Chicago
Polished, precise, civilised. Chicago's best hotel-bar drinking — picked for craft, not concierge buzz.
West Loop · $$$$
The Aviary draws a steady local crowd in West Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Evanston · $$
The Celtic Knot Public House draws a steady local crowd in Evanston. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Loop · $$$
Cindy's Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
River North · $$$
I|O Godfrey Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in River North. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Loop · $$$$
LH Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Loop · $$$
The Roanoke draws a steady local crowd in Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$$
Grant Achatz's cocktail bar is a sister venue to his three-Michelin-star restaurant Alinea. Every drink is a miniature performance. Cocktails arrive in frozen s
West Loop · $$$$
The Office at Aviary draws a steady local crowd in West Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
Loop · $$$
The Bar at Prime & Provisions draws a steady local crowd in Loop. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$
The Berkshire Room is the cocktail bar of the ACME Hotel in River North. Benjamin Schiller runs the cocktail programme and has built one of the most disciplined
Hotel bars solve specific problems. You need a bar near your room. You need somewhere quiet to take a meeting. You want the drink right the first time and you don't want to negotiate a wait. Every recommendation below clears those three bars. Most are open to non-guests; we've flagged any that aren't.
Best for: business travellers, late-checkout drinks, hotel-room negotiations made civilised, anniversaries that deserve a hotel jacket. Pricing skews higher than the city average — that's the trade. The rooms below justify it.
Civilised, polished, not pretending to be a club. Pick by neighbourhood and proximity to where you're sleeping.
Looking beyond Chicago? See our guide to the best hotel bars worldwide, or compare hotel bars city by city.