Editorial
Published May 20, 2025 · Last updated August 23, 2025 · Reviewed by the barsforKings editorial team
Ten Chicago bars our editors book for NYE — countdown rooms, midnight pours, sensible cover charges.
New Year's Eve in Chicago divides into two camps: the venues that double their cover charge and triple the drink prices, and the venues that quietly run a great evening at honest rates because they have always done so. Our editors only recommend the second category. These ten bars in Chicago are the ones our team books for our own New Year's Eve, and the cover charges below are what we paid the last time we went.
The first six picks below are the editors' default — the rooms we send a friend to first when they ask. Each is followed by a recommendation we have ordered ourselves at least three times. Click any bar name to read the full review, signature drink notes, neighbourhood guide and how to book.
These last four are the editors' deeper-cut picks. Smaller rooms, more specific energy. If the first six feel obvious to you — meaning you have already been — start here.
NYE is the one night where booking three months ahead is not an overreaction. Most rooms on this list confirm bookings from October. Two practical notes. Confirm whether your booking includes a midnight pour — most do not, and a £25 surcharge appears at 11.45pm. And ask whether the table is yours for the night or whether it turns at 11pm. The honest venues will tell you straight.
James has been writing about hospitality for fifteen years and has a strong opinion about which corner table at every bar in this article is the right one.
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