Chicago has the deepest American cocktail tradition outside New York. The Violet Hour opened in 2007 and trained a generation. The Aviary turned cocktails into avant-garde tasting menus. Kumiko exports Japanese-counter-bar discipline to the Midwest. The 10 below are the technical references.
Part of our 50 Best Cocktail Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
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The 10 best cocktail bars in Chicago
01 · Chicago
Wicker Park
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Curtained · No phones
Long blue curtain at the entrance. House rules taken seriously. Toby Maloney's Chicago landmark.
Order: The Violet Fizz
02 · Chicago
West Loop
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Tasting menu · Theatre
Grant Achatz's cocktail kitchen. Edible balloons, drinks served on rocks chiselled from glaciers.
Order: The Bond — frozen, dressed up
03 · Chicago
West Loop
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Japanese counter · Omakase
Julia Momose's Japanese-influenced cocktail counter. Twelve seats, omakase format. James Beard Outstanding Bar Program winner.
Order: The kuro tasting
04 · Chicago
Logan Square
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Pre-Prohibition · Tinctures
Pre-Prohibition cocktail bar in Logan Square. House-made tinctures, bitters, syrups built from scratch.
Order: Whatever uses their house tincture of the month
05 · Chicago
Wicker Park
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Hotel bar · Cocktails
Inside The Robey Hotel. Classics-driven cocktail program in a polished setting. The Wicker Park hotel-bar reference.
Order: A Negroni made with their reserve gin
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06 · Chicago
Logan Square
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Gin-led · Casual
Logan Square gin-focused bar. 80+ gins, casual atmosphere, drinks that punch above the casual format.
Order: A Negroni made with their reserve gin
07 · Chicago
Logan Square
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Inn + bar
Longman is a small inn; Eagle is the serious cocktail bar attached. Whiskey-leaning, cellar-deep.
Order: A whiskey-based seasonal
08 · Chicago
Logan Square
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Neighbourhood + cocktails
From outside it looks like a dive; inside it's serious cocktailing. The hidden-in-plain-sight Chicago bar.
Order: Bartender's choice — you'll be surprised
09 · Chicago
Lincoln Park
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Whiskey saloon · 1993
Operating since 1993. Lincoln Park whiskey saloon with one of the deepest American whiskey lists in the country.
Order: A flight of bourbons
10 · Chicago
Gold Coast
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Hotel rooftop
On top of the Raffaello Hotel. Outdoor terrace with a view across the Magnificent Mile. Whiskey-focused cocktail program.
Order: A boulevardier, terrace-side
More Chicago cocktail barsThe full Chicago cocktail-bar index by neighbourhood.
See the full list
How Chicago cocktailing differs from NYC's
Chicago cocktail bars take craft as seriously as New York's, but with less self-awareness — Toby Maloney's Violet Hour lineage and Grant Achatz's Aviary lineage define two poles, both unpretentious. The 10 above are where the form is at its purest. Most peak between 9 and 11 PM.
