Cork & Kerry

Very excited to have my grade school reunion here this Saturday — best beer garden on the South side (and perhaps the city)…

Cork & Kerry on Western Ave is very, very tired looking. It appears they have not done any updating in 10+ years. The finish on the bar is gone — like down to bare wood, the restrooms have items that have needed repair for several years, the place has an overall dirty look, stools are wobbly and the beautiful beer garden is looking old and worn out and the outdoor heaters no longer work. What’s going on?
The service is underwhelming also. When you walk in, I agree with the other statements, you are stared at — not just by the other patrons but by the bar staff as well. There were probably 6 – 8 people sitting at the bar when we arrived so it wasn’t like the bartender was too busy to look up and smile or greet us. She warmed up a bit while we were there, but when she left at the end of her shift she was replaced by a young guy who acted like we were interrupting his social life when asked for anything.
While we were there they turned off the music and turned the tv up to full volume in order to watch a football game. Really?
I have some very nice memories of wonderful times at Cork & Kerry, but I will not be back anytime soon.

I’ve been to roughly 1,000 bars in my life, including this one years ago as a semi-​regular. I haven’t been here in a while but was here last Friday for a family party. If there is a worse pour in the United States for a mixed drink I’ve never seen it. Brutal. I understand the «measured pour» but this was worse than that by quite a bit and in an Irish bar on Western Avenue. Not a bad place but my God, order beer or wine if you have to go. I won’t be back.

I was there last night and had great service from the waitress and the bouncer that didn’t need to check my ID because I looked over 21. Bastard. LoL. So I was there for a wristband party benefit for breast cancer awareness. Drinks were flowing and I had a great time. I stayed in our room most of the night and didn’t venture off much. The beer garden there is pretty kick ass tho. Always has been.

Nice Irish pub that serves cold beer and has a lovely beer garden.

The beer garden is lovely, but service is NON-​EXISTANT. It tooke 45 minutes before we were able to flag down a waitress for our party of 5. I tiipped the waitress $ 10 to ensure good service, and guess what? Never saw her again! It doesn’t cost management anything to hire waitresses since they make their money on tips. I don’t know why this establishment doesn’t have more respect for its customers.
7÷26÷13 yes, it gets worse. Beer garden nearly empty whenI arrived w/​2 female friends. Waitress finally took order of male table next to ours, completely ignoring ours. Called after her that we wanted to place order too; no apology, no smile, borderline hostility. We had just come from Horse Thief Hollow where our waitress was super attentive and fun, so the snotty attitude here was especially obvious. It ‘s a shame b /​c I used to love this place.

Wow… What can I say about this place? My husband and I walked in looking for a drink or two and were stared at like we were both giving birth to baby elephants. He’s Mexican, although very light skinned, and is often mistaken for Greek or Italian, and I’m white. Everyone else in the bar was white. Like frat boy, drinking beer out of a funnel, jäger bomb drinking white. Diversity is a no no at Cork & Kerry! If you have tan skin (not orange), you probably won’t feel comfortable here. Actually if you’re white and know anyone with tan-​ish skin, you will immediately feel ashamed of your race.
The service absolutely sucked! The bartenders were lazy and full of attitude. Many of the bar goers were served too much, some visibly underage, very loud and annoying and others were in flip flops on a snowy, 13 degree night in Chicago — yea, it’s THAT kinda bar.
I would definitely skip this place!!!

Oh Western Bars…
Lots and lots of choices all along that tiny strip of Western that puts a smile on the faces of many a person. The place has decently priced drinks, stage, and an outdoor patio equipped with a bar. I find that the staff does a pretty outstanding job taking care of the patrons and will go the extra mile for you. I feel like it has a very casual ambience and it’s one of my favorite bars on Western. It is especially fun around St Patrick’s Day and all the shenanigans that go along with that. It’s just a really fun bar to have a drink, or ten (if you have a designated driver of course) and you’ll leave happy more often than not. Check it out!
–Papa Bear

My parents live not too far from here and I have been going here for the past 15+ years. There is a decent beer choice and endless spirits opportunities. The bartenders have always been welcoming and the Southside crowd is always entertaining and makes me giggle.
Who doesn’t love popcorn?!? There is a popcorn machine, in which you can help yourself to a basket and get some hot sauce from the bartender for an extra zing, if your heart desires. At Christmas time, they usually go all out, which helps you get into the Christmas mood.
Recently, they bought the space north of them and built a spacious second room. Now you don’t have to be on top of each other during peak hours!
As for the beer garden?!? Not so bad. You forget that you are on Western Avenue on the Southside.
This is my go to place when seeing family, for sure!

Cork and Kerry is alright — they have decently cheap drinks, a nice outdoor patio with plenty of seating (there is a bar outdoors as well), and plenty of seating indoors. However, the bar tenders are very slow and not very friendly, and the outdoor bar only has select beers/​alcohol. I tried making conversation with one of them and they barely even smiled. Boring. Their shots were also out of a small plastic cup that basically makes you spill half of the drink everywhere and is very small (the shot should have been about 2 times the size of what it was). It looks nice on the outside, but the inside was not nearly as impressive.

I’m not a person that usually feels uncomfortable anywhere but this place is somewhere I never and I mean NEVER need to step foot into again. Besides the fact that it’s a place where your drinks are served in plastic cups, it had a smell of dirty mops when you walked into the main bar. Ordering a vodka and soda was difficult for the bartender who was not interested in serving anyone and said they didn’t have Ketel One, there was a bottle of Ketel One Citron sitting right there! Not to mention he didn’t use soda but did use water… really!!!
Let’s just put it this way… this is not a bar that wants anything to do with diversity. I don’t advise anyone of color to enter this place… it really makes me uncomfortable writing this because I know it’s out there but it’s been a while sense I have felt this way. My husband agreed and he’s Irish… i’m done acknowledging this dump.

Hmmm… not a very diverse group of patrons in this place. The service was friendly enough and prices were fine, but I’m not sure if I’d hangout here again. I can’t put my finger on it, but it just didn’t have a welcoming feel.

A friend of mine from Chicago took us here to have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. We’ve been here at least 4 times with my favorite visit being during St Patty’s Day week. While we were unable to come for St Patty’s Day, it was still a ton of fun. The place was packed and the bartenders were able to keep up with the business.
We ordered Black & Tan’s and shots of Jameson. The vibe here is great and we had a blast every time we were here.
Will I return? If I’m in the neighborhood, you can count on it!

On the south side of Chicago, Western Avenue bars are a part of one’s life. Among the many offerings, this place is the best. Why? It’s clean. It’s classy. The beer garden is huge. The beer selection is great.
Is this an Irish bar per se? The name indicates that it is but I’ve never really run into a bunch of turkey birds here (yes, I can say that, I’m Irish). I have, however, run into a good looking crowd and friendly staff.
Go to the «Cork» in the summer and you may run into a White Sox coach or player as they occasionally have post-​game broadcasts in the beer garden. The place has recently expanded and now it can host a party or benefit as well.
To close, if I’m drinking on Western, it’s probably at the Cork.

Going into a new neighborhood is always an interesting experience. You meet new people, hear new stories and better understand how all these neighborhoods make up the personality of Chicago.
Take Cork and Kerry. When we walked in– we obviously were immediately identified as «not from the neighborhood». How was this possible? Was it our clothes? Our hair? Did I ask for my beer incorrectly? Who knew? But the first words out of the bartender’s mouth was «Are you new to the area or just visiting?»
So after a quick recovery, I said. «Both» and settled down at the bar for the evening. But then it became obvious how he knew we were new to the place. .…everyone else there knew each other. They lived in the area, worked in the area and many had been friends all of their lives. But no problem– the bartender must have decided that we were «okay» and once he started to talk to us, the mood in the place changed considerably.
Cork and Kerry has a huge beer garden-​perfect for hanging out in the warmer months. But the inside is nice too– carved wooden bar, stained glass windows, good looking bartenders (my fav ambiance!), clientele who must cater to off duty police and fire dept workers as everyone that we met was some kind of a civic worker, and a wide range of beers on tap.
There is a large back room perfect for private parties. On the night we were there– there was some kind of a «girls night» out thing going on– which made for some really drunk women wandering around the bar, which could have been tragic if they hadn’t been just so darn funny! One girl walked around the bar with her boyfriend’s hand down the back of her jeans. Wasn’t sure what he was doing but I’m going to chalk it up to him trying to keep her vertical!
Parking is pretty easy on Western, and since the place is a hang out for off duty cops, I ‘d suggest if you are going to drink alot there– that you don’t drive (good advice for anywhere but especially here). I watched one guy get followed out of the bar and to his car where he was detoured into a waiting police car. Good for the rest of us on the road that night.
Cork and Kerry may not be for everyone. But on this night– the beer was flowing, the people were friendly (once the initial shock wore off of an interloper in their midst!) and the beer garden was open and welcoming. Hello southside! I’ll definitely be back!

Maybe the fact I am from the area clouds my view, but this is a good southside irish bar. They are slow with service but as long as your not in a rush you should enjoy it. Yes there are some local meatheads but you can get that at any bar really.
Good place to go for a drink if your in the area.

Wow. I had no idea that the KKK or the local skinhead youth group had opened a bar.
As soon as I walked in, the mocking sounds of someone making fun of what they think an Asian sounds like came from MULTIPLE directions. Its not a bar with an asshole, its assholes with a bar around them.
If you’re the type of white person that enjoys going to whites only bars and maybe a cross burning later in the evening than this is the place for you. Otherwise, its probably a better idea to spend your money elsewhere.

Cork & Kerry offered a brief detour during a recent Western Avenue pub crawl. I can’t speak to the character of the place or its patrons in the evening, which some of the other reviews have called into question, but it seemed a perfectly innocent location to enjoy a pint on a Saturday afternoon.
Why «innocent»? One of the neighborhood families had decided to host their (young) child’s birthday party in the back room. Were there not a host of taps and bottles before me, I’d have thought that I’d wandered into a Chuck E. Cheese. But the whole concept seemed such a perfectly South Side Irish idea that it didn’t bother me in the least. Get the youngins started early, no?
I’ll try Cork & Kerry again, but it loses a star for the $ 5 Guinness. Guinness is good for you; you shouldn’t have to pay so much to remain in good health.

If you look at the Cork & Kerry from the outside, it looks pretty awesome. Inside, there’s plenty of room and they have a great patio area. Everything you would want for an Irish bar on the South Side. By all accounts, it should be better than their neighbor next door. But this place is horrible. It seems like the local meatheads hang out here to see who can claim the title of King Asshole for the night.
If you’re not a regular, expect dirty looks from the regulars. I’m a Southsider and I still get treated like shit. To top it off, service is slow and rude too. I only take my friends in to experience what the mess is about, then we run next door to Keegan’s for a much better time.

I ended up at Cork and Kerrys last night after meeting friends at Rhino just down the street. I liked Cork and Kerrys, plenty of tables for our group even though we got there at 11pm. Waitress was nice but stop coming around our table later in the night. Only had to get a drink at the bar once the whole night but I had fun and will definitely be back.
One of my friends was like Blah to this place cuz there’s too many ‘Bro’s’ but I rarely pay attention to the other people around me unless they annoy me or something. Overall, had a good time. It wasn’t too loud or too dark.