These 25 on the map
The 25 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.
Chicago's most famous cocktail bars
Two James Beard winners, Curtis Duffy's lounge and a North America's 50 Best bar.
Kumiko
West Loop$$$$Julia Momosé's Japanese dining bar in the West Loop, the 2025 James Beard winner for Outstanding Bar: precise cocktails like the Pepperberry Tonic, spirit-free pairings and an omakase-style tasting, with a whisky bar downstairs and a daytime café.
The Aviary
Fulton Market$$$$Grant Achatz's cocktail lounge, a James Beard winner for its bar program, where every drink is a small piece of theater (the signature In the Rocks comes sealed in an ice shell you crack open), with a five-course paired cocktail-and-food tasting. The Office, a classic speakeasy, is downstairs.
After
West Loop$$$$The lounge next to Ever, opened by Curtis Duffy and now run with Ryan Chetiyawardana's Mr Lyan Studio: classics built on rare spirits, Duffy's bar bites, a glowing round bar. Happy hour runs Tuesday to Friday, 5 to 7.
Bisous
Fulton Market$$$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.
Speakeasies and hidden bars
Behind a kitchen door, through a liquor store, down an alley or past a door you'd walk right by. More in the 20 best speakeasies in Chicago.
Nine Bar
ChinatownSpeakeasy cocktail bar$$$Hidden behind the kitchen door at Moon Palace Express, the bar that brought serious cocktails to Chinatown: neon, hip-hop and Asian-ish drinks, on North America's 50 Best list. Eat the McKatsu, a pork katsu sandwich built like a Big Mac. A 3% surcharge goes on every check.
The Alderman
PilsenCocktail bar$$$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.
Bar Sótano
River NorthMezcal & cocktail bar$$$Rick Bayless's underground bar off the alley behind Frontera, pouring mezcal cocktails with Mexican small plates.
Osito's Tap
Little VillageAgave cocktail bar$$A speakeasy-style agave bar at the back of the family's Moreno's Liquors in Little Village (walk in through the store), whose shelves hold one of the Midwest's biggest tequila collections: mezcal and tequila cocktails with Mexican snacks.
Meadowlark
Logan SquareCocktail bar$$$A 30-seat bar on a quiet Palmer Street corner from the Lardon and Union team, marked only by a bird silhouette; the drinks list changes theme every few months.
Tiki, rum and agave bars
Rum punch in tiki mugs, Havana daiquiris, navy-strength gin and mezcal.
Three Dots and a Dash
River NorthTiki cocktail bar$$$An underground tiki bar reached down an alley off Hubbard, pouring rum drinks in elaborate mugs alongside pupu snacks. Bring a crowd for the Treasure Chest, a giant shared rum punch. The Bamboo Room inside is a separate tasting bar.
Sparrow
Gold CoastCocktail bar$$$A rum bar in a 1927 Art Deco building on Elm Street, channeling old Havana: daiquiris, El Presidentes and the house Floridita. Small, dim and romantic. Ask about the rotating daiquiri, a staff pick.
Queen Mary Tavern
Wicker ParkCocktail bar$$$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.
Drama Club
Humboldt ParkAgave bar$$The Scofflaw team's velvet-draped Humboldt Park lounge built around tequila and mezcal, with DJs late on weekends. Open Thursday to Sunday for drinks only, so have dinner first.
Martinis and classic cocktails
Where to order a martini or an old fashioned and trust it.
Gus' Sip & Dip
River NorthCocktail tavern$$Lettuce's 1950s-style River North tavern, opened in 2025: 30 classic cocktails at fair prices and dipped sandwiches. A weekday 4-to-5 cocktail of the day is a steal.
Vol. 39
LoopCocktail bar$$$The Kimpton Gray's second-floor library bar in the Loop: leather chairs, nine versions of the old fashioned and a flight of drinks from cocktail history.
Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club
River NorthCocktail lounge$$$Lettuce Entertain You's lounge beneath Crying Tiger: classic cocktails made with modern technique, tableside service and luxe snacks like Dungeness crab cocktail.
Best Intentions
Logan SquareCocktail bar$$Brothers Chris and Calvin Marty's Logan Square bar, back since 2023 and a 2025 James Beard nominee: dive comfort, sharp classics (the martini runs two parts gin to one vermouth) and frozen drinks, a smashburger and duck-fat matzo ball soup, plus a patio.
Sportsman's Club
Ukrainian VillageCocktail bar$$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.
A rooftop and live music
A glass-topped rooftop over Millennium Park, and two bars with live bands or jazz. More in the best rooftop bars in Chicago.
Cindy's
LoopRooftop cocktail bar$$$The glass-topped rooftop of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, looking over Millennium Park to the lake; in winter the terrace keeps fires going.
Lazy Bird
West LoopJazz & cocktail bar$$$A mid-century cocktail lounge in the basement of The Hoxton, with live bands Thursday to Saturday (9 to midnight, with a cover) and vinyl sets on Sundays.
Lemon
West TownCocktail bar & music venue$$$A candlelit West Town bar with purple curtains and leather chairs, pairing sharp cocktails with live jazz; it landed on North America's 51-100 Best Bars list.
Neighborhood cocktail bars
Easygoing local bars with drinks worth crossing town for.
Billy Sunday
Logan Square$$$Matthias Merges's Logan Square tavern with a deep amaro collection, classic-minded cocktails and house-made spirit-free drinks. Tuesday nights host a silent reading hour from 7.
Scofflaw
Logan Square$$A gin-minded Logan Square bar from Whistler and Boiler Room veterans: a fireplace, a hand-drawn seasonal menu, a great burger and free cookies at midnight. Happy hour runs Monday to Thursday 5 to 7, and Friday to Sunday 3 to 5.
Bar Bambi
West Town$$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.
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.
The best cocktail bars by neighborhood
Downtown: Bar Sótano, Three Dots and a Dash, Gus' Sip & Dip and Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club in River North; Vol. 39 and Cindy's in the Loop; Sparrow in the Gold Coast.
West Loop and Fulton Market: Kumiko, After and Lazy Bird in the West Loop; The Aviary and Bisous in Fulton Market.
Logan Square: Meadowlark, Best Intentions, Billy Sunday and Scofflaw.
Wicker Park, West Town and nearby: Lemon and Bar Bambi in West Town; Queen Mary Tavern in Wicker Park; Drama Club in Humboldt Park; Sportsman's Club in Ukrainian Village.
Elsewhere in the city: Nine Bar in Chinatown; The Alderman in Pilsen; Osito's Tap in Little Village; Nobody's Darling in Andersonville.
Where to eat nearby: our guides to River North, the West Loop, Logan Square and Wicker Park and Bucktown.
Want more?
These 25 are part of our 100 best cocktail bars in Chicago, and all 100 are in the Whosly app. For a shorter list, see our 15 favorites; for more hidden bars, the 20 best speakeasies; and for a view, the best rooftop bars.
+75 more in the app
The other 75 bars in our Chicago cocktail pack: more speakeasies, rooftops, listening bars and neighborhood rooms all over the city.
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.
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Common questions
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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.
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“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
More Chicago lists
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The 100 best cocktail bars in Chicago
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