Laid back atmosphere, drank my first Old English beer there as my first visit to Chicago!

A neighborhood bar located by Wrigley's field. We didn't eat here, but the food looked good. We stopped in for a few drinks before and after a game. Seemed to be a steady crowd before the game and after the game it was packed. Prices for drinks are average for the area. The bartender was quick and polite. read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Merkle's is a favorite haunt. Great Iowa Hawkeye bar - particularly for football game watches. It's also a great place to head to after a Cubs game. Owners and bartenders are great - attentive and nice. Typical bar ambience. read more

Probably my favorite dive bar style grill in Wrigleyville. The food is good and the drinks are even better. What I like the most about going there is the live music after Cubs games. The front door style windows open fully on a nice day and when you add a live artist playing acoustic guitar, it really brings out the vibe of the bar. The staff is super friendly and don't forget to bring some singles so you can hang them on the wall! read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Merkle's is hands-down my favorite spot to grab a drink in Wrigleyville. Prices are reasonable and the food is classic pub grub done right. The atmosphere is very casual and welcoming, but the people really make the place. The staff are down-to-Earth, super friendly, attentive, and simply hilarious. Adam specifically goes above and beyond, and Emily and Trey are great as well. If you're looking for a casual spot to watch a Cubs or Hawkeyes game with good food, good prices, and great people, this is THE place to be. Cannot recommend highly enough. read more

Very rude bartender! My family and I came in to celebrate the Cubs win on 10/8/2025 and this lady bartender screamed at the top of her lungs that we couldn't sit at the tables in the back. She was absolutely rude and had a horrible attitude. I do not recommend this place at all. read more

We went before and after the afternoon Cubs game. Quick service, good beer selection. They had live music after the game which was a great addition. Good sound and not too loud for the space. read more

One of my favorite things to eat... buffalo chicken wraps, is probably the best thing to get at Merkle's. It's also got ranch in it but the spice & flavor mesh so well together. The cheese curds are a tasty app you shouldn't overlook. Our waitress was good, but not the most attentive. It was pretty loud in there despite us being 1 out of four groups of people. They have a great selection of drinks, including the gumball head IPA that was a great choice along with my food. My boyfriend got the bacon cheeseburger with Parmesan garlic fries and he loved them! I'd definitely try this place again for happy hour or before a Cubs game! read more

Great bar for Cubs Game! Emilee is the BEST bartender on the block! Chicken Tenders are fire!

If you haven't been to Merkles for the wings then shame on you. This place is awesome. Old-school Chicago bar great environment and anything you want to drink. Iowa Bar and feels like Dazed and confused! Holly Cows Band plays after the Cubs game. Come check it out. It's legit read more

Merkle's - Where to go! - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I go to wrigley with friends but this the first time in my entire life have I ever been treated so disgustingly and it's honestly a huge wake up call to a part of the world no one should have to experience. I went here with a group of friends, 3 white people and 3 southeast Asian people. We got separated and me and my 2 friends stepped outside to try to call the others in the group and then go back inside. The bouncer last night refused to let us back and said they're closing (it was 1am and the bar closes at 3am). When I asked him to go get my friends since he wasn't letting us back in, he yelled "get the f*ck out of here, I f*cking said no". I have never been spoken to in my life like this. The craziest part is during these interactions, he let 3 other white girls inside and later a black couple tried to get in and he rejected them as well, saying they're closed. My 2 southeast Asian friends and I waited 25 min outside until my friends finally realized where we were and came out. We were all disgusted with this experience and can't believe this bouncer was hired and treating people like this. I really hope Merkles chooses to take a closer look at this bouncer (working on the night of 9/25/21) and realize how is affecting the image of this place and individuals that are impacted by his actions. Edit: I'm seeing past reviews and it looks like this place has a history of hiring racist bouncers. For the benefit of the doubt I was suggesting this was a one time case but it appears Merkles is continuously choosing to run their business like this. I'm sorry to all the people who have been affected by this blatant racism. read more

Merkle's - The bouncer on 9/25 - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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merkles was amazing !!! my waiter Kenny was wonderful! he was great. very attentive and made great conversation.

The food here is terrible. I know it's bar food, but their food wouldn't even be acceptable if it was the only bar in a small college town that served food. Don't bother with it. There are plenty of better options in the area. The atmosphere isn't comfortable to me, and the service is terrible. I personally will never go back. Swipe left on this spot. read more

I would say Merkle's is one of the most underrated bars in Wrigley and arguably my favorite. They have some pretty fantastic specials (not on home game days though), my favorite being their wings deal on Wednesdays and Sundays. I have come a few times with friends and we always go hard on the wings because they're so delicious. Their buffalo sauce is one of my favorites in the city and if you don't love buffalo, they have a ton of other great sauces. The next best special is their $3 you call its on Friday and Saturday nights, and another favorite is Friday night trivia. Merkle's has a great drink package for three hours that includes bottomless well drinks and domestic drafts. The trivia is somewhat tricky, but it's still pretty reasonable and super fun with a group of people. You also do not really need to participate in the trivia if you just want the Friday night drink package. I will stand by Merkle's and suggest it any time my friends want to get a bite and a drink in Wrigley. read more

Great Xavier bar for BB games! Food is spot on. Highly recommend the grilled chicken salad!!

Disgustingly racist. I have no trouble coming in. Bouncer would not even look at my id. He told me and my other friends of color that we were not allowed in. After denying us, he laughed and proceeded to let in the group of white people behind us in. My friends and we're not going to be treated that way so we questioned him. His only response to it was "your attitude sucks get the fuck out of here". The manager said they had a one in one out rule, but let four people, white, in when nobody came out. Him and the establishment should find help in bettering their treatment to people of color. By previous reviews, doesn't seem like they give a shit enough to change. I won't stand for the racism & I hope this even just helps turn away one person from going to this place. Wish I could give a negative star. read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

stoped in on a random wednesday night and adam was the bartender he offered great service and created a fantastic atmosphere. Absolutely will return 10/10 experience read more

It was New Year's day and Baylor made a bowl game and watching it with some fellow Chicago alumni. We were originally supposed to be at HVAC just up the street but they double booked so we came to Merkles. There was a surprising amount of folks on Wrigleyville January 1. Don't know if it was a Monday special or new year's day special but drafts were all $4 and wings were 50cents each. Didn't do a ton of drinking because most of the day was hungover from New Year's Eve. Had a beer and 10 wings and some soda. The bartender was nice. Little flabbergasted when I walked towards the back to use the restroom. There is so much space towards back of the restaurant which you don't really notice from the front. It is an Iowa Hawks bar. Most of the professors at my college Communication department got some type of degreee at Iowa so caw caw!! Decor is interesting with all the $1 bills and the random Colonel Sanders. The wings weren't jumbo but for 50 cents a wings it's all good. Could see myself consuming more beers here on a day when I felt more like drinking. read more

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Very nice place to be. Adam, the bartender was very nice and friendly! He welcomed me very nicely and I am glad I swing by the bar tonight. I'll come back for sure! Atmosphere is really nice and the music is great ! read more

It's an interesting joint, and it's somewhat of a unique sport's bar to me. The bar staff was friendly, but too friendly. One worker unashamedly told me about his seemingly dangerous/widespread gambling habits (I mean specific, and I had to listen to him then to enjoy the game.) This was NYE, but early. For the most part, there were more staff then guests; it wasn't that early, and there was the college semi-final games on! All of their taps but one were NOT working. That worker was cool, but he casually acted like it was normal...REALLY?? The worker's openly talked about each other, and were kind of hanging out themselves. They also never asked if I wanted a food menu, and I didn't know that they had a kitchen until towards the end. It's one of those places that I would really like, but it's not run well. I just read the review's of Vanessa, Sania, and Nadia about racism; I AGREE with them! This is more of a commercial spot of Chi-town, my home town, and any racism SHOULD NOT be the case. We are THE City of the refugee! I just changed my review from a 4 to a 1. If they don't at least care that there's tons of competition right there, then why are you in business?!?! Not to mention how petty and stupid/careless any hate is. I'm sorry that I said it seemed interesting; it used to be.... The vast majority of TRUE Chicagoan's are not like this, but we have too many people who live here, that ARE NOT from urban dwellings; rock on ladies! you'll be fine! read more

Service wad amazing! We loved Adam! Great night after the cubs! 11/10. Fast and asked us about drinks and our stay in chicago!

First time here and he experience was great!! Hoping to watch my teams game with the sound and since it was slow rocky was flexible and let us watch our game with the sound. Rocky is he best bartender who watches out for you and lets Ok know what's going on. If it were not for him we would not have stayed and had food and drinks during the game. First time here but can't wait to come back. Tacos were great and burger is great for the price. read more

Terrible service. Super disrespectful staff. Never coming to this place again and definitely not recommending to anyone.. security treats you like dirt at the door (on the way in and out) , bar service below mediocre and just the level of class of the people working there is horrible. read more

Great place for a bite to eat and a drink. We went there on Wednesday night and to my surprise, they had some great specials! They had $2 tacos, 50 cent wings, $3 tall boys, and $4 drafts including craft beers! The wings were gigantic and smothered in sauce. We tried the bbq and parmesan which has a slight kick. I really enjoyed the wide variety of beer selections including my favorite beer from DC the 21st amendment! It is also a Hawkeyes bar for anyone who went to Iowa. Nice ambience, prices, and music. read more

Great place to grab a few drinks before the Cubs game. We did not get any food but loved the beer selection and the low key atmosphere.

I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing my friends being mistreated at this bar on the basis of their race. The bouncer/security man at the door behaved in a vile and appalling manner allowing his clearly racist beliefs to influence who could enter through the doors of this bar. Myself and a few (white) friends were in this bar getting a drink when another group of friends whom we had become separated from attempted to enter the bar to meet up with us. They were all minorities of southeast Asian descent. When attempting to get they were told the bar was closing and that they could not enter. When they pressed the bouncer on the issue as the bar closed at 3 am and it was well before then, the bouncer began swearing at them and told them to "get the fuck out of here". They then proceeded to watch two white women enter the bar without incident while an African American couple was also denied. The manner in which this bouncer carried himself was inexcusable and racist. When I confronted him about his actions being racist, he shrugged. So I urge anyone going out to have fun in the Wrigleyville area to avoid Merkle's Bar & Grill until they address their bigoted employee. You can also see from prior reviews that this is NOT an isolated incident. Do better Merkle's. Hate has no home in Chicago. read more

Merkle's - Front of bar - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

First time here and had an absolutely awful experience. Bouncer didn't let my friends and I (all minorities) in despite us giving him complete respect while simply asking to go in and join the rest of our friends (all white). He swore at us, and shouted at us that he "decides when the bar closes" and let a few white girls in not even minutes after. The bar had tons of people still inside and wasn't listed to close for a few hours. As we waited outside for our friends to come out, he smiled and fist bumped other people passing by, telling them to have a good night. When we approached him again asking if he could go inside and let our friends know we were waiting, he yelled and swore at us again and kept telling us to just call them. We felt incredibly degraded by this establishment and I just want to warn my fellow minorities that you won't be treated as an equal here. read more

We stopped in here before a Cubs game. Original "Hawkeye bar" sign caught our attention. We were pleasantly surprised. Fast and friendly service. Ordered the pulled pork and it was great. Tatiana was our waitress, Never had to ask for a refill she was on it. Go Hawks! read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Stopped in here today before a day game at Wrigley because I looked online at BeerMenus and saw they had some unique beers on draft. Unfortunately they were out of a lot of those beers. They did have a couple of decent craft beers so we were OK. For a game day it wasn't super packed, which was nice. They had some kind of buffet in covered chafing dishes upfront that I didn't see anyone going near. Most of the people were happily drinking domestic cans of beer that cost $5 each. It didn't seem like a well managed bar, it was grungy inside, pretty typical dive Wrigley bar, a few TVs weren't working, but those $5 cans of cheap beer were selling like hot cakes! By the way, 12 hours later I checked BeerMenus online and they still hadn't updated the beer list with the beers that they don't have. If you are looking for a dive bar close to Wrigley, check this place out. It's an Iowa bar, if that's your thing. The staff was helpful enough and the bathrooms were ok. read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Don't go here if you want to get turned away at the door. I left a concert at wrigley and just wanted some food. This man wouldn't let me in FOR NO REASON. I can't speak for everyone else there but this guy needs to be fired. read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Came here for Friday night trivia and had a blast! We partook in the $1 taco trivia special and were not disappointed--I expected average pub fare but the tacos were actually great! Beer options were decently diverse, and I ended up enjoying both beers that I selected. Would have loved maybe a slightly larger menu selection, especially on occasions when you're coming for something like trivia vs. grabbing a drink, but overall we were very happy with the experience. Service was great, great location for baseball lovers, and food was solid. read more

Excellent wings! Very friendly staff. Great place to watch Iowa and Chicago Bears football!

Walked in, sat down right away, thought it would be no problem for a quick meal. Not many people in the restaurant so we decided to eat there before the cubs game. Ended up waiting 10 minutes for just our menus to come. The waiter was very nice and sincere about our wait. Food took awhile but it was busy so I can't blame them. I ordered a buffalo chicken sandwich and thought it was pretty good. The quality of the chicken could've been better but the flavor and the heat was nice. I tried a bite of my sisters fried cheese sandwich and thought it was very good. It was basically a grilled cheese and sourdough. The nachos weren't all that. I was disappointed. Half of it was covered in sour cream and barely had any cheese.. The wings were ok--same with the buffalo chicken sandwich quality of chicken could've been better but flavor and heat were good. If you end up going here make sure you try the fries because they are absolutely amazing! Overall food was decent. read more

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The bar is probably my favorite bar in the Wrigley area. The music is great!!!! The wings are GREAT! I recommend this bar to anyone who visits Chicago or anyone who is looking to have a good time and just chill with friends!!! read more

To escape the chaos that is Wrigley Field, Lee and I left the game a tad early to grab some food and to continue a little Monday night boozing. Walking down Clark Street always presents a plethora of options and it went a little like this, "Bar Louie? No. Goose Island? No. Mullen's? Not this time. Merkle's? Merkle's. . whaaaa?. . .OK." Besides having a geeky name, Merkle's was empty and had seats in the window. Ah, to enjoy the Wrigleyville breeze (aka stale beer and peanuts). The menu looked promising too. Seemed like a recipe for success. . . Nope. Service was horrendous. No one was THERE. I hate it when a bar/restaurant is empty and the servers seem "put out" to wait on you. Newsflash: THAT IS YOUR JOB. Firefighters don't NOT put out fires because there is no one in the house, get with it! As for food, the wings were slightly above average (I can see the appeal of 20 cent wing night, as long as someone is there to take my order). My BLT was OK but the fries left much to be desired. I'm kind of wishing I got the grilled cheese and if I'm forced to return I will try that. Still, the fact that Merkle's has poor service, mediocre food, and difficulty refilling my H2O unfortunately makes it a Wrigleyville "Don't." read more

We went for the first time Saturday early evening with my 11 year old son and we loved it. The atmosphere was great and he got a kick out of drawing on a dollar bill and putting it up on the wall. Lol He also said the chicken tenders were one of the greatest but the FRIES were the BEST he's ever had! I had to agree with him there. I had the garlic-buffalo wings and again.... probably the best wings I've ever had and I'm picky about my wings. They definitely take pride in the food they carry. Also...... a jukebox... come on . Staff was amazing too so this will definitely be a place we will continue to hit. read more

I loved this bar so much, until last night. I tried to go to Merkle's with a group of 15 last night and one of our friends was turned away because he was wearing "gym shoes"- black basketball shoes with black jeans, a nice shirt and a vest. The door man then preceded to let a group of 3 guys in wearing the same style of shoes. When I protested this, I was told to "get the fuck out of the doorway". I typically really enjoy this bar and chatting with Russ. My friends Megan and Christie and I have watched many hockey games here. However, I don't know if I can handle coming back to a bar that clearly has some type of racist agenda. The three guys that were turned away were black, the group that was let in was white. Really disappointing to see this bar perpetuating the negative things mentioned in your Yelp Reviews. We went across the street to Red Ivy and the Deuces and had no problem getting in. Just thought I'd let you know in case you didn't already that your dress code policy is randomly enforced, and it seemed racist to me. read more

What was a five star... Favorite bar in Wrigley is 1 star after some insane treatment yesterday. After the Cubs game, being a hawkeye, this is where I take visitors. Lower chad factor than most Wrigley bars; reasonable drink prices; and usually a good guy playing music. That coupled with the 50+ Iowa games I have watched here makes it my go to. Never again. I am 31, I was with my cousin 25 and her boyfriend 26 from Ireland We get to the door they hand their passports to the door guy who says.. And I quote... We don't let people from Ireland in. I thought he was kidding. Is that even legal?!? Needless to say not a place for foreign visitors- was a completely embarrassing experience and I will never set foot in Merkles. Jack & Gingers / Four Shadows for all Iowa games. read more

This place was decent - we were a bit nervous about parking but then, we got rockstar parking right outside of Merkle's. They had some live music there on Thursday night and some beer specials. Service was decent - we did have to flag down our waitress a couple times. Nachos weren't terribly impressive. Fries weren't that great either. We did get their burgers which were decent at $8 a pop - wonder if those are the same burgers that they have on special on Tuesdays? Wednesdays, I noted that they have 20 cent wings & $8 pitchers of domestics, too, so that may be worth coming back for. Overall, a decent bar experience in Wrigleyville - however, they do sponsor a couple sports teams and that may be a redeeming factor. read more

There might as well be one of those signs similar to the ones out in Nevada or Arizona that say "last chance for gas for 110 miles" planted at the northwest corner of Clark and Addison for pedestrians on the west side of Clark heading south. Why? Because you really should think about whether you really want to cross Addison and enter the morass. That's a double entendre, and not a positive one. Whenever we venture from the north side of Addison to the south side of it on Clark post-Cubs, I know the afternoon is going to nosedive quickly. Wrigleyville between Addison and Sheffield might as well just be one long bar without any walls because all of those bars are almost the same. I've been to Merkle's probably about five times, including two recent post-Cubs visits because one friend seems to like it. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us. Merkle's is just like all the other bars on that stretch. The only thing to distinguish it from the others is the requisite guy with the acoustic guitar playing the usual boiler plate anthems. You know, Sweet Caroline, Rocky Mountain High, Livin' on a Prayer, etc. These people must all also be Dave Matthews Band fans. Geeeez!!! On a side note, why do all these solo crooners with acoustic guitars all look the same? You know, backwards hat, t-shirt, long cargo shorts and...flip flops. Oh, it's always flip flops. My goodness. I don't know why I just wasted so many keystrokes on this review of another generic Wrigleyville bar. Two stars. read more