//
Chicago, United States
Photo: Kim Scarborough, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Far Southwest Side of Chicago is home to a large Irish-American community, a ton of Irish pubs, and even a replica Irish castle.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Beverly Unitarian Church
Certainly the oddest sight in Chicago's Far Southwest Side, this building is a replica of castle on Ireland's River Dee, built by a nostalgic and wealthy Irish-American for his fiancee in 1885. Today, the castle houses Beverly's Unitarian congregation and offers a yearly Halloween "Haunted Castle." Beyond the deliberate scares, the castle is purportedly haunted by an actual ghost: a young girl who used to live here. She tends to show up, wearing a long dress, during weddings or parties where alcohol is being served.
This historical society focuses on the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods and offers tours, assistance with area research, and small, thoughtful exhibits such as a costume room and a doll house collection.
A rotating gallery of works by professional artists.
The Beverly Arts Center is a community arts center offering film screenings, dance and dramatic performances, and monthly art gallery exhibits. Look for the great five-day Irish Film Festival in March!
Friendly South Side carryout ribs and chicken joint.
This family-owned bakery is always a tasty place to stop by, but is an especially good stop around St Patrick's Day, when it offers various Irish treats.
A small hole-in-the wall with that has been serving Chicago-style shrimp, mostly for take-out, for decades.
A family-owned local landmark serving burgers and curly fries since 1959.
A classic, neon-adorned, drive-in fast food joint with great Chicago hot dogs.
Beverly's top Chicago style grilled fast food option, with an extra dose of frozen yogurt and ice cream. It's a beloved shop, and it's almost always crowded.
For over 80 years South Side families have enjoyed the rainbow cone, a five-flavored ice cream treat of chocolate, pistachio, strawberry, Palmer House, and orange sherbet. Open only March–Oct.
A south side burger institution since the 1950s with seriously juicy burgers made from quality beef.
A neighborhood Irish pub that is more of a restaurant than a bar, offering Irish and Italian food, as well as superb Chicago thin-crust pizza.
An Italian restaurant serving hearty portions of solid (if a bit overpriced) food.
A quality pizzeria serving thin crust and stuffed Chicago pies.
An unpretentious neighborhood Irish pub that doesn't serve food and has a great beer garden for the summer months.
A rather upscale, stylish, and attractive pub across the street from St Xavier's, offering a small selection of sandwiches and burgers to accompany a very large selection of drinks. Live bands perform F-Sa, while the neighborhood performs on open-mic Wednesdays.
Come here to drink and reminisce about the old country. This pub is frequented by Irish nationals and puts on amateur live Irish music F-Su.
A friendly neighborhood pub that may well serve the best pint of Guinness in Chicago. It's also right next door to Cork & Kerry, so you can switch between the two if you're unsatisfied with the one.
A fairly standard Hilton, which offers a free shuttle to Midway Airport.
This art gallery features the original works of its owner, Jack Simmerling, who specializes in pen-and-inks of Chicago landmarks and watercolors of Ireland.
This is the South Side Irish store to end all South Side Irish stores. In addition to an extensive selection of legitimate imports — Wexford crystal, tapestries, paintings, knits, Guinness shot glasses, crosses, flags, etc. — this is a great place to buy truly local souvenirs; it is stocked with all sorts of celebratory South Side Irish apparel, and even shirts devoted to the various South Side parishes. Clearly, this is a good place to get stocked for St Patrick's Day, or even a Notre Dame football game.
Here's a used bookstore with a huge selection in just about any genre. If you have some time to spend, you'll probably find something you will like. Comic book fans especially should stop by to browse through the obscure collections of single issues.
An eclectic store offering African-American related items from audio tapes of Louis Farrakhan to African clothing and board games. The store also has a section devoted to world musical instruments.
By train
The Metra Rock Island line to Joliet passes through Beverly and Morgan Park. A one-way trip from downtown LaSalle Station to 103rd St will cost $3.75.
By bus
If taking the bus is an absolute necessity, then the best way to reach this area from the north is via CTA Route 49 (Western), with a transfer to Pace Route 349 (South Western) at 79th St.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Chicago · International · MDW
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about Far Southwest Side and United States.
Nature & adventureHow to use the America the Beautiful pass, navigate timed-entry reservations and win hiking permits across America's top national parks.
7 min read
Travel tipsHow to master the NYC subway with OMNY contactless pay, dodge airport transfer traps and explore iconic Manhattan and Brooklyn neighborhoods.
7 min read
ItinerariesHow to plan the classic California Highway 1 road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles, navigating Big Sur closures, coastal stops and vehicle tips.
6 min read
Travel tipsSplitting a city stay between two hotels can cut costs, save hours of travel and buy you a night of luxury. Here is how to do it well.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.