Kelly’s Pub

Came here after brunch for a beer. The bar inside looked nicer then the patio outside even though it had a TV. The bartender was very stoic… which is not good for a bar. We had our drinks outside and were often silenced either by the el station above or the cheers from the bar across the street. This place might be good to watch a game outside but not good if you want to talk to your friends.

Was there at 12pm for lunch with a friend and we sat at the bar. Had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich with a Diet Coke. The chicken was grilled to perfection with the perfect amount of char, leaving the meat moist and delicious. The bun was toasted perfectly, making it crispy without drying it out. Comes with fresh slices of tomatoes, pickles and onions. The toppings were fresh and reminded me of something freshly picked from my garden at home. The french fries were delicious; the outside was crunchy with the inside being moist. The portion size of french fries, sandwich toppings and chicken were generous. The bartender was very friendly and the services was great. He greeted everyone with a smile when they came in and came by tentatively to see if we needed anything. I can’t wait to go back.

Was looking for a casual local dive bar. Found it here. Great place to relax and watch a game.

Great local dive bar. This place is perfect to get a beer and watch a game with some people who actually want to chat or watch a game. Huge contrast to the local sports bars overrun by bros– this place has an older (but not old) crowd who just love a neighborhood pub.
$ 10 minimum to use a credit card. They have some of the big beers on tap (Guinness, Sweetwater 420 etc.) but they focus on Midwestern brews (Goose Island, Green Line, etc). Every night has a featured $ 4 beer.

Stopped in Thursday for the 11:30 Cubs game. Great food special, $ 5 sandwiches with fries. Classic old school Chicago bar. Friendly bartender. Great place to watch a game!

It’s really small, but it’s a nice place to just relax with a couple of friends. Anthony is the best bartender!

Kelly’s is one of the best. So nostalgic. All of the staff are fucking AWESOME, great deals, fun crowd (although usually pretty filled with douchey frat guys and prissy sorority girls). Still, the patio and intimate feel make up for all that. Great place to hang out.

Great food deals for college kids sticking to a budget. Fifty cent wings on Wednesday’s and dollar burgers on Monday’s. The bartenders have a rep for being stand offish, but they warm up to you as long as you are polite and don’t bark your drink order at them.

Surprisingly nice, low-​key bar with a good selection of beers on tap. Inside or out – the beer garden out back and the porch under the L – the place has its understated charm, like having to halt conversation for the L. I had being going here a while when I tried the food for the first time. The bratwurst is terrific. It’s the real deal from Paulina Meat Market.
WARNING: the price of their whiskey is crazy high. I ordered a round of 4 singles of Bulleit for my group. $ 52! At $ 13 they are priced way out of the range of any area bar. For example, Derby, just down the street charges $ 10 for their top shelf bourbon and $ 8 for Bulleit Rye, suggesting an appropriate price for a single pour would be $ 7 for Bulleit. That may not seem like a big deal, but when you order a round of a basic bourbon like Bulleit, that’s a very unpleasant sticker shock. This pricing is so out of line that I thought it must be a mistake; but it’s for real. So, 3 stars instead of 4 until they fix their pricing.

Decided to stop by Kelly’s a few weeks ago and kick it old school. Not much seems to have changed since I’ve been there a few years ago. Dumpy bar– check, indifferent staff– check, marginal food and drink selections– check. But I’m O.K. with that. You only go to Kelly’s to have a good time and drink a thousand beers (and a fireball or 10).
Kelly’s isn’t about stupid names for food items or crazy eye dropper cocktails. It’s about having a good time with other like minded boozers and complaining about stuff. It’s also fun seeing a 21(maybe) year old girl sitting next to a dude who is 80 and not minding each other.

It’s the best bar within a few blocks for hanging out with friends. There’s not a lot of space, which keeps away some noisy crowds, but it can be hard to get a seat on a busy night.

I’ve lived down the street going on 4 years now. In that time the vibe of this bar has gotten worse. Drinks and food are about the same as always, but the staff is so rude. It used to be a comfortable place to get a burger and beer alone or with a friend on a weekday, but anymore the staff just sucks the fun out of the place. The bartenders usually just hit on the college chicks, nobody takes a drink order, the bouncer acts like you’re trying to bring a rob the place as soon as you walk in the door. Its very clear that the staff would be happier without the customers in the bar. Its very clear they don’t want your business.

It’s called Kelly’s Pub not Kelly’s douchebaggery hang out for rich kids; so go there and have some beers and watch baseball. The women that came in were attractive. Friendly staff. I got good tips on where to go in Chicago. Good beer specials without hassle. As an out of towner, places need to have some Old Style laying around just to keep us amused.

I had the worst experience here that I’ve ever had at a bar. I came here with my girlfriend for some drinks. Ordered a couple beers, took awhile to get even though they weren’t that busy, but OK. The guys behind the bar were moving pretty slow so maybe they stuck the new guys on a Wednesday shift.
I finished my beer, and sat with my empty glass on the edge of the bar before I was asked «what do you want?» and ordered another. Meanwhile, my girlfriend finished her beer. The other bartender scooped up her glass without making eye contact and scurried away before she could order another. He walked past us to take care of some girls at the end of the bar, she ordered as he was walking by but instead of getting her her beer he decided to wash glasses.
We tried to flag someone down to order another beer for the ENTIRE time it took me to drink mine. When our original bartender finally wandered over and asked if she was «still doing ok» we were so frustrated we just wanted to close out. I had opened a tab but we hadn’t made the minimum, so we paid cash and asked for my card back. We came back with the wrong card, then tried to argue with me about it being my card. Like, I just forgot my name and what kind of credit card I have.
We went across the street to McGees and had two beers in front of us before we sat down and great service the entire night.

Ordered a shot and asked for a chaser, they wanted to charge me $ 3 for a half glass of Coke… Really? Are you kidding me. $ 3 for a chaser! The bartender (guy with a beard) was acting like a tough guy and tried to fight paying customers. Caused a huge scene in the middle of the bar, cleared the place out, threw a beer, pushed a girl and started a fight. worst experience I’ve ever had at a chicago bar. The guy that was starting a fight with customers said he was the owner, I really hope not. What kind of way is that to run a bar? Worst bar ever, Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs! Go across the street to Mcgees

This was another random place was stopped into one night. Needless to say we were unimpressed. The bartenders were slightly rude, the crowd was… ignorant to say the least, and overall the atmosphere is nothing to brag about. It’s like a more run down sports bar. All of us couldn’t wait to get out of here (basically chugged our beers and left). Not impressed at all.

I went to Kelly’s Pub on one random Monday night. I had not been there since college and wanted to relive an old hangout. I know they have ridiculously cheap beer and great food specials so I went there to see what the specials du jour were.
Kelly’s Monday special is $ 1 Coors Light drafts and $ 1 Carne Molida (ground beef) Tacos accompanied with a great Salsa Verde. The beer, well it’s Coor Light, is served up cold and the tacos were surprisingly flavorful, slightly spicy before the addition of the green sauce and they do not skimp on the meat either. The green sauce is spicy and a great addition to the tacos too.
I had four beef tacos and probably like 11 or 12 one dollar Coors Light drafts. The tacos really hit the spot, the beer was cold and the bar staff was constantly there for a refill. The overall atmosphere was fun and energetic. It is a sports/​college bar after all. Kelly’s I will have to relive my college days again soon and see what special du jour I can take advantage of next.

Kelly’s is the perfect place if you’re looking for…
1. Friendly bartenders
2. Cheap beer specials
3. Shots of makers
4. A place to discuss/​reflect on life goals with friends
5. A way to escape the complete obnoxiousness that is State.
Friday night win!
One drawback: Kelly’s stopped talking debit cards. Minimum on cc’s is $ 10, but they do not take Discover or Amex. They do have an ATM on site if you find yourself in a cashless, visa/​mc-​less bind. (Thankfully, the fee is only $ 1.75!)

Yes, I am guilty of it — drive-​by drinking. I am headed somewhere in the car, but I have ½ or so to kill. So I pick a place, and stop for a beer or a drink. It is how I ended up in this little pub for maybe 45 minutes the other evening and had a great time. I tried a new Belgian Ale I’d never had (Gnomegang from Ommegang — it was fabuloso!) But I also happened upon a group of student actors who were were celebrating the end of classes with a few of their instructors. I listened to one guy do his monologue at the bar, and got to critique it. And otherwise shared with others some tales from my brief bad acting career. But hanging out with these folks made me want to at least check out my local bad acting options again. Or maybe take a class.
But this old, dark wood, bad dropped ceiling, with outdoor seating little Irish Pub made a big first impression on me. It strikes me as a great place to meet and get a feel of the local patrons and regulars. Just one of many good local flavor bars in the city. And a good choice of beers and ales on tap, too. Can’t wait to drive by here again, and stay longer.

Have you ever been somewhere thinking I swear I have been here before!!! Well, Kelly’s did that to me…
Some friends and I have been looking for a bar that had both the Goose Island Green Line beer and Coors Batch 19 on tap… Kelly’s was listed for both, so we decided to go.
So… once we turned onto Sheffield from Fullerton I started thinking to myself «man this street looks really familiar…» then we turned onto Webster «I swear I have been here before, have I been to this bar before and totally forgot about it?!?» Once we finally get to Kelly’s I realize I had been here before! I came here about three years ago for a friends 21^st birthday (which is ironic cause underage people go there alot).
After calming down a bit over the ridiculous amount of déjà vu, I ordered a Batch 19 (they where out of Green Line though). We hung out a bit and had a few… its a good college bar thats for sure. Alot of younger depaul kids here, and what seemed like some professors too. Gets a lil packed later on, and people get goofy… I like coming here on those nights where I really miss the college days.