Chief O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant

My family had a special event last week, we went for brunch and sat outside under the gazebo! It was perfect! We spoke with the event planner Heather previously and also Siobhan, both so helpful and accommodating! They helped make this a very memorable occasion for us. Food and atmosphere were wonderful! We are planning to return again very soon!

My husband and I got married at Chief Oniells this past Saturday. The wedding was flawless! Heather did such an amazing job keeping me calm during the entire planning process. Our guests were blown away by the food and service. The back garden was so beautiful and their staff truly went above and beyond to make my vision come to life. From our first appointment with Heather (event planner) she went above and beyond to make my wedding day as beautiful and stress free as possible. It was the best night of my life and I have C. Os to thank!!!

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this place. We chose to have our wedding here after researching what seemed like hundreds of places in the city and suburbs, and we could not be happier with our decision — everyone said it was the best wedding they had been to, (I think the food had a lot to do with it!) We had come here before for Easter and Thanksgiving, in addition to normal weekend nights out, and have always enjoyed our time spent here. Heather was amazing to work with as we planned our reception, and she reassured me throughout the whole planning process, each step of the way. It was such a unique venue to have a wedding, and the staff was so accommodating. Thank you to all for such a fantastic evening — we will remember it always!

Wow. Really nice ambiance. That’s where it stops. Service is horrible, the waitress kept making excuses that the kitchen is swamped, this was after 9 PM and everybody around us seemed to be done eating. And Brita, the waitress, was just really bad with customer service, she actually walked away while we were still talking to her! Getting our drinks took at least 15 minutes. And the appetizer with ordered with it took at least half an hour. The fondue they served wasn’t even a fondue, it was a tasteless dip. We left and ate dinner somewhere else. Not coming back and definitely not recommending this place.

Five stars for the BEST breakfast buffet in the city! They have such a wide selection of food (including seafood and an omelette station). Where else can you find a white chocolate fondue fountain for breakfast (my fav)!

My family held a private luncheon Sat May 21 for about 100 people and it was perfect. The buffet they set up was amazing in scale and variety. There was brunch & lunch options as well as a dessert selection that would make Willy Wonka proud! Food was great and we had our own bartender. The room was very elegant but not stuffy. A full wall of windows look out to the beautiful grassy patio.
Staff were very helpful and patient with our large group.

Visiting my daughter here in Chicago and she brought me here for dinner. Love this place! Friendly people, wonderful food! This is now our go to place when I visit. Thanks so much for a great evening!!!

Oh Chief. How I love you and your Shepard’s pie. They have been around for years. They do it right. Typical Irish fare and gear bar staff. The annual St. Patrick’s buffet if worth the wait. I frequent here as I’m a fan.

I took my mother here for Mothers day. What a wonderful experience, it wasn’t over crowded, the food was amazing, the staff was very friendly. I will definitely go back again.

Soooooo good! Potroast, sheppards pie, ham, fish, caramel bread pudding. What more can I say? Forget the pictures. Come and experience yourself.

They had such a busy weekend they had to shut the kitchen down. Tough part is it’s my birthday and it took my wife and me 6 hours to decide on a place. Never been here before. Lol, until next time though.

Awesome Irish pub. My boyfriend was quite pleased with the bourbon/​whiskey offerings. The food was delicious! I had the chicken sandwich with onions, Swiss cheese. My boyfriend had the bangers and mash — he is still talking about them. This was our first time at the restaurant. It will be on the list of places to return to the next time we are in Chicago.

One of the best Irish Pubs in the entire world? They sure do make it tough to argue with that statement. This neighborhood haunt off of Elston is impressive from start to finish.
Service = Impeccable
Atmosphere = Family friendly yet fun if you’re not into rugrats
Drinks = Galore with all sorts of stuff you didn’t even know were Irish like Guinness and lemonade
Food = Guinness infused everything. I’m drooling as I type thinking about that meatloaf
Brunch = Unrivaled by any other in town
There’s really not much to say that hasn’t been said already. If you haven’t given the Cheif a visit you’re due.

I was on the patio last weekend for a friends birthday, and they were very accommodating of our large group! There was also some confusion on our part about whether we could bring a dog on the patio, and the manager Heather handled it well and helped us figure it out.
Finally — if they hadn’t been kind enough, Heather called the owner to come play bagpipes for my friends birthday! Unbelievably kind, great service.

Having had a good experience the last few times we were here, we were excited to try the fish fry night for the first time. Packed, as was expected. Seated upstairs, didn’t even know they had an upstairs, exciting! Slight delay in getting apps, not surprised (good mussels and seafood bisque though). Wrong food being brought to the table 3 times, OK maybe it’s really busy, but hey, shit happens. Enjoying our company, starting to lose track of time, waiter comes by 3 times to say it’s really busy, but it food is coming, so a little longer delay is not totally unexpected. Never saw our waiter again. Another hour later, nothing. No visit by the manager to apologize, people around us getting their food. Hostess was the only one available to answer for anything, she gives us a $ 50 certificate for next time. Manager never came by, they were unavailable. I know it’s really busy, but this isn’t your first time hosting a fish fry, and there’s no excuse for our order either getting overlooked, or given to another table and ZERO explanation by a manager who doesn’t have the balls to come by and apologize for their staff fucking up. You’re the manager, it is your job to take accountability for these situations. I think I’ll never try this place again.

Good lord. This brunch is amazing! My large group went recently and enjoyed a smörgåsbord of delicious food. The spread included traditional breakfast fare as well as an omelette bar, tacos, chili, fried fish, salads, ice cream bar, desserts galore, and on and on.
Because of the wide range of food, I ended up eating an enormous quantity of weird food combos. But I liked it. We all left completely stuffed and happy, ready for a nap.
The brunch buffet is pricey and not something I would want to do that often, but it was a great option for our special birthday brunch. They also take reservations, which, for brunch in Chicago, is a huge bonus.

I am no stranger to Chief O’Neill’s, my family has been fortunate to reserve the party room a couple times and have always enjoyed ourselves! Our first and second family visit my boyfriend and I were instantly hooked on the place! Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Naturally, my boyfriend loved Chief O’Neill’s! Our most recent visit was for Sunday Brunch. We were fortunate to host Boston Globe Best Seller Kyle Darcy for the weekend and thought we should take him to «one of the top ten Irish Pub’s in the world». He too was born in Belfast and more importantly enjoyed Chief O’Neill’s Sunday Brunch Buffet!
We came in a little after lunch and were seated in the front room. The atmosphere was really nice and being closer to the buffet was even better! We each enjoyed the food, having about 2 plates each. Everything was perfect, the service was great and the food was amazing! So many choices, everything tasted fresh! If you have not experienced Chief O’Neill’s Brunch Buffet — check it out!!! You will not leave disappointed!

I am no stranger to Chief O’Neill’s, my family has been fortunate to reserve the party room a couple times and have always enjoyed ourselves! Our first and second family visit had my boyfriend and I instantly hooked on the place! Born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Naturally, my boyfriend loved Chief O’Neill’s! Our most recent visit was for Sunday Brunch. We were fortunate to host Boston Globe Best Seller Kyle Darcy for the weekend and thought we should take him to «one of the top ten Irish Pub’s in the world». He too was born in Belfast and more importantly enjoyed Chief O’Neill’s Sunday Brunch Buffet!
We came in a little after lunch and were seated in the front room. The atmosphere was really nice and being closer to the buffet was even better! We each enjoyed the food, having about 2 plates each. Everything was perfect, the service was great and the food was amazing! So many choices, everything tasted fresh! If you have not experienced Chief O’Neill’s Brunch Buffet — check it out!!! You will not leave disappointed!

The food here is amazing, no matter in the restaurant or takeout. The sheperds pie is fantastic, bacon wrapped meatloaf is too. Have never had a bad thing here, and the service is good. The brunch spread is awesome too.

So awesome! Food was amazing, drinks were amazing, ambience was amazing. we thought it was going to just be an irish pub but it was way beyond our expectations. Can’t wait to go back!

Had chicken and chips. Chicken was moist and fries had the perfect crispy outside to soft inside ratio. Guiness cheddar soup is a must. Great spot for irish music as well.

We’ve been twice. Once for drinks and once for drinks and a meal. Both times we sat at the bar and had great service. There is an extensive beer and whiskey menu. The food is fantastic. We ordered clam chowder, Cajun Brie an off-​the-​menu pork belly, which we were told was featured on the show chicago’s best, and bread pudding. Our bartender Mitchell was particularly inviting and told us about the happy hour specials to invite us back again next time.

I cannot say a bad thing about this place. I absolutely love it, and I find it to be very authentic. My sister who studied abroad in Ireland agrees! The food is legit!
The atmosphere is great, you can sit outside, in the bar area or in an adjacent dining area. I like to sit in the bar area usually, but some nights they have a great band playing in the secondary dining room, in which case it’s fun to eat in there! I love the décor, and I love the story behind Cheif O’Neil’s!
Service is always great. Very attentive and polite, and helpful when you have questions, and they seem to enjoy watching you have a good time! Love the beer selections, and the food is fantastic. The Cheese Curds are a MUST as an appetizer. They are the best cheese curds I’ve ever had – and my family is from Wisconsin! I also always have a cup of the Guinness and Cheese soup – DELICIOUS. I’ve tried several different entrees there too. I love the stuffed filet and the pot roast. My husband loves the Banger Burger and the Cod. For dessert the peanut butter pie and the bread pudding are to die for!!!
Love this cozy, fun place. Every time I leave I can’t wait to go back!

After years of driving by this place and wondering what was inside, I finally went for dinner and drinks last weekend. I am a big fan of Irish pubs in general and this one was pretty special. The drink & food menus were typical of any Irish pub — I had several Guinness (of course) and the pot roast with mashed potatoes and vegetables for dinner. Everything was magically delicious. I actually started with the Guinness and cheese soup which, let me tell you, I could eat a whole truckload of that stuff.
Loved the vibe in this place — the inside was quaint. We sat in sort of a rickety old booth which reminded me of being in someone’s house in the country or something. The whole inside is beautifully decorated. Also, if you are into eating outside, the patio looked enormous. Not sure if it is open year round or not, though.
My only complaint about this place is the prices. $ 7 for a Guinness is a bit steep. Even $ 6 I can usually swallow, but $ 7 is a lot. My entrée was $ 16 and it was one of the cheaper ones. The cup of soup was $ 4. I am generally one to forgive high prices if the food and drink are up to par and the service is good, so I will be back here. I’ll just be prepared for a pretty scary tab!

We came for Sunday brunch on 9÷13÷2015. The most important suggestion I can give to future customers is be sure to arrive when they open at 10 am; the food is mostly open (i.e. not underneath «cough and sneeze shields», so after dozens of other guests have sniffled and coughed while serving themselves… you get the idea!
The variety of food is quite good and the food is fresh and crisp when they open. There is, however, a big problem with the fact that they do not provide serving utensils for any of the desserts, so the cookies, brownies, and mini-​cannolis have likely been touched by a lot of hands before you select yours. And, of course, this area is very popular with the kids who are unlikely to be careful when serving themselves.
Continuing on the topic of hygiene, we looked around for Purell to disinfect our hands prior to entering the buffet area, and found none. So we all went to the bathrooms to wash our hands, finding them to be moderately clean but quite worn (peeling paint, stained posters, border wallpaper coming off the wall).
Lastly, we sat on the patio which was beautiful, but we were quickly found by bees and had to take refuge inside.
I hope that this review is noticed by restaurant management as the Chief O’Neill’s website is now labelled by Google as unsafe with the following detailed warning:
Of the 16 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 10 page (s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2015-​09-​15, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2015-​09-​13.

*Review about the brunch buffet*
Yesterday I found this place on
. It said $ 20 gets you access to the brunch buffet (with omelet station, seafood, and build-​your-​own sundaes), which includes a Bloody Mary bar. I looked on Unilocal to see pictures and reviews of the place. Talked it over with my friends and we decided to go.
Just by looking at the buffet everything looked great but I don’t think it’s worth $ 20. The cold fish wasn’t so good. Fish in the fish in chips needed more flavor. The biscuits that went with the sausage gravy were hard. The two different egg dishes were ok. I liked the omelet station. The potatoes were ok. I love deviled eggs but these were meh. They also had tacos which I didn’t bother to try. The dessert area had a chocolate fountain, ice cream, cookies, fruit and some other treats. I had the ice cream and some fruit. Probably won’t go back for the buffet. Everything was just ok and needed more flavor

It doesn’t get better than Chiefs for comfort food and a cozy atmosphere. This place is good for the whole family and is extremely welcoming. Come hungry, the portions are big but you really can’t go wrong. Some of my favorites include the (obvious) fish and chips, steak crostini, mussels, chicken fingers, banger burger, and scotch eggs.
We hosted our rehearsal dinner here and the service was flawless. Every time we come back, the host remembers us by name, which is so impressive since we don’t go that often.
The back patio must also be mentioned. There is so much space– no fighting or waiting for outdoor here.

I’ve been to this place many times and it’s one of my favorites! It has an incredibly fun, welcoming vibe where it’s easy to meet random people. Tuesday and Sunday nights have live Irish music, which puts this place off the charts!

Love Chief O’Neil’s outdoor area!!! I’ve been there for drinks and also celebrated a friend’s wedding reception outside. It’s beautiful! It’s got a nice casual, yet romantic feel outside! Love the lights that they have strung up.
The food was good. Mashed potatoes were yummy! I’ve only eaten what was served at the wedding reception. But, from what I hear… they have a very tasty brunch! Can’t wait to try it!
If you’re looking for more of an Irish pub feel… you totally get that if you stay inside!

I came to Chief O’Neill’s over the weekend for a baby shower. At first I was a little bit concerned — a baby shower, in a bar? My concerns were quickly eased.
Chief O’Neill’s has a large banquet room upstairs, perfect for this party. It was private — which was nice, and had a bar, which was great — as there was a no-​host cash bar. Side note: Chief O’Neill’s makes a great Bloody Mary — $ 10 was a little steep for my wallet though.
The hosts of the shower decided on a brunch buffet which included:
Scrambled eggs with onions, peppers, mushrooms, and cheese.
Waffles with cinnamon whipped cream
Rosemary roasted potatoes
Bacon and sausage
Salad
House smoked atlantic salmon
Mini bagels and croissants
Fresh fruit
Everything food-​wise was on point. I’m not usually a fan of buffets, it’s a little bit more tolerable when it is a private party when I know the people who are poking around my food. The food was delicious.
Service was great as well — the one bartender was able to remember everyone’s name! I was impressed.
I have already decided that we have to come back to Chief O’Neill’s for a non-​party dining experience soon.

Was visiting Chicago and my girlfriend’s aunt took us here and raved about the Fish and Chips.
The place has a warm inside. Nice wooden tables and a portrait of, whom I presume, was Mr. Cheif O’Neill on the wall. We sat in front of the gigantic fireplace. It was nice at first but after a few minutes we had to have them turn it off as it was burning us up. They were nice though and turned it off immediately.
They had an unique selection of beers on draft, things I have never heard of. I got the Knock Knock Ned’s Indian Pale Ale by Mc Gargles, which was very good. It didn’t even really taste like an IPA. It didn’t have that barky taste that some IPAs do. The other beer I got was a Daisy Cutter Pale Ale, by Half Acre Beer. This beer was also very good, it had the flowery notes of an IPA without the huge note of tree bark. These beers also packed a punch, something you should always expect from an Irish bar.
The food. I ordered a cheddar and Guinness soup. The problem was that I only ordered a cup instead of a bowl. It was extra cheesy but so good. Something you could eat all day. The Fish and Chips also did not disappoint. The fish was surprisingly fresh and tasty and the steak fries were amazing. Malt vinegar just added to the party. The portions were also huge so you could share a bit of your meal.
This came in handy as my girlfriend ordered the Irish Burger. DO NOT EAT THE IRISH BURGER. It was a burger with an Irish banger with gravy sauce. It doesn’t sound appealing and it wasn’t. The banger had flavor but the texture was a bit gross as it was too mushy. The burger was horrible under seasoned. Gravy on a patty, a burger does not make. This was gross.
Now I contemplated on giving maybe four stars since the knowledge that an Irish burger existed on the menu. I decided that possibly the Irish Burger is more a by-​product of Irish food sometimes not being great and not a direct reflection of the bar. The fish and chips (which can be horrible) were great and the soup was amazing so I think that this menu item is an anomaly. The beer and the steadfast menu items are definitely the way to go.

I really want to give this place a 3.5 but I decided to round down just for my dish alone.
Atmosphere: we sat near a cozy fireplace that was great until we started burning our buns. They were nice enough to turn it off when we asked if we could move to a table a little farther away to escape the heat. The building has such a cool shape on the corner and the décor was interesting. A neighborhood atmosphere, with some raucous folks in the bar area.
Food: my aunt lives near by and raved about the fish and chips here. She is totally right about the fish and chips as she said she has never ordered anything else. I should have taken her advice.
My boyfriend ordered the Guiness and cheese soup. That was absolutely amazing. I feel like I could just sip that all day (and be 500 pounds). I love cheese and beer-​cheese soups can sometimes have a weird tang to me so this one was a nice surprise as the proportions were just right.
I had decided on the banger burger since I knew everyone else was going to get the fish and chips and that I could share. It was a mistake for me. The ingredients listed a demi-​glacé which I now know is a fancy word for brown gravy. I hate gravy so this was a total mistake on my part. All I paid attention to was that it was on a pretzel roll (yum because I love me some pretzel rolls), caramelized onions, and bangers. I had never had bangers before so I thought this would be a good way to kill 2 birds with one stone.
So it was a bit of a surprise to receive a burger that had gravy poured all over it. The mashed potatoes on the side with gravy – yeah, I can see that but the amount of gravy on the burger itself really ruined it for me. It made a huge mess and overpowered the whole dish. Although I discovered that bangers are not my cup of tea, I was able to take those off. But when I did take a bite with the bangers on there and the falling apart roll because of the liquid gravy… just a disaster dish. If there were onions, I could not taste them. BUT… the fish and chips were dynamite. Huge portions but so damn delicious. Batter was the best I have had.
Service: our waitress was attentive and friendly. Absolutely no complaints here.
Overall, I was skeptical at first because I know that Irish/​English food is really gross to me. It never appeals to me and I usually just prefer a liquid Irish meal (beer if you catch my drift). It exceeded my expectations in some areas and pretty much met them in others. I think this place should stay away from using fancy words (like demi-​glacé) just to justify the prices. This place is a few dollars per entrée more than I think it should be which helps to justify me giving it just a 3 star rating.

We’ve been to Chief O’Neill’s many times and it’s always been very nice.
This time we came here with a large group (about 25 of us) following a performance. The friend organizing this outing said that the staff were super friendly and accommodating without harassing her for a big deposit of money in order to reserve a space for a large group, which is a plus.
Now back to business. We get here and our drink orders were taken and delivered promptly. Food orders came out after some wait time, and after I witnessed a couple of the waitstaff arguing with each other in the middle of our party about how badly organized this group was (was she saying that about US being unorganized or the waitstaff not being organized about taking orders?!). I was a little turned off about that incident because it made me feel that perhaps they weren’t prepared to handle our group, or even that we were pissing them off. Oh well, food tasted good and our personal server was very nice.
I do appreciate a good beer and plenty of pescatarian-​friendly items on the menu in an Irish restaurant. Good food, odd service (perhaps this was an anomaly), and cozy ambiance.

Tuesday nights you will find live Celtic music being played by, from what the musicians say, just a bunch of locals who happen to show up and throw down — or would it be better broken down into a jam session. They are not a formal lot, I suppose, just music junkies. Lots of strings to be exact. I do love the added wind instruments.
Tonight I was alone, and did not care to eat with anyone. I wanted my food to go. I called up the Chief and the woman who answered was not prepared to handle over-​the-​phone orders. In fact, she had a bit of an attitude. Everything I wanted was being repeated by her to whoever it was that was next to her. My feeling was that she passed her request to a wait staff that was even less inclined to take the order because the girl who answered the phone should have wrote down the order and taken it to the kitchen herself. When I arrived, the girl pointed me in the direction of the bartender. The bartender and the guy in the kitchen had no idea I even placed an order. I wasn’t mad at the bar or the kitchen, I already knew the girl on the phone dropped the ball. I feel like that needs to be addressed immediately.
I didn’t get mad. Part of writing reviews means observing the situation and not responding to it until you have a chance to reflect on what happened later. As I waited for my order, I relaxed with a Blue Moon, and listened to the live Celtic music. I had heard it before at Chief O’Neill’s. What blew my mind was that it was the same jig I heard months ago when I was here. I was a little shocked. They could at least learned some Loreena McKennitt covers, even if they don’t have a vocalist. Perhaps if there was an actual band with their act together, it might provide the right kind of incentive for these locals to practice a little bit before showing up. Maybe they could at least bring sheet music for everyone to follow.
The food here is excellent. Don’t get me wrong. I am partial to the Lamb burger on a pretzel bun. My best experiences have always been with the bartenders, but when I have actually dined here, I find the staff to be easily overwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it does get busy here. I just think they could do a half step, to a full step better. All in all everyone is friendly, except for the lady who took my phone order tonight. I just think they need to be a little more aware of their customer flow. As for the phone lady, I think one of the managers need to sit down with the hostess and discuss the idea of taking on roles that occasionally drift outside of her perceived job description. All of us have do it at one point or another.