In Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, where corner taverns are stitched into the cultural fabric of the South Side, Shinnick’s Pub stands as a living piece of the city’s past. Open since 1938, the bar proudly holds the title as Chicago’s oldest Irish bar, and it’s still run by the same family that took it over just after Prohibition ended.
The story begins when George and Mary (Healy) Shinnick took over the bar at 3758 S. Union Avenue in 1938. Just down the street from Al Capone’s famed Manhattan Brewing Company, the Shinnick name went up on the building and a Chicago tavern legacy was born.
Nearly three decades later, in 1966, the bar was passed down to the next generation when George Jr. and Celine (Dougherty) Shinnick took over with a plan: keep the pub rooted in family, community, and tradition…