Coogan’s Riverside Saloon

Can’t tell if they are out of business, or just remodeling. Phone is disconnected and front door is padlocked.

Coogan’s has just recently been closed for business.
I’ve been enjoying this bar for the last 10 years. Great staff. The food had recently received a much welcomed upgrade. As well as the beer selection. I think this was an awesome Chicago bar. It’s a shame that it has fell victim to the tough economic times.
Thank you Coogan’s!!!

This is a mighty strange little place. I have to admit, I have only stumbled in here for quick lunches.
HINT– DO IT BEFORE 12:00.
We are normally lucky and eat early but the place gets packed! They have some basic sandwiches and fries. I have had the grilled chicken (chucken) special, nothing to write home about, but is quick and comes with fries. My big brother has ordered a chicken salad sandwich and was been extremely thrilled, but hey, he recommended the place. Our other orders have not been memorable, but edible and filling.
So, the before noon thing. Yeah. The place hops around noon as this is a desert of Wacker drive. The lone waitress gets a bit overwhelmed and your order or check can get held up. If you get there early, you are golden.
All in all, this is not a bad little spot. Just know what you are in for. I don’t drink my work lunches so I cannot speak to that side of the business. Seeing that I blow out of the office and get the heck out of dodge, you will not see me in here imbibing after work.

I spent a decade in Chicago working at law firms up the street from Coogan’s and that led me to eat there and partake in beer ingesting events (on weekends and after work) countless times. In fact, after a while (after about five years) with the same female server nearly every day it got to a point where I looked for excuses not to go back and see the same person, eat the same thing and hear the same jokes and stories, etc. — that kind of thing. (This is no knock on her as she was nice and a good server and, frankly, probably bored with our regular group — tip excepted.)
The food is nothing fancy and downright simple but perfect for lunch. I went with the turkey sandwich or crab cake sandwich most days mixed in with the chili (the chili and crab cake sandwich are really good). The service is pretty good when you are at a table and tip with a group several days a week (like I was), so I cannot vouch for the service any random walk in gets.
Overall a good neighborhood Irish bar and lunch place — not much more. The place is reasonably priced and fills its niche in the area.

I’ve been here a few times, always on someone else’s tab. Had food here a couple of times. Very basic boring stuff. Drinks are OK. The bar is very cool. It’s dark, which I’m not a fan of. It’s also very loud, so it’s hard to hold a decent conversation. Try Prime Bar across the street for a more pleasant (though probably more expensive) experience.

Nice looking bar with all the wood, but it is sort of dark inside…
They pour a solid drink. We had a waitress that seemed quite irritated, but we ignored it.
Good place to grab a drink after work, if you work nearby. Not a place where you would go to meet new people though.

very meh indeed. Yes its dark but I like dark and wood for a bar. The waitress seemed über busy but didnt mind when we stopped her and asked for menus and drinks. Caution– there’s no real menu but whats on your table so you can pretty much order anything thats simple and non complicated. We got the spinach and artichoke dip– not very good– but my chardonnay wasn’t half bad.

«Hi, what specials do you have?»
«We don’t have specials here.»
Enough said? Ugh.
Oh, I guess I can put more… It’s pretty pricey, but I’ve never had any issues with the wait staff; they’ve always been nice. But come on, we’re poorly paid corporate slaves who need to drown our sorrows, help us out!

Seriously, not surprised this place only has 2 ½ stars, but it really deserves a ½ star. This place sucks.
When you first walk in, you’re taken aback by how amazing the bar looks. It’s definitely a Chicago-​style Irish pub with gorgeous woodworking. The beauty of the place, however, ends at the shiny, wooden bar.
The menu is fairly limited, which i wouldn’t have minded if the server wasn’t so rude. After bringing us our drinks, she pretty much barked at us to ignore the menu and just tell her what we wanted. When i ordered «incorrectly» she totally snapped at me. Then when she came to bring us our food, she had forgotten an order of fries. When i kindly reminded her, she gave me the stink eye and said «It’s going to be a few minutes, because I didn’t write that down” – as if i hadn’t ordered it in the first place. She came back a minute later with a basket of fries, and apologized, «I’m sorry i just missed it. I did write it down.»
Someone needed a happy pill.
While the food is cheap and decent, i would much rather go to other area bars and pay a little more for better service. It’s pretty sad though, because with the looks of it and its location, this bar has great potential. It just needs better service.

Keep on moving. Beautiful inside with all the woodworking and such. Had a good beer. Nothing much to say about the food. Really limited menu, few sandwiches and appetizers. We sat in the back on the riverside. All the blinds were shut (and filthy) and the waitress wouldn’t open them. Claimed the sun is too bright (which it had set already). I wanted to see the river and the boats going by. I think if we could have seen the view, it would have been much better. Kinda strange place. We were there on a tues at 6:00pm and there were about a dozen people. We should have taken that as a clue and moved on. We chose this because it was close to the train station. Ug what a waste of time!

Coogan’s is a nice little place inside. The feel and ambiance is pleasant but unfortunately, for me, that was the most appealing part.
Drinks here are pretty standard for any typical bar. Prices were quite reasonable for the food as well. I’m glad it was a bit cheaper b/​c I thought the food quality was subpar. My hot corned beef sandwich was OK but it wasn’t hot… yeah. French fries at this place were actually quite delicious. Perfect crispness and flavor can be found in that tasty side dish.
I wouldn’t say don’t visit Coogan’s but certainly give it a try. It’s not the place to spend a whole night but nice for a little get-​together.

Ugh. Can there be one good bar with good food near the ogilvie train station? Please? Just one?
I guess these places don’t have to update their look or menu because they don’t have to. There’s no good competition and the after work crowd will always be there.
On the upside, the service was friendly and I was able to get a table. Oh, and I’m a sucker for jacket/​purse hooks near the tables. The menu consists of cold sandwiches and fried appetizers. I don’t think there’s a single vegetarian friendly item on the menu. Maybe one. Now that I eat meat again I had the turkey sandwich. It was good, but they could do better with the choices. Anyway, I will for sure be back to Coogan’s for sake of location only. Seriously… one good bar around there? Anyone?

Walked in at about 4:45 on a Wednesday with a friend. Pretty much can belly up to the (beautiful) bar, sit at a tall table next to it– or there are a (very) few regular tables towards the back. The place is long and narrow, and classic in that it looks like a very «old school» Chicago watering hole. But in excellent condition.
The wait staff:
Nice, checked back often, gave us good recommendations
The menu:
A few cold sandwiches and some appetizers. The sandwich was really boring, the pizza bread fine. But I don’t want to go OUT for cold sandwiches. A little disappointing.
Apparently this place is right on the river. You’d never know from the inside. All the windows had the blinds closed. If the kept those open and maybe installed outside awnings– the place would have a bit more draw. It is a very good location.
I’d go again for a few beers, but that’s all. It got semi– crowded around 5:30 but emptied out again after 6. Seemed to be some regulars there.

Not loving this place.
Besides the fact that the tables are arranged in a way that make it difficult for a good-​sized after work get together with several co-​workers, the drinks are small, yet spendy. The wait-​staff are hard to find and slow to respond, and generally not helpful. The food is typical bar food — not bad. (That’s the only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1.)