St. Patrick's Day at Butch McGuire's: Chicago's Most Iconic Celebration Since 1961

Every March 17th, Division Street turns green, and it starts at our door. Butch McGuire's opened in 1961 as Chicago's original singles bar, and St. Patrick's Day has been the biggest day on our calendar for longer than most of our regulars have been alive.

There's a reason for that. This isn't a bar that decided to lean into St. Patrick's Day because it's good for business — Irish hospitality is in the building's bones. The green-and-white striped awnings out front, the shamrocks over the door, the crowd spilling onto the sidewalk by noon: it's the same scene it's been for 65 years, just with more people every year.

What to expect: doors open early, the kitchen runs a full menu until the crowd makes that impossible, and the bar stays loud, green, and full until close. It's still a saloon first — Bobby always said it's more fun to eat in a saloon than drink in a restaurant, and St. Patrick's Day is that philosophy at full volume.

If you're planning your Gold Coast St. Patrick's Day, get here early. We're one block east of the Red Line at Clark/Division, and by early afternoon, standing room is the only room.

Chicago's Original Singles Bar & Pub. Est. 1961. See you on the 17th.