The best cocktail bars in Chicago

Star bartender Julia Momose presides over this beautiful West Loop cocktail den that's steeped in Japanese heritage. Her menu flows from light and bright to dark and stirred, allowing guests to sip rare liquors and fun ingredients like Bolivian cola bitters, basil shrub and purple sweet potato vinegar. Expect to pay a premium—$15–$27 per cocktail—for some of the best booze you've ever tried.

The first thing you should know about this exclusive micro-bar tucked inside the Chicago Athletic Association is that you need a reservation—mostly because there are only eight seats available. During the two-hour experience, you'll browse a menu of vintage spirits and rare whiskeys, like 1970s Fernet Branca and 1940s Cointreau. Of course, for a taste of the past, you'll pay a pretty penny—the drinks here start around $28 and only go up from there. There's a small food menu with luxe bites (think caviar and foie gras terrine), but the better move is to make a post-tipple reservation at the hotel's Cherry Circle Room so that you don't have to stumble far to pad your belly after all that booze.

The team behind Logan Square spots Union and Lardon also operates this intimate and swanky cocktail bar. Housed in the same century-old building as the other two concepts, Meadowlark provides guests with a cozy den to hang out in—complete with low lighting, comfy leather couches and book-lined shelves. The drinks are all named after birds and there’s also an accompanying menu of small bites. Seating is limited, so be sure to snag a reservation ahead of time.

This sleek cocktail lounge is exactly what you’d expect from a bar named after a line of T.S. Eliot poetry: pristine (the carefully constructed cocktails are excellent), pretentious (you won’t find a sign on the door—just look for the long lines) and, ultimately, completely and unarguably gorgeous. Just make sure to obey the house rules by refraining from talking on your phone and not trying to order a cosmopolitan or any drink followed by the word “bomb.”

The Kimpton Gray's cocktail lounge, Vol. 39, boasts a library-like feel with shelves of books and leather chairs in a modern setting. Sit back and relax with a house old fashioned—made with a blend of cognac, armagnac and Calvados legal precedent—or try the judiciary-inspired Objection! with Stateside vodka, espresso liqueur, cold brew concentrate and cacao. Hungry? Order the wagyu smash burger to soak up the booze.

Chinatown is home to an incredible assortment of restaurants but until 2022, a cocktail bar was missing from the equation. Nine Bar owners Lily Wang and Joe Briglio have given the neighborhood a drinking oasis with this moody, Blade Runner-esque lounge hidden away behind Moon Palace Express. Drop in for Asian-inspired old fashioneds and potent concoctions like the Paradise Lost, made with mango brandy, cachaça, ube, pineapple and Thai coconut milk. There’s also a small menu of snacks, headlined by the terrific McKatsu—breaded pork cutlet—sandwich.

When the Alinea Group does a cocktail bar, it should go without saying that it's no ordinary cocktail bar. At the Aviary, which opened in 2011, cocktails receive the same innovative treatment as the food at Next or Alinea. That is to say, you should expect to drink cocktails like their take on the tropical Jungle Bird (made famous at the Aviary bar at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur), a strong, layered drink with whimsical floating spheres. Too Many Mangos, Not Enough Thyme leaves you satisfied with reposado, cantaloupe, salted thyme ice (whatever that is) and egg whites.

If gin is your liquor of choice, you've come to the right place. This swanky but understated cocktail bar specializes in the clear booze and offers a seasonally rotating lineup of beautiful gin sippers (which are all lovingly illustrated on the menu). The bar team doesn't discriminate: They also use tequila, rum, mezcal, sake and other spirits to craft their beverages.

Brothers Chris and Calvin Marty bought the old Marble Bar and reopened it as Best Intentions. The dive bar charm remains, although the bar is a little sleeker and the drinks are much better. Settle into a table on the big back patio, or sidle up to the bar for minty Wondermint Malted shakes, shots of Angostura bitters (they're the only bar anywhere with the bitters on draft) and a list of well-made classics. Fill up on matzo ball soup or a cheesburger while you're at it.

Who would have guessed longtime Trotter's chef Matthias Merges would find his calling checking IDs at the door of a Logan Square bar? Granted, his is not just any bar: Here, the menu is full of original cocktails and twists on classics packed with loads of amari. Though Billy Sunday is squarely a bar, the food is a worthy companion to the drinks: Don't miss any of the snacks in jars.

You won't soon forget an evening at the Office, a tiny speakeasy hidden below lauded cocktail bar the Aviary in the West Loop. Your best bet is to reserve one of four bar stools for the Office Hour, a 60-minute guided experience that includes two bespoke cocktails and food pairings (ideal for pre- or post-dinner tipples). Can’t decide on a drink? Opt for the Dealer’s Choice and let the expert bartenders craft a concoction tailored to your preferences.

Ever, one of the most luxurious restaurants in Chicago, expanded its footprint in 2022 with the opening of an upscale cocktail bar right next door. Dubbed After, the chic and futuristic-looking lounge provides a new place for Chicagoans to imbibe rare and vintage spirits plus expertly crafted mixed drinks. You’ll have plenty of high-end options to drop your money on, including Japanese whiskies, and scotch and Armagnac flights. And if you’d like some light bites to accompany the drinking, there are premium delicacies like Vietnamese duck wings and caviar flights, too.

The menu at Three Dots and a Dash—and its bar-within-a-bar concept, the Bamboo Room—features exquisite tiki cocktails crafted with fresh pressed juices and house-made syrups. The arsenal of garnishes is next level, with tropical flowers, colorful bendy straws and fresh herbs and citrus. First-timers should start with the namesake cocktail, an agreeable blend of rums, allspice, falernum, orange and lime. After a few drinks, ask for the blue crab rangoons, which are packed with cream cheese and hunks of tender crab meat.

This dimly lit, seriously sexy rathskeller beneath the Hoxton hotel is a great bet for those nights when you want to go somewhere where no one knows your name. The deal is sweetened by a pièce de résistance of a cocktail menu that includes 52 retooled and perfected standards. The Negroni, for instance, mimics the flavor of vintage Campari with a top-secret mixture of bitters, achieving an exquisitely balanced, time-traveling tipple. Whether you want something familiar or out of the ordinary, you'll find no shortage of options here.

Live music and weekly DJ sets take centerstage at this chic and unpretentious River North cocktail bar, where locally-sourced ingredients like honey and kombucha are used to create cocktails that focus on bright, bold flavors (lots of fruit, lots of spice). Whiskey lovers should turn their attention to Arbella’s Traveling Old Fashioned menu for globally-inspired renditions of the classic cocktail, including the Lagos, which blends smoked, spiced-ginger whisky with habanero honey and elderflower.

Located under the Green Door Tavern, the Drifter is a cozy bar from Liz Pearce (Gage, Drawing Room, Aviary), who serves up a rotating selection of cocktails (printed on a tarot card menu). Your order depends on the tarot cards bartenders deal each night, so keep your fingers crossed for the velvety chocolate negroni or South American Mistress, a smooth blend of pisco, vermouth and Fernet, balanced with chocolate liqueur and blackstrap bitters. The space is a former speakeasy and much of the original decor remains; the live performances, curated by Michelle L'amour, feel right at home amidst the vintage vibe.

From the outside, this place looks like a gallery (which, technically, it partially is). On the inside, it’s open and loft-like, with a permanent stage set up for weekly live music and performance. But behind the bar, the drink-slingers have perfected the art of the cocktail, skillfully crafting colorful refreshments that pack a punch. One sip and there’s no doubt that despite everything else going on here, the drinks are the reason to stick around.

Serious drinkers have never had much reason to frequent Wrigleyville until Matthias Merges opened this restaurant and bourbon bar across the street from the Friendly Confines in 2018. The shelves are stocked with countless vintage releases and for those willing to open their wallets, there are several bottles of Pappy van Winkle on offer, too. The cocktail program is also fantastic—headlined by the Three Finger Old Fashioned featuring Mordecai’s house bourbon.

This queer, Black women-owned cocktail bar in Andersonville serves twists on classic drinks amid a sleek and sexy atmosphere. Owners Renauda Riddle and Angela Barnes augment martinis, mimosas and sangrias with pops of lychee, mango, and blueberry basic syrup. Inspired by the famous Alice Walker poem from which the bar takes its name, cocktails fall into one of three categories, Featured Darlings (elevated classics), Golden Girls and Keep It Cute (zero-proof).

Try googling “The Alderman Chicago” and you’ll be lost in a sea of city websites—and maybe that’s intentional. The 16-seat speakeasy-style bar, tucked away in an inky black side room of Pilsen Yards, offers an intimate hideaway for sipping through beverage director Lance Bowman’s sophisticated cocktail menu, plus a long list of spirit pours. Word to the wise: Don’t show up without a reservation, especially on the weekends.

Boka Restaurant Group co-founder Rob Katz and business partner Matt Ruder have transformed the space that once housed Emmit’s Irish Pub into an elegant cocktail lounge. Designed by Kehoe Designs, The Pearl Club is sophisticated yet cozy, sporting floor-to-ceiling velvet drapes, rich wooden tones, a restored grand bar and other artful touches. You'll imbibe unique riffs on classic libations and when you need a snack, the kitchen turns out complementary bites like pigs in a blanket and double crunch chicken nuggets.

With vibrant green houseplants from Sunnyside Plants lining the bar, the vibe at this Portage Park cocktaillery is as lush and dreamy as its cocktail menu. The repertoire features standards from a guajillo margarita to a Michelada, alongside creative originals like the frozen Honey Dip, featuring botanist gin, white vermouth, elderflower tonic and peppercorn or the summery Kiss and Tell, which combines tequila, mezcal, watermelon and lime with Milkis.

Located in the back of Moreno’s Liquors—which has sold hard-to-find tequila and mezcal in Little Village for more than 40 years—this lofty speakeasy leans into its locale with a robust selection of agave-focused cocktails spiked with ingredients like ancho chile, lavander bitters and jamaica, plus an impressive draft beer list to boot. Slide into high-backed booths in the bar’s historic interior, or grab seats at the patio and soak up the sunshine. 

If the thought of being crammed in this tiny boxcar of a bar makes you nervous, relax. The patio practically doubles the capacity of the place, and it’s the perfect spot to throw back one of its margaritas, made with fresh lemon and lime juice, top-shelf liquors and powdered sugar, and poured with a heavy hand.

You can’t feel more hip than sipping the Pisco, a blend of rhubarb, lime, Cocchi Americano, piña bitters and piscos, and swaying to the vintage Latin beats played on vinyl under the string lights of this Logan Square bar. The brass light fixtures, wood paneled bar, suede stools, leafy green plants accented by pale blue tiles create a soothing and intimate setting as you sip their pan-Latin American cocktails. If you need a pick-me-up, the Coffee, featuring 4-Letter Word cold brew, house horchata, and cañada aguardiente de caña, will certainly keep you grooving to the tropical cumbia.

This Albany Park lounge takes its name from a photography term for the dreamy, out-of-focus look achieved by fast-moving lenses, and its interior—all dim lights, sleek furniture and brick walls—offers a similarly sexy aesthetic. Cocktails rotate based on the season, but the core menu favors bold and vegetal spirits; the signature Bokeh cocktail, for example, uses Fernet and cardamom to enliven a traditional sour, while the summery Camera Obscura brings together mint-infused bourbon, watermelon juice, lemon and peychaud bitters.

Enjoy tiki cocktails to the east of Humboldt Park at this Caribbean-inspired lounge, which thankfully feels more like a spot for a late-night rendezvous than the cheesy hotel bar at an all-inclusive resort. There’s a solid selection of classic tiki drinks that even the inexperienced drinker will probably recognize, but the original (and frozen options) are more exciting. Cool off with a frozen Pina Colada or try something new with the rum old fashioned or the lavender gin fizz.

Everything about The Dandy Crown draws you in, from the jewel-box blue interior to the colorful murals lining the summer-perfect patio. But of course, the real draw is the drinks—try a house-made craft creation like the passionfruit-apricot-almond Sixth Rock from the Sun or sip some history with their drink selections pored from vintage publications. A solid menu of shareables, salads and sweets complements a leisurely afternoon of sipping and socializing.

Up leopard-print stairs and behind a hidden door, Wicker Park’s Bordel is a speakeasy that seeks to revive the intrigue of Paris’s belle époque. Order one of the classics, like the boozy Spanish coffee, and settle into the plush red seats as you take in the bar’s nightly entertainment. The large format porróns are the perfect accompaniment to watching the scantily-clad fire dancers and burlesque performers that frequent the stage at this lively bar late into the evening.

Breezy vibes permeate throughout this Humboldt Park bar, thanks in large part to its comfy and spacious patio. Order a drink at the outdoor bar and head for the seats under the pergola. If the weather turns unpleasant, you can retreat to the all-seasons corner that’s equipped with a fireplace. On the beverage front, enjoy a collection of strong and boozy cocktails (Hi) or easy slippers (Lo), as well as several spritz offerings.

Ten years from now, when this strip of Armitage is populated with coffee shops and vintage clothing stores, this old-school, soul record–playing, classic cocktail–mixing bar will be overrun with hipsters vying for their turn in the photo booth or a spot at the shuffleboard table. Start hanging out here now so you can say you knew it in the good, old days.

Sip an innovative cocktail while enjoying a breathtaking view of Chicago's skyline at the rooftop lounge of Wicker Park's Robey hotel. Try the Oaxacan on Broken Glass, a powerfully smoky blend of mezcal and hellfire bitters. If sweet is more your style, order a Love U-Bae with coconut rum and ube. Be prepared for a wait—the lounge only seats 35 people—but when you get to the front of the queue, also be prepared to be blown away.

Located below Dusek’s Board & Beer, this dark, ’70s-themed bar is decorated with a fish tank, wood paneling and a huge fish on the wall. Think of it as an upgraded, boozy version of your grandparents' basement. Like its name suggests, punch is the main draw here—and you can order most cocktails by the glass, carafe or bowl. Whether you go big or small, you'll experience the genius and precision happening behind the bar at Punch House. If you're looking for a good place to start, order the milk punch, a blend of rum, coconut, lemon and chai tea. After a few glasses, you'll be ready to head upstairs to piano bar Tack Room.

Chicago's unofficial Best Rooftop Bar for Your Out-of-Town Visitors also boasts fantastic beverage program. Order the funky Trouble Will Find Me or a tropical Warm It Up, Cane and secure a spot on the sprawling rooftop deck, which offers sweeping views of Millennium Park, the Bean and the surrounding skyline.

The menu at this underground speakeasy—located beneath celebrity chef José Andrés' flagship restaurant, Jaleo—centers around one thing: The pig. You'll find braised pig ears and croquettes filled with jamón ibérico as well as inventive savory beverages like the Consomé Cocktail, a combination of a house-made pork consomé with palo cortado and amontillado sherries topped with egg foam. 

As one of Chicago's latest late-night bars (open till 5am on Saturdays), Celeste is equally suited for date night and last call. The welcoming first-floor bar slings killer cocktails that are easy to love, including takes on classics like a refreshing cucumber Collins. After a few rounds, boogie on up to Disco to hit the dance floor and order bottle service.

Although it's one of the newest additions to the Fulton Market strip, Bisous has already proven itself to be a local favorite and heavy hitter. The Parisian-themed cocktail bar transports you to the swanky days of yesteryear, with libations to match. There's an entire subsection of drinks paying homage to the classic martini, but respectable signatures like the saffron-based almost RICH & almost FAMOUS or Agricole Daiquiri are rave-worthy as well. The snack menu is quite modest so make sure to grab some grub before heading over to Bisous for the perfect nightcap.