McGill’s Bar & Grill

I am new to the Albany Park area and have wanted to try this place for awhile now. Some friends and I went this past weekend. The bartender was nice, but we felt bad because she was the only staff working. Luckily it was early so it wasn’t busy, but it was a little disconcerting seeing her serve drinks and cooking the food. My friend was worried because she never actually saw the lady wash her hands. But let’s start from the beginning…
We arrived and could not tell where the front entrance was. When we got inside the bar reeked of old smoke. The chairs were so packed together and not very good quality so we were uncomfortable. We ordered our drinks and later found out that the soda dispenser was broken. It ended up being $ 2 for a can of soda, which was frustrating. We ended up splurging on the soda because the water tasted so horribly bad, almost like it had been sitting in a refrigerator with no lid for some time. The lady told me that the soda machine would be getting fixed this week. So we placed our order and later found out that they no longer had the items for one of our meals.
The wait for the food wasn’t too horrible, but it was a little annoying that we had to get up from our table to go to the bar to pick up our food. The wings were pretty decent, but nothing super special. Our tots were over cooked, but our friend was super excited for his seasoned Waffle Cut Fries.
I don’t know if we will be returning. If we do, it would be for the wings and the convenience. I liked that it wasn’t super expensive either. All in all, the place was ok. I was just disappointed with the vibe and appearance of this place, especially since I greatly enjoy dive bars but I expected a little more. Normally I would give this a two star rating, but the wings helped in their favor so it got the three.

Great place to go for cold beer burger and gambling. Small but very friendly atmosphere

Dive doesn’t begin to describe the awful service and the uncomfortable smell you get when you walk in. There really isn’t a kitchen so if you want to enjoy the all you can eat COD on Friday, you better call for a reservation as we were informed when we spontaneously went there with 2 other friends, otherwise you won’t be eating fish on Friday as they have a limited amount to serve.

Came here because I’m new to the neighborhood and Unilocal told me they had wings. The service was friendly, but the food was just so so. I believe my wings were under cooked, to the point that they were just barely warm and kind of soggy. My tater tots were slightly over cooked, but tastes good.
I’ll come give them another try some time, but I was disappointed

McGills you little dive bar oh how I’ve fallen in love with thee…
My first visit to McGills was in December 2014 for a good friends 30^th Bday party. The fact that she chose a dive bar threw me for a loop, but I’m glad she did! When I was first informed of the venue the party was at I totally judged this bar like wow really?! #GurlBye As far as atmosphere goes McGills isn’t anything fancy, but what I loved about the place are the awesome people that work there. They enable you to relax, munch on some good bar food, watch a game if you’d like, or just chat and listen to good music.
McGills allowed my friend to use the back half of the bar to have her bday party. We got to set up some decorations and make a photo booth area which was cool. I had a damn blast people. Anytime I can be silly with friends over a MotherF*cking drink I am in heaven #SorryJesus
The drink prices aren’t over the top either. I loved the fact that McGills even has drink specials on Saturdays.
I have since been back to McGills two more times since the party. One of the bartenders remembered me which is always a big plus when a server or bartender remembers me. I was wearing a pink feathered boa though! #DontJudgeMe #YouDontKnowMyLife
McGills has become one of my new chill spots… As I type this I can’t wait to go back!!!
That’s all folks!

Walked in and had to pee badly! Bartender was super friendly as I raced in. The bathroom smelled like straight up urine. Like old urine smell. Don’t know about the cleanliness of the place.
After that I went to the bar. Looked at the menu and ordered a pizza puff and the fried chicken dinner. Ginger soda with vodka. Drink was decent. They have a jukebox and darts. Some tables to actually sit down and eat. There was a family dining here. Kind of odd but what the hay? It’s 630pm. Gotta love these hipsters. Some of the chairs along the bar area are very wobbly. It is definitely a very divey bar.
So food comes. Very unimpressed. I must say. The fried chicken was salty and what wasn’t was pretty bland. The pizza puff was nothing special either. I gave it three stars based off the comfy feel and courteous service we received.

this spot is great. they serve food during the half time of a Bears game. $ 3 craft beers on Thursdays. you cant go wrong with $ 3 craft beer if you want to learn more about different styles of beer. About the staff, everyone is cool, down to Earth. they will mingle with you if they have time & are not busy.

The ribs were very good. Nice little craft selection… don’t be fooled by the dive vibe from outside. Friendly staff. Definitely be back when I’m on north side again.

This place is great. I’ve spent many holidays, weekends and major celebrations here — birthdays, graduations, etc. the staff is awesome! Food and drinks are the best and couldn’t ask for a better price!

So I finally had the opportunity to try out McGills Friday fish fry and I was not disappointed. For $ 6 you get two huge filets that are hand beer battered in front of you and lightly fried to perfection. Along with that, coleslaw, choice of potato (boiled red, fries, or potato salad), tartar sauce and a nice slice of rye bread with butter. For $ 3 more you can make it all you can eat.
I was going to go for the all you can eat option, but the bar tender suggested I start work two filets and and go from there. The fish was great, very lightly battered and came out perfectly cooked. The slaw was nice and tangy and potato salad had some hints of dill. Bread and butter was a nice accompaniment. Overall a great meal and a steal for what they’re charging. And two filets was plenty for me, I left pleasantly full.
Add in $ 1 drafts as an all day special on Fridays and you have a winning combination!
Keep up the good work guys!

This is the best bar ever. Seriously. Top 3 in my life.
I love the staff, the food, the prices, the everything.

We went for their Thursday Rib special and couldn’t be more pleased. They were fall off the bone good. Thursday is also craft beer special. Had a great lunch and discovered a new favorite beer. The staff was very friendly. It may be a little difficult to have lunch with more than 3 people if you all want b to sit together as I only saw the table with bar stools against the wall. Not a huge local, kinda outdated but the ribs were definitely worth Going back for. I may have to become a Thursday regular and belly up to the bar with the locals.

Love a good neighborhood «dive» bar and McGill’s doesn’t disappoint.
* Jukebox… check
* Friendly bar staff… check
* Yummy bar food… check
*Specials…check! Thursday special, Ribs! Friday, $ 1 drafts, can’t beat that!
* And of course, that same guy always sitting at the bar no matter what time you
go… check! ;)
All they need now is Trivia Night!
UPDATE: THEY’RE GONE! :(Sadness

A great local place with big time service and even better ribs! I’m proud to call McGill’s the bar I’d head to after a hard day’s work. During the football season, this place gets that much better!

Nice and friendly staff, with welcoming regulars. Tender and delicious ribs (Thursday special) tater tots and wings was yummy. Clean establishment/​bathroom.
McGills is definitely a place to stop in.

So I came here cause I watched tv show Chicago best and to be honest was better than what I was expecting to be on Thursday. $ 3 dollar craft beer and $ 7 dollar ribs was amazing. I will def going to go back was very cool neighborhood bar.

This is the only bar I have ever been to where the drinks actually got cheaper as the night went on. I don’t know if it was because we had a couple of different bartenders or if they were cutting us some slack because we were in a group and spending a good amount of money but, either way, I’ll take it. The crowd was very eclectic in a good way. Several people put money in the jukebox but didn’t overload it with 100 songs like at some other places where you can put songs on and never hear them after 5 hours… good mix of music as well. After several hours, the bartender bought us a round of drinks which was nice. This was our first time here but we will be back. This is a great neighborhood bar where the bartenders seem to appreciate the business. It looks like a complete dump from the outside, but the inside is quite nice. My only complaint is that the chairs are super uncomfortable. I know that seems ridiculous, but the chairs with backs on them can’t even support a human being’s weight and the stools are kind of wobbly and awkward. Once you’re drunk, though, who cares, right? Looking forward to more evenings at this place for sure.

My boyfriend and I moved not too far from here recently. We were on the hunt for a new, local watering hole. I came across McGill’s on a few different sites looking for (for lack of a nicer term) dive bars. This one is a total gem.
We came on a Tuesday night, not much going on. The bartender (his name escapes me now, unforunately) was super friendly and attentive. We ordered drinks, which were cheap, and some food. We had a burger, wings, and a pizza puff.
The food was great, cooked right in front of us at the bar, and the atmosphere laid back.
Highly recommend if you’re looking for a great neighborhood bar with great prices and friendly staff!

Great little bar. Great specials, $ 3 craft beers on Thursdays. Food is awesome. Super friendly staff. Would be 5 stars if their televisions weren’t tiny.

Every neighborhood dive should model themselves off of McGill’s. The atmosphere, the décor, the customers and the prices really made it feel like a friendly and welcoming place.
This was the second bar we’d been to for the NW side bar crawl, and as soon as we walked through the door the bartender shouted a friendly hello and invited us in. The $ 3 craft beer specials didn’t hurt either. The food smelled so good it made me wish I hadn’t eaten at our previous location.
I don’t usually go out of my way to patronize neighborhood dive bars, but this place might change the rule. Definitely check it out.