Galway Bay

Chicago, Illinois

Field Note

Irish pubs outside of Ireland have a hard time recreating the intimate and secluded feeling somehow created within spaces that can otherwise feel cavernous. Galway Bay in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood manages to carve out the small nooks and crannies so common in a true Irish pub, surrounding a center island bar with comfortable couches, dim corners and ample gaming distractions.

Galway Bay occupies the basement of The Brewster, an apartment building steeped in Chicago history that served as the backdrop for movies Child’s Play and Running Scared. The penthouse here was once occupied by Charlie Chaplin and many of the interior features just above the Galway Bay roof remain intact. The atrium in particular is said to be enduringly stunning, interior iron work capturing the old school vibe of this part of Chicago.

Beyond Galways Bay’s status as a surprisingly strong Irish pub, the space offers another of those great dive bar experiences, drinking underground. Blazing neon peeks out from slim windows at foot level along Chicago’s Diversey Parkway, really the only suggestion that a bar of some kind exists here. One sign depicts the name of the bar while a paired sign proclaims three of life’s great pleasures, pool, darts & Golden Tee, as well as a decidedly less pleasurable experience, Malort.

Steep steps lead to another bit of neon with the name of the bar, this time in green, above the true front door to the space. Unsurprisingly thanks to its subterranean location, Galway Bay feels almost overwhelming at first impression, the low ceiling mixed with a seeming maze of individual rooms all centered around an island-like bar no doubt crowded with locals. The drop ceiling keeps things cozy, certainly, and adds a bit of Irish flair thanks to designs dedicated to each of Ireland’s counties dotting the tiles.

A robust set of drinking & entertainment options is available here at Galway Bay, ranging from the usual suspects like televisions, darts and a pool table to less common fixtures like old school video game consoles and more than one couch. A set of vintage cash registers could easily go unnoticed among the windows that line one library-themed corner of the bar that hosts stacks of books. The bar in the center of the room is both prime seating and a crowded mess as the evening stretches on, Galway Bay’s strong draft & bottled beer selections scrawled in chalk overhead.

Rotating events populate Galway Bay’s weekly calendar, including trivia and karaoke nights mixed in with the occasional live music sets that takes over yet another corner of the space. Food options inside Galway Bay are limited and though rumors exist about a $10 frozen pizza special, this reviewer could only find the welcome warmth of a free popcorn machine.