I usually enjoy going out in the Wrigley area, but my experience last night made me rethink where I want to spend my nights out. I came to Merkle's last night on 9/25 with 5 other friends (2 white, 3 of southeast Asian decent) and we all walked into the bar together. 2 of my friends (both white) and I went to the other side of the bar to get drinks and ended up getting separated from our other 3 friends, who then stepped outside to try and call us to find out where we were. Once they learned we were still inside, they tried to come back in but were rudely denied by the bouncer. The bar closed at 3 am and it was only 1 am, so it didn't make sense why he told them that he wasn't letting anyone else in. They stood outside the bar waiting for us to come out and witnessed a couple (African American) get denied entry as well because "the bar was closing." A few minutes later, two girls (both white) walked up and the bouncer let them in with no hesitation. When my friends confronted the bouncer about this, he told them "get the fuck out of here. I decide when the bar closes." I came out of the bar shortly after and they filled the rest of us in on what happened. The bouncer had no reaction other than shrugging his shoulders when one of our friends confronted him about his racist actions. As long as this bar continues to hire racist bouncers, I won't be coming back and will advise others to stay away as well. I'm not surprised to see other reviews telling similar experiences. This isn't right and we won't stand for it. read more

This is solely based off of the couple times I've been there, which all happened to be Tuesdays. Everything is half off; and what do I think of when I hear half off...? I always choose rum and cokes as my poison. Top those off with a couple shots of henny and throw some fries somewhere in there. I always leave happy and satisfied with a tab no more than 25. Drunk for 25? winner winner chicken dinner. read more

Always a friendly face to greet you. The waitresses are super friendly and always prompt and willing to get you what you need. Love their Tuesday specials - half off your ENTIRE bill! I've learned that even though it looks packed, go inside and you're sure to find a table or enough space to comfortably stand in with friends. read more

Stopped in for a quick beer after a cubs game and it definitely did the trick. They have a pretty good beer selection on tap and regular prices. The atmosphere is very pub like with lots of signed dollar bills on the wall and sports stuff. read more

Wrigleyville has been waiting for a brunch like this!! Highlights: fried chicken and mac and cheese sausage delicious potatoes Made to order omelets (best part here is that you order them and a server brings them to the table, you do not have to stand around and wait for the omelet while it cooks like some other places) *** Bottomless Mimosas *** Merkle's is such a laid back bar with great servers, it is easy to show up for brunch and find yourself here until the sun has long gone down! read more

Fun,fast service.Great sports bar.Hawkeye bar!Kind of divey,but in a good way.Great nachos.

1/2 off Tuesdays, can't beat them! Their food is amazing! Their drinks are heavy handed which is probably the best quality a bar could have if you're going to drink. Reasonable prices. Overall good experience. Oh, and having a jukebox makes it even better because you can play the music you want to hear...woo! Only critique, definitely get more social servers or encourage them to not be so cold. Definitely hit up Merkle's though...you won't be disappointed. read more

They seriously have the best chicken tenders in the whole city. I don't even know why. So delicious. This place is usually not that packed which is awesome. I can always find a seat at the bar. The bartenders are cool, kinda standoffish, but good service. They have nine million beers of all kinds. The bar is big so it would be great for a big group. Their jukebox/touch tunes sucks. It has almost no good hip hop but this place is in wrigleyville so........ read more

Great spot we stumbled on after checking out the field. Staff was friendly and they had a great selection of craft beer and ciders. $2 tacos are a must! read more

My favorite bar in Wrigelyville! They have a good menu and there is almost always some sort of promotion so you can really stretch your money. The pub trivia here is tons of fun. Definitely try to get here on a trivia night. Their best asset is their great staff. The bartenders are great, down to earth people and they'll make you feel right at home. Overall, a great place to come in and watch a game. read more

Best spot in wrigley for before, after, with or without a game. Service at a 10, atmosphere and drinks on point

Stopped here for dinner after ND played NU after hearing it was a Xavier bar (my alma mater). Their chicken tinga tacos just might've been the best tacos I'd ever had they were so good. Only thing that was negative was a group played a song 3 times in a row and the bearded bartender got really mad for no reason and screamed at them. Luckily for him, the tacos canceled that out of the rating consideration. read more

Merkle's is the perfect local sports bar! Always worth a visit anytime you're in the area

This place is great the walking taco's are fantastic!! The bartenders have the most welcoming attitude I've ever seen. If your going to a Cubs game make sure you stop into Merkle's for some food And drinks!! read more

If you are looking for a fun time in wrigley but don't want the lame typical douche crowd and bar atmosphere, come here! Came by with my boyfriend last night and it was so fun. Owner, Russel, is so friendly and it definitely shows that he cares about his business and customers. Will be back. Gotta conquer the food challenge read more

Went there for an Iowa Basketball game. Every single person that came into the bar was an Iowa fan so it was a great atmosphere. They've embraced the Iowa crowd and it is a wonderful place to watch a game for any Hawkeye. The beer was great, service was great, and the food was good, as well. I really enjoyed the wings and the mac and cheese bites. read more

Roger Mexico and Jessica were workin the bar while Lauren and Liz were rockin the floor. I always stop by here before, during, or after the games. The food is great and the service shines in Wrigleyville! Jessica made the best Margarita I've had round these parts and suggested some outa this word tacos for 2 BUCKS! WHAT! #DABOMB.COM Thanks guys! See you again soon! read more

I like going on non-Cub's games as they have good food for cheap prices. Usually they also have a beer deal. During Cubs games they will pack as many people in as they can, so I usually stay away. read more

why do i do these things to myself? *saturday around noon. i have just woken up, and am feeling optimistic about spending a sunny day being productive before plans that evening. then... text from friend: wanna play in a flip cup tournament at 2? me: yes. try to visualize what a bar in wrigleyville that hosts flip cup tournaments might look like. yep, this is pretty much just what you expected. all the same pros and cons of the wrigley scene. pro: cheap drinks, con: douche factor. $20 pp for our flip cup team of 4 did include 6 pitchers and a free app, and the specials were $4 jameson shots and $5 bombs. lesson learned: do not go to clark street trying to show up a bunch of young kids, binge drink all day while throwing back shots, and decide to afterparty. you will end up like i did: passed out in bed at 8pm on a saturday with only vague memories of how you got there. read more

Do Not go here- I was disappointed with this place. It has the potential to get a 4 star, but the staff (including the owner) were brutal. We were attending a $25 drink special (which only included domestic taps and cheap booze... at Redmond's this is only $15). My biggest problem with their system is you "must" return your empty glass or else they won't give you another one. I understand the policy, but almost everyone at the bar had a bracelet. What this means is if you waded through the crowd and got to the bar, but forgot your drink you were either buying your drink or walking back to your table to get your glass. Brutual. Not to mention the special was about to end and the owner (or a guy who claimed to be the owner) walked over to our table which had 4 cocktails on it and only 2 people at the time. He made a point to say this was against the rules and before we could explain that they were in the bathroom he said "yeah right, I've never heard that one before) and proceeded to take their drinks away from the table. read more

Loved the burger and fries. Probably the best that I've ever ate in a bar/Pub. I'll defiantly be back.

I really think this place is very hit-or-miss. On the one hand, the food is REALLY good and they do have a ton of tvs to watch sports whenever. On the other hand, the staff CAN be very rude. I went here once in the middle of the day, when it was very close to empty, for some lunch and a few beers. I had the remnants of a cup of Starbucks in my hand, and because of that, the guy wouldn't even let me come in! I mean, come on. They definitely lost my business that day. read more

SLEAZY PLACE: I signed up for Yelp using a real e-mail address just so I could write this review. I went to Merkle's for a bachelor party and it is your typical Wrigleyville bar--nothing special. They double-charged me for 3 shots of Patron. I left my money on the bar and they said they didn't get it so they had a large barback intimidate me until I paid them (again). I had a conversation with the bartender and told him I paid him before but he did not believe me and told me he would not serve me again when I told him I would not (re)tip him. This bar is the lowest class sleazy place I have ever been. read more

Not only did the restaurant owner respond to me and put tacos back on the menu after my last review, but their customer service was incredible. They recognized me from my frequent ordering, and offered to send me some complimentary hard shell tacos (as I order soft) because they thought I would enjoy them. Plus, they were so pleasant and kind, and recognized the compliments I had given them. I am thoroughly satisfied and impressed by their service. Good food is made all the better by good service, so it make sense Merkle's incredible food is made even better by their customer service! read more

Best place to watch a Bears game for sure! I agree with Jody C. Buckets of domestics are $12 but you can get the aluminum bottles of bud which are 16oz.....FANCY BOTTLES is what I call those. The wings are 25 cents too! Great wings...especially the honey wings which taste like PANCAKE SYRUP! Plus crazy bears fans...da bears! read more

Avoid this place. Awful service, rude servers, and unfortunately rude managers. They sold wrist bands for a drink/ food special. After purchasing I found out there was not more food- and they weren't making it anymore. It was a "sucks for you" attitude. So, basically they stole from customers. When I asked for a refund, the manager offered to do shady partial refunds. When I said no, and asked for a refund because what they sold was unavailable, he started yelling at me and calling me names. So I left having had my money stolen. Never again. Called my bank with fraud charges. Has to be a PRETTY bad restaurant or bar to do that..... Bank refunded it and is going after Merkle's for the money they stole. I recommend anyone else in the same situation do the the same thing. read more

Your standard Wrigleyville bar, although I've never actually been here after a game. Friendly staff, however, the servers can be a bit slow at times. We typically get their wings, the house special ginger soy wings are fabulous. I normally love bbq but their version is definitely on the sweet side. Crowd varies, although must seem to be in their twenties. read more

This is such a great place to go to watch the Bears! Everyone there is a huge fan, and they sing the fight song during the commercials. Im not from Chicago, and i'd never really seen the SNL skit played out live. It was great! Get there early b/c it fills up quickly and you need a table, but well worth it. Cold beer and a bloody mary bar read more

While this is a pretty decent establishment that I've frequented, I certainly do not commend staff (nor friends of staff) - in fact I think it's run by self-righteous morons who forgot that they probably came out of a vagina once (and I do mean probably), and most likely went to either ISU, DePaul, Loyola, State, IU...well ok you get my drift. ANYWAY when an existing customer comes to your door (albeit closing time) to ask for their debit card back, don't pretend you looked for their card then send your clown-faced, curly-haired cromagnons to talk to you when they don't even work there and then have them tell you to "come back because you're too busy closing." What if you're from out of state like my ID says I am? Instead, like intelligent, civilized and caring people (for cromagnons this would be tricky, but like the bouncer who actually really did help me by getting my card back after the 3rd time I asked other staff members), just take the 30 seconds out to flip through your credit cards and give the people what they ask for. Don't forget where you came from (hairy vagina covered in placenta and amniotic fluid like the rest of us) or else that's allllllll you'll be left with - and no more customers for your dispensable lil wrigleyville joint. That is ALL. (I would have given it several stars if not for this. 2nd star goes to the winner and problem solver of the night - THE BOUNCER! The rest of you - take a hint; it's called good business practices and above all, non-douchebaggery. By the way I work at a bar too, and you guys SUCK). Goodnight! read more

The type of place I would take a date I didn't want to take on another date. The food is greasy and hit or miss. They like to talk about their wings "best in show bla bla" ...sort of like giving yourself a nickname nobody else in the world calls you by. The drinks come often and cheap. Most importantly as far as the date goes it's loud and full of the same guy that walked out of the Wrigleyville clone factory--model cargo shorts and sandals. Yet I've been here... read more

Great Service, been here 2 or 3 times and the food gets out to you quick. Had a $4 burger special the last time I went. Burger was good, but the side of fries you get is worth $4 by its lonesome. read more

Non descript bar among the many on Clark St, south of Addison. There really isn't anything remarkable about this place; there is nothing horrid about either. An easy meeting place after a Cubs game though. read more

This bar is SLIM. As in, there's not a whole lot of room to move, so maneuvering through the place when it's the weekend and it's crowded isn't particularly easy. At one point someone did manage to waste their drink...yup...all over my right foot. This would be the time to mention I was wearing open toe shoes. Anywho, it wasn't a bad experience. It's your basic Clark Street bar. The bartenders seem to enjoy chatting with me, so I take that as a plus. read more

This is basically the only bar on Clark Street that I go to. The bartenders are top notch and will know your name after your 1st visit to the bar. Grab a beer before a Cubs game, eat some wings and enjoy. read more

This is a completely average Wrigleyville bar/pub and yes, there are at least a dozen others just like it along the Clark St. corridor. It can get busy on the weekend nights which is fun but other than that it's nothing special. Maybe next time I'll have to try this food that everyone's raving about... read more

I hit up Merkle's for the $2 half-pound burgers on Tuesday. The total came out to $6 with fries and a beer. It's hard to beat that. The burger was suprisingly tasty as well. It's safe to say that I'll be back. read more

Nope. I can not give negative stars. I would if I could. Poor girl was all by herself on a Cubs home game. What the fuck man. The food was ok at best. read more

The employees were very unkind right off the bat. My only experience here was about 2 months ago and the place was empty so service was great and the bartender was nice. On this particular day, the doorman was very rude to deny me and my friend into the bar before even being able to pull out our IDs. Then the bouncer tried to convince me that my friend and I had been there earlier and started a physical fight. I had no idea what was going on and thought it might be a joke since this was only the second bar I had been to all night. I obviously knew this wasn't an actual occurrence, so I left the bar in confusion and pretty upset since a couple of our friends had to leave the bar to meet us elsewhere. Don't go here unless you want to come into contact with the rudest staff. read more

Great Wrigley neighborhood bar! Amazing burgers and all the local Craft beer you want. Gumballhead is all the time on draft you dont see that anyway else in the neighborhood. Its nice to go to a bar on Clark and be able to get something better than a miller lite, bud light or bluemoon. If you want good food and good beer and non douche atmosphere this is the place to go on Clark street! read more

Merkle's - Bars Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I only ever go to Merkle's for Trivia Tuesdays (and the $2 burgers don't hurt). It's a great time - grab a few friends and you will really enjoy it. Bring a movie-buff with you though: the movie category is particularly difficult and worth double the points... read more