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.
The best cocktail bars in Chicago, by neighborhood
Want a shorter list? See the 25 best cocktail bars in Chicago or our 15 favorites.
Logan Square 4
Best Intentions
Logan Square$$Brothers Chris and Calvin Marty's Logan Square bar, back since 2023 and a 2025 James Beard nominee: dive comfort, sharp classics (the martini runs two parts gin to one vermouth) and frozen drinks, a smashburger and duck-fat matzo ball soup, plus a patio.
Meadowlark
Logan Square$$$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.
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.
River North 3
Three Dots and a Dash
River NorthTiki cocktail bar$$$An underground tiki bar reached down an alley off Hubbard, pouring rum drinks in elaborate mugs alongside pupu snacks. Bring a crowd for the Treasure Chest, a giant shared rum punch. The Bamboo Room inside is a separate tasting bar.
Gus' Sip & Dip
River NorthCocktail tavern$$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.
Bar Sótano
River NorthMezcal & cocktail bar$$$Rick Bayless's underground bar off the alley behind Frontera, pouring mezcal cocktails with Mexican small plates.
Loop 2
Vol. 39
LoopCocktail bar$$$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.
Cindy's
LoopRooftop cocktail bar$$$The glass-topped rooftop of the Chicago Athletic Association hotel, looking over Millennium Park to the lake; in winter the terrace keeps fires going.
West Loop 2
Kumiko
West LoopCocktail bar$$$$Julia Momosé's Japanese dining bar in the West Loop, the 2025 James Beard winner for Outstanding Bar: precise cocktails like the Pepperberry Tonic, spirit-free pairings and an omakase-style tasting, with a whisky bar downstairs and a daytime café.
Lazy Bird
West LoopJazz & cocktail bar$$$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.
Albany Park 1
Bokeh
Albany Park$$$A snug Albany Park bar near the Kedzie Brown Line stop: around 20 cocktails between originals and standards, a thoughtful zero-proof list, pâté on toast and weekend DJs.
Andersonville 1
Nobody's Darling
Andersonville$$$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.
Avondale 1
Ludlow Liquors
Avondale$$A polished Avondale dive from the Sportsman's Club crew: good cocktails, SuperHai smashburgers and a heated, dog-friendly patio, with Whiskey Wednesdays and vinyl-and-chess nights.
Bridgeport 1
Charis Listening Bar
Bridgeport$$$A Bridgeport listening bar with a serious sound system, Motown, funk and R&B on vinyl, and boozy or zero-proof cocktails. Bring your own food; closed Tuesdays.
Bucktown 1
Truce
Bucktown$$$A Bucktown spot pouring coffee in the morning and cocktails after dark, with Midwestern snacks and a well-considered drinks list. Cocktails are served all day.
Chinatown 1
Nine Bar
Chinatown$$$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.
Fulton Market 1
The Aviary
Fulton Market$$$$Grant Achatz's cocktail lounge, a James Beard winner for its bar program, where every drink is a small piece of theater (the signature In the Rocks comes sealed in an ice shell you crack open), with a five-course paired cocktail-and-food tasting. The Office, a classic speakeasy, is downstairs.
Gold Coast 1
Sparrow
Gold Coast$$$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.
Hyde Park 1
Cantina Rosa
Hyde Park$$$The Virtue team's Mexican cocktail bar a few doors down on Harper, with agave and rum at the center and regional small plates alongside. Try the roasted poblano oysters with a Margarita Clarita.
Lincoln Park 1
Le Mistral
Lincoln Park$$$Twenty-odd candlelit seats tucked away at the back of S.K.Y., where the wine list leans French (Aligoté by the glass) and the cocktails are few but careful.
Little Village 1
Osito's Tap
Little Village$$A speakeasy-style agave bar at the back of the family's Moreno's Liquors in Little Village (walk in through the store), whose shelves hold one of the Midwest's biggest tequila collections: mezcal and tequila cocktails with Mexican snacks.
Pilsen 1
Tack Room
Pilsen$$$A piano saloon in Thalia Hall's old carriage house: pull up a stool at the grand piano for live music Thursday to Saturday, with taxidermy on the walls and well-priced classics. Order bites from Mariscos San Pedro.
Portage Park 1
Moonflower
Portage Park$$$A plant-filled Portage Park lounge with creative drinks (the matcha-soju Seeing Green) and an excellent grilled cheese; Nightshade, its hidden bar, opens on weekends.
Wicker Park 1
Queen Mary Tavern
Wicker Park$$$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.
The best cocktails in Chicago, drink by drink
- The Pepperberry Tonic at Kumiko — Julia Momosé's West Loop dining bar won the 2025 James Beard award for Outstanding Bar.
- In the Rocks at The Aviary — the signature arrives sealed in ice; every drink here is a small piece of theater.
- A daiquiri at Sparrow — old-Havana rum drinks in a 1927 Art Deco building on Elm Street, with El Presidentes and the house Floridita.
- An old fashioned at Vol. 39 — nine versions of it, in a second-floor library bar in the Loop.
- The Treasure Chest at Three Dots and a Dash — a giant shareable rum drink down an alley off Hubbard; bring a crowd.
- Seeing Green at Moonflower — matcha and soju in a plant-filled Portage Park lounge.
- Navy-strength gin at Queen Mary Tavern — punch and maritime drinks in a 1970s tavern brought back on Division.
- The cocktail of the day at Gus' Sip & Dip — 30 classics at fair prices, and a weekday 4-to-5 deal.
The other 75
+75 more in the app
Deeper Logan Square and Avondale, a speakeasy cabaret in Wicker Park, rooftop bars, listening bars, a bookshop bar in Lincoln Park, and the neighborhood rooms locals would rather you didn't hear about. Add the pack and all 100 land on your map at once.
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
This page is 25 of them. 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, no app needed to answer. 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”.
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