Shinnick’s Pub

Good old fashioned neighborhood bar. Went there for the 1^st time loved it. Has a very comfortable feeling. Good music had a blast.

I just moved into the neighborhood and was so happy to come across this place. It’s a true neighborhood bar and a throw back to yesteryear. What better place to get together with friends and kick back a few cold ones while watching the hawks game.

What a great place. Friendly neighborhood joint. If you are lucky and Tom Shinnick is there, you can hear him tell you he is responsible for the rise and success of Wisconsin Badger athletics.
Great place for Sox fans to drown their sorrows.
Historical Bridgeport tavern.

My neighbor grew up on the South Side and has always spoken warmly of Shinnick’s. When a friend and I found ourselves with free Sox tickets recently, we decided to head here for a couple drafts before finding parking (ALL street parking is permit only during games). We were welcomed into this unassuming local tavern where drinks were cheap (compared to our North Side usual haunts) and service was friendly. The vintage Brunswick bar was stunning. The bartender immediately asked us if we needed a parking pass for the game. A huge plus for us as we were parked right out front. When the barkeep was caught in a conversation down at the end of the bar and kept us waiting a minute longer than usual for a refill, he offered us each a shot of Jameson’s on the house. Wow, what a guy! We’ll definitely return on our next trip down South!

A nice looking small pub that I would hardly call a dive. This place has nice décor and ceiling despite its evident age. A classic neighborhood pub that you don’t see everyday in the middle of a residential street. The beer was cheap and came from a bottle, tap, and a can. I love having these three choices. The bartender though. again bad service as he was way too interested in the video bar games than serving his patrons even on a dead night.

I love coming here after soxs game! The bartenders at this place are awesome, and always make you feel right at home.

Yes, this place is generally the kind of dive-​y neighborhood bar that I would seek out to be my local — especially considering the fact that it’s only about 2 blocks from our home — but I will never do business here again. We went down here to watch a hockey game during playoffs because we didn’t have cable, and found the service to be terrible on a virtually empty night. I think it basically boiled down to an ‘us v them’ sort of thing (something that I rarely experience elsewhere in the neighborhood). The one or two people that were actually in the bar clearly were the regulars and friends of the staff by the way they capitalized the bartendress’s time, ordered little, and stayed long.
The final blow to Shinnicks was the lingo. Clearly some of the old racism Bridgeport was (and still is among my non-​white friends) famous for is alive and well in little pockets where 20 somethings employ daddy’s slurs like ‘spook’ and ‘shine’ in casual conversation — looking over shoulders to see my reaction. My reaction? Put down my beer and walk out.
No thanks — I’ll take my business to Mitchells, Berniece’s, or Schaller’s where the beer selection is better, the vibe more pleasing, the staff is friendly, and the bigotry isn’t right on the surface.
UPDATE — cheers for the threatening message/​compliment I received within 5 minutes of posting this. You must be one of those lovely regulars I spoke of. Yes, I will definitely sell my home and move because I don’t like your ignorant townie nest; thank god I rarely run into trolls like you in real life in Bridgeport. (Which, registered in 2009 with no posts or friends, you most likely are).
Yes, by all means forward my review to Shinnicks — I’m sure it’ll really mean a ton when weighed against all the other 5-​star reviews. I’ll give the slightest benefit of the doubt that on game days when the crowd is more mixed in with randoms that it may be a good place to hang, but I was not interested in the vibe on a non-​game night when the regulars felt more free to talk as they normally would; this is a reflection on them, and less directly, the staff present who chose not to correct their friends.
Shinnicks could be the most fantastic bar in the world, but I refuse to give a place a second chance after a first impression like that. I don’t need a pre-​game bar because I have free beers at home, blocks from the park. What I want is a year-​round local that feels comfortable, which I have found, easily, 2 – 3 times over elsewhere in Bridgeport. Anyway, Shinnicks is clearly better off without me, and I without them.

I wont go here after a cub/​sox game (too crowded/​insane), but it’s a fun spot for a drink after Sox games. Especially if you have an elusive neighborhood parking pass and can park near it any time.

Okay. I’ll admit it. I was a bit lost in this neighborhood. After all– who would think that on a residential street, just down from where Mayor Daley used to live would be a bar like Shinnicks Pub.
For me– it was love at first sight.
First of all– this place has been here since the 1880’s. When you walk in the door, your eyes are immediately drawn to the huge mahogany bar. It is spectacular! With it’s huge columns, ornate crown molding and being at least 12 feet tall and 18 feet long– this back bar is amazing just to behold.
The bartender told me that it is an original Brunswick Balke-​Collender bar. Now to many of you who are not antique buffs– this may not mean much– but Brunswick went from making billiard tables in the 1880’s to making these amazing back bars right here in Chicago. This one, and most others like it had to be built on site as the scale would be such that it would never fit through the door. They were made of ornate woods and included specialties like stained glass, silvered mirrors and other ornamentation. An absolutely stunning piece of history.
The walls and ceiling in Shinnicks are the original tin. And those walls are covered in old photographs of the Shinnick family and their friends, including past politicians. There is even a small sign that dubs this place «little city hall» making me think about what kind of politics went on in this place over the years.
The bartender, Joanne, is a Shinnick, whose family has owned this bar since 1938. She is quick with the drink and on this busy Friday night was amazing as she served her friends and neighbors (and me) cheap beer and shots. This is not a fancy place so if you go– know to order a beer or a shot as those «cosmos» have no place here.
Drinks are cheap, beer is handed to you in a bottle (or can during the Sox games) and cash is king at this place so also remember to leave the credit cards at home.
And the people? They are so friendly. Within minutes I had run into someone I knew, met a woman who had just opened her new business and invited me to stop by, and had another person ask me if I was new to the neighborhood. I am always blown away by the friendliness of the south side.
A bit hard to find but once you are there– you will be welcomed like you have lived in the neighborhood your whole life. Now what can be better than that?

This a great local bar. Before or after a Sox game you can usually find some rowdy fans looking to have a good time. Cheap canned beer… just the way I like it. Don’t go looking for some kind of specialty drink list… cause you’re looking in the wrong place. Weekends are always a good time, especially saturday nights when the juke box plays til the wee hours of the morning.

This is a great place to grab a drink before or after a Sox game, as it is in walking distance. Cheap drinks and beer (no tap). Don’t come expecting anything fancy. If you ask for a cosmo, you’ll probably get laughed at. Jukebox, Golden Tee, and darts provide entertainment, as well as outdoor bags games in the summer.