Editorial
Lincoln Park bars in Chicago are not where the DePaul students go — or rather, not only where they go. This neighbourhood has one of the most layered bar scenes in the city: serious cocktail programmes running alongside old-school taverns that have been there since the 1970s, craft beer bars with better selections than most dedicated bottle shops, and neighbourhood spots that the rest of Chicago does not know about yet. We have been through all of it.
For broader Chicago context, see the full Chicago bar guide, the Chicago cocktail bars shortlist, and our pillar on Chicago speakeasy bars.
Lincoln Park's cocktail scene has grown up considerably in the past five years. The neighbourhood used to mean college bars on Clark Street. Now it means some of the tightest cocktail programmes on the North Side, without the River North prices. Most overlooked is Delilah's on Lincoln Avenue, a dive bar with 800+ whiskies and the most honest drinks pricing on the North Side.
The craft beer scene in Lincoln Park is anchored by a few bars that take their tap lists as seriously as the cocktail bars take their programmes. These are the places where you go when you want a good beer chosen by someone who knows what they are talking about, without a tasting menu and without paying River North prices.
The after-work crowd in Lincoln Park skews professional — lawyers, healthcare workers, university staff — which means the bars that serve them well are the ones with food-friendly cocktails, quick service, and enough space that you can actually have a conversation after 6pm on a weekday.
Lincoln Park punches above its reputation. The neighbourhood has a more serious drinking culture than Chicago's bar press gives it credit for — which means the best bars here have shorter waits and lower prices than equivalent venues in Wicker Park or the West Loop. For cocktails, Park and Rye and The Almanac Room are the two we recommend first. For atmosphere, The Orchard Tap cannot be beaten on a slow weekday.
The neighbourhood is most interesting in September and October, when the outdoor terraces are still open and the crowds have thinned after summer. Get there before winter makes the decision for you.
James has covered Chicago's bar scene for seven years, contributing to several American drinks publications. He has a particular interest in Midwest whiskey programmes and the kind of neighbourhood bar that does not need a press release to stay full.