Anthony Settipani

When the sun is shining, Chicagoans can't help but flock to the water. Whether you prefer the calmness of the Chicago River or the vastness of Lake Michigan, there's no better way to take it all in than with an ice-cold beverage in hand. It's no wonder that some of Chicago's best bars are located along the river and lake—or at least offer a peek at the water through the skyscrapers. Here are eight bars serving up waterfront views alongside their cocktails. RECOMMENDED: Best bars in Chicago

Hotel bars carry a certain stigma: uninspired, übercorporate settings designed for business-class nightcaps after a long day of traveling. Bland, pedestrian—no thanks. But not all hotel bars are created equal, and some are even starting to compete with Chicago's best bars. These new gems at some of the city's finest lodgings pull out all the stops to present a top-notch experience. Be careful, though. You may find yourself wanting to grab a room for a quick staycation by the end of the night.

They say there’s a spirit for every occasion, and you can find them all in Chicago—after all, with a cocktail bar scene providing us with endless Bloody Marys and old-fashioneds there’s plenty of drinks to enjoy in the city. There are whiskeys to warm your winter nights, gins to while away a summer afternoon and everything in between. So why not spend an afternoon or evening at the watering holes that provide Chicago with our very own local liquors? Here’s a look into some of Chicago’s best craft spirits and distilleries. RECOMMENDED: Our guide to cocktails in Chicago

Look, we get it. It's hard being cooped up inside all day daydreaming about rooftop yoga sessions when summer is upon us. Fortunately, there's no shortage of post-work happy hours to look forward to this month. Here are the best deals happening in June.  Monday–Friday: Latinicity Food Hall + Lounge, the bustling lunch destination inside Block 37, quiets down at the end of the day. Stop in and chill out from 4 to 7pm with $5 Margarita Tradicionales and Sangria Roja or Blanca plus $3 draft beer.  Monday–Friday: Tacos are the winning move at Broken English, Chicago's expanding Mexican pub headquartered in the Loop. From 4 to 7pm, cash in on $2 sweet and tangy pork carnitas tacos and $3 imported beers. Rinse and repeat. Monday–Friday: From 5 to 6pm and 9 to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, Bottlefork welcomes gin lovers for its Gin & Tonic Happy Hour, featuring mix-and-match cocktails for $8 each. Choose from local spirits like FEW or more widespread varieties like Hendrick's and Damrak, then pick your tonic and botanicals.   Monday–Friday: It’s hard to argue with half-price beers on tap, but half-off everything (except shots)? We'll take it. Throw in a great neighborhood vibe, good music and ultra-friendly bartenders, and you've got a winning combination at Lincoln Park's AliveOne. Happy hour runs 5–7pm on weekdays. Saturday–Sunday: Who says happy hour has to be about booze? Real Good Juice Co. is riding the happy hour wave with what they're calling the “Ecstatic 121 Minutes and 4

Ice cream may be good for the soul, but it’s not exactly magic for your waistline. During the warmer months, it can feel like every moment should be spent with a refreshing frozen treat clutched in your hand. In the name of balancing this desire with your quest for the perfect beach body, here's a lineup of our favorite frozen treats that aren’t quite as guilt-inducing.  Snow Dragon Shavery: With locations in Lincoln Park, Evanston and Navy Pier, Snow Dragon serves up the kind of fine-shaved frozen magic that you used to only get from scraping the top off a fresh snowfall. Since enjoying a frozen treat was probably the last thing on your mind this past winter, Show Dragon is here to take the edge off of the summer heat with Taiwanese-style shaved snow, available in flavors such as green tea, fruit lover, key lime and mango. TrueNorth: A kale banana smoothie is a health-conscious dream come true. At Andersonville’s TrueNorth cafe, this smoothie with kale, pineapple juice, coconut water, banana, avocado and mint is also a perennial bestseller—you'll find people from all over the city in line to get a taste.  Lifeway Kefir Shop: You can find several Lifeway outposts in both the city and the suburbs, blending together fresh-cut fruits with vitamin supplements and Lifeway’s “champagne of dairy” kefir frozen cultured milk. Low-fat and high in protein and probiotics, it’s hard to feel guilty for absolutely destroying your smoothie in about six seconds flat. No judgement.  Yogurt Squ

May is the beginning of patio season in Chicago, when restaurants and bars blow the dust off of their sun umbrellas and set up shop both inside and outside their doors. In honor of that, here are six of Chicago’s must-partake happy hours for May—some indoors, some outdoors and some with a little of both. Sunday-Friday: Gold Coast barbecue joint Chicago Q hosts its happy hour from 4–6:30 pm every day except Saturday, offering $2 bar bites, $4 beers, $6 wine by the glass and $8 cocktails. Bar bites include nachos, taquitos and sliders, which include your choice of sliced brisket, brisket meatball, pulled pork, pulled chicken or cheese burgers. Saturday-Sunday: Stop by 312 Chicago for Waggin’ Weekends on the patio of this Italian restaurant in the Loop, where an in-house purchase made between 11am and 2pm will get your pup a complimentary chef-made treat off of the special doggie menu, designed by 312 Executive Chef Luca Corazzina. Monday-Friday: If you’re looking for a carefree spot to spend an afternoon outdoors, consider the Miller Light Beer Garden at Navy Pier, opening this month and offering a different special every day of the week from 4pm to 6pm. Monday-Friday: Getting in before 8pm makes you an early bird as far as the folks at The Owl in Logan Square are concerned. Sit down anytime between 6pm-8pm and enjoy half-off all beers and cocktails on the bar’s extensive menu. Monday-Friday: It's hard to beat Nellcote's weekly offer of a gourmet pizza ten-inch pizza and beer,

Chicago is a frozen tundra for nearly half the year, so it's only natural that we crave a little taste of Hawaii in the form of poke. Thankfully, Chicago chefs and restauranteurs have kept the fishy trend alive and well with creative takes on the classic dish. Here are a few of our favorite poke bowls in the city.  Firefin Poké Shop: This growing fast-casual chain was one of the first on the poke scene in Chicago. Try the Tree Fish, a blend of ahi, albacore and salmon with a spicy honey mayo sauce. The shop’s menu stretches the definition of poke, which simply means “chopped,” to include dishes centered around chicken, marinated tofu and snow crab. Mahalo: Stop by Wicker Park’s modern Hawaiian kitchen for Poke Tuesdays, when all poke dishes are half off. Check out the salmon poke bowl, which is topped with assorted vegetables, sesame-yuzu crunch and citrus-wasabi aioli.  Joy District: This multilevel River North bar is known for its creative fusion cuisine, like Spanish octopus tacos and phyllo-wrapped tiger shrimp. But you must try executive chef Matt Wilde’s unique take on poke—raw fish stuffed inside tiny ice cream cones.  Yard House: Poke might be the last thing you’d expect to see at this beer-centric sports bar. Chef Carlito Jocson’s poke nachos are a true collision of cultures with marinated ahi tuna topped with avocado, cilantro, serrano peppers, sesame seeds, nori and green onions. The dish, which sits on a bed of crispy wonton chips, is finished off with a drizzle o

The words "garden salad" should be taken with a grain of salt at most traditional diners and cafés, but for several Chicago restaurants, it's an authentic stamp of quality. In recent years, a growing number of local establishments have taken it upon themselves to become more in tune with their ingredients by starting gardens of their own. Whether it gives them a leg up on sustainability or just a dash of hyper-local flavor, here are a few of our favorite garden-to-table restaurants in Chicago.  Frontera Grill: Chef Rick Bayless is often credited with pioneering garden-to-table cooking in Chicago, and his restaurants reflect that approach. In 2005, he converted the backyard of his Bucktown home into an edible garden designed to supply his restaurants with fresh produce and herbs year-round. His menus seek to work in equilibrium with the changing seasons, producing salad greens, herbs, tomatoes, edible flowers, butternut squash and more. 23rd St. Café at McCormick Place: Savor...Chicago, which manages food preparation at McCormick Place, is far from your average catering company. In 2013, the Chicago Botanic Garden got permission to plant a sprawling rooftop farm atop the massive convention center, which now claims distinction as the largest rooftop farm in the Midwest. Check out the Windy City Harvest section of the menu for dishes prepared fresh with garden-grown ingredients, such as the garden herb salad with sun-dried Michigan cherries. Uncommon Ground: Uncommon Ground offe

Let's face it, bar food can get really old, really fast. Why not save room (and cash) for some of Chicago's finest drinks by hitting up a BYOF (bring your own food) joint? Here are a few of our favorites.  Empirical Brewery: Pack yourself a doggy bag when you visit this dog-friendly brewery Lincoln Square, complete with arcade games, eclectic decor and monthly karaoke nights. Choose from a respectable variety of science-themed beers, both established and experimental.  The Jazz Showcase: See jazz greats perform at this Chicago institution in South Loop. Located in the old Dearborn Station around the corner from Harold Washington Library, Jazz Showcase has played host to the likes of Roy Hargrove, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.  Vice District Brewing Co.: Enjoy some local flavor at the Vice District taproom, where you can pair handcrafted Chicago brews with food from the heart of the city. Located within walking distance of Soldier Field, Museum Campus and countless other downtown attractions, the taproom welcomes dogs, babies and even folks just looking to get a little work done on the free WiFi. Map Room: Your takeout order is welcome at this exploration-themed watering hole in Bucktown. Decorated with travel memorabilia and home to an expansive selection of beers from around the world, this bar is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Galway Bay: It doesn’t get more classic Chicago than this subterranean pub located just up t

Spring in Chicago is a time for new beginnings: new friendships, new adventures... and new happy hour deals! We rounded up the offers that have us spending the month of April daydreaming at our desks as we wait for the workday to end. Monday–Friday: Kick back at Cold Storage, located inside Swift & Sons in Fulton Market, from 3–6pm throughout the work week. In addition to dollar oysters and $3 draft beers, get yourself geared up for spring with a pull from the bar's brand new rosé tap. Monday–Friday: Now that the city is finally starting to defrost, who isn't looking for a nice patio buzz after spending all day in the office? At Mercat a la Planxa in the South Loop, enjoy half off the restaurant's sangria and signature cocktails from 4–6pm, all while digging into a complimentary order of "pan con tomate," or Spanish tomato bread.  Monday–Friday: Finish off the workday like a high-roller at Vol. 39, located on the second floor of Chicago's Kimpton Grey Hotel. From 3:30–5:30pm, the bar offers pours of Louis XIII Cognac for the opulent price of $100 per half-ounce. Or, if you'd like more bang for your buck, enjoy a simple flute of Dom Perignon for $40 per glass.  Tuesday–Friday: Stop by Chiya Chai in Logan Square from 3–6pm and enjoy $2 off exotic chai tea cocktails such as the Honey Mango Margarita and the RumChaiTea, a classic horchata accented with masala chai, rum and Kahlua.  Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday: For those who enjoy a full meal with their drinks, the Izakaya at

There’s nothing better than a steaming cup of hot chocolate to help get you through Chicago's coldest days, but there’s something extra special about the gentle bite of cocoa that’s brewed with a little chile and spice. Maybe it’s the pepper, maybe it’s the south-of-the-border flare, or maybe it’s just that it makes you feel all warm and chocolatey inside—no matter how you slice it, a Mexican hot chocolate will quell your shivering. We picked five places you can go when you find yourself wandering the chilly streets in need of cocoa with a kick.  XOCO: Chocolate is a serious business at Rick Bayless’ casual dining establishment in River North. In keeping with hot chocolate’s South American roots, XOCO imports all of their cocoa beans from Tabasco, Mexico, and grinds them right there on site. Order the Aztec chocolate for a blend of chile, allspice and house-ground chocolate, and the experience is simple bean-to-cup bliss. Darker and somehow deeper than other chocolates on this list, a cup of this heavy brew will challenge your senses with a spectrum of complex flavors and textures. Cafe Jumping Bean: Creamy, decadent and silky smooth, the tingle of the spices in the chocolate from this Pilsen mainstay blend so seamlessly that you’d swear it tastes like velvet feels. You might catch a twinkle of humor in the cashier’s eyes as she takes your order for a “tall Mexican,” or a short one. If you take it to go, you can take the opportunity to stroll past the beautiful murals and str