Cork & Kerry

Cork & Kerry is a Southside iconic pub. It has a great atmosphere, beer & drink selection. The service is great. It's the type of place you will run into someone you know. They don't serve food there, but they will let you bring it in. There is a great party room for any occasion. There is plenty of room for at least 75 people comfortably. You can bring in your own decorations, food, and desserts. They will let you run an open bar tab or customize the occasion to your price range. Parking can be tricky depending on what day of the week you visit. There is only free street parking. You may have to drive to a side street unless it's not busy. Overall, Cork & Kerry is a great Southside Irish bar to visit.

Very helpful staff. Live music seems too loud. Can't chat with friends.

Cool, little place with old-world flair on the south side of the city. They have a nice patio with a bar and restrooms, too. On the St. Patrick's day parade route.

" You wanna go where everyone knows your name" is Cork. Always accommodating and friendly. Could use more servers and a good cleaning. We love you Cork and Kerry, show us some love back and get out a scrub brush and some furniture polish. Make us feel a tad cleaner when were there. Thanks😊

Really cool bar. The best that Western has to offer. Inside is nice. They expanded and now have two party rooms. The real draw is the beer garden outside. It’s huge and has lush vegetation surrounding a ton of tables. The bartenders could work a little faster. The manager looks like the guy from The Hills Have Eyes but he’s really nice. I love coming here.

South side favorite location... Young crowd, but its a neighborhood spot which has plenty of different age groups at the Bar. Large outdoor beer garden, with plenty of space to sit outside with friends, smoking is allowed. Had a "7and Seven" for a cocktail, but the staff is young and not really trained in the art of professional Bar Service. Bartenders need professional training in the art of the cocktails. The staff seemed friendly and kept busy with service. Overall it was a good time and location. I was here for a party with some co-workers. This place has a large party room, and smaller rooms for events. It's more of a beer and a shot joint that does a good job, but has potential to be even better, for the South-Side...

Was a nice spot to close down. Huge beer garden patio that was great on a summer night

Went there last night 2 ESPN people had a whiskey U event there. It was my first time but not my last. The 2 people were carman defalco and Mark silver men. Had a great time

I gotta give a shout out to Pat and Maggie! Even though I was here for a work thing, Pat was super friendly! He took the time to help me find what I needed, answered all my questions and gave me the tools I needed to do my job. Maggie was great - as a bartender, she had her hands full with a big crowd. Yet she helped make me all the drinks that I needed, was very understanding and helped make the the night a success! I couldn't have done it without Pat or Maggie, so thank you again! In addition, I do want to say I liked the bar - the food truck pulling into the back of the bar is a great idea! It was a roomy bar, with indoor and outdoor space, which makes it comfortable.

I had a prior review on Yelp but it was taken down by the server for being too complimentary I guess. It seems time to write a new one. I come here at least once per week for a drink. The bar is very cool and the beer garden is even better. There are plenty of televisions to watch a game both inside and outside. They have both the main inside bar and a smaller outside bar. The waitresses are generally very good. The bouncer guy looks like Lurch from the Adams Family but he is very cool and friendly. Cork, as it's known to locals, also boasts a large party room where you can have a private event with access to private bathrooms away from the rest of the bar. They don't have a kitchen at this location. They have a kitchen at the other place by Sox park. I come here to drink so I fill up on Mac and Cheese at home first.

Great food and drinks. The staff is friendly and attentive. If you are looking for a quaint and relaxed atmosphere, this is the place to go. Highly recommend.

When supporting this establishment please consider that it is located in neighborhood where working people live. This business terrorizes neighborhood with loud music blasting late at night during the week, garbage and broken glass all over. If you are a decent person you would not like to have business like this in your or your loved ones neighborhood. Please respect mine. Thank you for your concern.

I think the servers here do the lords work, would be children of god if given the chance

I've passed Cork and Kerry countless times coming to and fro high school back in the day and even after I graduated. Beverly is a residential neighborhood so you get a lot of the folks from the area coming in. It's an Irish Pub. Not a dive bar, not a cocktail bar. Most of the beer they have on tap is from a BIg beer conglomerate so I wouldn't come here seeking a craft beer fix although they have 2 to 3 on tap. This is a bar without a bit of pretense. Wait staff attentive. I get a feeling for the regulars it's like a Cheers type of thing. Tasteful historic decoration and memorabilia.

If I could give them negative stars I would.. Racist and Rude bar. Horrible Horrible Horrible experience.I will never go back and I hope you don't either. FYI we were the only group of black and brown people there. Our bartender barely put any alcohol in our drinks so we didn't even drink them but still ended up paying DOUBLE for all drinks. When I asked her about the alcohol content she was very condescending and rude... Then she had the audacity of charging us double for our drinks probably thinking we would be too dumb to notice. Or too brown too notice.... I called management and they never called me back. I called the bar three times to let them know the behavior of their bartender and they never gave me the opportunity to speak to a manager. This is unacceptable.

I've come to this bar once during st Patrick's day a few years ago. Spoiler alert: I'm a black woman, not the most friendliest place in the world.

If you look at the Cork & Kerry from the outside, it looks pretty awesome. Inside, there's plenty of room and they have a great patio area. Everything you would want for an Irish bar on the South Side. By all accounts, it should be better than their neighbor next door. But this place is horrible. It seems like the local meatheads hang out here to see who can claim the title of King Asshole for the night. If you're not a regular, expect dirty looks from the regulars. I'm a Southsider and I still get treated like shit. To top it off, service is slow and rude too. I only take my friends in to experience what the mess is about, then we run next door to Keegan's for a much better time.

Going into a new neighborhood is always an interesting experience. You meet new people, hear new stories and better understand how all these neighborhoods make up the personality of Chicago. Take Cork and Kerry. When we walked in- we obviously were immediately identified as "not from the neighborhood". How was this possible? Was it our clothes? Our hair? Did I ask for my beer incorrectly? Who knew? But the first words out of the bartender's mouth was "Are you new to the area or just visiting?" So after a quick recovery, I said. "Both" and settled down at the bar for the evening. But then it became obvious how he knew we were new to the place . . . . .everyone else there knew each other. They lived in the area, worked in the area and many had been friends all of their lives. But no problem- the bartender must have decided that we were "okay" and once he started to talk to us, the mood in the place changed considerably. Cork and Kerry has a huge beer garden-perfect for hanging out in the warmer months. But the inside is nice too- carved wooden bar, stained glass windows, good looking bartenders (my fav ambiance!), clientele who must cater to off duty police and fire dept workers as everyone that we met was some kind of a civic worker, and a wide range of beers on tap. There is a large back room perfect for private parties. On the night we were there- there was some kind of a "girls night" out thing going on- which made for some really drunk women wandering around the bar, which could have been tragic if they hadn't been just so darn funny! One girl walked around the bar with her boyfriend's hand down the back of her jeans. Wasn't sure what he was doing but I'm going to chalk it up to him trying to keep her vertical!! Parking is pretty easy on Western, and since the place is a hang out for off duty cops, I 'd suggest if you are going to drink alot there- that you don't drive ( good advice for anywhere but especially here). I watched one guy get followed out of the bar and to his car where he was detoured into a waiting police car. Good for the rest of us on the road that night. Cork and Kerry may not be for everyone. But on this night- the beer was flowing, the people were friendly (once the initial shock wore off of an interloper in their midst!) and the beer garden was open and welcoming. Hello southside! I'll definitely be back!

Maybe I am missing something here that recent reviewers experienced, but I have nothing but positive things to say about this pub! My family and I took a trip to this bar last Friday for one of their food truck events, and seriously- GENIUS IDEA! The beer garden was awesome- huge with different types of seating offered. The food truck was BBQ style cuisine, there was a live band, my beer was icy cold and kids are welcome until 9pm- I didn't need to get a sitter to go out with my husband!?!?! What else could you want for a Friday night???? We will definitely be back- thank you for a fun night out that my kiddo could enjoy too :)

I was highly disappointed. The servers were all sitting in the bar area on their cell phones when people were outside waiting on service. I ordered a vodka and lemonade and she said there was no lemonade. So I ordered a long island ice tea and she didnt know how to make it.. so I ordered a tequila sunrise and she didnt make it right. U enjoyed sitting outside but if your ordering anything other then beer...GOODLUCK!!!

Cool place. Great beer garden. Bartender wasn't too savvy on product knowledge. Still a good time.

Nice bar and restaurant, great drinks. We came here for a Mt. Carmel wrestling fundraiser and had a great time. We would definitely come back again.

The bartender I felt was racist. I am Latino and she would look at us multiple time while talking to a fellow coworker and would not serve us. I left and and came back here gave a generous tip and still she gave us the cold shoulder.

It's a dump of a bar. Your typical southside Irish bar with guys who probably went to Rita, rice or mt Carmel hs. Very raicist! The reason Jesus wasn't born in Ireland was because there isn't 3 wise men nor a virgin to be found there. The same could be said about this bar.

Cork and Kerry was one of the stops on a recent bar crawl I went on. It's pretty typical for bars on Western. They have a pretty nice beer garden with lots of seating. I was there on a Sunday afternoon so it was pretty tame.

I'm not a person that usually feels uncomfortable anywhere but this place is somewhere I never and I mean NEVER need to step foot into again. Besides the fact that it's a place where your drinks are served in plastic cups, it had a smell of dirty mops when you walked into the main bar. Ordering a vodka and soda was difficult for the bartender who was not interested in serving anyone and said they didn't have Ketel One, there was a bottle of Ketel One Citron sitting right there! Not to mention he didn't use soda but did use water...really?!?! Let's just put it this way...this is not a bar that wants anything to do with diversity. I don't advise anyone of color to enter this place...it really makes me uncomfortable writing this because I know it's out there but it's been a while sense I have felt this way. My husband agreed and he's Irish...i'm done acknowledging this dump.

Wow... What can I say about this place? My husband and I walked in looking for a drink or two and were stared at like we were both giving birth to baby elephants. He's Mexican, although very light skinned, and is often mistaken for Greek or Italian, and I'm white. Everyone else in the bar was white. Like frat boy, drinking beer out of a funnel, jäger bomb drinking white. Diversity is a no no at Cork & Kerry! If you have tan skin (not orange), you probably won't feel comfortable here. Actually if you're white and know anyone with tan-ish skin, you will immediately feel ashamed of your race. The service absolutely sucked! The bartenders were lazy and full of attitude. Many of the bar goers were served too much, some visibly underage, very loud and annoying and others were in flip flops on a snowy, 13 degree night in Chicago - yea, it's THAT kinda bar. I would definitely skip this place!!!

A friend of mine from Chicago took us here to have a few drinks and enjoy the atmosphere of a neighborhood bar. We've been here at least 4 times with my favorite visit being during St Patty's Day week. While we were unable to come for St Patty's Day, it was still a ton of fun. The place was packed and the bartenders were able to keep up with the business. We ordered Black & Tan's and shots of Jameson. The vibe here is great and we had a blast every time we were here. Will I return? If I'm in the neighborhood, you can count on it!

If you come here at 11pm on a Friday, be prepared to have no drink in your hand. The asshats that were here claiming their stools or their stands won't let you get past unless you move them, and even then you're risking a bruising. Two stars? For the people that actually have a Lohan fascination, you'll find look alikes here, if that tickles your fancy. Gingers don't do it for me, sorry. Just, what ever you do, don't go to Keegan's next door. Don't bleed through there when you can't get service or ass, Keegan's is still respectable and quiet, well into last call. 1 'possibly' gin and tonic- 4 bucks. 25 cent tip for finally getting to me after waiting for nearly ten minutes.

Buckets cost 19.50. The bar will skip whatever music they feel like on the jukebox. Plenty of other places on this street.

The beer garden is lovely, but service is NON-EXISTANT. It tooke 45 minutes before we were able to flag down a waitress for our party of 5. I tiipped the waitress $10 to ensure good service, and guess what? Never saw her again! It doesn't cost management anything to hire waitresses since they make their money on tips. I don't know why this establishment doesn't have more respect for its customers. 7/26/13 yes, it gets worse. Beer garden nearly empty whenI arrived w/ 2 female friends. Waitress finally took order of male table next to ours, completely ignoring ours. Called after her that we wanted to place order too; no apology, no smile, borderline hostility. We had just come from Horse Thief Hollow where our waitress was super attentive and fun, so the snotty attitude here was especially obvious. It 's a shame b /c I used to love this place.

I'm not from Chicago but have lived on both the North Side & South Side. They are VERY different and I like aspects of both. However, when it comes to the bar scene, it seems like people are more laid back on the South Side and are there to drink/catch up with friends rather than be seen/get laid/wear a slutty tank top. This is the case with Cork & Kerry. It is neighborhood-y and people are generally friendly. I went here every Wednesday for nearly a year to meet up with friends. The bartender would give us a free drink, every third drink or so--isn't that what they are supposed to do? How come this doesn't happen more often? The beer garden is fantastic during the summer. I have not, however, tried the food, just the free popcorn. Clean bathroom too!

My parents live not too far from here and I have been going here for the past 15+ years. There is a decent beer choice and endless spirits opportunities. The bartenders have always been welcoming and the Southside crowd is always entertaining and makes me giggle. Who doesn't love popcorn?!? There is a popcorn machine, in which you can help yourself to a basket and get some hot sauce from the bartender for an extra zing, if your heart desires. At Christmas time, they usually go all out, which helps you get into the Christmas mood. Recently, they bought the space north of them and built a spacious second room. Now you don't have to be on top of each other during peak hours! As for the beer garden?!? Not so bad. You forget that you are on Western Avenue on the Southside. This is my go to place when seeing family, for sure!

I ended up at Cork and Kerrys last night after meeting friends at Rhino just down the street. I liked Cork and Kerrys, plenty of tables for our group even though we got there at 11pm. Waitress was nice but stop coming around our table later in the night. Only had to get a drink at the bar once the whole night but I had fun and will definitely be back. One of my friends was like Blah to this place cuz there's too many 'Bro's' but I rarely pay attention to the other people around me unless they annoy me or something. Overall, had a good time. It wasn't too loud or too dark.

I've only been to Cork & Kerry once. I'll have to come here during the summer and experience the beergarden. Other than that, it seemed like a generic and unpretentious Irish pub to me. I'll give it an extra star because a place like this on the North Side would be annoying and full of douchebags. (See John Barleycorn.)

Oh Western Bars... Lots and lots of choices all along that tiny strip of Western that puts a smile on the faces of many a person. The place has decently priced drinks, stage, and an outdoor patio equipped with a bar. I find that the staff does a pretty outstanding job taking care of the patrons and will go the extra mile for you. I feel like it has a very casual ambience and it's one of my favorite bars on Western. It is especially fun around St Patrick's Day and all the shenanigans that go along with that. It's just a really fun bar to have a drink, or ten (if you have a designated driver of course) and you'll leave happy more often than not. Check it out! -Papa Bear

Nice Irish pub that serves cold beer and has a lovely beer garden.

Maybe the fact I am from the area clouds my view, but this is a good southside irish bar. They are slow with service but as long as your not in a rush you should enjoy it. Yes there are some local meatheads but you can get that at any bar really. Good place to go for a drink if your in the area.

Cork & Kerry offered a brief detour during a recent Western Avenue pub crawl. I can't speak to the character of the place or its patrons in the evening, which some of the other reviews have called into question, but it seemed a perfectly innocent location to enjoy a pint on a Saturday afternoon. Why "innocent"? One of the neighborhood families had decided to host their (young) child's birthday party in the back room. Were there not a host of taps and bottles before me, I'd have thought that I'd wandered into a Chuck E. Cheese. But the whole concept seemed such a perfectly South Side Irish idea that it didn't bother me in the least. Get the youngins started early, no? I'll try Cork & Kerry again, but it loses a star for the $5 Guinness. Guinness is good for you; you shouldn't have to pay so much to remain in good health.

This place promised us passage and it turned out they had double booked us which was completely unnecessary. It was a matter of curtesy and they are the type of establishment who can't be held to their word. Don't trust this establishment.

RACIST crowd. As soon as I walked in there with my non-Asian friends, I heard at least two people from different sides of the room yell out ignorant remarks. "Chinatown!" and some other a-hole exclamation. F the reviews from both Yelp and RedEye. I stayed a couple of minutes, but we walked out soon after the pretentious, unwelcoming vibe killed our buzz. If I had to choose, Keegan's definitely gets my vote.

Cork & Kerry on Western Ave is very, very tired looking. It appears they have not done any updating in 10+ years. The finish on the bar is gone - like down to bare wood, the restrooms have items that have needed repair for several years, the place has an overall dirty look, stools are wobbly and the beautiful beer garden is looking old and worn out and the outdoor heaters no longer work. What's going on? The service is underwhelming also. When you walk in, I agree with the other statements, you are stared at - not just by the other patrons but by the bar staff as well. There were probably 6-8 people sitting at the bar when we arrived so it wasn't like the bartender was too busy to look up and smile or greet us. She warmed up a bit while we were there, but when she left at the end of her shift she was replaced by a young guy who acted like we were interrupting his social life when asked for anything. While we were there they turned off the music and turned the tv up to full volume in order to watch a football game. Really? I have some very nice memories of wonderful times at Cork & Kerry, but I will not be back anytime soon.

Hmmm....not a very diverse group of patrons in this place. The service was friendly enough and prices were fine, but I'm not sure if I'd hangout here again. I can't put my finger on it, but it just didn't have a welcoming feel.

I don't understand how you call yourself an Irish Pub and don't have bar tenders that can properly pour a pint of Guinness. Poured it straight down and all the way to the top right away. Very disappointing

Whats with the country music and unfriendly service? No actual waitresses for the backroom? And with all those cool tv's and such...plus they dont have food. Lots of space for such a waste.

They don't have toilet paper. If you ask them for it, they tell you to try the other bathroom. Great bar.

I don't understand the praise that the beer garden gets. Yes it's nice, but they kick you out of it by midnight I think? So when everyone is forced back inside it is next to impossible to get to the bar. I've been here many times and it's almost always unpleasantly packed. It's a nice and updated building but that's all it has going for it.

I was there last night and had great service from the waitress and the bouncer that didn't need to check my ID because I looked over 21. Bastard. LoL. So I was there for a wristband party benefit for breast cancer awareness. Drinks were flowing and I had a great time. I stayed in our room most of the night and didn't venture off much. The beer garden there is pretty kick ass tho. Always has been.

Hanging out on the southside is much different than the northside night out. I prefer the southside and it's unpretentious, laid back feel. Although I am biased since I grew up on the southside. Cork and Kerry is one of the best bars to frequent, not only does the woodwork and stained glass make the pub classy, the beer garden is an awesome place to hang out in the summer...or even the fall when the heaters and tents are up. Although Cork and Kerry is reviewed here, why no Keegan's mention? Keegan's is directly next door and when Cork and Kerry is too packed, and even when not!, it's a nice alternate. The owners and bartenders hail from the Emerald Isle and Keegan's has a definite traditional Irish pub feel. In fact, when I visited Ireland a bartender I met there had been to Keegan's and told me to tell the owners hi!

Located on the South Side of Chicago, you're entering the "south side pride" area! This bar is one of my favorites to go to, especially during the summer, where the beer garden is huge. The bar features a ton (at least 25) different beers on tap, while providing a decent Guinness pour! It's a great place to go and hang out, and there's no pressure to dress to impress. In the winter, it's awfully cozy too, with plenty of hand carved wood, and stained glass windows, it's fun to hang out! Stay away during the South Side (St. Patrick's Day) Parade, as there are many armatures and it's SO packed.

I like it but just not as much as everybody else does I guess. It is a bit narrow and cramped inside so I rarely go during the winter months. Once the beer garden opens up, then you've got some breathing room. The food is ok but nothing special at all. Good but not great...I'd rather go to Keegan's down the street.

The best Irish bar on the south side. If you want a wide selection of draft beers and just want to drink, this is your place. The only challenge is to find a way home...Visit to the south side normally requires a DD.

I had a party at Cork & Kerry last year and spent a couple times down there planning it. Drinks are good-sized, Irish variety, and not too much $. Inside is narrow wood filled bar and tables, leading back to the best part of the bar - the garden patio, deck. This area is shut off by a door in the winter - but open once they put up the temp walls and heat lamps with a bar outside. In the summer it's filled and nice for a group or even your parents. Clean bathrooms, ok radio & jukebox, and plenty tvs. No food, but free popcorn. The owner is very nice and helpful and will help you with everything if you need to plan a party, and the staff was great too. They're planning to expand to next door in the next year. Only downside - the patrons can suck. Not all, just the uber s.side uber drunk ones.

I can definitely see the scenario that Jesse laid out in the previous review happening. The South Side Irish jock mentality at this place is strong, and can be sometimes overwhelming. Forced sterilization of those creeps is the only answer. But as for the bar itself? It's ok. Buckets are the way to go for this place; ordering individual beer is just plain stupid. The beer garden on a nice summer night is amazing. Despite the assholes there are usually some friendly faces around. No matter when you're there, you will run into someone you haven't seen in years. It's a crapshoot on whether or not that's a bad thing. Ignore the racist assholes, get drunk with friends.

About the closest thing to a Wrigleyville, Lincoln park bar you will fin on the South Side. Not really the best place, but compared to the neighboring bars this place looks like a palace. Plenty of beer and seating choices does make this one of the better bars in Chicago. The crowd is young,drunk and irish though

A great Southside Irish establishment. The beer garden is open all summer and is sometimes heated in the colder weather. Great drinks, great fun, unlimited popcorn, and if you get bored, you can always move to the next bar on the "Western crawl".

I love the Irish feel of everything and the food is so good. Wear your fat jeans because you're going to keep ordering food.

Love the beer garden, its the only reason to go!