When the clock hits 2am in Chicago, your night on the town doesn't have to end. While most bars in the city have to close up shop two hours after midnight, a few local watering holes are able to stay open until 4am each night (and until 5am on Saturdays!). These late–night establishments are scattered throughout the city, but you'll find dive bars, a few karaoke bars and some nightclubs where you can keep the party going until just before the sun comes up.
Do your future self a favor and bookmark this tab for the next time the clock strikes 2am and you're looking for your next move.
RECOMMENDED: The best late-night restaurants in Chicago
September 30, 2025: I'm not proud to admit it, but I'm somewhat of a subject matter expert when it comes to the best late-night bars in Chicago. I familiarized myself with the top spots (for research, of course!) plenty of times in my early twenties, and now, I bestow upon you our expertly reported guide to Chicago's best late-night bars.
Our recent revision of this list features one major change: the omission of beloved 60-year-old Lincoln Square karaoke bar Hidden Cove, which unfortunately shuttered earlier this month. There are plenty of other places to sing your heart out, though, like Alice's Lounge and Uptown Lounge (which now also operates as a daytime cafe), as well as more chill spots like Elixir.
Time Out has also instituted a sitewide change in review policies. Our food and drink venues included in guides now have star ratings, with five stars corresponding to “amazing,” four to “great” and three to “good,” and we’ve also standardized how most listings are structured. For more on our new policies, feel free to check out How we review at Time Out.