Sláinte! Suburban restaurants, bars go green for St. Patrick’s Day
Get ready to pace yourselves. With St. Patrick’s Day falling on Monday, most bars and restaurants are planning a weekend of activities and specials. So raise a glass to the land of the shamrock so green. Sláinte!
The doors open early Monday, March 17, at Ballydoyle Irish Pub and Restaurant locations in Aurora and Downers Grove, with kegs and eggs starting at 8 a.m. There will be live music throughout the day and night, as well as Irish dancers, bagpipers and more.
Get ready for St. Patrick’s Day with Broken Oar’s Shamrockers Ball Friday through Monday, March 14-17, in Port Barrington. There will be multiple bands each day, plus Irish dancers on Sunday and Monday, Irish beer, corned beef and cabbage and more. The daily pass is $10, and the first 100 through the gate daily who preregistered will get a free koozie. Buy tickets in advance at tickettailor.com.
Bub City in Rosemont will join in the village’s bar crawl Friday, March 14, with green beer, Jell-O shots and live music starting at 9:30 p.m. And from Friday through Tuesday they’ve added a special corned beef Reuben made with a house-brined corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut served on griddled rye with a side of waffle fries for $19.95.
Buffalo Creek Brewing in Long Grove goes green for its annual St. Paddy’s Shindig Saturday, March 15. The free party kicks off at 9 a.m. with green beer, authentic Full Irish Bunnies (a Pullman loaf filled with bangers, bacon, mushrooms and English beans and topped with an egg) and classic shamrock pretzels and brats. Irish folk dancing from McNulty’s School of Irish Dance and live music will keep you entertained. Don’t miss the release of S¢ott 72 Dry Irish Stout, as well as special deals on pints and steins of Burning Red Irish Ale.
Chicago Culinary Kitchen in Palatine is ready for St. Patrick’s Day with a themed cocktail and dining specials. The Shamrocked, a “below zero soft serve alcohol brain freeze concoction,” features vanilla liqueur, crème de cacao, mint and vanilla almond milk topped with whipped cream and crushed thin mint cookies. Only on Sunday, March 16, the kitchen will be cranking out a corned beef and cabbage special as well as the Super Katz sandwich, a smoked corned beef Reuben topped with melted Havarti, sauerkraut, onion, Thousand Island dressing and sweet pickles on toasted marble rye.
For a mellow St. Patrick’s Day, head to Drury Lane in Oakbrook Terrace, where Lucille Restaurant will be hosting an afternoon tea on Saturday, March 15, and brunch on Sunday, March 16. Saturday’s 1 p.m. tea is $65 for adults and $20 for kids 12 and younger. Sunday’s brunch, featuring treats like Irish soda bread and smoked salmon on blinis, runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is $80 for adults and $30 for kids 12 and younger.
Join in on the shenanigans at the 13th annual Durty Nellie’s St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Saturday, March 15, in Palatine. It begins with a traditional Irish breakfast from 8:30-10:30 a.m. that includes rashers, bangers, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, Irish soda bread, black pudding and hash browns, along with fruit and pastries. It’s $25 per person and includes an Irish-themed cocktail. The annual Durty St. Pat’s Parade will follow at 11 a.m., stepping off from the corner of Wood and Oak streets, heading west and ending at Durty Nellie’s, where the Epic After Party will kick off at noon featuring traditional Irish fare, music, dancing and more.
Fatpour Tap Works in Lincolnwood is offering the aptly named Fat Leprechaun burger now through April 7. The $22 burger features rye, Swiss and sauerkraut grilled cheese buns, corned beef, a burger, extra Swiss and Thousand Island dressing. They’ll also be serving up a green Bud Light for $6.50 a pint and $9.50 for a 22-ounce Fatpour on St. Patrick’s Day.
Finn’s Fest 2025 at Finn McCool’s Irish Sports Pub in Schaumburg will feature plenty of music, beer and whiskey Friday through Monday, March 14-17. Dine on corned beef in egg rolls, sliders, nachos, sandwiches and more. Drink specials include $6 Jameson Orange shots and Jame “O” bombs.
You can green frosé all day at The Hampton Social now through Monday, March 17, as the restaurant’s signature cocktail made with Tito’s vodka, rosé and peach puree gets tinted for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s $16.95. They have suburban locations in South Barrington, Burr Ridge and Skokie.
Have your St. Patrick’s Day meal catered by Katie’s Kitchen in Des Plaines. The dinner for two ($50) includes corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes and horseradish cream sauce. You can also order corned beef and cabbage by the half tray ($160) and full tray ($320), as well as corned beef sandwich kits ($21 a pound; minimum order is 5 pounds, which yields 10-15 sandwiches).
Bowling and green beer are on tap at Kings in Rosemont. Drink specials include the “Pot O’ Gold,” featuring Bacardi rum, blue Curaçao, Midori and a golden sugar rim, as well as Guinness. Those bowling on randomly selected “lucky lanes” who roll a strike can win an hour of free bowling March 15-17.
L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge in Lincolnwood is serving St. Patrick’s Day specials now through Monday, March 17, including a Reuben sandwich, corned beef and cabbage and Bailey’s Irish Cream Pie. Wash it down with a Guinness draft, Key lime pie martini, flat white martini or an aptly colored grasshopper.
Mickey Finn’s Brewery in Libertyville has a full slate of entertainment Friday through Monday, and the chef’s weekly specials (through Sunday) include Irish nachos, corned beef and Reuben sandwiches, corned beef and cabbage, and bangers and colcannon.
Miller’s Ale House is bringing back its Irish-inspired bites and drinks, including the Ale House Reuben ($15.99), Irish patty melt ($15.99), Irish egg rolls ($13.99), Irish mule pitcher ($14.99) and 20-ounce Guinness drafts for $5.99. They have suburban locations in Aurora, Lombard and Schaumburg.
Enjoy classic Irish pub fare, live music, bagpipers and Irish dancers Friday through Monday, March 14-17, at Peggy Kinnane’s in Arlington Heights. Don’t miss Colleen’s Irish soda bread, too.
Now through the end of March, Portillo’s will be mixing up the Mint Chocolate Shake, featuring mint and its famous chocolate cake frosting.
After a long day of celebrating, you can get a to-go package of elevated classic Irish fare from Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook. The Corned Beef & Cabbage meal with carrots and boiled potatoes and Irish soda bread is $29; split pea soup is offered by the pint ($12) or quart ($22); crispy Irish Reuben rolls with homemade Thousand Island dipping sauce is $14; Irish Mashed Potatoes are $32 for a quart; a loaf of Irish soda bread from Bennison’s Bakery is $15; and Guinness Cake with cream cheese icing is $13. Call (847) 205-4433 to place your order by Friday for pickup from 4-5:30 p.m. Monday. They’ll be open for dine in starting at 5 p.m. March 17.
Quigley’s Irish Pub in Naperville offers traditional Irish fare on the menu all year long, but they’ll dial up the entertainment this weekend, opening at 10 a.m. Saturday so the Highland Guard Bagpipers can march through the pub once they finish marching in the West Suburban Irish parade. Enjoy live music most of Saturday and Monday, when they’ll also open early.
Dine on Irish-themed food specials now through Monday, March 17, at Tap House Grill, including Reuben sliders ($14), corned egg rolls ($14), Reuben sandwiches ($16), and corned beef and cabbage ($20). Check for specials and entertainment on March 17. Participation may vary by location.
Watch the annual St. Charles St. Patrick’s Day Parade while enjoying a cup of hot cider or baby beer shot from the outdoor cart at The Graceful Ordinary. Afterward, stop in for dinner and their spin on corned beef, classic Irish coffee, and the return of TGO’s “Greener Pastures” sipper — a vibrant cocktail mixed with green chartreuse, coconut, pineapple and fresh lime juice.
With a name like Timothy O’Toole’s, you know their suburban locations in Libertyville, Gurnee and Lake Villa will be ready to celebrate with green beer and bagpipers all weekend. Drink specials start Saturday, March 15, and the St. Pat’s food menu features Reuben egg rolls in addition to the classic Reuben sandwich, corned beef on rye and corned beef and cabbage, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and Guinness beef stew. Wash it down with a Guinness, Smithwicks, Magners Cider, Irish Coffee or a Jameson.
Wildfire, with suburban locations in Glenview, Lincolnshire, Oak Brook and Schaumburg, is getting into the spirit with a corned beef and cabbage plate and chocolate stout cake. The specials will be available for dine in and carryout Friday through Monday, March 14-17.