Lizzie McNeill's. Chicago, Illinois

400 N McClurg Court

Guinness Tag: $8.00 | Overall Rating: 8.50

Lizzie McNeill's Irish Pub of downtown Chicago has lovely curb appeal along the water

Chicago can be a really beautiful city, especially when you dream about being along the water. That's exactly where Lizzie McNeill's laid her bones; right on the river in the heart of downtown. The curb appeal gets the job done with patio tables, vibrant green awnings, greenery, and excellent water views.

The Craic hits as soon as you plop your potato on a barstool. The bartenders are knowledgeable, engaging, and very friendly. If you're not a sketchy looking person then they probably won't ask for a card to hold down a tab, which is always a lovely touch to a place's hospitality. It can be deflating when you walk into an empty Pub with nothing but smiles and good vibes to be slapped with an immediate, "I need a card to start you a tab" in return, making it seem like you're an untrustworthy piece of ass. You can tell that the staff captures regular patrons rather easily here.

The place poured its first Guinness in 1992 by a nice man named Brendan, who named the Pub after his daughter, Lizzie. Sometime around covid (give or take), he sold the bar to nice people who kept the Pub's tradition alive while adding a hood vent in the kitchen to be able to serve burgers and Reubens moving forward. Brendan opened a new Pub, a proper one, down the street, named D4 (it's breathtaking).

Lizzie's is a pooch friendly Pub and it's actually more traditional and old school with decent patina rather than proper. As you look at the location and the exterior of the building it's easy to assume that it would be the other way around. Not to say that proper Pubs can't produce good Craic, because they certainly do and can, however, the Craic always seems to hit a bit harder when you're raising your pint inside an old school joint with years of character.

The light fixtures are magnificent, and you'll even notice 2 light posts sitting right smack dab in the middle of the bar counter itself. It's flippin' sweet. The furniture has a good touch of "used and abused" to it and the lighting is nice and dim. The craftsmanship leaves a little room for improvement and the countertop is marble rather than wood (to each their own). They offer plastic darts, not steel tip. If you're in Chicago and looking to throw steel tip darts then take my word for it; you want to throw inside Monsignor Murphy's which is about 13 minutes north via the Redline. There's Golden Tee as well for the true athletes looking to let loose.

Lizzie's gives beer drinkers a healthy selection to choose from, offering many from across the pond. They pour their Guinness the right way and it's served with a smile. They have a sub-par whiskey selection, however, you can find good deals on the hard stuff throughout the week. There's free popcorn out of a fun machine to keep you ordering "just one more beer" and I wasn't complaining.

The bathrooms are clean with a sniff of stank. They offer a free "Irish American Newspaper" outside the bathroom door for those looking to plop a few potatoes, giving them the perfect read throughout their office visit.

At the end of the day, Lizzie's surprises guests with its charm and provides good Irish hospitality. The people inside these walls are real, everyday people, from both sides of the bar. You'll find a better Pub with better Craic out in the wild, but that's not to say that Lizzie's doesn't get the job done. The Craic is certainly alive here and if you don't have a fun time with these people then it's definitely a "you" problem.

Thanks for the lovely time, Lizzie McNeill's, I hope to see you again one day. Slainte