Celeste stacks four different bars inside an 1888 building at 111 West Hubbard Street in River North, and the building does half the work before a drink is poured.
The structure began life as a glass factory, and the operators have leaned into the bones rather than drywalling over them. Each floor runs its own concept: a whiskey forward cocktail bar at street level, the Deco Supper Club above it, a third floor discotheque, and the Garden on top. Most multi level bars treat the upper floors as overflow. Celeste treats them as separate venues.
The rooms
The first floor cocktail bar is the casual entry, with American plates and a long whiskey list. Deco plays at turn of the century Chicago glamour with tableside service. Disco is exactly what the name promises after 11pm. The fourth floor Garden is the showpiece, a year round conservatory under a retractable glass roof with Victorian floral furniture and vine covered brick, which Time Out Chicago calls one of the city's dreamiest rooftop rooms.
What to order
Per Time Out, the lower three floors pour a la carte with a wide selection of martinis, wine, and zero proof options, so the move is a martini downstairs and a Garden seat for the second round. Expect cocktail prices in the city's premium band of $16 to $20. Groups eyeing Disco or the Garden can book bottle service, with most packages starting in the low $400s, which only makes sense at six or more people.
The crowd and best time to go
Doors run Wednesday through Friday from 5pm to 4am and Saturday from 7pm to 5am, on one of the late licenses that River North does best. Early evening belongs to dates and after work groups, and the building flips to a nightlife crowd as Disco wakes up. Go Wednesday or Thursday at opening for the Garden without a wait, and treat Saturday after midnight as a club night, not a cocktail stop.
What regulars say
Across 659 Yelp reviews, the Garden is the room reviewers return for, with the retractable roof in winter named as the reason Celeste beats fair weather rooftops. The repeated warnings are the cover charge and line on weekend nights and the volume once the DJ starts. Several regulars advise checking which floors are open before going, since private events claim rooms often.
Who it is for
Celeste fits a date that wants to wander between moods without changing addresses, birthday groups splitting bottle service, and out of towners who want River North's late license energy in one building. Skip it if you want a quiet bar stool and a long conversation with a bartender; that is a one room pleasure, and this is a four room machine.
The verdict
The four floor format usually produces one good bar and three afterthoughts. Celeste is the Chicago exception because each room has its own program, its own crowd, and its own reason to exist, and the 1888 building gives the whole stack a coherence that new construction cannot fake. The Garden alone justifies the trip. Arrive early, start low, and climb.
For the wider field, see our guide to the best cocktail bars in Chicago, the Chicago date night guide, and the Chicago after work guide, all of which rank Celeste. River North alternatives include The Aviary in Chicago for tasting menu theatrics, Drumbar in Chicago for the rooftop nightcap, and Billy Sunday in Chicago for the amaro library. The full city is mapped in the Chicago bar guide.
Sources: Celeste official site (celestedisco.com, 2026); Time Out Chicago; Yelp reviews (n=659); Tripadvisor; Tagvenue listing.
