Landshark Beer Garden

During the summer this place is a cool hangout to hear some good live bands and have a drink and watch fireworks or people. the people watching can be hysterical if you consume a few mai tais lolol

Ended up here because I wanted a snack in the Navy Pier area. Opted to sit in the section with a server due to a long line to order food and sit down on your own. This was in hind site a poor decision because the service was awful. Our drinks came out with the food. When we asked the server about them prior to the food arriving, she gawked and stated that the «runner» brings them from the back. We ordered the loaded cheese fries, what made them delicious was the pickled vegetables on top. I am now obsessed and want to add pickled vegetables to everything! The brat was so so. All in all, I would not recommend or go back to eat. However, It had a great setting with an awesome view, so I wouldn’t be opposed to going back for a drink and people watching.

Nice place at the very end of the pier for you to sit back and enjoy a nice cold alcoholic drink. They have lots of beer on tap. I got the Van Gogh Palm Arnold drink and it was really yummy and refreshing.
The place has 2 bars on both ends and lots of patio seatings for you to rest and soak in the nice view of the Chicago skyline and Michigan Lake. Lots of good music accompanying the view.

Good venue for live music and free concerts. It’s located at the very end of Navy Pier. There are a lot of picnic tables for sitting and relaxing on the sides of the stage and there is a large open area in front of the stage for dancing or standing around. The parking lot is super expensive, so save money and take public transportation. Go to the drink counter on the right side of the stage for the larger beer selection. I was paying $ 6 something with tax for the Lagunitas IPA on draft. And It takes forrrrever to get a beer towards the end of the night since the service is pretty slow.

It is what it is here
–Drinks
–Food
–View
Nothing too special here, just a quick stop for most walking by if you want something fast.

Look here folks. I am going to save you from a headache… do NOT spend all day walking the city expecting to starve yourself in the expectation that a wonderful dinning experience awaits you at the end of the pier…
Yes… The views were nice and the beer was cold. Around $ 5 – 7 a beer, understandable for a tourist trap. Had live entertainment that was really good. My complaint is the food and the service.
The waitress was just absolutely inexperienced, clueless and beyond anything I had ever seen. Came to take our order…10 mins after she already took it.(??), forgot to put the order in, forgot to bring sauces that came with the meal, took FOREVER to bring the bill.
The food was just terrible. Burger was cold, fries were cold, chicken fingers cold, teeny tiny shrimp in the fried shrimp basket…
So…if you are planning on spending $ 50 at this location, just get beer, enjoy the music/​views and stay away from the food.

This beer garden is located towards the end of the pier and sometimes there will be a live band depending on when you go.
I found that elsewhere on Navy Pier seems to be more popular and populous. Although, if you want a view and a little seclusion, this is the place to be.

Haven’t eaten here yet, just walked by taking my brothers on a tour of Navy Pier. I will update my review upon actually eating/​drinking here.

Reasonable prices for beer, $ 5 or $ 6, food is average bar type food, but also not ridiculous prices.
Of course, you’re going for the atmosphere. If the music isn’t to your taste, head out to the back area and just enjoy the beautiful lake views. The music is all over the places, primarily rock cover bands, but I’ve heard salsa music and R & B.

I’ve seen a few of my favorite cover bands (Rodd Tuffcurls!) and tribute bands (American English) play here. No cover, and if you’re lucky enough to get good weather, it’s the perfect spot for a summer concert.
Food and drinks are of course on the pricey side, but they do have some specials.
Monday: $ 3 Bud Light, $ 6.50 Corona Shrimp Basket
Tuesday: $ 5 Summer Shandy draft, $ 6 «Ginormous» Brat
Wednesday: $ 4.50 «Chicago Style» Hotdog, $ 5.50 Goose Island 312
Thursday: $ 6 Cheeseburgers, $ 5.25 Stellas
Friday: $ 9 Slice of Pizza + Miller Lite

So Navy Pier is clearly a tourist trap, but since I was a tourist I figured why not. I am glad I took the bus (something I would never do at home) because parking would have been pricey. This place is extremely crowded with tourist, so if I was a local I would avoid it unless it was the of season if such exists. However, Landshark was probably my favorite part of the whole thing. They offer a variety of beer, and of course some others beers are cheaper at smaller stands, but Landshark beer is cheaper here by far. They have live bands which is really what makes this place worth it. It is nice to sit outside under an umbrella off the water and enjoy a beer here. Somewhere to definitely hang out before going to the movies or after. I’d return again on days the pier was having fireworks.

Here’s the deal. I’m a local and I hate Navy pier. I mean I hate it.
But… This place does book some pretty decent local Chicago bands that make their rounds on the summer festival circuit and they charge nothing for admission. +2 stars
Great place to enjoy a cold beverage and catch the fireworks +1 star
Yea you’re ordering beer from a concession stand and yea Navy Pier sucks but hey, I was pleasantly surprised by this place. I’d go here again to catch a free music show and enjoy a beverage or 2.

I have to agree with Unilocaler Christine R. — some of these reviews are harsh! First rule of thumb: Take the fact that a corporate beer brand has created a «biergarten» in the middle of Navy Pier, and understand this fact fully before you head on down and expect to be wowed. Rather, take it for what it is and go enjoy Navy Pier with a cold drink in your hand. The Beer Garden is allll the way at the end, away from everyone, with a great view and a quiet (er) atmosphere. You can have a beer — nope there’s not a tremendous selection, and yeah it’s overpriced — but don’t stop at the beer stand by the entrance, actually walk into the Garden and over to the right, where they have another much larger bar with more options. Then grab a table and sit outside and look at the water while you listen to some live music on a Saturday afternoon or evening.
After reviewing the menu, I already knew I didn’t want to eat here. But when I saw that Navy Pier (which I wanted to check out regardless, just to see it!) had a beer garden, I knew this would be the perfect place for me to hunker down and enjoy all that touristy wonderment. I wasn’t wrong. I didn’t have overly high expectatations and I had a great time! You can even get here without walking through all the Navy Pier rigamaroll — if you walk the «back way» on the opposide side of the pier, you can reach the Landshark Beer Garden without having to push and shove your way through the teeming mess of people that are exporing every nook and cranny of the pier.

Unless you’re a tourist or 8 years old, Navy Pier is really a nightmare. My favorite cover band was playing their last show here, however, so we braved the crowds and it actually was a really great night.
The stage agea has plenty of room to stand and rock out or just sit comfortably at a table. The beer selection is much better than I would have imagined, including some local brews like Two Brothers and Flying Dog. Most beers are around $ 6 – 7, which is really not so bad considering what a tourist trap this place is. Service was neither quick nor friendly, but oh well, I was here for my band!
It was a Wednesday night, so we got to take advantage of the firework show, rock out to great music, and even got to hang out with the Canadian Navy crew in town for Navy Week! Overall a great night.

Location and price is absolutly perfect! Service is horrible! We had to order our drinks by 2s because we knew our waiter would not be back to see if we needed anything any sooner than every 20 mins. We got our appitizers and food all at the same time! I mean, what do u expect ?? Its fast food!

Overall, meh… good location at the end of Navy Pier, but more of a late afternoon type of place than for the evening… it gets pretty dead at night. The ordering is a little bit of a cluster, and there are no servers (in most of it). They do sometimes have bands, which is cool. Didn’t have the food, but looked pretty mediocre– hot dogs et al. Not a bad place to have a beer though if you’re out by the lake on a sunny afternoon…

Man you people are harsh… Free fireworks show, endless people watching, icey icey cold drinks (Pink Vodka Lemoade — yum), friendly and beautiful faces, old people dancing and singing to live bands? This place was so feel good I wanted to cry at the thought of going back home to DC. Very family and dog friendly — yeah it’s touristy but what a great attraction to have so close to your home. THIS is a pier/​harbour, National Harbor has nothing on Navy Pier. Stop being such pus-pus’s and have another drink.

The food here is your garden variety heat and serve bar food. Actually, I’ve had better bar food and heck of a lot service. I understand that working a tourist arena may be a bit annoying with people asking questions all the time but, not everyone is a tourist and sarcasm to greet someone is a negative.
Food ²⁄₅
Service 1/5…3/5 till the waiter picked up my plate while I was still eating and rushed away. And was a sarcastic
Ambiance: ⁴⁄₅ Lake Michiigan and live music
Overall: ²⁄₅ I can now say I have been here and that is about it. Kind of pricey food and drink.

Being a tourist in Chi-​town, figured I should mix into a tourist trap and you would be hard pressed to find a better one than Navy Pier.
Regardless it was fun, but I point out that the Landshark Beer Garden is at the end of the pier, and as you walk towards it, about every 100 feet further down the pier, the beer prices increase $ 0.50. So if you’re going to indulge in beverages, go ahead and get one early in your walk down there.
Plenty of picnic tables, seating, and live music to keep you entertained, and a selection of 10 – 12 beers as well as wine, spirits and pub fare type food.

I cannot believe no one has reviewed this place yet… or may be I am missing something! Anyway, LBG is a real awesome joint for Chiocagoans to hangout, especially in summer as you can enjoy the view of the lake at the vibrant Navy Pier sipping cold beer! What more can you ask for? Also they have live music and music festivals in summer which makes this place a not to miss destination in Chicago!
Thumbs up:
1. Music, ambiance
2. Food is not that bad… jerk chicken sandwhich available!
Thumbs down:
1. Not for winter (not sure whether they are open in winter)/rain/chilly days in Chicago
P. S. This was my first post as a UnilocalElite! Yay!!!