While Thursday, Sept. 24 was not the first time I had been to the pub, it’s been a while. So I waited to write this. If you’re 21 and looking for a good place to just hang out with friends, Claddagh Ring Irish Pub is a great choice.
Located at 2306 W. Foster Avenue in the Lincoln Square area, the pub is a fairly convenient place to head if you live in the area. If you’re heading there from NEIU (main campus) just head down Foster because it’s about two blocks east of the Foster/Western intersection. You can head there by the wisest choices of bus, foot or taxi quite easily.
Throughout the year they have a lot of different events. Every once in a while, for those of you who fancy yourselves singers, they have karaoke. These are usually on certain holidays though, so you should ask ahead. Even if they don’t have karaoke going on, there’s usually at least something going on. On Halloween they tend to have a costume contest as well. There’s also the annual Charity Chili Cook-off, which raises money for a school in the area. One dollar is a vote, so much like Chicago politics; you’re encouraged to vote early and often. On Sept. 24 they had a documentary screening, which was previewed online for the last issue, and Sept. 26 there was a pig roast. As stated earlier, even if it’s not what you expect there’s usually something to appreciate.
Even if the events that they regularly hold don’t grab your interest, if you get in touch with and get to know the management, they’re usually willing to set up the backroom for something. For example, a group of friends of mine used to reserve the backroom almost weekly for private “bad movie nights” to unwind in the middle of the week. The head of the group, a former member of the paper and graduate of NEIU, actually knew the people in charge, so he was able to get it rather quickly.
Each day there are usually various drink specials. Sundays have buckets of domestic beer (five bottles for $12). Mondays there are $0.50 Miller Lite Drafts. Tuesday has $2 bottles of Bud. Wednesday has $2 well drinks. Thursday features $3.50 pints of Guinness. Friday has $3 Corona and Corona Light. Saturday is $5 pitchers of Miller Lite. These sales are according to their ad. Even if these sales don’t appeal to you, they’ve got a lot of different options and it is one of the more affordable bars in the area. It’s also one of the nicer ones with a quaint, laid back feel. The staff is attentive and courteous. They also work quickly, and even if the place is packed it never seems to get bogged down. If you like small pubs with a good relaxing atmosphere, Claddagh Ring is one of the best choices you could make.
2306 WEST FOSTER AVE.LINCOLN SQUARE