There’s no shortage of steakhouses in Chicago, so it was not surprising when the UK’s famed Hawksmoor opened its doors at the iconic LaSalle Street Cable Car Powerhouse last year. The more than 16,000-square-foot restaurant landed in River North following a New York City debut in 2021.
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This month, Hawksmoor introduces Beef & Liberty Bar, an all-new, 40-seat bar and lounge on the restaurant’s second floor. Drawing inspiration from the motherland, the London-style cocktail den is outfitted with exposed brick, glossy paneling, plush booths and moody decor reminiscent of swanky Soho watering holes.
Chicagoan Katie Renshaw, 2019 World Class US Bartender of the Year, serves as lead bartender, alongside bar director and Hawksmoor veteran Liam Davy. “This menu takes its cue from the cocktail renaissance that swept through London in the late `90s and early `00s,” says Davy. “It was glamorous, but with real London swagger. Rockstars, supermodels, gangsters and geezers, side-by-side in dark Soho basements sipping new drinks, many of which have become modern classics… The new [bar] channels this cultural and cocktailing vibrancy of London at the turn of the millennium.”
Drinks like the Park Lane Cosmo and ‘Ello Treacle (rum-spiked Old Fashioned) nod to Hawksmoor’s UK roots. Also on offer will be the new Duke’s Martini, served at a chilling -2°F in insulated flasks, as well as cult favorites like Shaky Pete’s Ginger Brew and the Sour Cherry Negroni. Classic British bar snacks like sausage rolls with Cabot cloth-bound cheddar and scotch eggs with smoked apple ketchup round out the menu.
Beef & Liberty Bar will continue to host world-renowned bars from across the globe (London’s Satan’s Whiskers and Bangkok’s Vesper previously popped up there). A series of iconic London bars is slated to take over throughout 2026.