Bucktown Pub

Another nice neighborhood bar that isn’t pretentious. Plus also has a lot of the other things I prefer when it comes to neighborhood bars, including that it’s friendly, free popcorn, smoker-​friendly outdoor patio, tamale guy appearances at times, and has at least some craft beer selections available. Other reviewers seem to have mentioned all the necessary points about here, that I don’t need to.
Bonus fifth star, to the bartender who after I made a call to this bar to report that I’d accidentally left my umbrella behind here, immediately found it and kept it in storage here till I returned a week later to get it. Always appreciate places that go the extra mile, like that!

This is one of my neighborhood bars, and I’m definitely a fan. It’s a casual place, they allow dogs, the music is (usually) good, and they have nice outdoor seating. I do wish they had a slightly better beer selection at times. Their taps are good, but they only have 10 or so going at once. The only other recommendation… go a little easier on the hard core punk rock music from one particular female bartender. I typically come on Friday nights and I have nearly had to leave on a few occasions because the head banger music was getting a little too difficult to take. I like that the bartenders choose the tunes, but that type of music isn’t really fitting a casual bar like Bucktown Pub. It’s still a keeper and I’ll still be back every Friday.

Solid neighborhood pub with a pleasant beer garden that’s open in warmer temps. What else? Friendly bartenders and staff, decent beer list, nightly booze specials and a fun atmosphere. Everyday pricing on booze is affordable and you won’t feel like you’ve overspent. No pretension or crazed sport fanatics, just a nice, normal, local bar. On weekdays you’ll often find Metra commuters that are in-​between travel grabbing a drink.
If you like karaōke or open mic, check their website for details. For karaōke, it’s relaxed, so a great spot for practice runs and people might smile or clap. No rowdies.
(On the web I found a link about Bucktown Pub having origins of a ghostly nature;
I’ve never seen any hauntings or ghouls, only that of friendly smiles.

This bar has great beers on tap and great service too! I will definitely come back many times! It’s a great local/​neighborhood spot.

The only reason this place gets three stars is because of John Kimler’s excellent hosting of the Sunday night open mic. Other than that, there are some major problems with this joint:
#1: One of the main bartenders – a dude – is a total jerk. He’s rude to customers and he was rude to me. That dude needs to take a long walk off a short bridge.
#2: This is the typical «charge you $ 7 for a whiskey coke» joint. Why pay this much money for mediocre liquor and soda out of a gun? If they want to charge more for drinks, they should invest in a decent cocktail menu.
Honestly, this review is mostly based on a number of bad experiences at the place. You can tell when the culture of a business sucks. Shit rolls down hill.
Updated review: John Kimler is no longer hosting open mics here and he has moved on. Now, this spot gets downgraded to a two star review.

If you dont like open Mic night here on sundays, then you are stupid.

Great atmosphere! Really good drinks and fantastiv peopee. Love that place!

This is an adorable neighborhood bar. It’s a relaxed atmosphere and the bartenders are really nice. They have a good beer selection on tap. The free popcorn has a good taco like seasoning on it. Prices are fair. Location is good. And they allow dogs, which I love since I’m a crazy dog owner!

i been there 2 times but this summer 2014
i’m try to drink a beer in the tables out side or the patio beer garden «
& the skiny blonde guy bartender look like the 70s said you can’t not be here you had 2 kids with you & by the law can’t stay here
what can have a beer & some pop corn
???
i said what ???
i see ppl with babys
childs
kids
dogs
and you are tell me
can’t not seat & had a beer
crazy
ridicoulos
racist
because i’m hispanic or what
shame on you
cortland garage is much better !!!
thank youuu …

Good solid pub with a nice back and side patio. I noticed some groups playing board games, so that could be fun for a group of people. Decent beer list and friendly staff walking around to keep everyone having a good time.

Went on a Thursday (I think??) night for Trivia and a Friday evening for a happy hour. Trivia was a good challenge, and the place was packed. Friday was calmer, with most people out on the patio. I like a calm vibe where I can talk to people, so I enjoy this bar. They also have a good beer selection. No food, but there is free popcorn.
On the Friday trip, I got carded before coming in, which was weird, because there was a baby and a toddler on the patio area.
On Trivia night, the crowd was 20s and 30 somethings. On Friday evening, it was mostly 30 somethings and the babies.
So ½ star off for the awkwardness with getting carded. Another ½ star off for not having substantial food, which makes it a tough sell to take friends when they’re hungry. Other than those points, its relaxed atmosphere, good beer list, and nice patio will keep me coming back.

This and Danny’s are my favorite pubs in Bucktown.
In the true spirit of the north section of West town, this pub is calmly nestled in the residential, south east corner of Bucktown, adjacent to Elston Corridor. It’s easily accessible from the 73, 72 and 9 buses. I like to come here on Wednesday nights when the bartender Kyle is working and for $ 4 drafts. He is a great guy and is always very knowledgeable on their tap selections, which are great than 5, less than 10 (if my memory serves me). Every other Wednesday they have live bands. John runs that and although he plays a lot of the same songs, he’s a great guy with good energy who brings in some interesting acts to accompany him from time to time.
During the summer they have outdoor seating on the side of the bar and out back in the garden/​patio. The prices are very fair (this is Bucktown, remember) and it ranges from dead (up to five people in the bar) to packed (at least 50) depending on the night.
The manager, Summer, does an amazing job decorating the bar for different seasons and holidays. She puts a lot of effort in and it truly shows. The brick walls mixed with the wood floor and bar coupled with the low red lighting gives the pub a great ambiance.
They don’t serve food but they do have frozen cheese and pepperoni pizzas that are about $ 10 a pie. They don’t mind if you eat your leftovers either, assuming it’s not busy; of course.
Also…even though they have TVs, they are usually off. Big selling point for me, cannot stand TVs at a pub. Go to a sports bar, no one cares about your game or match or whatever they’re called.

This is a cool little place. I went about a week ago for my friend’s beer launch party. It was one of the exclusive places that had Ten Ninety beer, a totally unique and delicious craft brew that we had to check out. While I was already a fan of the two he launched, this new Jaggery Triple was awesome!
Great vibe, good service. They had the free popcorn on the night we went (Wednesday) and we were able to order a pizza for $ 10.
Cool area… it’s like this secret, picturesque pocket just west of Ashland where it meets the 90.
Overall, a very good experience!

I came here for a beer event and I was pleasantly surprised that they have a decent porch. This is definitely a neighborhood spot where all the locals knew each other. They have a wide selection of beers on draft ranging from $ 5-​$ 10. The bartenders were friendly and I didn’t go 15 seconds until my glass was removed and replaced. I suggest going to dinner across the street and then going to Bucktown Pub for a drink afterwards.
This is Bucktown’s version of River North’s Clark Street Ale House.

They’ve got a pretty sweet outside patio and a small but solid selection of beers. There’s nothing really special about this bar, but maybe that’s what makes it so special. I came here for a special beer event sponsored through Pintley that was debuting some new brewers. The beers were solid but a little on the spendy side.

I’ve been coming here for years, but after Monday night, I feel I owe Bucktown Pub a review.
This has been my go-​to trivia spot on Thursdays since 2010. It’s a fun crowd, and I like that they have different categories (for example, a picture round and a music round). There’s also an awesome beer garden, which we’ve hung out in after trivia. And who doesn’t love a late night visit from the a guy who sells tamales out of a cooler?
All of this, however, was not enough to entice me to go to Bucktown Pub for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals. I’ve never pegged this place as a «sports bar» and, as a die hard fan, I NEED to see the game, and hear it. So our large group chose Cortland’s Garage… only to be told they were at capacity. With the game an hour away, we walked across the street to Bucktown Pub, and I am so glad we did. What a great experience! It did fill up, and was quite crowded, but we were able to easily secure two tables. We could see all the TVs and hear perfectly. Despite being so completely slammed, there was ONE waitress/​bartender until about 8 and she did a PHENOMENAL job. Seriously. Every drink order was quickly filled, and our food orders. At one point, she had a stack of about eight glasses in hand. Our group kept talking about how awesome she was.
Additionally, Bucktown Pub’s only food option is a frozen pizza (and the aforementioned Tamale Guy). We did order two pizzas, but then others in our group decided to order out. I was impressed that this was allowed! Many people had food ordered in through the game. It was awesome that this place accepted they have very limited food options and thus allowed people to order for themselves.
Unless you live under a rock, you know how this night ended. It was an amazing night for Blackhawks fans everywhere, and I am so glad that I got to witness it at Bucktown Pub, even if it was not your stereotypical «Blackhawks Bar.» Above all, the people here care about customers and that was so apparent on Monday!

I came here for the Be Fido’s Friend fundraiser and I was so impressed!
First of all, the fact that they offered up their services and venue to help support a non-​profit dog rescue gives them a big gold star in my book. The fantastic beer, service, and perfect location (for me, at least) is secondary, but also quite important.
They have awesome daily specials:
MONDAY– $ 3 domestic bottles + $ 3 «liquid courage» shots.
TUESDAY– Karaōke at 10pm + $ 4 well cocktails + $ 3 «liquid courage» shots. WEDNESDAY– $ 4 Pints + $ 3 «liquid courage» shots.
THURSDAY– Trivia at 8pm + $ 3.50 Trumer Pilsner Pints AND Stella + $ 3 «liquid courage» shots.
FRIDAY– Rock N Roll Jukebox + $ 4 shots of Powers Irish Whiskey.
SUNDAY– Open Mic at 9:30pm + $ 5 PBR Tall Boys with shot of Early Times Whiskey + $ 8 Pizzas
I mean… Trivia, open mic and karaōke nights? What more could you want? Free popcorn, you say? Well they’ve got that too.
Also, word on the street is that Bucktown Pub is dog friendly before 8pm. I LOVE that, and being able to bring my dog will definitely lure me back to Bucktown pub very soon.

OK, I have officially given this place 3 tries and can finally say I like it! However, all 3 times have been for Sunday Fundays… so this review may be slightly skewed.
The first time I was here was around Halloween last year. We were in costume and had a blast with some of the other patrons just drinking and talking the afternoon away. We made a mental note to venture back.
Second time was around the holidays and it was like we walked into a completely different bar than the first time we were there. The patrons were all very tired looking… ummm…well, I’ll just say it… actual drunks. There was NO vibe, no one was talking, and no one was smiling. We drank our only drink and left.
Determined to find the fun of our first time here, we ventured back this past weekend for our 3^rd attempt and low and behold, we found it!!! We must have somehow walked through the wrong door on the 2^nd visit. We had so much fun again. The regulars and non regulars are so nice. The bartender with the blonde puff is also very nice and attentive.
We hear that they have other fun nights with trivia and all sorts of things. We will have to venture out on a school night to investigate, but we will definitely be back on our Sunday Funday crawls.

By far my favorite bar in the city. Why, you might ask? It’s super chill, they have a great beer selection, they have addicting popcorn that you can sprinkle with old bay, and its dog friendly! They recently converted back to being pup-​friendly after a period of not allowing mans best friend, (during which time I boycotted the place entirely). Now that my dogs can saddle up to the bar with me, I come early and often. This is my favorite way to spend a weekend afternoon– throwing back a few cold ones, shoving my face with crack-​infused popcorn and spending quality time with my fur babies. They love it, and so do I. Thank you, Bucktown Pub.

You had me at free salted popcorn with old bay seasoning — then you chose to throw in pet friendly = 5 star rating.
We had my english bulldog’s birthday party in here with another local dog lover and we all had a blast. Nothing like a few tall 16oz drafts with the locals and some other neighborhood pets. All the patrons are very friendly and they actually have a nice outdoor space in the summer.
The Bucktown Pub is a great way to spend a weekend afternoon with mans best friend and meet some of the most down to earth people of Bucktown. Did I mention the popcorn…