Haven't been in here in awhile and can't remember why! Had some drinks here the other day and everything was great. They have cut the menu down a bit, but there is still something for everyone. Went here on a Monday night and it was pretty packed (which is always a good sign I think). Definitely a good spot to relax after shopping, but the kitchen is open late-night which is awesome! read more

Ehhhhh. I'm starting to wonder if the city can ever actually pull off an authentic Irish bar (see: Ballydoyles in Downers Grove as your template). Most don't even try. Those ones just slap an Irish name on and hang a Guinness poster on the way to the mens' room. The rest quickly devolve into Johnny O'Tooligans Irish Drinking Emporium where the decor certainly says all the right things, but the soul is lacking. Emerald Loop is more of the latter. The decor is certainly nice, but I would see this place as more of a lunch spot instead of a happy hour or dinner spot. The place got loud surprisingly quickly. I'm not sure if that's a function of the music or the crowd, but when I was on the same side of a bar table, and still can't hear the person sitting right next to me, there's a problem. You could probably confess to a murder while sitting at a table with a cop and just have him smile, nod, and pretend he heard you. The drinks are also on the pricey end. Three beers should not run a nearly $20 tab before tip. Emerald Loop certainly says all the right things. The decor is nice and classy, the beers are solid choices and the service is relatively prompt. It does everything right on paper, but it feels like the soul is lacking to this Irish kid. read more

This place is without a doubt my absolute favorite bar of the downtown loop. The entire place just feels comfortable and fun. It's just a block or two away from the Theater district and Millennium park, making it the perfect location to travel to and from when shopping or walking the downtown loop. Please enjoy their expansive menu, friendly servers and bartenders and awesome atmosphere before or after a day of Shopping or a show at the many theaters and show locations surrounding the area. read more

After a late night at the theater, this was one of the few restaurants open. OMG, this was the best steak quesadilla we've ever had. It was so good we ordered another. You could tell the steak was a good cut of meat and plenty of it. We got guacamole on the side and it was so fresh and so good. The chips were meh And no where near as good as the guacamole and quesadillas. The Bloody Mary was nice and spicy. We would definitely come back for the quesadilla! read more

I've been here a ton - not really because its great though. They do have sweet potato tots which I think was recently added to the menu - those are quite delicious. The buffalo burger isn't bad either. Lots of tvs if you're trying to catch a game or want to have commercials blasted in your face like a strobe light. But the service is eh. The volume is WAY too loud. ALL the time. And I am partially hearing impaired (don't take your kid swimming before they're 6mo old)! Imagine what others in my group have to deal with! Every time I'm here I have to shout to communicate with my group. WHY does their crappy music need to be that loud. Turn it down! In the summer, the deck is alright. But the smokers stand right outside the "fence" thing and so the second hand smoke is still blowing in your face. That's if they bother to step away from their table at all - the waiters don't do anything unless you say something. And unlike MANY other area restaurants, they make a big fuss about dogs quietly laying under the table in the outdoor patio - meaning they kick you out. But want to blow smoke in your neighboring table's face while they're trying to enjoy a meal? Go right ahead! read more

We ordered turkey club, grilled chicken sandwich, and fried chicken sandwich, and we got the regular Mac and cheese to split between the three of us. The fried chicken sandwich was maybe a 3.5, but everything else was a solid 5. Mac and cheese was great, as were the waffle fries. We were in a hurry to go on a tour, and they did. Good job getting us in and out with no long delays. read more

Emerald Loop - About 1/6 of the Big Mac n cheese we received. Yummy! - Irish Pub Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Friendly staff and the niceness made me forget the slight delay in taking our orders. Had Hacker-Schorr and Chicken Curry. The chicken curry on the menu in a irish pub was intriguing. With a widsom tooth removed I had to look for familiar food and the chciken curry was a vlessing. Well cooked hot and not too spicy. Give this dish good marks. Emerald Loop has a great location and I have been here before and they seem to welcome groups, tweetups or any kind of "ups" with open arms. read more

Good place for lunch if you work in the area. Service is decently fast. Menu has traditional pub fare. Rec the mac and cheese. Happy hour is decent, drink prices are loop prices (vs. neighborhood bar prices), but nice list of beers on tap. read more

I am sure this is a great place to hang and just have cocktails but don't order food- it was terrible! Waitress was rude and dismissive from the get go. Don't waste your time and money. read more

My husband and his buddy stumbled upon this place about 4 years ago and it's been a staple of our Chicago trips ever since. Just to make sure, I was in last weekend to check up on them. They have great specials, make a mean Bloody Mary (spicy, salty and generously garnished) and the service has always been top notch. It's a great place to hang out for a bit and recharge those shopping batteries. I'll take a Bloody Mary over a nap in the hotel any day. Famous last words of the Trophy Husband: "I'm one Bloody Mary from being naked in the street." read more

Service was slow and the food was bland and not very good (3 of 4 of us said this). I definitely wouldn't be back with so many great options around. The plus is that the kitchen is open pretty late. The nachos were decent, but we didn't like the Irish breakfast, the mac and cheese, the grilled cheese sandwich, or the cheeseburger. read more

The Emerald Loop is a solid after work spot, especially if you want to sit outside. They have a huge patio right near the river that has ample seating (although it's worth noting that as of this week there is construction going on so it's covered up with an awning). I came here with some friends to enjoy the gorgeous weather this past Wednesay and we had a great time. I had several of the Moscow Mules off of their specialty drinks list and loved them. They were fairly priced considering we were at a bar in the loop during happy hour. My friends had draft beers and seemed happy with the large selection they offer there. My friends ordered the barbecue wings and the buffalo chicken strips for us to share. I LOVED the barbecue wings and thought the buffalo chicken strips were good; however, I'd definitely recommend the barbecue sauce over the buffalo at Emerald Loop. Emerald Loop gets downgraded a star for it's service. Things started out well when I arrived at 4:45. The waitress was attentive and frequently checked back in; however, as things picked up she was hard to find. I went awhile waiting to order my second drink. Then when it was time to get the check she was absolutely no where to be found on the patio for a significant period of time. I went to find her when we were in a rush and she blew me off. She then messed up splitting the bill (we just wanted to split it three ways with our cards - we never asked her to actually split up the bill) and this ended up taking us even longer. I understand things get busy but when you know it's going to be 75 degrees and you're one of the larger patios in the area a restaurant should be prepared with enough servers, bottom line. I'm a big fan of Emerald Loop's sister establishments Corcoran's and Mystic Celt and hope to be able to upgrade this reivew as some point. read more

I waited after my second visit to Emerald to write this review because I wanted to give this place a chance. The first time I went, I ordered fish and chips. It was good but nothing to write home about honestly. The second time I went I ordered the spicy southwest burger. I asked for medium rare and they gave me a medium/medium-well burger, which is the worst way to eat a burger in my opinion. The taste was not great, it was just spicy from the jalapeños and was one dimensional given how much stuff they put on there. The waffle fries are good tho and I would recommend getting that if you go! The service is good, just your standard experience. Its not a bad place to go, but if you have a choice go somewhere else. read more

Great experience here. We sat at the bar and ordered some drinks and and the sausage appetizer. The bartender was incredibly attentive, prompt, and provided us with good drink recommendations. The decor of the restaurant is beautiful, too. It features gorgeous wooden furniture, and the restaurant feels fairly open instead of cramped. read more

I'm here pretty often. It's close to work and a friend has a discount, so it's hard not to pass up at least for drinks. Food is alright, mediocre really. Service can be hit/miss. I've been in for specials that I get e-mailed, and the staff has no idea about promotions going on. I showed her the e-mail on my phone and she had to go ask a manager, who's reply was "Oh..shit I probably missed that." As long as you don't go in expecting the best thing ever, it's a decent place. Beer selection is alright. Cocktails are average but good. Really wouldn't go home singing about this place, but it's a good place to sit and have a drink, maybe split an appetizer with a friend. read more

Great place for late beer. That's what I sought out for, and it was satisfied. Ergo, 5 stars... Until I update with food review. 4 beer sampler for cheap price!!!! Affligem, Harp, smithwicks, revo anti-hero ipa were my fave I'm becoming so cultured it's exciting. read more

I have been to this place many many times. The service here is always great and the food is always tasty and good. The fish and chips here have got to be the absolutely best I have ever tasted and I have tasted fish and chips from many many places. The fish seems to be baked?? Maybe slightly fried??... I am not sure.. But it is not oily, it is crunchy, it is fresh and a nice chunky piece of cod. It comes with perfectly cooked peas.. Absolutely perfectly cooked.... I don't know how they do it, but they make it perfect every time. It is crunchy, but fully cooked. Kudos to Emerald loop! read more

The Emerald Loop is a nice place to grab a very quick lunch. While it does have decent food, it does not really feel like as much of a restaurant as it does a pub. But it's not quite a pub either --- as the crowd tends to eat in favor of drinking. Strange... I've been here four times and have found that I'm a sucker for their goat cheese salad. Best salad on the menu. You should order it... The outdoor patio is nice if you like to eat amongst the hustle & bustle of Wabash St. I came here for a co-worker's "going away party" once and was a little disappointed. I wouldn't recommend bringing large groups of people here during happy hour. It's too difficult to get enough tables and chairs, and this is more of a low-key place to just grab a drink and a meal. read more

An Irish-themed bar and restaurant, located in the historic Jewelers' Building at Wabash and Wacker. It's a large, somewhat dark room; the bar area is larger than the dining room, and, on my Friday late afternoon visit, much busier. The bar crowd was about what would be expected at that time of day, skewed toward youngish, loudish, drunkish Loop office workers (a few of them in Halloween costumes, this having been October 30). Up a few steps from the street, accessible by a small lift if needed. The weekday hours currently listed on Yelp, 11 am-2pm, are obviously incorrect; I suspect the closing time figure is a typo for 2am, though I couldn't find hours of operation on their website. Certainly, they're open well into the evening. The bar offers a modest craft beer menu, including a Beer of the Month (currently the local Revolution Oktoberfest) and a rotating "bartender's choice." The current selection, which I tried, is from Crazy Mountain Brewing in Edwards, Colorado: Mountain Livin' Pale Ale. 6% ABV. Slightly cloudy bronze, medium head. Light malt nose. Taste is much more hop-forward than the nose would suggest. Long bitter fade, with a caramel note. Happy hour 4-6 pm: $5 drafts and well drinks, $3 domestic bottles, $7 signature cocktails. Saturday and Sunday buffet, $11. Various specials during football games. I didn't try their food on this visit, though I noted a number of the expected pub-grub specialties: fish and chips, shepherd's pie, that sort of thing. Good public transit access: two blocks from Lake Street on the Red Line and Randolph/Wabash on the Loop "L" (Green, Brown, Purple, Orange, and Pink Lines); four blocks from Clark/Lake on the Blue Line. One block from bus lines on Michigan Avenue and State Street. For pub crawlers, across the street from South Water Kitchen; one block from Elephant and Castle; within a few blocks of Howells and Hood, Eataly, Chicago Public House, and Harry Caray's. read more

Ate here for Sunday brunch. It was OK. The server was very polite. On the other hand,, various things were forgotten (spoon for coffee, fruit on pancakes as stated on the menu) and the food was OK but not great. read more

I've been to Emerald Loop several times - the last time was the only time I've tried their food. It's a fairly large bar/restaurant in the loop, and fills a much needed niche in the area. It's a traditional Irish bar/pub with plasma screen TV's tuned to sports and a casually upscale atmosphere. It also has a nice little outdoor seating area, which is great for a long lunch on a sunny afternoon. I will give you one warning - the service can be a little hit or miss. On a beautiful Wednesday, my boss and I dined at Emerald Loop for lunch. I ordered the lamb stew (the special) and my boss ordered a turkey burger and side salad. We were both famished, and were waiting patiently for our food. After about 20 minutes we inquired with the waiter who said it should be out in "a couple of minutes." Ten minutes later he came back and said "just a couple more." Apparently the kitchen had lost our order and no one bothered to inform anyone (especially us!) The manager brought our food out, apologized and lunch was on him for the day. He handled it very graciously, but when you're trying to get in and out for a quick lunch - not the best time to have a time crunch. All in all - the food was good, I'll give it another chance on a day that I have a little more time to spend. read more

Great bar food!! Order chicken fingers buffalo style, they are not on the menu... the best chicken fingers around!! This place is your typical irish pub... with more of an american fare. But it's one of the best pubs in the loop. read more

Great location and decent food, typical Irish sports bar with plenty of TV's and a small patio for outdoor seating, menu includes the usual "Irish" staples, shepherds pie, bangers and mash, chicken curry and sandwiches and burgers. Service was good and timely, and servers were pleasant. read more

I had the brisket, it came with slaw (just ok) macaroni and cheese (VERY disappointing) and "peach cobbler"(just warm peaches). The brisket was PERFECTION. The cornbread was great too. They need to rename that cobbler though... read more

Really enjoyed the service and the food at this location great chicken nachos went back the next morning for brunch that the server had told us about awesome service by the omelette cook and our waiter who was from Ireland but I highly recommend us and may go back before our trip is over read more

Had a late night dinner here this past week. Ordered the shepherd's pie. It was very good with a good size serving. The service was a little inattentive but it might have been because it was so late. The noise level in the place was loud so I was not pleased with that but the food was worth the visit. read more

Emerald Loop - Sheperd's pie. Good eats with big serving - Irish Pub Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I am a fan of all the Vaughan Hospitality restaurants including Emerald Loop. Their spinach & artichoke dip is my favorite!! It is a great combination between the spinach and cheese. Each month, they have a beer that's on special...always a pretty good deal. After work, it starts to get pretty busy here. The waitstaff has always been very friendly and accomodating. The food is a little pricey for "bar food," but it's downtown, what do you expect? I have always been satisfied with everything i've ever ordered. read more

I loved this, experience, food was awesome, ambiance was awesome waitress was soooooo sweet I love the apple cider, cant wait to go back to Chicago!!! read more

Emerald Loop - Irish Pub Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Having tried two different pubs the previous nights and having great success with the food in both we thought we'd give this place a shot. What a shame, it was relatively quiet so the service was good, but the food was poor. The fish and chips looked like it had been store bought and defrosted in the deep frier and had so little fish in it my wife sent it back. So the comparison (since she loves fish and had the same meal at the other two pubs) was hard to ignore, in fact so much so that we ended up walking back to one of the others just so she could have her dinner. Yes we are out of towners and maybe not so important since this place is very well located, but even after the food got sent back, other than the waitress (who obviously isn't to blame) apologized, no one else bothered to see what the issue is. Anyone who has worked in the restaurant business knows the importance of your customers whether they are there once or 1000 times and if you don't bother to find out what's wrong shows you don't care. Like I said, shame. read more

I came here for a happy hour with coworkers and I don't think any of us were impressed. Which is unfortunate because it is super close to the office. We ordered drinks (way overpriced) and 3 plates to share. Nachos with the vegetarian nachos, fish n chips and veggies with hummus. The nachos were just boring. The only vegetables on them was the lettuce shreds on top of the cheese and chili. Just not my cup of tea, The fish and chips were alright but came with cold, gross, obviously frozen peas in a cup. I realize that is traditional, but throw some butter on those babies and make sure they're hot! The hummus was also quite bland. Just not up to my standards. Even if this is a bar, if we're paying so much for drinks, at least make the food worth it. I will not likely return. Plus side, our server was wonderful! I wish I could remember his name. read more

I very rarely give 1 star reviews, but the Emerald Loop earned a spot. My husband I & stopped here for dinner one evening while we were in the city. We chose it because it was close to an L stop and the menu looked good, which is great because no way we wanted to mess with downtown parking. We chose to sit at a table on the sidewalk, it was a good night and who doesn't like being outside? Well, there were a couple of large groups on the sidewalk ordering drinks like crazy. So the waitstaff was very attentive to them, knowing they would have a large bill and would most likely get a good tip from that. So we were ignored most of our stay. We were in the city for a fun night out, and had planned to have quiet a few drinks. However, due to our service that wasn't the case, we ordered drinks right away, they came right before our food did, and then couldn't order anymore because we never saw our waitstaff until the bill came! Our food came, and it was very disappointing. I ordered the blackened chicken and my husband had mac n cheese. I have never had chicken so dry, ever! It was extremely overcooked and was paired with a very stale dry bun, the fries were just as bad. The Mac N Cheese was also not good, I don't specifically remember what we didn't like about it, but it was gross. So our plan of spending a lot of money on drinks and eating a good meal were only a dream. Instead we could only have one drink each and ended up with dry, hard to eat food. read more

Super good food. Wide range of drinks and lovely servers! glad I visited here for my first time!

I just went for lunch at the Emerald Loop and had a fantastic experience. I arrived just before noon and was able to find a spot at the bar which is where I enjoy sitting when I dine alone. There were plenty of tables at that time as well. I was greeted by the bartender and she also provided some good recommendations on the lunch options. The whole vibe of the place was warm and fun. I can imagine it would be fun place during happy hour. I ordered the crazy twist burger which had grape goat cheese, pancetta, pickled onion and mushroom aioli. The burger was cooked perfectly and the flavors were robust. I could definitely see myself coming back regularly. Another pro: I was in and out in 45 mins! read more

This literally my hometown bar love the food and service. I usually head here for happy hour and just watch sports or whatever is going. The place is a chill and low key spot. read more

Such a fun & great pub! Great pub food too! St. Patrick's day was a good time! Great place to watch sports as well! read more

The food and service was not good. My wings were dry and tasteless. The bowl they served my salad in was old and dirty. My friend and I waited 30 minutes for our salads. The waiter never brought my friend her side of fruit that she ordered. Definitely won't be coming back, so many other great options in the area. read more

Emerald Loop - Irish Pub Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was here this past weekend after midnight, so my review will be based on drinks and an appetizer. We had spent the night at London House roof top and wanted a quick beer before going home. To my surprise their kitchen was still open! Our server was attentive and seemed very nice despite me having a cheese curd craving that late. The cheese curds were amazing! They tasted so fresh and were melty good. Served with a marinara sauce and ranch style sauce. Beers are decently priced for being right in the heart of Chicago. I would come back just for those curds! :) read more

We needed to find a place that was close and open late, and Emerald Loop was the perfect match. I was expecting average bar food (we got there at 11pm), but to our surprise it was awesome. The fish tacos were the bomb.com and the mac n cheese... ahh the mac n cheese. Such a satisfying sin. A cold beer to wash it all down and you've got a great night out. read more

Not a bad place to grab a drink and a bite after work. they are open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night, but I've only been after work. The beer and the food has been good each time. And in reference to other reviews that complain about it not being an authentic "Irish" bar, about 98% of the bars in Chicago are "fake" Irish bars, and it's time to get beyond it. Boo Hoo. read more

While not wanting to wait in line to head up to the Roof, we opted to grab a drink here instead. We got seated outside (per our request) immediately and place our drink orders soon after. It's not a bad spot as a post-dinner/post-theater/post-whatever (insert activity) when you're not sweating your ass off in 100+ degree weather. Plus, the mango margaritas are pretty sweet tasting and helps you cool off if you need it. The outdoor seating has great people watching and is a pretty cute spot with all the outdoor lighting. I've been here in years past for lunch or after-work happy hours and only remember the food being normal bar type of stuff. They're nothing too exciting but not too terrible if you're in the mood for some grub. PS: I hear they have a decently priced brunch deal, which I'm looking into on my next visit. Stay tuned... read more