Cocktails
Chicago's best cocktail bars, from speakeasies to hotel lounges, plus the Malört shot.
Cindy's
The rooftop bar atop the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, looking straight over Millennium Park and the lake. The Loop's drink-with-a-view.
Coq d'Or at The Drake
A wood-paneled hotel bar that opened in 1933, right after Prohibition ended. It still feels like old Chicago.
Kumiko
Chicago's highest-ranked bar: calm and precise, with the city's best hospitality.
Best Intentions
A neighborhood dive with world-class drinks at fair prices.
Gus' Sip & Dip
Perfect classics at $12, ranked #27 in North America.
Bisous
A small Parisian-style bar ranked #30 in North America.
Three Dots and a Dash
A tiki bar underground, reached through an alley. The most fun night out downtown.
The Aviary
Grant Achatz's theatrical cocktail lounge. A special-occasion splurge.
Meadowlark
A cozy speakeasy-style bar locals treat as a secret.
Nine Bar
An Asian-inspired bar tucked behind a Chinatown restaurant.
A world-class cocktail city
Chicago regularly lands several bars on North America's best-bars lists, and its range is wide:
- Hidden speakeasies behind unmarked doors
- Hotel bars that date to the end of Prohibition
- Tiki dens below street level
- Neighborhood dives pouring serious drinks at fair prices
The local rite of passage: a shot of Malört, Chicago's famously bitter wormwood liqueur. Order one, make a face, and you're officially a local.
Good to know: some of the most popular bars are small and fill up fast. Go early in the evening, or on a weeknight.
Making a night of it? Our West Loop & Fulton Market guide and Logan Square guide cover the city's best bar neighborhoods.