Reviews of Clark Street Ale House - River North (Restaurant)

Sukrit Gupta

Their beer collection is just epic, it ranges from ales to IPAs to Lagers to Belgian ale and what not. The crowd is good and you can talk to your group properly. The music is not too loud, and the place is pet friendly. Their cider collection is pretty good too!

Erik Hampe

Always a great place for after work cocktails. I don't go out nearly as much as I used to but it was just as I remember friendly, chill, nice selection of beers and whiskey.

Tony Gamblin

Great downtown chill bar with probably the best beer selection in the city. Nice staff. Dog friendly. And yes, I did run into Lady GaGa here one night. :)

Kyle Barron

Great beer selection and patio

AL Green

Great beer selection

Nick Weiand

You should consider having open phone line. Having day to day deals causes discrepancies which means you need to have someone on a phone. Would absolutely not recommend if looking for something specific. Who knows if they even have it.

Chris B

Great spot to grab drinks with friends and have a chill evening.

Brandon M

Love this joint and the free popcorn

Benjamin R.

Clark Street Ale House will always be my favorite River North bar. It's probably the only bar in River North with a true neighborhood feel. They have an incredible beer and whiskey selection with their beers always rotating. There is an outdoor patio for seating when it's nice, they have free popcorn and pretzels, the staff is super nice AND they allow dogs in there. They do not serve food here though, but they do allow you to bring it in from elsewhere. It's a great spot to hangout, watch sports if you want or just catch up with people. It's never too loud and it doesn't get overly crowded. I wish I could rate them 5/5 over and over again!

Matthew Dallio

Really cool place to try different brews. Hand pull selections also on tap. Dont be surprised to find dogs in the bar chilling out.

Maggie W

This place allows dogs! Interesting craft beer selection as well.

Bhargava Krishna

Loved this place, nice range of beers, cool garden to sit and enjoy you beer. Who doesn't love free popcorn.

Cameron Gordon

Beer. Whiskey. TVs. The occasional dog. Really, what more do you need?

Natalie Ferris

Amazing beer rotating list!

Nicholas Mertens

My kinda bar, laid back, good food and a great beer selection.

Randy Raetz

Excellent service, plenty of beers, some nice pumpkin ales for the season. Only drawback? No food. We went next door and then came back here after dinner. They offered to have us order food in, but since we were only there for the weekend, we did not know where to order from. Nice place.

Elliot

Deceptive pricing. All of our drinks were marked up a dollar or two from their listing price on the menu. We asked, but they simply said that they do that sometimes.

Matt Hoskins

Cool place, decent beer selection. Great bartender Alex was friendly and attentive.

Snook Snook

Give this place a try.

CE Bailey

Great tap list, solid spirits list, open till 4am. What's not to love?

Will Vanderwall

Dog friendly, great service with a nostalgic feel

Sarah Haney

Popped in here on the first "winter storm" of the season this year. Flew in from TX (Austin before you judge), had the typical Chicago food fair then wanted to grab a drink at a chill place with good options near the hotel. Thank you yelp for bringing us to Clarke Street. Walked in around 4 pm. Greeted warm welcome and prompt service. Kasha is fantastic! She was personable, amazing service and gave us great recommendations of places to visit. Ended up hanging out two hours enjoying the vibe and chatting with regulars. Plus free pretzel sticks during the day. Heck we left after two hours to see the parade and had a terrible experience at a nearby bar / restaurant (sorry, Stout but you're over priced and your food was meh at best). That experience was so crappy (and it was effing cold), we came back to Clark Street...actually hoping to catch Kasha before we left to get better recommendations nearby. She did not disappoint. Even introduced is to the bartenders at Clark St for the next few days since she was off. Talk about making out of towners feel welcome. They had a great beer selection. The $7 for three beer samplers was great for an out of towner (or someone who doesn't like beer commitment). Overall, good selection of some solid always get and more unique offerings. Other tips, there is a pizza place upstairs that you can order in from. They also have full hard liquor options. If you want to experience something super local (and probably regret it 15 second later) try melort (spelling?). It's a local moonshine like spirit that tastes great until about 15 seconds after you swallow, in which case you hit bitter town city. But I love a good local experience. Overall, can't say enough good about our two experiences here. Definitely a must if you're in the area or looking for a place to enjoy a chill beer, come here.

Robert Cheek

Great beer selection. Quite and comfortable ambiance. Nice place to stop in for a beer. Would definitely recommend.

Leidy Cachaplita

Love it! Great service and most important Dogs Are allowed! That's wonderful! Of course they must be leashed and keep them away from the working waitress since she is coming and going with drinks.

Landon Vance

Our favorite bar in Chicago, giant beer and whiskey selection. Great music too!

Paul Freeman

Great choice of beers

Richard Koskowski

Always a great spot!!!

Amanda Olson

A great neighborhood dive bar with an extensive beer menu. There's a good sized patio out back during the warm weather. No food service, but you can bring food in. Dog friendly.

312 Gina

Of course, it's dog friendly

Andy Slavin

Great list of beers and some braking tunes on the juke box

Jerry Wu

Thank you my brudda, much love

Don McKee

Another of my habitual chicago stops. Great whiskey and craft beer selection.

Eric

Excellent spot to pick from a pretty wide selection of beers. Love the variety available in cans, bottle, on draft or even in a cask. I had the Magnetron w/ ginger and lemon and I was surprised at how balanced the taste was. It's also dog friendly so you might come across some pretty cool four legged drinking buddies. Bonus: saw a sticker for a BBQ place I've always wanted to visit.

Victoria Flechtner

Dive bar meets upscale taproom. Great pricing, laid back atmosphere, and some of the best bartenders here in chi town.

Nicholas Menghini

Great rotating tap list. Perfect for that drink with friends after work. Rarely crowded. A must if you like ultra salty pretzel sticks.

Rashida J

Decent dive bar with fresh late night popcorn

John Modzelewski

Dizzying selection of beers and drinks, offered at a historic location that is open and comfortable. Bar staff are friendly and helpful, which is a big plus. No kitchen, no problem. The bar staff allow outside food from local seller; pairing a couple of brews with some food from Seoul Taco next door is a no-brainer for me when I am visiting Chicago.

Scott McKaig

Lovely spot to tuck in during the winter. Great beer selection and friendly bartenders.

Shannon Riley

As a bartendar myself, i'm a bit particular on where I drink myself, and this is my favorite spot. Not just your typical beer and drink place, it's got a HUGE selection of more unique beers and spirits. The bartendars are always quick with a good suggestion. I'm a huge fan of their spiced mead.

Stephen Le Blanc

Casual but they know their beer. Comfortable but high class. Try it!!

Paige Zeibert

We walked into this place on a freezing cold Saturday, and immediately were welcomed by a cozy, homey atmosphere. This place is DOG FRIENDLY!!! How awesome is that? They had a bunch of big TVs and we watched Roadhouse, had a beer from an absolutely incredible list (it's huge!), and chatted with the great bartender. This place is definitely one where we could sit with friends and drink for hours. We live hours away, but will definitely be back- with our dog too!

Adam Gerstner

Local dive that allows your dog! They also have free popcorn and allow outside food. A great place to watch a game and drink a beer. Bartenders are very friendly.

hans wurst

Best craft beer place in town. Chilled crowd and the best staff.

Mike Vella

This place was OK. Drinks were expensive and I had to ask for a refill every time.. Prolly wont come back.

bill brasky

Overpriced but great bar

Jose Mendoza

Great place to simmer down and end the night, always a great vibe here. Kinda a signature thing to do when out in Chicago.

Paul King

Well priced, fun place to watch a game and get food delivered.

Mark Peacock

Good craft beer selection. Indifferent service

Lupe Ramirez

Always great...never disappointed. David is the absolute best. Tip: ask him for a Vegas Bomb. Plus, they have popcorn!

Sean Boyle

Easily one of my favorite bars in the city. This place reminds me of Cheers in a very good way. The crowd is extremely diverse in every way. The beer list is extensive, as is their scotch selection. This is one of the few bars that I have ever been to that serves Woodchuck 802 on draft. The prices are very reasonable, especially for the area. If you have never been here, make it a point to stop in late one night. After all, this is a 4:00 am bar.

C Jason Baab

Looked like a classy bar, felt like a nightclub.

Pablo Parenti

Only place open after 230 am on new years eve. Awesome.... It was to packed to give an honest review

Emma Exactly

Great bar, great selection of craft beers at reasonable prices, no douchebags.

Crystal Scott

One of my favorite places to go have a drink in the neighborhood. A lot of beers on tap. No food but you can always eat before hand or order to be delivered to the bar. Great place to hang out and kill some time.

Alfred F.

My neighborhood bar whenever I'm in Chicago. Great whiskey great beer

Pj Nuck

Laid back spot, always cool people there

William Johnson

My man Sky....always there to make sure everyone is taking care of.

Alison Falada

This place is great! Bartender, was very attentive and even gave out dog, ice.

Eric Williams

they dont always have the knowledge to backup the products they sell but who cares. i know what to order and they never are devoid of tasty options. hopefully there is something in the cask and you can get a seat at the bar, for a comfortable and intoxicating night. part of the river north experience for eating and drinking for me.

Ed McDevitt

One of the best craft beer and whiskey bars In Chicago.

Matthew Lyons

Great beer selection, good time. No food service but that gives you a no nonsense taproom.

Jenny Lee

far from my house, but nice local hang out

Dizzie Asfucq

Experienced bad marketing from them on Instagram. Highly recommend a place that cares more about customer service than expansion

Antonio Esposito

Open late, free popcorn and great staff that is willing to go down the tap to find you the perfect beer. One of my favorite places to go after a night out and they always have something new on tap. It is in my regular rotation and should be in yours as well.

Timothy Dolan

They have a freaking awesome daily menu printed.

Mike Troxell

Good lower key bar with a nice patio out back.

Amanda

Great craft beer selection on draft. We did a couple flights while we were there and tried unique beers that were new to us. Friendly bartender too.

Tom Spitz

Love this little Chicago gem. Always a great selection of beer a bunch of taps and one beer engine.

Nathan Buckley

I love this place, the beer garden out back is really nice and covered. It is a low key bar where you can go and have a nice conversation with some friends, a huge bonus is you can bring your dog in as well because they do not serve food. Other pluses include complimentary self serve popcorn and pretzel sticks!

Kirsten Larkin Hardy

The inside is a tad dark and divey but they have a very extensive beer list. The reason for 4 stars is the precious outdoor beer garden. This bar feels nothing like its river north neighbors and is a fun spot to grab drinks on the patio after work.

Patrick Mernagh

Quintessential river north dive with an impressive selection of beer and spirits. Open to 4 this is great place to get away from the club scene to the south of here.

Marcus Buell

I'm loving it

Kate Gronstal

Great spot, especially if you want to bring your dog or just love hanging out with dogs. No food, but a great spot to hang out and have drinks with friends.

Joe Rau

Nice place, good selection, and they let dogs in

Sam Whiley

Great atmosphere, amazing service, and awesome place for a good time

Josh Gahlau

Great beer selection, and a nice outdoor seating area.

Brittany Sue Ackerland

Looked up dog friendly bars and Clark's Ale House popped up, once we got there we weren't even let in the door. The bouncer first said my German shepherd was too big, but then also proceeded to say it was illegal for them to allow dogs in their establishment. I told them they should remove their dog friendly tag from Google and they cussed me as I walked away. I'd rate it zero stars but Google made me pick at least one.

Vincent Welch Jr

I had a group from work there. The service was outstanding and the value was good. Jeremy and his crew took great care of us.

Shawn Printy

Cute little hole in the wall feel bar with a decent sized beer garden out back.

Deana Greenfield

Dog friendly. Excellent back patio area

Jim Karczewski

3am, big selection though not as many on draft as I'd like to see. Lot of whiskey, scotch and specialty like Islay scotch

Grant Hartwig

Great neighbor hood bar. They don't have food. Would honestly put this place at a solid 4.5. Friendly staff and good draft list.

Dave V

Well, still a great beer list. I used to come in here and see cops and firemen having get togethers. Now it's pretty much tourists. But, they are probably selling more beer.

Jonathan Geiger

Wanted a quieter Saturday night out in Chicago and was not disappointed with Clark Street Ale House! Great selection if local and national craft beer. Fully stocked bar with reasonable prices. Staff was friendly and made sure we were taking care of. Definitely will be back when ever visit Chicago next. Free movie theater style pop corn and a Touch Tunes jukebox made the experience even better!

Sean Flynn

One of the best "neighborhood" bars in all of Chicago. From the great selection of fine beers to the unretentious atmosphere, which includes free freshly made popcorn, one of the best outdoor patios and a Pug at the bar. Yes, you read that right, a Pug with her own seat at the bar. Clark St. Ale House is probably the most dog friendly establishment you can find (no word on cats though!). And for the germophobes out there, don't worry this Lil gal most likely has a better hygiene routine than many patrons at similar bars /wink. Two Thumbs up (or "paws" for our canine friends)!!!

Zachary Vossen

Great spot for beer and whisky in a relaxed atmosphere.

Brach Curtner

Great place and great service for how busy it is. The bouncer and waitress... phenomenal

Lucas Fernandes

Great place for beer. Nice ambiance. Extensive beer selection, both on tap and in cans/bottles.

Dawyne Johnson

always warm and welcoming bartenders and servers ready to take your service . I love the service here

Don Ray

I am a fan of this place. Always a good time here.

Paula Hancock

Cool place to go to try some unique beers.

Becky Korpan

liked the sign outside. it told us to stop and have a drink. so we did!

Adam Lineberry

Quaint beer spot with a patio out back. Super friendly bartender actually chose beers for us based on our answers to some basic taste questions.

Ben Chizmadia

Great staff Respectable selection look forward to visiting whenever i am in town.

Micah Dorn

Bar is great for catching the game, but servers could be a bit nicer. No food but lots of options around there and they'll let you bring it in or have it delivered.

Alan Guehne

Cool bar; good beer selection

Baudelio Gallegos

Great music great beer.

Trent Scheffert

Great selection, not too hip and noisy but not too boring. Great place to grab a drink after dinner and catch up!

William S. Godfrey

Pretty good if also a bit divey. I was in here on a Monday night to meet a colleague after work and the place was mostly empty. Great beer selection, no food menu but free popcorn and pretzels.

Sagar Patel

Friendly service, good menu selection, good beer selection. Parking available. Not the best value by any means, but within reason.

Ric Rini

Great beer list here including many craft beers, bottled and on tap. Very casual atmosphere and a great local hangout or place for a relaxing brew or happy-hour with co-workers. The bar seating is good and not crowded at the curved (L-shape) bar top. Ample table tops set up throughout the floor space so that it does not feel crowed or congested The bar tender that served us was friendly and new his beers from top to bottom. That really helps when you are going to take a risk on beer you have never had before. A good unbiased description of the beer was most helpful in making our choices. This guy definitely new his craft. The patrons in the bar seemed pretty friendly and the crown mix was nice.

Justin Ridgway

This place was great! Sign said to stop in and drink so we did. Free pretzels and good beer selections. Beer garden in back was nice too.

Annette Gester

Old time Chicago Ale house. All booze and beer. No food but free popcorn! Great selection of craft beers on draught, also in cans and bottles. Excellent spot to drink beer and be merry. Lots of character.

Alexander Perrizo

Great beer selection, attentive and engaging staff. Beer garden in the summer is dope for watching games or just enjoying the weather.

Alexander King

Amazing selection, with an organic atmosphere.

Debbie Pinter

Best place ever!! So much fun an Tasha is the best bartender ever!!!

Pat Fox

Awesome late night bar... Gets crowded after midnight... Ask for Amanda as your waitress...

Kelly Harrold

Nothing fancy...just an ale house. However, I've had many (prob too many) fun nights here. It's open late and they are very generous to fellow industry people.

Jared Beach

Great environment for a nice craft beer.

Shaun Wooden

Cool bar.

Amanda Bittorf

If you're in the area or live nearby this is a good spot. It's your typical bar with standard beers on tap and regular bar menu. It's nothing too fancy. What you see is what you get. It's not bad. It's just average and probably best for happy hour.

Patrick Leonard

Great beer selection. Dog friendly. No kitchen so outside food is allowed.

Katharine Klosowski

my favorite place in river north! great beer selection and great outdoor patio!

Ryan Hostetler

You can’t go wrong with whiskey and a cigar. Love this place.

Jake Estornell

Absolutely huge beer list and open late

Brian Rowe

Was skeptical about the new ownership but still my favorite bar in Chicago

John Dickman

Casual, comfortable AND you can bring your dog here!

oge gozutok

Delicious rum/pineapple coctail and great variety of beers

Kevin McMillin

beverage only menu with tons of beer on tap (rotates frequently), great service, free pretzels to munch on, dog friendly, awesome patio out back. A local favorite.

Dale Anson

Nice hole in the wall place. No food, but people were having food delivered in. Decent beer selection, but it appears all the decent beers are from the west coast. Out of 20 or so on tap, only 6 were from east of the Mississippi. Barkeeper was uninformed about the beers, 'what's this?' I say, 'just what it says on the menu' he says. Yes, I can read 'pale ale'.

Amee Smith

BEST bar in the Streeterville area. Great beer selection. Very knowledgeable and friendly waitstaff. Great summer patio!

Michael Radosevic

Cynthia is a master of cocktails and service. Please ask her for the “Krombacher Martini”, her off the menu specialty. Thanks Cynthia!

Dan Buchanan

The staff are super friendly and will answer questions about any of the drinks on the menu and then some. Also, they played some Weird Al followed by Jimmy Hendrix, so you should probably go to this bar.

Jordan Simon

Great place for patio drinks with your Girlfriend:) BYOF!!!!

Brian hill

Great beer selection. I like to think of this place as a hidden gem. Open until 4am. Dog friendly. I once met an English Bulldog here that was awesome. His human companion was pretty cool, too.

Ashley Nelson

My first time here I went with some girlfriends and It was a nice Saturday night casual bar spot. Natalia was a great server!! Hustling through the crowd with such a great smile on her face. She was AMAZING. The bartender David had great personal skills (and bar skills) he saw my drink empty from the bar and personally came up to see if I needed another. Great team work, great place, great atmosphere:)

Sébastien Florent

Great choice of beer but a bit fast to ask Id (did not have the time to read the menu). Aslo give the bill at table before taste the beer.

Leo Noya

Very low key place on weekdays. Different story when I was here last Friday night, but that's good thing. I came here after a company Christmas party and this place was pretty full. Great crowd, no one bothered us and let us have a great time.

Nick Piepmeier

One of the best beer/whisky bars in Chicago.

Carolina Cruz

Not the greatest selection of beverages and just average service

Keith S.

Great selection just don't go during shift changes. Waited 20 min for a drink

Patrick Lyons

Awesome beer and whiskey selection. Friendly staff

crystal valdez

Great beer list. No food but you can bring in your own. Best thing about this place is its dog friendly .

Andrea Farrell

This place is the best. Laid back, huge outdoor space, and dogs!!! Its like a piece of home in the middle of the big city.

Marsha Matters

Calm spot

Dominic Pipia III

One of my favorite bars in Chicago.

Andrew Peacock

Nice selection of Fest beers with a bunch from Germany

Colles Price

Good beers, knowledgeable staff, wasn crowded but didn't take too long to get your drinks. Can't ask too much more from a good bar.

Ryan Pollifrone

Cool bar but they close their patio early and were rude about the situation when I attempted to take a call away from the noise of the bar.

Jessica Binion

Love this bar! Simple bar with a great patio. VERY dog friendly. Since they don't serve food, dogs are allowed inside the bar and on the back patio too. The bouncer usually has treats for my dog :-)

Brad Sherwood

The best beer bar in river north, plus it's also a full bar!

paris tyler

excellent bartenders, chill atmosphere, neighborhood vibe but very welcoming. Great break from the normal River North setting.

David Rieken

Went there with my wife one afternoon as we were shopping. Staff saw that my ID was from Missouri and asked us to leave. Would say that I won't return but I don't think that's an option.

Dave Hill

It's a quiet bar that serves drinks and allows dogs. Nothing to complain about it's quite nice! We really enjoy coming here.

Jeremy Kane

Pretty cool place, had a party in the back outdoor area and we got to use the grill...That was pretty gangster.

Jose Hernandez

Bartender was cool, definitely knew his product. Laid back atmosphere and decent spirit selection.

Zach Smith

Great Beer selection, beautiful beer garden, free popcorn, and the 4am close time make for a great time.