Beckett's Public House

Photo: Andrew Nawrocki

For one recently opened bar of vaguely Celtic distinction, “Irish” simply refers to the waitresses in kilts. For another, “Irish” means beer pitchers with blocks of ice in the middle to keep the booze cold. But when Martin Cournane says he’s opening an Irish joint, we think of something more traditional. Specifically, we think of his handsome East Lakeview bar Wilde, which follows those old-world guidelines—ample wood paneling, Guinness and Harp on tap—to which all Irish pubs should adhere. And indeed Beckett’s Public House, which opened last week in the former Belly’s space in Lakeview, shares much with Wilde. That doesn’t make it a cookie-cutter copy—its literary bent is Beckett, not Wilde, and the aesthetic, according to Cournane, is a bit more contemporary and industrial. And certainly Irish. 3210 N Lincoln Ave, 773-880-9620.

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