These 15 on the map
The 15 bars on this page, pinned where they actually are. Tap a marker to see which one it is — all 100 are on the map in the Whosly app.
The 15
Fulton Market 2
The Aviary
Fulton Market$$$$Grant Achatz's cocktail lounge, a James Beard winner for its bar program, where every drink is a small piece of theater (the signature In the Rocks comes sealed in an ice shell you crack open), with a five-course paired cocktail-and-food tasting. The Office, a classic speakeasy, is downstairs.
Bisous
Fulton Market$$$A 1960s Paris-style bar in Fulton Market from the Sparrow team: freezer martinis, an absinthe-rinsed Tuxedo, French 75 riffs; it made North America's 50 Best Bars.
West Loop 2
Kumiko
West Loop$$$$Julia Momosé's Japanese dining bar in the West Loop, the 2025 James Beard winner for Outstanding Bar: precise cocktails like the Pepperberry Tonic, spirit-free pairings and an omakase-style tasting, with a whisky bar downstairs and a daytime café.
After
West Loop$$$$The lounge next to Ever, opened by Curtis Duffy and now run with Ryan Chetiyawardana's Mr Lyan Studio: classics built on rare spirits, Duffy's bar bites, a glowing round bar. Happy hour runs Tuesday to Friday, 5 to 7.
West Town 2
Lemon
West TownCocktail bar & music venue$$$A candlelit West Town bar with purple curtains and leather chairs, pairing sharp cocktails with live jazz; it landed on North America's 51-100 Best Bars list.
Bar Bambi
West TownCocktail bar$$Katie Renshaw, a Speed Rack champion, runs this glowing West Town bar: inventive riffs on classic templates and snacks worth ordering in their own right. The couches go first, so come early.
Andersonville 1
Nobody's Darling
Andersonville$$$A Black- and queer-owned Andersonville bar under disco lights, a 2022 James Beard finalist for Outstanding Bar Program. 'Darling Specials' run Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 7, and all day Sunday. Check the events calendar, from trivia to a book club.
Chinatown 1
Nine Bar
Chinatown$$$Hidden behind the kitchen door at Moon Palace Express, the bar that brought serious cocktails to Chinatown: neon, hip-hop and Asian-ish drinks, on North America's 50 Best list. Eat the McKatsu, a pork katsu sandwich built like a Big Mac. A 3% surcharge goes on every check.
Gold Coast 1
Sparrow
Gold Coast$$$A rum bar in a 1927 Art Deco building on Elm Street, channeling old Havana: daiquiris, El Presidentes and the house Floridita. Small, dim and romantic. Ask about the rotating daiquiri, a staff pick.
Humboldt Park 1
Drama Club
Humboldt Park$$The Scofflaw team's velvet-draped Humboldt Park lounge built around tequila and mezcal, with DJs late on weekends. Open Thursday to Sunday for drinks only, so have dinner first.
Logan Square 1
Best Intentions
Logan Square$$Brothers Chris and Calvin Marty's Logan Square bar, back since 2023 and a 2025 James Beard nominee: dive comfort, sharp classics (the martini runs two parts gin to one vermouth) and frozen drinks, a smashburger and duck-fat matzo ball soup, plus a patio.
Pilsen 1
The Alderman
Pilsen$$$Behind a closed door inside Pilsen Yards, a 16-seat room with drinks named for Chicago politics, run by award-winning bartender Lance Bowman. A quiet date spot away from the DJs out front.
River North 1
Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club
River North$$$Lettuce Entertain You's lounge beneath Crying Tiger: classic cocktails made with modern technique, tableside service and luxe snacks like Dungeness crab cocktail.
Ukrainian Village 1
Sportsman's Club
Ukrainian Village$$A daily-changing list of stirred, spirit-heavy cocktails in a dim, hunting-lodge bar on Western, with a big back patio. Order the house amaro cocktail or a spaghett.
Wicker Park 1
Queen Mary Tavern
Wicker Park$$$Heisler's British-maritime tavern, a 1970s bar left untouched for decades and brought back on Division: navy-strength gin and rum drinks, punch, and oysters cheap on Sunday and Monday. The martini arrives with a sidecar of more on crushed ice. The covered, heated patio is open all year, and dogs are welcome there.
Want more?
The 25 best cocktail bars in Chicago adds ten more to these 15. The full list is our 100 best cocktail bars in Chicago, and all 100 are in the Whosly app.
+85 more in the app
The other 85 bars in our Chicago cocktail pack: speakeasies, rooftops, listening bars and neighborhood rooms.
Add all 100 to your Whosly mapEvery one lands on your own map in a tap — save them, rate them, plan around them. City Packs are included with Planner Pro.
Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
Common questions
What are the 15 best cocktail bars in Chicago?
What is the best cocktail bar in Chicago?
All 100, on your own map
The Chicago Cocktail Bars pack in Whosly has all 100 — add it and every bar drops onto your map, ready to save, rate and turn into a night your friends RSVP to from a text. The pack is included with Planner Pro.
Get Whosly — free on iPhoneOr search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
More Chicago lists
Keep reading
The 100 best cocktail bars in Chicago
The 100 best cocktail bars in Chicago by neighborhood, from River North and the Loop to the West Loop and Logan Square, with 25 of them here. All 100 in Whosly.
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