Of All The Illinois Irish Pubs, Food Website Says This One Is #1

While some of us make some time throughout the year to visit an Irish pub or two, others really don't give Irish pubs a thought until the week of St. Patrick's Day rolls around.

In case you hadn't noticed, that week has arrived and St. Patrick's Day is this Sunday, but the trend towards all things green has been happening all week long, with multiple big parties scheduled for the weekend.

My grandfather, who was part of the first generation of his Ireland-born family to be born in the United States, once told me that Irish pubs are like beers and whiskeys: "There's lots of them, but not very many of them are worth your time."

And he was a man who would have known about such things. That, and how to place bets with bookies, how to handicap the ponies, where the best all-night card games were...you get the idea. He was wildly fun.

He also loved Irish pub food like this:

In Addition To A Good Drink, The Best Irish Pubs Also Have To Check Some Other Boxes

According to the experts at FoodAndWine.com, in order to be considered a great Irish pub:

• The beverage selection should be concise ("Guinness, hard cider and Irish whiskey are what you should be choosing from. If you're ordering a martini or an IPA, why are you there in the first place?")
• The music should be Irish
• The space should be worn in ("Your Irish pub should look like people have been smoking in it and spilling drinks on the floor for years.")
• The bar should be lively, but not painfully loud
• The food should be at least a little Irish

It Looks As Though An Irish Pub 83 Miles From Rockford Meets All The Criteria

And that place, named the best Irish pub in Illinois by popular food website EatThis.com, is Chicago's Kerryman Bar and Restaurant, located at 661 North Clark Street.

Take a look around:

EatThis.com, in their rundown of the best Irish pubs in every state, has plenty of great things to say about the Kerryman Bar and Restaurant, even pointing out its strange history and use of a local liquor favorite like Jeppson's Malort: "This sprawling space (formerly a punk club) serves elevated takes on Irish favorites like Irish breakfast and beef and Guinness pie. Wash down your shot of Jeppson's Malort, an odd whiskey native to Chicago, with a perfect pour of Guinness."

If you'd rather try your luck over the border and behind the cheddar curtain, EatThis.com says that O'Donoghue's Irish Pub in Elm Grove is the best Irish Pub in the state of Wisconsin.