Messner’s

This place is a great spot to try if you’re on the Southport Corridor. I’d been there a couple times a few years ago and was not disappointed when I went back during Friday’s snowstorm.
They had pretty good Friday night specials ($ 5 bombs, $ 5 stadium cups, $ 5 well drinks) and the well drinks were strong and large — can’t beat it!
We had the Artichoke Spinach Dip as an appetizer and it was delicious — came with tortilla chips and yummy garlic bread. For dinner we had the Honey Turkey & Brie Sandwich, the Caprese Sandwich and the Margarita Pizza. I tried the Caprese and Margarita and both were really good.
All in all Messners has great bar food and a good atmosphere.

Good bar food and great service make this place well worth the visit.

I don’t have a whole lot to add from some of the other reviewers’ comments, but I will be up front and say that the reason I tried this place is because I got the Groupon for it and it is within walking distance of my house.
For $ 20, we got one appetizer, two entrees, and two non-​alcoholic drinks — a great deal, really. The food was tasty; I really liked the guacamole that came with the chips & dip appetizer, and the Caprese sandwich was a new meal for me that I really enjoyed. However, there was an overwhelming amount of chicken on the sandwich, which made it difficult to eat.
The service is what disappointed us the most. Like Lauren V said in her review below, the restaurant really wasn’t crowded but it was a struggle to get taken care of. I’d give the food itself a 4 (for the situation/​bar food) but the experience overall was a 3. I probably wouldn’t come here again unless I had the great Groupon deal again.

Messner’s is a cute little bar… several big screens, holiday décor, cool ceiling tiles… I liked it, but I definitely didn’t love it. The servers and the overall food quality left a lot to be desired.
We wanted to start with the nachos but we discovered that they have the cheese sauce rather than actual shredded cheese… not exactly our thing, strike one. Instead we ordered chicken quesadillas and they were pretty pathetic looking-​hardly any cheese or chicken and not a whole lot of flavor, strike two. Our entrees were actually pretty good-​I had the Sausalito Steak salad and my boyfriend had the Lyndy’s Club with sweet potato fries. I would definitely go back for the salad and he was a big fan of the sandwich.
Our server, however, sealed the deal with a third strike. There weren’t very many tables filled and there were 3 servers working yet it took us forever to get anything and we had to flag them down every time-​plates, silverware, more water, salad dressing, our check… it was just exhausting and irritating, just not the experience I want when I go out to eat, bar or not.
We went in on a Monday night and all the food was only $ 5…that is what earned Messner’s its 3^rd star. For an appetizer and 2 entrees we only paid $ 19 which is a rarity in this city. I’d go back on a Monday for a $ 5 meal, other than that it just isn’t worth it.

Messner’s is a cool spot to enjoy a nice cold pitcher of brew and munch on some pretty good bar food.
They have an awesome location just south of Addison on Southport. They have good outdoor patio seating for those nice sunny warm days. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming.
We tried the Sampler Platter with the cheese curds, and the Big BBQ burger. The sample platter was on point, pretty basic but still tasty. The burger was good, maybe I was expecting a really big burger but it was normal size. Overall it was a good experience.
We also scored 5 buck pitchers during lunch, which was great on my day off of work.
Looks like a good spot to catch a game, or just to chill out.
(Top notch fully loaded potato’s)

Let me start by saying that I’ve only been to Messner’s during the day, mostly on the weekends, either to watch football or unwind after a Cubs game…
Anyway, my roommates and I are all native Floridians so when football season came and we wanted to watch our Tampa Bay Bucs play we needed a place to go because we weren’t about to purchase a TV package. We stumbled across Messner’s a week into living here because it’s right around the corner and it quickly became our go-​to for Sunday football games. They weren’t too swamped, so they never bothered us when we wanted to get a certain game on and Sunday is when they had their best deals. $ 5 pitchers (BL, ML), and $ 5 nachos that were big enough to be checked on an airplane. I’m sure there’s other stuff but that’s usually all we got. Their sandwiches and burgers are solid (Lynda club maybe?) and the server who always seemed to be working, Amy, was really friendly.
The place is also great for after Cubs game if you want to unwind and get a drink and some food. That way you can avoid all of the Clark St. debauchery, while most families seem to go next door to Dag’s for pizza so it isn’t overly crowded. Worth going to for lunch or during the daytime on a weekday for specials and service.

If you are in the mood for a flashback to a Big Ten frat party, head to this place, otherwise, stay away.
Was there once for drinks at night (11:00 ish), awful. Was there once for lunch on a Saturday, also awful.
Don’t bother.

Stop #5…
We picked up another random pub crawl at Lange’s, they joined our pub crawl and we all went to Messner’s to eat/​drink more.
My mind is blurry… but I do remember that they had pretty good nachos and cheap pitchers of beer. I don’t remember anything else memorable about Messner’s.

You may not think that bar managers and owners read the reviews about their establishments.
WRONG. They do.
You may not think that bar managers and owners will recognize you out in public by the picture on your Unilocal profile.
WRONG. They might.
You may not think that bar managers and owners care and won’t do anything to make a «wrong» a «right».
Most of the time, you’re right. However, there are managers and business owners who truly care about their customers and, instead of writing back snarky comments or playing fire with fire, are willing to go the extra mile to show it. I write this review to thank Messner’s for doing just that.
After an unsavory experience her a few months ago for a friend’s birthday I took it upon myself to highlight my disappointments for others to see. My friend who set up the party actually contacted the bar directly to let them know that, while we appreciated them having us, the service just wasn’t what we were hoping. I am less forward; she’s the bull with the horns.
Instead of just writing us off and potentially losing a handful of fans and future patrons the manager did something about it. She contacted our group fairly quickly to apologize for the disservice and offered to set up another party for us to make amends. She took note of food, drink, and our music preferences, and we set a date for our party. Normally a business will hand out a gift certificate or some sort of voucher; this is ABOVE AND BEYOND anything we expected. Of course, when we got there, it became pretty clear who wrote the 2-​star review.
And Messner’s delivered. Everything was great. The bartender was quick. The manager stayed up with us to help out. The food was excellent. The music was just right. Excellent hospitality! Everyone was smiling and having an absolute blast! I don’t think there was a moment where I had an empty glass. Truly impressive and all of us were grateful!
I left the bar toasty and jolly and still managed to keep a heavy wallet.
I stand by my word when I write reviews and, well, I’ve gone from «disappointed» to «can’t wait to stop back in» about Messner’s!

Grabbed lunch here on a Tuesday with my gal pal. We were gonna hit the Southport Grocery across the street for a sandwich, but upon looking at their menu, my friend said she wasn’t really into a «$ 12 arugula sandwich.» Good call. Plus we’re both pregnant and were kinda needing a Guinness and a greasier sandwich, if you will.
Messner’s has $ 5 lunch specials M-​F. Nice! Half a turkey sandwich and some cheesy potato soup? Yes please. Was it AMAZING? Nah. But it was pretty darn good.
Two things: 1.) The bathroom is super attractive. I’m serious. Really pretty slate, very clean. Not typical for Wrigleyville. Even off-​season. Unfortunately what is typical for Wrigleyville: 2.) The beer is always so damn cold. Guinness should not be that cold. Especially not in February.
Would I go outta my way for Messner’s? Probably not, I live in Ravenswood. But nine times outta ten I’d hit that before a $ 12 sandwich across the street.

I ended up with at this bar with a group of friends-​and I’m not really sure how to be honest. After pre-​gaming for a while and then trying to go to a bunch of different bars that were fool. We went a little further north and ended up at his place on Southport. I’m glad we did though-​it was a good quiet spot to start our evening-​a lot of us were hungry so we ended up eating. We had a large group so it took a while to decide what we wanted but our waitress was really patient with us and totally cool about splitting the tab 6 different ways.
The BLT special-​$ 5 bucks for a pretty good sandwich and a $ 4 beer of the month (312.) The buffalo wings were pretty good as well and we all had a pretty good time. Not sure who decided to come here but it was a good choice.

Much searching and rarely leaving the constraints of 60 605, we were pleasantly surprised at all that Messners had going on for game day. Excellent specials (cheese curds what!), cheap 22oz stadium cups of Coors, Bud or Miller, $.50 wings, $.25 mini corn dogs, $ 5 nachos — it was like stumbling into game day heaven.
Close to the Southport el, nice folks working there, room for you at the bar (though a small bar it is) and plenty of seating for your little group. Clean bathrooms, pretty inside. Add this one to the top of the pile, folks!

Went to watch the Bears game… man I forgot how dark this place is…
Service was like negative 5… literally, our server was really nice just totally inattentive which when you are hungry and thirsty… is really annoying.
Food…typical bar food… nothing to exciting.
The great thing was that it wasnt super crowded (probably because of the above) so we were able to get a nice table and there are lots of TV’s at every angle in the back.

Messner’s has a pretty big menu to suit any appetite. I met some friends here for lunch on Saturday and the bar was pleasantly half full. Our waitress was very friendly and checked on us often. I had a hard time picking something off the menu because everything sounded so good! I ended up with the turkey Reuben with sweet potato fries. My meal was delicious and I love that they have sweet potato fries! You can also get tator tots or mac & cheese as a side. Great comfort food options here.
My friends had the pizza, turkey club and the California chicken sandwich. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. I have had the California chicken sandwich before and it also a safe bet. Messner’s is close to Wrigley Field so keep it in mind when you want to watch a Cubs game or drink after a game.

I feel like this review should come with a disclaimer: I’ve never started a night here, only ended nights here… So I don’t really know what it’s like to come to Messner’s sober…
That said, I have always enjoyed my experiences at Messner’s. Plenty of seating. Lot’s of TVs if that’s what you’re looking for, but they’re not too obnoxious if you’re not there to watch the game. Decent beer selection with decent prices. Service has never been a problem. I don’t get up to Southport often, but when I do, we always end up here, so that must say something!

My buddy is a big fan of this bar so we decided to hit it up on Friday night. Never been before but I am glad I checked it out.
Nice spot and very spacious. Nice amount of televisions for your sporting pleasure.
The bartender made a great vodka/​redbull with a hint of sprite. Good stuff! We threw back 6 each and since we had so many the bartender threw in one more each for the road at no additional cost… Yeah we were hammered to the fullest.
Later 2 other pals of mine showed up to partake in the binge drinking and they seemed to enjoy as well
Great place… I like it!

**** This review was brought to you by my bud Andre W. ****
My buddy is a big fan of this bar so we decided to hit it up on Friday night. Never been before but I am glad I checked it out.
Nice spot and very spacious. Nice amount of televisions for your sporting pleasure.
The bartender made a great vodka/​redbull with a hint of sprite. Good stuff! We threw back 6 each and since we had so many the bartender threw in one more each for the road at no additional cost… Yeah we were hammered to the fullest.
Great place… I like it!
**** Also notice how he decided not to mention the two other cool dudes that met up with him and his «buddy» *****************

A lot of people put Messner’s, Cullens, and The Mystic Celt all in the same general category. I would tend to agree with that assessment. The Food is decent, Drink Prices Reasonable, and the bar itself is fairly standard.
It’s a good place to go on a weekday for lunch, as they usually have half price sandwiches. Their Gyro and Tots are better than you would expect from an Irish Pub. Portions are adequate (I don’t recall ever leaving hungry) as you might expect.
However, the weekend is a little bit of a different story. It gets very crowded and I personally don’t like having to dodge people while I’m drinking. The downstairs portion is way too crowded for me (and it’s a somewhat small area). Just as I was about to write them off as a weekend hang out, I discovered the upstairs bar. Here’s a little secret I’m going to let you in on; The upstairs bar is less crowded, the bar itself is just as nice, there are people up there, but you don’t have to feel like you’ve been grinded by half the people in the bar while you’re standing around .
Overall, much like its Southport colleagues The Celt & Cullens it falls into the category of mediocre to good, but not great.

I feel dirty after I visit Messner’s. I’m not sure if it’s the greasy food or just a few experiences I’ve had with slightly obnoxious boys, but the thought of it makes me slightly uneasy.
On the other hand, it’s the closest youngish bar w/​dancing by my apartment, and to prove to my former college friends who visit that I’m not old and wrinkly, I take them here and pretend it’s the norm for me, when really I’d rather split a bottle of wine at a restaurant and actually be able to hear each other talk.
I would say you will have fun at Messner’s if:
*You like college-​aged boys hitting on you
*You are a college-​aged boy
*You feel the need to relive college going out nights
I find all of these things odd b/​c it’s on Southport where there is a constant stream of strollers and couples, yet somehow it manages to attract a crowd of younger people. Maybe it’s the wings, which I have to say are fairly good. Oh, and if you DO come here for the food during the day, do not expect to have amazing service. It’s not AW-​ful, but be prepared to have about two hours to get through lunch and pay your bill.

Boo

This is hands-​down my favorite bar in Chicago. I love the Southport area and I like most of the bars, but I wouldn’t call myself one with the Southport crowd. Messner’s is different, though. It’s really laid back, has a comfortable atmosphere and the waitresses are really nice (at least one of them has been there the entire time I’ve lived in Chicago!).
The food is awesome — they have a Mediterranean salad which is amazing, the veggie burger is awesome, my boyfriend LOVES their blue cheese burgers, the turkey, broccoli, and cheese stuffed pita is like the most amazing gigantic hot pocket ever, and their $ 5 nachos on Saturdays can’t be beat.
I honestly don’t think the crowd is that bad — the most annoying person I’ve come across is one of the bouncers who just mindlessly shouts things at the TV every 2 seconds, trying to be funny. Really irritating when you’re actually there to watch a game!
But my favorite thing about Messner’s? They serve Strongbow — in a can. That alone makes me love this bar. The rest is just bonus. :o)