Best Beer Gardens In Chicago

Alas, warm weather in Chicago is fleeting. So do your drinking while you can at one of the city's outdoor beer gardens.

Want some recommendations? Here are some of the more interesting seasonal spots to hoist a few.

Cork & Kerry
10614 S. Western Ave.
(773) 445-2675

The South Side Irish Parade is no more, but the Beverly taverns that anchored the event are still around. Among them is the venerable Cork & Kerry, which features an expansive beer garden.

Navy Pier Beer Garden
700 E. Grand Ave.
(312) 595-5446
www.chicagosbestbeergarden.com

OK, Navy Pier is the city's most touristy location, but what can we say? The cordoned-off area for drinkers on the east side of the man-made peninsula delivers the goods with a sweeping expanse of Lake Michigan and the city skyline. It's run by the Phil Stefani restaurant chain; a variety of food and drink specials are offered.

O'Brien's Riverwalk Café
45 E. Riverwalk
(312) 346-3131
www.obriensrestaurant.com

O'Brien's is an Old Town staple along Wells Street, and there's a nice streetside seating are there. But in recent years, the restaurant has opened seasonal digs along the Chicago River, a flight of stairs down from Wacker Drive, as part of the city's redevelopment of the riverfront.

Resi's Bierstube
2034 W. Irving Park Road
(773) 472-1749

Resi's has been around for decades just south of Lincoln Square, the neighborhood once identified for its German heritage. Sausages and German beers are the name of the game here, and there is nothing more pleasant than quaffing a "hefeweizen" from a tall glass at Resi's secluded beer garden.

Sheffield's

3258 N. Sheffield Ave.
(773) 281-4989
www.sheffieldschicago.com

Sheffield's is one of the many food-serving taverns in Wrigleyville, but this barbecue-focused restaurant is distinguished by its fenced-in beer garden, a pleasant side yard of picnic tables under a towering tree.