Celtic Crossings - On the Endangered Species List

After confirming with one of the owners (well, now ex-owners) that this info was approved for public dissemination, I'm sad to say that Celtic Crossings (751 N. Clark St.), in my opinion the most authentic Irish pub in Chicago, has been sold.

The original owners have been kept on as managers of sort for the time being, but the changes have already begun: there is now a big flat screen TV mounted in the back room, breaking with a 20+ year tradition (the owners believe that TVs prevent good conversation, and so refused to have one in their pub).

John (mustachioed John, that is), mentioned to my wife the desire to buy another bar somewhere in the city...so there is a silver lining, I guess. I can always hope that his new venture will also be conveniently located three blocks from my apartment

Khaopaat wrote:After confirming with one of the owners (well, now ex-owners) that this info was approved for public dissemination, I'm sad to say that Celtic Crossings (751 N. Clark St.), in my opinion the most authentic Irish pub in Chicago, has been sold.

The original owners have been kept on as managers of sort for the time being, but the changes have already begun: there is now a big flat screen TV mounted in the back room, breaking with a 20+ year tradition (the owners believe that TVs prevent good conversation, and so refused to have one in their pub).

John (mustachioed John, that is), mentioned to my wife the desire to buy another bar somewhere in the city...so there is a silver lining, I guess. I can always hope that his new venture will also be conveniently located three blocks from my apartment

I was just in there on Friday for my sister and BIL's going away party (they are moving to Korea today). The BIL is a long time regular and he was stunned at the presence of televisions. I guess this explains it.

Great bar, I sure hope John is able to find a new location!

Great pub, sad to hear of the changes. The craic was always ninety there

The total destruction of Celtic Crossings continues...my wife walked by it yesterday and spotted a banner advertising bar trivia and a DJ. The last time I stopped in, I saw that their Sunday drink special was a margarita ("It's Su Casa's recipe!", the manager/owner's son boasted).

Sounds like the new owner's apparent dream to own a generic DePaul bar in the Gold Coast has come to fruition. Perhaps I should rename this thread to "Celtic Crossings - Extinct"?

I wonder if the Irish expats that used to pack the place have found someplace better to congregate now that Celtic Crossings is a joke....