Butch McGuire's Inc. Email Format

Food and Beverage ServicesIllinois, United States11-50 Employees

In 1961, Butch McGuire borrowed a little money from his mother and opened a saloon on Division Street in Chicago's Gold Coast. He called it a singles bar — and in doing so, invented the concept entirely.

Over 60 years later, Butch McGuire's is still here. Still family-owned. Still the standard by which everything else on Division Street is measured.

What started as a neighborhood hangout has become a Chicago institution. More than 10,000 couples have met within these walls. Butch himself was credited with creating the Harvey Wallbanger and the Skip and Go Naked, and was the first in Chicago to serve a Bloody Mary with a celery stick. He pioneered hiring female bartenders and managers at a time when almost no one else did.

Today the traditions he built live on under the management of his son, Bobby McGuire — from the world-famous Christmas decorations (40,000 lights, double-decker trains, and a tradition of raising money for Mercy Home for Boys & Girls of Chicago) to the late-night kitchen, the iconic patio, and a bar that still feels like it belongs to the neighborhood.

And we added one more tradition of our own: Christmas In Your Mouth — a signature shot created, batched, and scaled in-house that's become one of the most talked-about drinks in Chicago every holiday season.

Come in for a burger, a Bloody Mary, or a shot of something special. Stay because you can't help it.

20 W. Division St. · Chicago, IL · Open until 4am (5am Saturdays)

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