Cool place that's a dive but it's also clean. It's also pretty cheap for some stiff ass drinks. Keenan O'Reilly's sounds like an Irish pub, but it can seem like any kind of pub. Has no food but they let customers bring some in. There's lots of TVs for watching games or stuff. Best thing about this place is that it's cheap. It's about $6 for some basic cocktails, even with the good stuff like Jameson. Find some harder to find things in bottles and cans. They also have a reach in cooler full of good stuff. Among the not as usual things is the PBR made with cold brew. There's also a back room with ping pong and pool tables. Play around with some balls. There's also a juke box that has classics and others. For sure it's not Irish. It's just a regular dive bar pretty much. That's okay because the drinks are good and cheap though. read more

Keenan O'Reilly's - Jameson - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Absolutely awful experience on the service end. My group and I came in around 10:45pm on a Saturday and the white male bartender greeted us with a horrible attitude. He then was being egregiously rude when we tried to order very simple drinks (tequila soda, green tea shots, white claws, etc.) as if we were bothering him by spending money at the establishment. The female bartender was equally as rude, yelling at us from across the bar and asking us to "keep the path clear" when we were not blocking a path. Our group had dispersed in the bar by that point so there was nothing being blocked. There was also a price inconsistency; the first male bartender charged me $8 for a well tequila soda and the second male bartender charged me $6. There was no difference on the receipt that would indicate any adjustments to the order. Just a well tequila soda. As classic of a dive bar as it supposedly is, I absolutely hated my experience here and will never give them the time of day again. They act like you're inconveniencing them by simply being at the bar and spending money, so save them (and yourself) the trip and skip this place. read more

Classic Chicago dive with great bartenders, plenty of space, and a fun back area with pool and ping pong. Fair prices and a solid beer selection make it an easy go-to spot. Always a great, laid-back vibe. If read more

It appears to be closed permanently. No lights on and a locked door at 11am when it says it opens

2nd home. My living room basically. Not really much more than a neighborhood haunt, but better than 10 Cat across the street.

Overall: About as dive-y as it gets - a perfect hangout spot with pong, pool, and cheap drinks. The good: Once you walk in, what you see is what you get, so if you aren't happy you can turn right around. Dive-y to the max with cliche 90's vibes that you'd expect from a middle-of-nowhere road trip stop, in the best way possible. Friendly bar staff providing free drinks that also play great music. Also, this is a tamale guy spot, so you know it's good (didn't order pizza, but it's smelled amazing). The not-so-good: Enough seating for maybe 25 people max, but that's part of the vibe. Food/Drink: 9/10 Service: 9/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 read more

Cool Dive. No food which I kinda loveeeeee cause then I can bring burgers or pizza in. Good prices and I just love a clean dive bar. Check it out! read more

Awesome joint! Lots of regulars Fun, friendly atmosphere without all the Lincoln Park drama

Hey, what kind of Tourist from Austin would come here... me :) 1:00pm on a Saturday - 4 regular old guys taking turns playing country and who knows what on the Juke box. Guinness 16.9oz Pub Draft can and a neat Bushmills for $9 seemed like a great price to me. Also had a Woodchuck cider (they have 3 ciders currently here at Keenan) for $4. Decent selection of bottles on display in the cooler. A wonderful bartender named Zena. Free WiFi works great. read more

Keenan O'Reilly's - Bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Keenan O'Reilly's is about as Irish as I am, which is to say, not at all, but who cares? The beer was cheap and cold. The bartenders friendly and accommodating. The jukebox played all of my favorites. And the board games were plentiful. And if that isn't enough- you can step into the back room and play ping pong, darts or pool (kind of felt like I was back in my parent's basement!) The most interesting thing about this place was, other than the bartender and me, there were few woman in the joint but that was fine with me. It kept the drama to a minimum! Stop in for a cold one and a game or two of Scrabble. It's a perfect way to wile away a night! read more

Why haven't I reviewed this place? I've been here several times, and it's fantastic. The bartenders are friendly, the beers are cheap and the place is spotless. It has the vaguely seedy feel of a dive bar, but it's really more like a friendly neighborhood joint, not so skeevy. Clean bathrooms. Great joint. The Irish name is "in name only". Which is good, it's not an "Irish" bar. read more

If you were to look up dive bar this place would be at the top of the list. That is not a bad thing. The drinks were strong and cheap (gin and tonic). They had multiple TV's playing the football games. You can bring food in which was great for us because we wanted some chicken. The bathrooms were a little gross but that is to be expected with a dive bar. Bartender was quick to get you what you asked for. Lack of a star because it has really limited seating. read more

Keenan O'Reilly's - Amber Ale. - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Last night I found my new favorite dive bar - Keenan O'Reilly's. (Tip - you might get lost trying to find it - the sign out front says 'Special Export.') It's everything a great dive bar should be - totally no frills, super cool bartenders, super cool people, great jukebox, cheap drinks, and well poured drinks. (My hangover thanks all of them this morning.) And just when you think it can't get any better - it does. When I went to the restroom (which was CLEAN! And looked and smelled pretty! At a dive bar!) I discovered a back room with PING PONG!, pool, and darts. I used to be good at PING PONG! but last night I discovered I now suck at it. I'm sure the vodka didn't help. I also noticed a bookcase full of board games in the front bar area - I was begging to play something, but my friends just wanted to dance to Joan Jett. So I said, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em." No, there's not really a dance floor but the tables are collapsible and we made one. The people here are an eclectic mix, but all cool as shit - from a group of guys who we mistakenly called frat boys that turned out to be anything but trying to get a game of flippy cup going, to neighborhood regulars bringing their adorable and sweet pit bull in and giving the dog their own stool at the bar. And everyone was just nice and we all wanted to have a good time. And we did. I had such a blast here, and this bar will definitely become a regular in my bar rotation. read more

Looking for a dive bar with cool locals? This is your spot. It's dive-y and fun with awesome bartenders. Unpretentious with a jukebox and other fun things. No one even cared when I played multiple New Kids on the Block songs. It's a great place to just chill and chat with fun people. I had lots of fun the couple of times I came here. Hell, I even closed the place down one night. So yeah, you should come here. But only if you're cool. read more

If you love hole in the walls but require a bit more entertainment at them than the average 65-year-old alcoholic, Keenan O'Reilly's will be right up your alley. It's a dive bar with a little bit more to do. They've got ping pong, pool, and a spankin' new juke that's actually pretty out of place considering the vintage vibe of the rest of the spot. Prices are still very dive bar as well as the cast of characters so you won't be disappointed if you're lookin' to save a few bucks and people watch. Staff was really and you can just tell everyone knows your name if you go there often. Def my type of place! read more

Just heard that this bar celebrated it's 5 year anniversary! A well deserved milestone! Keenan O'Reilly's is everything I'd expect from a place with an old school "Special Export" sign out front. Cheap drinks, friendly peeps, great jukebox and excellent barkeeps! read more

I moved to Chicago in July of 2011. I have worked in the hospitality industry for 15+ years and currently do as well. My first customers at my current local recommended this bar as it's super close to my house because it's friendly and decently priced (coming from AZ the prices here were a bit of a shock). They were right on the nose. Not only are the staff and clientel some of the nicest most genuine people I have met out here, but they have become some of my favorite people in the city. The bar isn't a fancy place, obviously, but if you are looking for a neighborhood pub where you can go any night of the week and see a friendly face (or ten) with reasonably priced drinks then this is the spot. There are pool table, ping pong, a brand new juke box, board games,& shuffle board if you're looking for things to do and an amazing staff. sometimes you'll even see a few celbrities there... Bring your dog with you! Say hi to Elvis, the resident mascot, a bulldog mix who loves a good scratch (hint hint). Talk James into giving him a beer box and watch the hilarity. Zana & Heidi are sure to remember your name if you've been in more than once. Play chess with Texas. Drink Bud cans with Johnny O. Talk football with Brit and wine with Chris. Oh, and if you have a little too much to drink, Don't worry, George will make sure you get home ok. They dont really have food (only frozen pizzas - but damn they are good) so it's not what I would suggest for a dinner date or anything, but seriously, My favorite place in Chicago from the day I discovered it. There's no neighborhood 'dive' like it. read more

I get that this is a dive bar that loves being a dive bar. But the smell of secondhand smoke made me gag. I could not even finish my beer (which tasted stale despite being a bottle). read more

Now some friends and I stumbled upon here on our "tour of Ashland" night. We all realized we had never been to a bar with a SPecial Export sign. Most of us weren;t even sure if they still made Special Ex. FOOD: Frozen Pizzas apparently DRINK: This is a bit of a setback... no taps. I love taps. Bottled beer has so many chances to get messed up. Bad batches, improper storage, etc. They do have tallboy cans of Old Style, but who doesn't? But they have Bell's Oberon! Yay ATMOSPHERE: This is where my mind was blown. For a bar in Lakeview, there werent many dousche bags. This is a huge deal to me. The staff was nice and most of the people in there were pretty cool. THERE IS ALSO A PING PONG TABLE as well as a pool table. One downside of this dive is somebody painted the walls white. Dives aren't supposed to be bright like an interrogation room, but at least you can see the ping pong ball. I had a blast read more

Went here last night, and I was really impressed. My friend found it online, and I didn't really trust that it would be good. We looked it up because of the FREE! pool, ping pong and darts! It was excellent. The beer of the month specials were great. They had New Holland and Great Lakes for cheap. I'm sure the beer changes a lot. The guy working the bar, perhaps the owner, explained to me how they got their beer specials like that, and he seemed to know his stuff. Furthermore, if you want cheap beer, there's 2.00 PBR cans and 3.00 Labatt 16 oz. cans. Can't really beat that. Also, the people working there were super nice and that made it more enjoyable. Yeah, it's a "dive" bar, and it has that feel, but at the same time, it feels clean and nice. Overall, exactly what I was looking for. read more

Solid dive bar within a mile of Wrigley Field. It's my go-to place before catching a Cubs game. Cheap PBR/Old Style, a ton of other mediocre bottles, only a few nice crafts, no beers on draught. Two nice flatscreen TVs, pool table, ping-pong(!), and darts. Clientele was between 30-50 last time I was there on a Tuesday evening. Certainly no Wicker Park types. Definitely a great place for its affordable and low-key atmosphere. read more

One of the best bars around. Cheap strong drinks and friendly crew. Catch a fun trivia night on Monday! They have pong and pool in the back. Best dive bar I've been too. read more

I suppose I'd be a bad person if I didn't write a review for this place, considering that it's pretty much been my go-to place for the past 2+ years. Keenan's is a dive that isn't a dive. It's got no draft beer (and honestly, who needs it) and the food consists of frozen pizza. However, there are some very nice flat screen TVs for watching your favorite Chicago sports teams, and some of the coolest bartenders around. It's got silver strike bowling, and the regulars boast some of the highest scores in the greater Chicago area. So come on in, challenge them, and do a shot of Jager when you lose. read more

Ping pong, darts, pool and cheap beer...what more could you ask for? My friends and I always have a good time here. It's your typical dive bar, but with clean bathrooms! They even have lotion, hairspray and random perfumes on hand....probably stuff that drunk girls left behind. Come to think of it, I have some lotions that I don't want anymore.... read more

Keenan O'Reilly's - Keenan's has a pretty good beer selection! - Dive Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This place is a classic example of a Chicago dive bar. You may also hear it referred to as Special Export, as that is the name on the sign outside. I like it because it is about as low key as you can get. There's a juke box and two TVs, and a pool table in the back room. It's also right down the block from my apartment, so whenever I need a cold beer in a dark bar, or one last drink at the end of the night...it is only footsteps away! Bartenders are nice and very chill. $2 PBRs on Sunday to ease the pain of the impending work week. read more

I stopped in a week ago and had great time, pool table, ping pong juke box....couldn't get any better... My friend Morgan told me about it and I can't get enough. I'm sure I will be back. read more

Great team working there. Free pool and Pong. The best prices in town too. Can catch a fun crowd on any game night.

KO (aka "the Irish bar") was a good place for a nightcap after a Yelper's big birthday dinner at the nearby Machu Picchu. There's a good selection of beers, which was enjoyed by the genial crowd (including one small dog). The jukebox was very eclectic, and the other main noises were from tumbling Jenga pieces at a nearby table. read more

Tucked into a quiet little area on North Ashland, this is a definite "Diamond in the Rough"!! I'm not sure I would classify this place as a "Dive Bar" as it's been updated with Hardwood Floors/ Flat Screens/ High End Juke/ Etc. They have a good selection of beers and also good specials everyday! As far as food, all they serve is Frozen Pizza but it sure smells great/ have yet to try. Bartenders do a great job and the "Locals" seem cool.. GTFJD read more

Jukebox? Check! Ping Pong? Check! Pool Table? Check! Beer? Absolutely! This is a great bar if you are looking to unwind, maybe shoot some pool, watch a game, or play some 2v2 ping pong. I also appreciate the inexpensive beer pricing. I have been here a few times if you want a nice low key night with friends. All they need is a pinball machine! read more

This bar has the best pizza in the city! Great atmosphere, very nice neighborhood bar. Parking is a breeze. There's ping pong and pool, TVs, a jukebox and a framed CHIPs poster on the wall. Their pizza is the best in the city. The oven they have chars the cheese perfectly, and it's cut into squares. There's a framed CHIPs poster on the wall next to the jukebox. Also, they're now serving Fresh Veltins Pilseners! Unreal! I love this bar. read more

Keenan's is my favorite place in Chicago. Granted, I'm completely biased as my business is one of the few on the block with Keenan's, and we launched about the same time. I've become "like family" with this bar. It has some of the most fun and interesting people the neighborhood has to offer. Take that as you will, but I love it. For the financially challenged person, there's daily specials and cheap oldstyle. read more

If you want to go to a shitty bar that has limited alcohol selection, a 5:1 guy to girl ratio, an annoying manager/owner who is always drunker at the end of the night than you are and shady regulars who will steal money out of your purse in front of you, then this is your bar. read more

I love you Keenan O'Reilly's...I love everything about you. You've got everything I want - all kinds of beer and other delicious alcohol, pool, ping pong (PING PONG), a juke box, bartenders that are awesome, a lot of character, and dogs. Plus, I could walk home blindfolded if need be. I'm thinking about making you my regular bar...I hope you love me as much as I love you. read more

It was Tuesday night. My partners and I just hopped off the Red Line, Sheridan exit. Walking west on Irving Park, we were headed for The Long Room. After spending a couple of odd-felt hours in that dimly lit, quasi-bourgeoisie bar, I got on the phone to find drink specials for all the surrounding bars. It was not the $1 PBR and $2 Jim Beam special at The Long Room which was problematic; that, was rather exceptional and fantastic. Rather, the ambiance at the place was not suitable for the activity which my partners and I had in mind for the evening. Namely, drinking heavily, singing tunes, and not having to worry about disturbing the next chum over because one knows that he/she is just, if not more, intoxicated. That said, we headed south on Ashland to go to Keenan O'Reilly's Pub. The decision to leave the Long Room for this neighborhood pub was spurred by the pleasant conversation I had with the woman tending bar for the evening. On the phone, she enumerated the drink specials with a zeal which one is accustomed to hearing only during weekends. "$ 1.50 Old Style bottles, $ 2.50 Jim and Cokes, $ 2. 00 tall boys of Schlitz and Miller High Life" was her vivacious response to my insipid question concerning drink specials. We were sold. Trekking through the omnipresent slush and rain, our spirits were gravitating towards the common weathered neighborhood bar sign which read "Cold Beer". This ephemeral hope that we found the correct spot was transformed into a legitimate feeling of jubilation as we gazed upon Keenan's red wooden sign outlined in a forest green. Walking (or perhaps we were stumbling?) in, my eyes fell on a row of 5 empty stools nested tight under the bar. My partners and I grabbed the stools in haste and tacitly declared a non-vacancy for our surrounding area after repeating our order of 5 beers and 5 shots within 10 or 15 minutes of the original. Now, I was not that drunk yet, but I swear to the reader I did see two actual dogs roaming around the pub. I can see where some people might not like that the owners allow this, for people do have allergies. Yet, I felt it complemented the bars (through my perspective) aesthetic; a nondiscriminatory watering hole which only wants what is best for the patrons, not solely for monetary reasons either. I would be willing to bet if one complained about our four-legged friends in the bar, the owners would attempt to come to some voluntary arrangement to resolve the issue. In sum, this bar is simply fantastic. Wonderful staff, a cigarette vending machine in back, a solid jukebox, and low ball priced drinks. Those who enjoy the nightlife in Lakeview ought to stop by the place to directly live, more or less, the experience written above. Happy Holidays. read more

Ended going to this bar right after ten cat tavern since it's across the street. The vibe was decent. Prices weren't bad but that bartender who went by Z was incredibly fake and rude. At first I had no problem with her but my friend was pretty buzzed and jokingly asked if he could get a free drink and she went off on him talking about how it's so fuc*ed up that he's asking for that since the business is recovering from Covid and that he's a horrible and selfish person. She cussed him out and I had to tell her "yo he's joking. Calm down" like how incredibly unprofessional do you have to be as a bartender to cuss someone out for such a harmless comment? Afterwards once the bar closed down, my other friend asked her if it was okay to wait inside while the Uber came to pick us up bc it was extremely cold outside. Mind you there was a group of people waiting inside already. Her response? "get the fu*k out of here. This bar is closed" but she let a group of 6 people stay inside and wait since they were her friends. Her friends proceeded to get out after a few min and laughed at us for her kicking us out? Yeah no. That bartender is not it read more

My favorite neighborhood bar period. It's quaint and no frills, but I'm at the age where I would much rather go to a bar with ping pong tables and cheap drinks over any spot in River North. They also have really tasty frozen pizza that's allegedly brought in from Wisconsin. It's also nice that the baby monitor still gets reception from there, just kidding... read more

This is my local. And when the day comes that I move from this 'hood, it will be a sad one cuz I love popping into this place. Always friendly, always fun and always a memorable time.....I think. Great prices and specials, nice beer selection, some of THE best bartenders around, great freezer pizza AND the tamale guy (s) frequent; I love this bar!! read more

Great little bar, friendly, pool and ping pong table in back too!

Came in last night with my wife and sister. Fun bar, cool people, George is awesome. They have photo hunt too and it's a great place to chill. read more