This is my bar. Affordable, good cliental, friendly no bullshit bart tenders, and most importantly, Nintendo.

My favorite bar in Chicago - Mos Def. Sadly I don't live in the area anymore so I haven't been able to hang out here in a long while. Great crowd, cheap drinks, laid-back atmosphere. Especially great on a quiet weeknight, a really cozy and friendly bar. And no Chads or Trixies here ... which is a rarity in this 'hood. read more

This is a favorite, go to, bar that somehow you never grow tired of. It's comfortable and fun. The bartenders take the time and effort to know your name because they know you will be back. You can spend an evening there and not break the budget. It's a great place to just hang and talk with others or just soak in the character of the place. read more

They pour the Guinness the right way and mine was only $4 (I think that's a Thursday thing). Great Irish bar, doesn't serve food but they don't care if you bring outside food in. Go to Chipmunks, order a Pequods pizza, enjoy this bar! Pool tables/darts but also a living room area with old Nintendos, bookshelves. This bar has everything you need! read more

Pretty chill and cheap. Great place to play pool and darts.

Best dive bar. Great popcorn. Vintage video games. They are friendly, have pool, and darts.

This is the best local, "homey" bar I've been to in the city. Bill (the only bartender I've ever encountered) is so friendly, remembers our names and what we drink and always buys us a round. Just a such a friendly, big city bar. Feels more like a small home town place. read more

this place is sweet. cheap and great service. PBR and Labatt specials.

This may be my favorite Chicago bar. It's one of those dives where you won't get a dirty look from the usuals. And you literally do have to dive to get to it - it's in a basement. No matter who you are or where you're from, you've got a place somewhere in this bar. You can hide in the shadows and melt into the soft leather sofas in the corner. If you're sober enough to keep your own score, you can toss some darts, free of charge. If you're looking to stay away from sharp objects, there's a pool table and an original Nintendo in the house. Drinks are reasonably priced, bartenders are attentive and friendly. It's a place where even Cardinal fans can feel at home in Cub nation. p.s., if a vular pudgy fellow with a thick irish accent (not sure if he's actually Irish. adds to the intrigue, I suppose) offers you a shot of cheap local liqour, make sure you have a chaser. read more

Great bar. Good prices, friendly staff. Watering hole without pretentiousness.

Bill the bartender is the nicest and most professional barkeep in Lincoln park. I miss old times where bartenders like him cared about you and service. Love this place! And free popcorn!!! read more

I visited this bar for the first time a couple weeks ago. I really wanted to like this place. However the bar owner was drunk and harassing my group of friends. We were paying customers, but he insisted on making an ass of himself by completely disrespecting us. Everything about our encounter with this man was inappropriate and lacking any type of professionalism. We will not be coming back. Avoid if you expect to be treated well by the bar staff. read more

This place is exactly what you want from a local neighborhood bar. A great crowd, plenty of dart boards, some Golden Tee, and as many have pointed out, an NES hooked up to a big screen. Super Mario Bros - enough said. read more

Good prices, board games, and a working original Nintendo, not to mention the free popcorn. Great place for a chill night out, or a Sunday afternoon after a softball game. Remember the Trivial Pursuit is from 1983, so its the USSR, not Russia... read more

Galway has the best owners and coolest bartenders in Chicago! I enjoy Jason, Nolan, Besco, and Kioki very much (I know I am forgetting somebody). But, my favorite is Justin--cuz he pours my Guinness for me! I always feel welcome at 'The Bay', cuz the nicest people always hang out there. I also dream about the popcorn at 'The Bay'... Zoe. read more

Galway Bay is the best low key bar around. No attitudes and no trixies. If you're looking for a cool place with great specials and awesome music...this is the place to go. Oh yeah...video games, darts, pool...and FREE popcorn! It's the best. read more

The perfect dive. It's rarely crowded, there's a pool table, real darts, board games, nintendo, touch tunes, what more do you want? The owner/operator is a nice guy, all the bartenders are friendly and obviously love working there. They're having fun while working and that helps the atmosphere of a bar. They have cheap PBR's and Labatt blue cans every day of the week. read more

The Bay reigns supreme. To say I'm a fan of Galway Bay would be an understatement. It has become my go-to bar for weeknights and weekends alike ever since I was introduced to the pub almost 2 years ago (thanks to Richie). They say that the Bay is a dive bar, which is probably accurate given that it is a basement bar with cheap drinks and a regular cast of patrons, but that's part of the beauty of this establishment. I've yet to find a friendlier or more fun bar in Chicago than Galway Bay. Some of the perks of Galway Bay include: -2 Dartboards (home of the DARTMEN) and a pool table -Front and back bar -Multiple TVs and retro video games -Free popcorn -Labatt Blue tallboys on special 24/7 and all the Malort you could ever want -An awesome staff starting with Nolan and Jason If you are thinking about trying out Galway Bay, go ahead and stop in. If you don't have an awesome time, take a shot of Malort and reassess the situation. Who knows, it could just become your go-to neighborhood bar. read more

Great dive bar just around the corner. Very cool, chill atmosphere with friendly bar staff. Not too crowded on a Thursday night

Kiran moved in very shortly after I moved into the Brewster. I love that man and that place. It was our home in the basement of our home. Sad to be so far away in LA. read more

One of my faves. Owns it well as well. Something about walking downstairs to an Irish pub just makes it more authentic. Free popcorn (so you drink more, duh) and Malort are bonuses. Two dartboards in the back room garner a lot of attention. For the hipsters, there's a Nintendo in a sitting section in the front as well. Bartenders treat us regulars extremely well, mostly quick service too. No kitchen, but they allow you to bring in outside food. read more

Bill makes the best Bloody Mary in town! I highly recommend this bar. Had a very enjoyable time. The staff is incredibly friendly and easy going. Easy five stars! Hope to return again soon. read more

Friendly Atmosphere, Good Menu Selection, Good Attention by the Wait Staff, Pricing in Line for the Selections Served.

The guys here know their sh-t! Hands down the best bar in the neighborhood! You will feel at home, love the atmosphere, and service that kicks arse!!!!! The drink are great and you can not beat the prices for the area! read more

Was harassed by the bar owner at the end of the night, he was very rude and completely inappropriate, would not recommend this place to any of my friends. read more

As dug l. says, this bar is so Cheers like, its unbelievable. Not cheers as in the current tourist trap in Boston, but cheers as in how the tv show portrayed the bar, its customers, and staff - less working class people though. The main bar area is a circular setup with stools on all sides. The bar itself is at basement level with short windows that lookout onto the sidewalk and a set of stairs that you can see people come down on JUST LIKE CHEERS! I almost expected people welcoming those coming in the door with a rousing "NORM!!! How you doin Mr. Peterson?(woody)", though the music was a little loud. Irish pub it is, but not like those fake places that have sprung up on Clark. This is a true Irish place, with Irish music available on the jukebox and Guinness on tap. They even had Newcastle on tap, which you rarely see anywhere. I also saw a lot of PBR cans going around...dunno what to make of that. Highly recommend for those looking to get away from the typical LP scene. read more

Ummm NES with 100 games, Darts, Pool, Awesome Staff, good prices couches. This place is awesome. Basement Bar is a hidden gem. Plus Duffy's acts as a D-bag magnet leaving G. bay for the normal crowd. read more

One of the best dive bars I have been to in Chicago. They play an awesome mix of music, good beer, the crowd is fun, and the darts and pool tables keep it interesting. I'll definitely be back. read more

Great drinks for an unbelievably cheap price, but the bartenders, owner, & patrons is what really makes this place special - not to mention free popcorn. Overall, everybody is super nice & there's a variety of games (pool, darts, Nintendo, Tuesday trivia) that help break the ice with complete strangers who will eventually become your friends. read more

I was excited to go here because it had been talked up, and it ended up being pretty disappointing. Definitely a neighborhood bar with locals who get served 5 times before you even get glanced at. The vintage game systems are a fun idea if there's not a huge group of bros hogging them the whole night. Wasn't the worst bar experience but I wouldn't bother with it again. read more

Galway Bay is like cheers in a sense, you walk in and everyone turns and looks to see who it is. They have a decent selection of beers, including alpha king which makes me happy. I came here with a co worker after losing my job, so all i really wanted to do was drink and complain. Which is what ensued, the bartenders are super nice, and they listen to what you are saying to them. I love the decor, it feels like youre inside of a old ship! read more

Despite them serving Leines Sunset Wheat and saying its Blue Moon, this place was pretty cool. Fun games, if you can get a table. Great service, friendly bartenders and good atmosphere. Id go back. read more

I ended up at Galway Bay after hearing about old school Nintendo and bar popcorn. How could you not go after hearing that? Unfortunately, it was a Wednesday night and there was no Nintendo. Fortunately, it was open mic night and I got to hear some incredible music starting around 10. This is NOT the open mic night that you're used to hearing. These guys were rocking. Ended up leaving at close after just heading in for a beer or two. read more

My favorite all-around bar in the city and great place to make new friends. Free pool on Wednesdays I think, always free darts, two bars, and Sunday karaoke that is usually actually really good people singing songs that aren't done to death. And of course, the freshest free popcorn from any bar I've been to, and vintage video games galore. This is the kind of place you can go to after a 6 month break and still feel like a regular. They'll probably remember your name, too! Monday is $1 PBR's also, but I usually end up getting the good beers/drinks instead, it's just a good way to lure your friends out on a weekday. read more

This is the best bar in Chicago. I've been to a lot of them. I've worked in some of them. This one is consistently inviting with great prices. You can lay on a leather couch and play Nintendo games if you'd like. There's pool, darts, Golden Tee, Big Buck Hunter and popcorn. Some of the bartenders are funny looking, but they're all kind. This is my favorite place. I recently brought a group of out-of-towners by and the owner went out of his way so much to make them happy that I still received comments about how great "the local spot" was after they returned home. Go here. You'll be glad that you did. read more

I almost don't want to tell you how great the dingy basement known as the Galway Bay really is for fear that you will show up there, annoy me, get in my way, and vomit in the urinal. However, after some consideration, I figure that if you're the type of person to behave as such, you'll probably end up standing in line to get into Duffy's (which is about 150 feet away) This place is staffed by real, live human beings; the kind that treat you the way you deserve to be treated. You can get an ice cold can of PBR for $1.50 any night of the week, and I really shouldn't be telling you that, because it's by a margin the best bargain in Lakeview. You can catch any game you want on one of the 4 huge flat-screens, or play Super Mario 3 in the pub's back room. Even on a Saturday night the crowd doesn't make me uncomfortable. As a person who loathes crowded, weekendy places more than shopping at Target with my ex-girlfriend on a Sunday during football season, that's an important statement. Check this place out. You will not be disappointed unless you're a jerk. read more

I like this place. It's a dive bar that sells drinks only, but they do let you order food from an outside restaurant and have popcorn. It's dark, it's comfortable, the staff is awesome. They have TV's, you can play games and sink in to the mushy chairs/couch if they are free. It's great when you need to grab an after work drink and relax. I enjoy this place. The beer tastes delicious and the popcorn is a life saver during a late night. read more

Arguably the best dive bar in the city. Great atmosphere, cheap drinks, and countless entertainment options including Nintendo, darts, pool, and Golden Tee Live. Always great exchanges with the bartenders and an enjoyable experience. read more

The best dive in Chicago. Can't beat the games and popcorn.

This is absolutely my favorite bar. Love the free darts and popcorn, the pool table and the awesome bartenders. One of the best things about this bar though is what it lacks: stupid trixies and frat boys looking for a fight. Sadly, ever since Yakzie's next door closed down the weekends are starting to attract their former (generally annoying) clientel. I definitely recommend stopping by on a weeknight if possible. If you are looking to dance or hook up this is probably the wrong bar for you as most of the patrons are groups of friends who have been coming for years. However, if you are looking for an unpretentious atmosphere surrounded by genuinely interesting people for a decent price, the Galway Bay just might be the little basement pub of your dreams. read more