St. Patrick’s Day observed is coming up this weekend. You can join the mayhem downtown, plus plenty more official Irish events … or you can DIY a green-bar bar crawl. Personally, that’s my plan (plus temporarily dyeing my hair green for good measure).
Here’s the itinerary.
Green Mill in Uptown
We’re starting up north at the Green Mill and working our way south. The Green Mill may seem unusually classy for St. Patrick’s Day, but you don’t want to be too rowdy when you arrive to this live jazz spot. The bar opens at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday — just don’t expect to see Al Capone’s ghost.
Green Eye Lounge in Logan Square
Green Eye is a solid stop for any bar crawl: cheap, large, and conveniently located next to Arturo’s Tacos (and, more recently, El Bagelero). It’s also pretty cheap, and there’s cool Chicago art all over the walls!
The speakeasy inside Green Door Tavern is called The Drifter. You’ll need reservations. But you didn’t hear that from me. (Flickr / Stephen Hogan)
Green Door Tavern in River North
Make your way downtown toward another historic stop: Green Door Tavern bills itself as Chicago’s oldest tavern. It opened in 1921 and survived the prohibition era as a speakeasy — there’s still one located inside, but I’m not telling you where. The building also famously leans … you’ll be leaning too on the way to the next bar.
Green Room Tap in Pilsen
Closing out the bar crawl in Pilsen is ideal, mere steps from so many great taco spots. But first you gotta try Green Room Tap’s frozen Irish coffee with creme de menthe whipped cream 🤤
Want to Green Out Instead?
If booze isn’t really your thing, don’t worry, you can try a mini dispensary crawl:
- Dr. Greenthumb’s — IN THE FORMER GREEN DOLPHIN SPACE! Extra points!
- Green Rose in River North
🪦 I’d also like to acknowledge a green bar we recently lost: The Green Post. Now open as Picadilly Pub, you can still find Irish pub food there. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
