Teddy O’Brian’s

Our second pub crawl stop. Looks divey on the outside but it’s nice inside. Daily drink specials and they do serve food here (real food like burgers and sandwiches). Special thanks to the awesome bartender that gave us complimentary mac n cheese bites because we had to put up with a repeatedly nutty bar patron, even though we were much more amused than offended. I’d come back!

This place was an awesome dive bar! I would highly recommend anyone searching for a dive bar in northern Chicago suburbs to come here. Everyone was friendly and they had a good beer selection. And for all those ladies, the bathrooms have been remodeled lately ;) oh and huge patio for those warm nights.

Genuine bar food that’s awesome with $ 5 food specials! I tried em and luv em all. Specials on craft beer combined with the neighborhood ambience make it great local find.

This is a solid late night dive. One nice feature is the heaters on the patio outside. Also probably one of the biggest patios around. They always have food and drink specials which is a plus. This place doesn’t really get going until about ten.

My rating of 1 star is fully directed towards 1 of the bartenders.
Overall the bar is great. However, 1 bartender, I don’t kno his name, is consistently rude for no apparent reason.
Personally, I can count 5 separate occasions when he was rude to me. My friends also have had multiple unpleasantries with this particular bartender.
He gives you crap whenever you ask for water, he makes you feel like an asshole for making him work by ordering a drink, he pours drinks incorrectly (and refuses to remake them), he lies about the kitchen being closed (because he is lazy I guess or just a jerk), and he has a general negative demeanor that is unsettling, unfit for a service worker. Oh, and he frequently claims to be «Ted» the owner of the bar when you try to make a complaint.

The reason I felt compelled to write this today is because last night he made my lady friend very uncomfortable when he angrily blamed her for «getting him in trouble» by ordering food. I’m not going into any more details as this review is long enough as is. I just hope the management reads this and then takes action to influence this bartender to learn what good service is.
(He is tall, short thinning dark hair with a big bald spot on top, he dresses strikingly similar to a homeless man (baggy, dirty clothes) and smells like a dumpster.
I will never walk inside this place again. Teddy’s is the most fun bar in highwood (not saying much) and I recommend it to anyone that is a crackhead.

It’s just a great time here on Thursday nights! My buddies and I always arrive around 8pm and it’s dead. We always end up thinking we may have to try and find a livelier bar in the Highwood area, but there aren’t any others as far as I’m concerned. The surge always seems to come in around 9. Some great late 20’s to mid 30’s crew, very chill until the Karaōke gets going.
Jenae is usually always the Thursday night bartender and my friends and I adore her dearly. I’ve met the owner, Ted, as well and he is just a down-​to-​earth cool dude. PARTY!!!

Great dive bar for the Highwood area. We popped in during the Pumpkin Festival and thankfully it wasn’t as packed as places like Toad’s!
Only reason I would subtract a star is because initially when we walked in I had ordered 2 Oktoberfest draught beers — we had cash in our hands and the bartender told us $ 11. Last minute I decided to open a tab. Shortly later I ordered one more from a different bartender and closed out my tab, final bill being $ 15. Hm. Well. I certainly can add and divide so it’s funny that my first 2 beers were $ 5.50 each and my last was $ 4.
Working in the industry I can understand this going one of two ways. One being just a common human error (completely understandable and WHY I would only subtract one star instead of more, obviously if this keeps happening I’ll have to edit my review) and the other being that bartender #1 was trying to scam us seeing there was cash in our hands — which I am NOT a fan of! You will get a better tip any day of the week being honest.
Besides that little incident, I liked the place and the service, friendly staff. I also liked that we could play pool outdoors where the kids could smoke. It’s definitely a younger college-​type demographic, but probably why I like it. A little less stuffy than a place like The Toadstool Pub. Definitely will be returning.

Use to be a nice place to sing with one of the best song selections. No more! They cut off all hip hop music because the owner has a sick mind! Stay away from this dump!
L

Mediocre at best. The drink specials are pretty good, but the music is awful and it’s pretty dive-​y.
Careful when they have specials on «domestic beers.» They really mean craft beers. I ordered a Goose Island and they charged me full price because they don’t consider it «domestic.» Someone explain to me how Coors is more domestic than Goose Island?

Lovely dive geared towards the younger crowd. There always seems to be a lot going on. Happened in on a Sunday to one of the owners allowing bargoers to shoot slap shots right at him so some good times are had here. The drinks are reasonable and the pool table, darts and outside seating are a plus. It is not the cleanest of places, which becomes more of a problem for the female clientele. I will be back on occasion to sit on the patio for a cold drink. But there is a lot more Highwood has to offer in way of bars.

Yes, it’s a bit divey. Yes, it’s a bit dirty and unrefined. But, sometimes that’s exactly what you are looking for. The staff is great and very friendly. We had only been there a couple of times before both Dennis and Lois knew us by name as we walked through the door.
Beware… thier mixed drinks are not for the weak. These guys got rid of the standard 1.5oz. or 4 count pour a long time ago. Mixed drinks will come in a pint glass and, if you are lucky, have enough mixer to color the alcohol. There… warning is over.
Other then that… a pool table, some silver strike bowling and darts for only a quarter. I can safely say that this is just flat out a «comfortable, neighborhood, blue collar dive bar», and no body should take that in a negative way at all.

Overall a pretty decent place in the suburbs. Have seen some great live bands here and the drinks are cheap. Also, they service is good and the people working there are very friendly. The crowd is very hit or miss though, and the bar is either fairly empty or packed with mostly kids from ages 21 – 24. They’re are also a lot of underage kids that get in, which brings down the experience. Overall though a decent place to chill put and get a few drinks.

Awesome selection of craft beers. Even a couple on tap. We went on sunday (³⁄₁₁) to grab a drink for a friends turning 21 at midnight. Whoever the bartender, mid 50’s gentleman, was plenty accommodating and polite and turned me on to a new brewing company that just came around the area. defintely nothing bad to say about him. The set up and interior are pretty much a college kid diver, which doesn’t surprise me since that’s the main demographic to cater to in highwood, at least in the summer time.
I’m definitely willing to return on a busier night (there were only 5 others beside us) so I can see if I would give it more stars. Until then i can only comment on what i know, rather than what i have heard.

I do not understand how this bar has such high ratings when Highwood has so much more to offer! Teddy O’Brian’s is a dive bars with a bunch of drunk kids who just turned 21 and can barely stand after a drink. The drinks are cheap, the bar is dirty and the people are rowdy. Last night in the 2 hours I was there I broke up two fights… I mean come on really people?!
The part that bothered me the most is they had a shot special posted and when I asked for it the bartender didn’t even know how to make it. My friend and I wanted two different shots and this annoyed the bartender. he asked why we couldn’t just order the same shot. Ummm… because we don’t want the same shot! We are paying you to do this… why are you making it seem so difficult to mix a drink?

4 stars for the patio alone. In the summer, Teddy’s is the place to be for anyone under the age of 23 (and of course over 21). I remember spending countless summer nights catching up with friends. Every once in awhile I’ll hit up Teddy’s when I’m in the area and now that I’m in my mid twenties, I automatically feel old because the only people I recognize are my younger brother’s friends. Tuesdays are karaōke. The bartenders are very sweet, but the strength and taste of drinks is very inconsistent. But they’re cheap, Teddy’s is fun, and the outdoor patio rocks, so I can’t complain too much.

Teddy O’s is great… I still call it Rainbows… ah the good old days.
Great for drinks and running into some locals.
I have the best time here when it’s warm and the patio is open outside.
Pricing is reasonable.

I looooove Teddy O’s…best bartenders (Love you Melinda!!!) and the owners are amazing… Teddy and Brien, best guys ever! This is a great bar if you want to relive your crazy college bar nights! If you go, I suggest you have a MAI TAI… they will knock you on your butt for sure!