line/cover is a disaster. Â Ok, fine, I can overlook that because a lot of bars are like that. Â Here is what takes all credibility away from McFaddens (for me at least). Â I was here with friends for a post med school exam party (for my friends-i obvi haven't seen a biology book since 8th grade). My friend was waiting in line for the bathroom, and per the usual, it was very crowded. Â Some DOUCHEBAG guy bumps my friend, she says excuse me, thinks he's a jerk and lets him walk away.
Fast forward 5 minutes when the guy JACKS HER IN THE FACE. Literally, punches a GIRL in the face. She breaks her nose, she's bleeding everywhere....and the bouncers don't even call the police/wait for the police to show up bc they say they have no authority to do so. Â Seriously? what about as a man? do you have authority to not be a p***y?
HATES THIS PLACE.
So this is what a "douche bag" bar is like... As soon as I arrived in Chi-town, my cousin took me straight to McFadden's... There are no other words that describe the clientele here better than douche bags and chicks. Similarly, there's nothing that can describe the bar, with its overabundance of flatscreens with sports galore, and a blaring sound system. Â I couldn't hear most of the night. Â Good thing I had free drinks all night courtesy of my cousin's buddy who was working the bar... And when it's 3am the dudes and chicks are still wide awake, this 5am bar is the go-to, if only because it's one of the few places in "the 'hood" still serving.
Pros: Free drinks, chicks..
Cons: Douche Bags...
Had guests in town who wanted to do happy hour "somewhere downtown", on a Saturday evening, with 2 kids in tow. Â
Sooo....
Long story short, we landed in here because it met our criteria as best as possible.
They were out of most of their draft beers (on a Saturday evening??), so that was kind of a bummer. Â The beers they did have were served in plastic cups. Â Perhaps it was serendipitous, as Bud Light and plastic cups just feel right. Â But still. Â I object to both offenses.
Service was friendly, particularly given the two kids we had with us. Â Our server was really sweet about accommodating us.
Food was OK. Â Their bleu cheese chips were good... but awfully heavy. Â Typical bar fare, I suppose.
Worst part was the clientele. Â It was like a sad basement dude party, with said dudes yelling way louder than the game warranted. Â I now will never, ever root for the Eagles.
Bathroom was horrid. Â Like the out-of-TP-watch-for-TB situation you expect in a dance club at 2am. Â But this was Saturday. Â At like 5:30. Â And it wasn't that busy.
Yeah... I'm not going back.
Definitely one of the most offensive places I've ever stepped into. Â The DJ will spin you the pop hits of 1997, the bros with backwards white baseball hats will high five and raucously sing along to the sweet Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth jams, the only people with any pigmentation in their skin are stuck working in the bathrooms giving you paper towels and mints (is this 1930?) for meager tips (which no one gives), the staff wont' give you the time of day if you're not willing to blow them in a back room, and just overall it's not a good time.
Friends of mine won those "$10 ALL YOU CAN EAT AND DRINK FOR 2 HOURS" type deals and even with that going for it I was miserable.
2 Stars for a huge bar with good music.
The only problem is, the female bartender def stole my friend's credit card--she wasn't even drunk!
The bartender handed her receipt in a black folder with no credit card in it. She asked her where it was and the woman told her to look on the floor.
I looked on the floor, too. NO credit card.
Fishy fishy, don't try to take advantage of people you think are drunk!
I can't believe someone who reviewed this place said that this is the most fun bar in the city. Â WHAT?! I wanted to be as fair and unbiased as possible but I can never have fun here. Â The music blows, its full of people who think they know music and request 50 cent and all "real" music that they can sing along to. Â It would be an insult to ever call this place a club because the DJ is a moron and can't mix worth a lick. Â Everytime time I come here its always the same thing, retarded bouncer who thinks he's tough shit and a very typical suburban/college - esque crowd. Â
I can't believe they charged a cover for one of the nights I went (yes, I went more than once) because honestly I could have gone to any of the other douchey bars for free. Â I've been here for one of the parties that everyone and their mother wins but if you dare ask for anything else that's in the keg, the bartender has a bewildered look that makes you feel like a foreigner for not liking piss lite. Â
Bathroom attendant? Â For real? Â attn: McFadden - you are the lowest denomination of class and with your crappy little saloon bathrooms you aren't fooling anybody with a bathroom attendant. Â I think the only tolerable time was when I went when it was empty and it was just calm, however my waitress looked like she just woke up, got our orders wrong (mind you there were only three tables occupied) and she changed my water cup twice only to find some kind of lint in there. Â
I think this place is good for puking, hitting on underage girls with fake ID's and getting into fights. Â If you think this is THE bar, you deserve to die.
This place reeks of baby prostitute, or perhaps a high-priced escort from Duluth. Â Meaning: it smells like baby powder and vomit. Â
The striped-shirt set who frequent this place seem to enjoy violating women's personal space, as I was holding hands with a guy and several of them proceeded to put their hands on the small of my back. Â One even brushed my hair behind my ear ever-so-tenderly. Â
If you enjoy being packed in body to body with little boys looking to score, you should go to McFaddens.
What's better than drinking with one of my best girls in the Chi? Â Its drinking with her + 100 santas during the holidays! Â Yes, this bar was one of the bars involved in a festive santa pub crawl on Saturday and it made everything just feel so darn MERRY CHRISTMAS. Â I love it! Â Hot guys in santa costumes just were my new wish for every year. Â Let's make this happen in LA.
It was a friendly crowd in there, all wanting to dance, drink & be merry. Â A perfect night out in one of my favorite cities.
Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house, I was sick of being sick. Â I wanted to get soused!
In years past, I usually stay home the night before Thanksgiving, but this year I really felt like going out. Â So, I gathered up some friends and someone suggested McFadden's. Â I had never been there before, but $1 Miller High Life in a can sounded like a great idea.
I got there early to have some food and I ordered the buffalo chicken tenders. Â I took a few bites and realized that the chicken was raw. Â That's right...RAW. Â Completely raw in the middle. Â EEEEEWWWW!!!!! Â The manager (I think he was the manager) Zack was completely apologetic. Â He gave me a refund, an order of fries per my request, and a fresh can of High Life. Â
The good news is that I didn't get food poisoning, which was great! Â I was just getting over the flu and I didn't want to be sick anymore. Â I liked how nice Zack was and how he handled the situation, but come on...a kitchen that serves raw chicken?!?!?! Â Gross.
Checklist at McFadden's for Men:
- White striped long sleeved shirt with cuffs turned up
- Boring watch that every other person who works at your marketing firm wears
- Heavily gelled hair to cover up receeding hairline despite the fact you're 21
- Axe body spray
Checklist at McFadden's for Women:
- Glittery top which isn't long enough to cover your nascent spare tire
- Tight jeans that aren't particularly cool
- "Maid of Honor" tank top if you don't have a glittery one
So join the party at McFadden's where your waitress serves you an entree without any silverware and forgets about you for 30 minutes only to return with "Hehe cutey! Â I just thought you'd eat it with your hands!"
I enjoyed visiting this bar just north of bar-happy Division Street. It is a relatively spacious place with minimal decor including a few pub signs and some TV sets. The place was not overwhelmingly crowded on a Thursday evening, so it was not too smoky inside. The music was not too bad, though you will wind up shouting at your friends if you want to have some conversation. I did not have to wait forever for my drinks, so that is a big thumbs up for the drink servers. They serve some bar food items such as crispy fries and potato skins.
Thanks to Andrea and Elizabeth for helping to set up the Yelp Happy Hour here !! Â It was fun to meet some vets and some new faces.
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
