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One of the cocktails at mezcal haven Todos Santos

Every Important Cocktail Bar in Chicago

The 20 cocktail spots that Chicagoans and tourists need to immediately visit

by Daniel Gerzina and Ashok Selvam Updated Jun 19, 2019, 1:45pm CDT

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One of the cocktails at mezcal haven Todos Santos

| Todos Santos [Official Photo]

by Daniel Gerzina and Ashok Selvam Updated Jun 19, 2019, 1:45pm CDT

Cocktails can be a polarizing topic in Chicago. There's the old guard who prefers the classics; whose hairs on their backs bristle when they hear the word "mixologist." Then there's the new wave of bar patrons; the ones raised on a steady cocktail diet of infused spirits and fancy ice who want their bartender to put on a show while mixing up their drink. Good thing Chicago has a delightful mix of bars where both factions can find common ground.

For the 2019 edition, standout newbies Bar Sotano, Kumiko, and Mordecai join the map. Barrelhouse Flat comes off after it sadly closed and Drumbar is removed to make room for new blood.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

The Sixth

A sophisticated cocktail lounge and neighborhood bar in one, the Sixth in Lincoln Square is the kind of spot most Chicagoans want in their ‘hood. It's also a playful experience with drinks based on the Trix cereal rabbit and the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip and other killer cocktails that force guests to leave their comfort zones.

2200 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Visit Website

Inside the Sixth

Also featured in:

Mordecai

Upscale cocktail enthusiasts are now joining Cubs fans to drink in Wrigleyville thanks to Eater Chicago’s reigning bar of the year. Mordecai, from the team behind Logan Square stalwart Billy Sunday, is a cocktail and whiskey lover’s delight next to Wrigley Field with one of America’s largest brown liquor lineups. A second bar named Hush Money lives upstairs and has a breezy terrace with Wrigley views, and a standout food menu is also available.

3632 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Visit Website

Mordecai’s “Duped by Three Fingers”

Also featured in:

Lost Lake

Paul McGee took his tiki inspiration from Three Dots and a Dash to this icon, the much less bombastic Lost Lake. The drinks are just as good, a little more experimental, and the crowd less touristy, resulting a multiple James Beard Award nominee.

3154 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Lost Lake is a tiki oasis in Avondale.

Also featured in:

Billy Sunday

Matthias Merges' cocktail bar is a sophisticated standout with throwback decor and easily some of Chicago's best drinks in the heart of Logan Square.

3143 W Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Inside Billy Sunday

Also featured in:

Todos Santos

A large array of mezcal and mezcal cocktails are the draw at this dim subterranean spot underneath acclaimed Logan Square Mexican restaurant Quiote. The man behind shuttered Mezcaleria Las Flores and former Rick Bayless beverage director brings his expertise here, resulting in perhaps the best Chicago bar to taste a variety of spirits from south of the border.

Open in Google Maps

2456 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Todos Santos is a mezcal lover’s dream

The Whistler

Originally supposed to be only an art gallery, the Whistler accidentally became one of Chicago's best cocktail bars with the hiring of Paul McGee a decade ago. The Logan Square legend became a breeding ground of top up-and-coming cocktail talent and a haven for counterculture art and music, a place where people can be just as comfortable ordering a serious cocktail or a cheap PBR tallboy and letting loose however they please.

2421 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

One of our featured #cocktails this week is Carpe DM! . Ingredients: Aquavit, Cocchi Americano, Suze, Lemon, Peruvian Sweet Peppers, Cumin-Sugar Rim . Flavor: Peppy, Vibrant, Rocks

A post shared by The Whistler (@whistlerchicago) on Apr 29, 2019 at 2:09pm PDT

Also featured in:

Scofflaw

The cornerstone of a burgeoning Logan Square powerhouse group, Scofflaw is known for its focus on gin but is much more than that with great, affordable cocktails (most are $8), shabby-chic Victorian-esque decor, its own version of Malort, standout bar food, and free fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies every midnight.

3201 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Scofflaw’s front room

Also featured in:

Weegee's Lounge

This under-the-radar throwback bar on Armitage Avenue has one of the deepest, classic-focused cocktail menus in Chicago. Adding in a professional staff, quiet conversation-focused ambience, and a terrific back patio makes it an essential.

3659 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Weegee’s is a throwback cocktail haven

Also featured in:

The Violet Hour

In many ways the forefather of Chicago's new wave of cocktail bars, One Off Hospitality's (Blackbird, Avec, Publican) elegant bar is quiet, candlelight-only with tall secluded seats where patrons have quiet conversations and sip some of the best cocktails in the country off a seasonal menu. A 2015 James Beard Award winner, lines regularly form in Wicker Park at an entrance marked only with a regularly-changing wall mural.

1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

The Violet Hour’s iconic interior

Also featured in:

Bordel

The velvet-laden speakeasy-style bar above Spanish restaurant Black Bull gives the Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village border a sultry playground with creative cocktails, porrons, and live music. Expect some of Chicago's best barkeeps to moonlight here and some of the best people-watching in town.

1721 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Bordel — Bordel is fiesty late-night cocktail bar.

Also featured in:

Sportsman's Club

Chicago's greatest industry bar, Sportsman's Club is also notable for its amaro machine, a daily-changing blackboard menu, and standout design with chess and checkers sets built into tables and a large backyard. Situated on Western Avenue's Ukrainian Village/Humboldt Park border, its part of ownership's plan to revitalize Chicago's neighborhood tavern culture.

948 Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Sportsman’s Club is not usually without people like this.

Also featured in:

The Matchbox

Known as Chicago's tiniest bar, the narrow sidecar-esque spot has some of the best deals on some of the best throwback classic cocktails in town. Patrons can order a beer and a shot or a more modern drink, but they often kick themselves for not getting a martini or a Manhattan where the shaker and martini glass are delivered to you and amount to two drinks in one.

770 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Matchbox (@matchbox_bar) on Nov 20, 2016 at 10:48am PST

Also featured in:

The Drifter

Enter through a speakeasy entrance below the historic Green Door Tavern to one of Chicago's most-unique unique drinking experiences. A nightly-changing menu of cocktails printed on tarot cards and fascinating entertainers randomly taking the small stage happen amidst a time capsule decor that was once home to bootleggers during prohibition, and the space still shows it.

678 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

The Drifter is a time capsule of throwback Chicago with standout cocktails.

Sable Kitchen & Bar

Technically a hotel bar and restaurant, Sable holds a dear place in Chicago cocktail enthusiast's hearts for classy, well-made, interesting cocktails downtown.

505 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Inside Sable

Also featured in:

Bar Sótano

One of America’s most celebrated chefs has opened his first bar, a subterranean spot where customers enter through an alley entrance. At Bar Sótano, Rick Bayless and daughter Lanie Bayless give tourist-ridden River North a little bit of an edge. There’s a plenty of fine mezcal to sip inside the space underneath Bayless’s Frontera Grill, although the big draws are the unorthodox drinks, some of them based on classic Mexican dishes. For example, customers could order a a mezcal-based guacamole cocktail mixed with cilantro, avocado, and a tomatillo-chili syrup. Being a Bayless spot, the restaurant also has a full food menu.

In the alley behind Frontera Grill, 443 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Bar Sotano’s taco al pastor cocktail.

Also featured in:

Three Dots and a Dash

Step through a back alley entrance into a portal to one of America's best-built tiki bars. Paul McGee may have moved on from the bar he designed and inspired, but fantastic drinks, custom mugs, and an otherwordly ambience remain.

435 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Three Dots and a Dash goes all out on its tiki theme.

Also featured in:

The Aviary

The progressive cocktail bar from Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas showcases some of the most forward-thinking drinks in the world. "Cocktail chefs" mix rare ingredients inside a cage-like cocktail kitchen using custom-made ice crafted by "ice chefs" in an ice room. There's also the small "speakeasy" downstairs, the Office, known for its small menu and rare spirits.

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

The Aviary’s main room

Also featured in:

Kumiko

One of Chicago’s most unique drinking destinations, Kumiko offers Japanese-style cocktails, bites, and decor with fine-dining pedigree from beverage wizard Julia Momose and team from two-Michelin-starred Oriole. Patrons can choose their own adventure with ultra-creative drinks like the very popular “Sea Flower” (Nikka Coffey gin, Drapò vermouth bianco, Yuzu Koshō, Kabosu and lime with an “ocean dust” rim) or opt for coursed-out omakase cocktail tastings, as well as terrific bar snacks like addictive tempura prawns. Reservations are recommended.

630 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661

Visit Website

The “Sea Flower” at Kumiko.

Also featured in:

MONEYGUN

The people behind this West Loop venture think of it as a regular bar first. And although it features a come-as-you-are vibe, make no mistake that it serves some of Chicago's most high-caliber cocktails in ramped-up classics — Long Island iced teas and the like didn't taste this good before. There's also a massive backyard patio with bocce that it shares with sister restaurant Saint Lou's Assembly next door.

660 W Lake, Chicago, IL 60661

Visit Website

Moneygun — Moneygun is a comfortable throwback bar with outstanding cocktails.

Also featured in:

Milk Room

Drinkers feel special upon scoring tickets inside this exclusive bar inside the Chicago Athletic Association hotel. Patrons need reservations to score one of the eight seats, making Milk Room a unique experience that features perfectly-balanced classic cocktails and an extensive selection of hard-to-find spirits in a multi-course prix fixe format with snacks. This is all coupled with knowledgable bartenders who educate patrons.

12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Visit Website

Paul McGee and crew serve up rare spirits and cocktail tasting menus at Milk Room.

Also featured in:

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The Sixth

2200 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

A sophisticated cocktail lounge and neighborhood bar in one, the Sixth in Lincoln Square is the kind of spot most Chicagoans want in their ‘hood. It's also a playful experience with drinks based on the Trix cereal rabbit and the "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip and other killer cocktails that force guests to leave their comfort zones.

2200 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Visit Website

Inside the Sixth

Mordecai

3632 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Upscale cocktail enthusiasts are now joining Cubs fans to drink in Wrigleyville thanks to Eater Chicago’s reigning bar of the year. Mordecai, from the team behind Logan Square stalwart Billy Sunday, is a cocktail and whiskey lover’s delight next to Wrigley Field with one of America’s largest brown liquor lineups. A second bar named Hush Money lives upstairs and has a breezy terrace with Wrigley views, and a standout food menu is also available.

3632 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60613

Visit Website

Mordecai’s “Duped by Three Fingers”

Lost Lake

3154 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Paul McGee took his tiki inspiration from Three Dots and a Dash to this icon, the much less bombastic Lost Lake. The drinks are just as good, a little more experimental, and the crowd less touristy, resulting a multiple James Beard Award nominee.

3154 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Lost Lake is a tiki oasis in Avondale.

Billy Sunday

3143 W Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647

Matthias Merges' cocktail bar is a sophisticated standout with throwback decor and easily some of Chicago's best drinks in the heart of Logan Square.

3143 W Logan Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Inside Billy Sunday

Todos Santos

2456 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

A large array of mezcal and mezcal cocktails are the draw at this dim subterranean spot underneath acclaimed Logan Square Mexican restaurant Quiote. The man behind shuttered Mezcaleria Las Flores and former Rick Bayless beverage director brings his expertise here, resulting in perhaps the best Chicago bar to taste a variety of spirits from south of the border.

Open in Google Maps

2456 N California Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Todos Santos is a mezcal lover’s dream

The Whistler

2421 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Originally supposed to be only an art gallery, the Whistler accidentally became one of Chicago's best cocktail bars with the hiring of Paul McGee a decade ago. The Logan Square legend became a breeding ground of top up-and-coming cocktail talent and a haven for counterculture art and music, a place where people can be just as comfortable ordering a serious cocktail or a cheap PBR tallboy and letting loose however they please.

2421 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

One of our featured #cocktails this week is Carpe DM! . Ingredients: Aquavit, Cocchi Americano, Suze, Lemon, Peruvian Sweet Peppers, Cumin-Sugar Rim . Flavor: Peppy, Vibrant, Rocks

A post shared by The Whistler (@whistlerchicago) on Apr 29, 2019 at 2:09pm PDT

Scofflaw

3201 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

The cornerstone of a burgeoning Logan Square powerhouse group, Scofflaw is known for its focus on gin but is much more than that with great, affordable cocktails (most are $8), shabby-chic Victorian-esque decor, its own version of Malort, standout bar food, and free fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies every midnight.

3201 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Scofflaw’s front room

Weegee's Lounge

3659 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

This under-the-radar throwback bar on Armitage Avenue has one of the deepest, classic-focused cocktail menus in Chicago. Adding in a professional staff, quiet conversation-focused ambience, and a terrific back patio makes it an essential.

3659 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Visit Website

Weegee’s is a throwback cocktail haven

The Violet Hour

1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

In many ways the forefather of Chicago's new wave of cocktail bars, One Off Hospitality's (Blackbird, Avec, Publican) elegant bar is quiet, candlelight-only with tall secluded seats where patrons have quiet conversations and sip some of the best cocktails in the country off a seasonal menu. A 2015 James Beard Award winner, lines regularly form in Wicker Park at an entrance marked only with a regularly-changing wall mural.

1520 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

The Violet Hour’s iconic interior

Bordel

1721 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

The velvet-laden speakeasy-style bar above Spanish restaurant Black Bull gives the Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village border a sultry playground with creative cocktails, porrons, and live music. Expect some of Chicago's best barkeeps to moonlight here and some of the best people-watching in town.

1721 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Bordel — Bordel is fiesty late-night cocktail bar.

Sportsman's Club

948 Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Chicago's greatest industry bar, Sportsman's Club is also notable for its amaro machine, a daily-changing blackboard menu, and standout design with chess and checkers sets built into tables and a large backyard. Situated on Western Avenue's Ukrainian Village/Humboldt Park border, its part of ownership's plan to revitalize Chicago's neighborhood tavern culture.

948 Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Visit Website

Sportsman’s Club is not usually without people like this.

The Matchbox

770 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Known as Chicago's tiniest bar, the narrow sidecar-esque spot has some of the best deals on some of the best throwback classic cocktails in town. Patrons can order a beer and a shot or a more modern drink, but they often kick themselves for not getting a martini or a Manhattan where the shaker and martini glass are delivered to you and amount to two drinks in one.

770 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60642

Visit Website

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Matchbox (@matchbox_bar) on Nov 20, 2016 at 10:48am PST

The Drifter

678 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL 60654

Enter through a speakeasy entrance below the historic Green Door Tavern to one of Chicago's most-unique unique drinking experiences. A nightly-changing menu of cocktails printed on tarot cards and fascinating entertainers randomly taking the small stage happen amidst a time capsule decor that was once home to bootleggers during prohibition, and the space still shows it.

678 N Orleans St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

The Drifter is a time capsule of throwback Chicago with standout cocktails.

Sable Kitchen & Bar

505 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Technically a hotel bar and restaurant, Sable holds a dear place in Chicago cocktail enthusiast's hearts for classy, well-made, interesting cocktails downtown.

505 N State St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Inside Sable

Bar Sótano

In the alley behind Frontera Grill, 443 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

One of America’s most celebrated chefs has opened his first bar, a subterranean spot where customers enter through an alley entrance. At Bar Sótano, Rick Bayless and daughter Lanie Bayless give tourist-ridden River North a little bit of an edge. There’s a plenty of fine mezcal to sip inside the space underneath Bayless’s Frontera Grill, although the big draws are the unorthodox drinks, some of them based on classic Mexican dishes. For example, customers could order a a mezcal-based guacamole cocktail mixed with cilantro, avocado, and a tomatillo-chili syrup. Being a Bayless spot, the restaurant also has a full food menu.

In the alley behind Frontera Grill, 443 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Bar Sotano’s taco al pastor cocktail.

Related Maps

Three Dots and a Dash

435 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Step through a back alley entrance into a portal to one of America's best-built tiki bars. Paul McGee may have moved on from the bar he designed and inspired, but fantastic drinks, custom mugs, and an otherwordly ambience remain.

435 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654

Visit Website

Three Dots and a Dash goes all out on its tiki theme.

The Aviary

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

The progressive cocktail bar from Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas showcases some of the most forward-thinking drinks in the world. "Cocktail chefs" mix rare ingredients inside a cage-like cocktail kitchen using custom-made ice crafted by "ice chefs" in an ice room. There's also the small "speakeasy" downstairs, the Office, known for its small menu and rare spirits.

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

Visit Website

The Aviary’s main room

Kumiko

630 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661

One of Chicago’s most unique drinking destinations, Kumiko offers Japanese-style cocktails, bites, and decor with fine-dining pedigree from beverage wizard Julia Momose and team from two-Michelin-starred Oriole. Patrons can choose their own adventure with ultra-creative drinks like the very popular “Sea Flower” (Nikka Coffey gin, Drapò vermouth bianco, Yuzu Koshō, Kabosu and lime with an “ocean dust” rim) or opt for coursed-out omakase cocktail tastings, as well as terrific bar snacks like addictive tempura prawns. Reservations are recommended.

630 W Lake St, Chicago, IL 60661

Visit Website

The “Sea Flower” at Kumiko.

MONEYGUN

660 W Lake, Chicago, IL 60661

The people behind this West Loop venture think of it as a regular bar first. And although it features a come-as-you-are vibe, make no mistake that it serves some of Chicago's most high-caliber cocktails in ramped-up classics — Long Island iced teas and the like didn't taste this good before. There's also a massive backyard patio with bocce that it shares with sister restaurant Saint Lou's Assembly next door.

660 W Lake, Chicago, IL 60661

Visit Website

Moneygun — Moneygun is a comfortable throwback bar with outstanding cocktails.

Milk Room

12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Drinkers feel special upon scoring tickets inside this exclusive bar inside the Chicago Athletic Association hotel. Patrons need reservations to score one of the eight seats, making Milk Room a unique experience that features perfectly-balanced classic cocktails and an extensive selection of hard-to-find spirits in a multi-course prix fixe format with snacks. This is all coupled with knowledgable bartenders who educate patrons.

12 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603

Visit Website

Paul McGee and crew serve up rare spirits and cocktail tasting menus at Milk Room.

Related Maps