Chief O'Neill's

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Review

111 reviews

#504 of 4,117 Restaurants in Chicago$$ - $$$, Irish, Bar, Pub

+1 773-583-3066+ Add website

Hours

Sun

10:00 AM - 2:00 AM

Mon

4:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Tue

4:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Wed

4:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Thu

4:00 PM - 2:00 AM

Fri

11:00 AM - 2:00 AM

Sat

11:00 AM - 3:00 AM

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Ratings and reviews

4.5

111 reviews

#504 of 4,117 Restaurants in Chicago

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

$21 – $30

CUISINES

Irish, Bar, Pub

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly

meals, features

Location and contact

3471 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60618-5624

Avondale

+1 773-583-3066

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Starters

Gluten Free Breads Available / Additional $2

Steamed Mussels

Prince Edward Island Mussels, Rich Garlic Cream Sauce with a Hint of Guinness Stout and Grilled Ciabatta

$12.00

Scotia Eggs

Hard-boiled Eggs Wrapped in Minced Lamb, Coated in Bread Crumbs and Fried Golden Brown, Honey Dijon, Coleman's Mustard Vidalia Sweet Onion Relish Rémoulade

$9.00

Goat Cheese Fondue

Oven Dried Tomato Spinach, Artichoke, Parmesan Pita Chips

$9.00

Steak Crostini

Grilled, Guinness Marinated Hanger Steak, Topped with Melted Blue Cheese Sauce. Available Gluten Free

$10.00

Cheese Curd Fritti

Served with Honey Dijon, Coleman's Mustard Vidalia Sweet Onion Relish Rémoulade for Dipping

$9.00

Chicken and Chips

Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Pieces, Steak Fries Honey Mustard and Buffalo Dipping Sauces

$10.00

Blackened Brie

Cajun Blackened Individual Brie Wheel, Served with Michigan Apples, Apricot, Cranberry Chutney, Grilled Ciabatta Bread. Available Gluten Free

$10.00

Flatbread Lavosh Selections

$9. No Substitutions / Vegetarian Available

Blasket Islands

Fresh House Made Pesto Sauce, Pine Nuts, Gruyère and Parmesan Cheeses. Peat Smoked Shrimp (Shrimp Smoked with Turf Imported from Ireland)

Deering Street Station

Marinara, Spicy Pepperoni, Sweet Sausage, Mozzarella

Captain O'Neill's

Sliced Yukon Gold Potato, Ranch Dressing, Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheeses Diced Scallions, Bacon and Crème Fraîche

Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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4.5

111 reviews

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

R G

Dublin1040 contributions

Great Craic

Sep 2023 • friends

Food grand , beer ok , music terrific , enjoyed one of the best session of Irish music ever , John Doyle joined by John Williams a night to remember.

Written April 17, 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

R G

Dublin1040 contributions

Great Craic

Sep 2023 • friends

Food grand , beer ok , music terrific , enjoyed one of the best session of Irish music ever , John Doyle joined by John Williams a night to remember.

Written October 27, 2023

mark p

17 contributions

Mediocre and cold food

Mar 2022 • none

Staff was confused and when food was finally available it was cold. Also 9 dollars for a Guinness, the most expensive we have had in Chicago. The music was very good.

Written March 17, 2022

Tanya T.

Illinois1578 contributions

It's been a while and...

Mar 2021 • none

Not much has changed. O'Neill's is still serving good food and I'm glad they are thriving during the covid era. We ordered food-to-go which arrived freshly-made and hot! Shepherds pie was hearty and nicely spiced. I recommend this place for some solid Irish eats!

Written April 8, 2021

JanetWoo

Hobart107 contributions

Great atmosphere, great staff, easy to park, and some food very good

Feb 2020 • none

Went there with a group event and so had to endure the buffet line. Some things were excellent, like the cheesy scrambled eggs, which is probably the best serving of eggs I've ever eaten from a station like this. I also tried the caprese salad, which was acceptable (used a lemon slice from a nearby empty salmon station to give it a kick the way I do when I make it at home), as well as the fried shrimp (cold, but the zesty sauce was good). At the hot food station, I tried the last meatball (which was yummy and in a good sauce), as well as the plentiful but not very yummy stuffed roast (was it pork? Dry and most stuffing gone). I would have liked to try the Salmon Eggs Benedict, which the man sitting next to me had to have a waiter bring to him since they were out at the buffet station, and he was elderly and tired of waiting for a new order to be put out. However, he said it was the best thing he ate that morning. The fish and chips were also out when I went by, and I was sad, since they were something I really wanted to try. At the dessert spread, I helped myself to the tiramisu (acceptable and plentiful), as well as the milk chocolate fountain (tried both marshmallows and strawberries) but ended up having a huge chocolate stain on my plate as I tried to de-skewer the marshmallow so I could grab a second one. Many people also seemed to like the white chocolate fountain, but that's not my style. We had a ton of people for the event, and we were among the last 2 tables to go, but I still felt as though many things were picked over and wished we had gone just ourselves for a meal. That would be my main complaint - just not enough stuff for the number of people who were there. That said, however, all the Irish decor really pleased my Irish spouse and the other Irishman who sat on my other side, who even knew the history of Chief O'Neill. Might try again for a romantic meal with hubby as their regular menu seems quite good.

Written February 10, 2020

OxonJess

Oxfordshire12 contributions

We were expecting great things

Nov 2019 • none

We were expecting great things however were left disappointed. The buffet had lots of choice but cold... the beef was really nice as were the deserts. A bit of a let down over all. Slightly shocked that the waiter said he liked my perfume and that I smelled of sex!!!! We were also charged a very hefty service charge of 20%.

Written November 29, 2019

chucksimone

Myrtle Beach36 contributions

One great one poor experience.

Oct 2019 • none

Visited last summer and had a great meal and experience. It was a 180 in October. Both times took my wife ,son, daughter-in-law and 2 young grandchildren. First time excellent food and service this time very good food and horrible service. We finished our salads and ordered a second round of drinks and 45 minutes later had to get the manager to "find" our drinks. We were taking the last bites of our meals before drinks came. No water was on the table. Try eating pot roast with nothing to wash it down. Manager said the drinks would be compt, but were on the bill. I paid the full bill and mentioned the drinks were paid for and she apologized but made no effort to correct the bill. Also kids meals are $12. We have a 2 and a 4 year old. $24 for kids meals! Will read details carefully next time. Funny thing...visiting from Myrtle Beach we couldn't wait to go back.

Written November 24, 2019

Taylor B

Chicago8761 contributions

Chicago's top-ranked Irish pub

Oct 2019 • none

My wife and I examined a dozen surveys of the top-rated Irish pubs in Chicago and determined that Chief O'Neill's Pub and Restaurant is No. 1. So we decided to see for ourselves. Located at 3471 North Elston Avenue, southeast of the Elston, Addison and Kedzie triangle, in the Avondale neighborhood, the corner pub opened in 1999 with a traditional Irish decor, food, music and garden that has become a popular late-night go-to destination for leprechauns of all ages. It is open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday. It was named for Francis O'Neill, who was Superintendent of Police in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. He served for 32 years, retired in 1905, then concentrated on his intense passion for the traditional music of his native County Cork in Ireland. Before he died in 1936, he collected over 2,000 tunes and his 1903 publication of O'Neill's Music of Ireland included 1,850 tunes, the largest collection of Irish music ever published. At Chief's (O'Neill preferred to be called Captain rather than Chief or Superintendent), enjoy the music with Irish cuisine. We started with Maryland crab cakes, calamari and shrimp, a Reuben roll with corned beef, house kraut, Irish cheddar and 1,000 Island dressing and a bowl of Celtic chili with cheese, scallions and sour cream. For our main course, we sampled two Emerald Isle favorites--fish and chips with beer battered North Atlantic cod, peas, cole slaw, tartar sauce and fries and chicken pot pie with chicken breast, mushrooms, peas, carrots, pearl onions, sherry cream sauce and a puff pastry. But I must admit I was tempted to order the Guinness infused meatloaf with bacon wrapped beef, veal and pork, mashed potatoes, vegetables, onions and mushrooms. Perhaps next time. There are many lively and inviting Irish pubs in Chicago--they're as plentiful as Irish politicians--but Chief O'Neill's is as good as it gets.

Written October 31, 2019

terri s

Grand Rapids156 contributions

Charming Style

Jul 2019 • family

This quaint location could be the setting for any movie or TV Irish pub. Old fashioned charm with outdoor seating and live music add to the reasons to visit. What a fun neighborhood place with a variety of dishes offered on the menu. We are told the weekend brunches are the top of the list, but we enjoyed dinner nonetheless. The “chips” are above and beyond delicious.

Written July 16, 2019

Brian L

Chicago385 contributions

Oh My Guinness!

Jun 2019 • friends

Glad that I finally got the chance to come here with a friend as it is only a short walk from my place. The hostess (who also ended up being our server) was incredibly charming--a REAL Irish lass! and the people who hang out here seemed to be a lot of old school locals creating a nice atmosphere. Would love to come here and just hang out and drink pint after pint of Guinness. We shared a starter of Scotia Eggs, which were really good but I think the eggs were a little overcooked. The salad and the mustard vinaigrette were both great. My fish n chips was good. I don't always like fish n chips, but the batter was crispy and the fish was still moist and flavorful. The tartar sauce is the bomb and even the chips were crispy and had great seasoning. Very tasty. My friend got the Dublin Broil and unfortunately it was way overcooked, but they were kind enough to make a new one that was rare and tasty. She liked the dish a lot (when it was cooked correctly!) The type of place that I would definitely come back to.

Written June 26, 2019

coleen

Killarney349 contributions

Excellent Food

Apr 2019 • family

We had a lovely family brunch with excellent food. We had lots of choices for all the family. Sunday brunch is an all you can eat buffet and the food is excellent and great value and very tasty. Siobhan the owner came to greet us as we were visiting from Ireland. As it was Mother’s day in Ireland we were presented by a bottle of wine each as we were leaving. It was a perfect end to a very good day. If you are looking for somewhere to seat all the family with good food and lots of choices then this is the place. Thanks to all in Chief O Neill’s for a great day

Written April 13, 2019

Charles V

Chicago45 contributions

Fall off the bone ribs

Mar 2019 • family

Great fall off the bone ribs, with delivery. Everything you'd anticipate at an Irish Pub done well and as you imagine a huge bar.

Written March 26, 2019

Liz2olufsen

Malibu3 contributions

great location!

Mar 2019 • friends

good location and the food is amazing as well. nothing fancy but good quality and a good crwd. the only problem is that the crowdedness!

Written March 17, 2019

crunch6

Northbrook761 contributions

Come at 5:30pm and have a nice, quiet dinner

Feb 2019 • friends

Thanks to Grace, our server, we had a comforting Irish dinner by the fire in a quiet setting. We all tried something different from the menu...from lamb shank, chicken curry, fish and chips and my favorite, the Shephard's Pie! It was absolutely delicious!

Written February 27, 2019

gayhayward

Chicago71 contributions

Crowded!!!

Nov 2018 • family

Delicious food; wonderful service!! Too many people/too much waiting. We went to Thanksgiving buffet, so don't know if this is relevant to day-to-day experience.

Written November 23, 2018

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CHIEF O'NEILL'S, Chicago - Avondale - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor