Chicago
Enter this jovial brewery – the city’s largest – via a blue glowing hallway with trippy art painted on the walls and the Willy Wonka theme song playing…
Must-see nightlife in Chicago
Chicago
This slick tasting room has a cool, naturalistic look with exposed concrete posts and knotty wood beams across the ceiling. Slip into a seat at the bar…
Chicago
An elder of the local beer scene, Metropolitan has expanded into a striking, retrofitted old tannery overlooking the Chicago River. The floor-to-ceiling…
Chicago
Take the elevator to the 96th floor of the building formerly called the John Hancock Center and order a (pricey) beverage while looking out over the city…
Chicago
Marz started as a group of home brewers whose friends demanded more. The small brewery is known for its peculiar creations, such as Potion #1 (aged in…
Chicago
Spiteful's taproom has a rock-and-roll, DIY vibe. Two home brewers launched the brand, and they now operate out of a renovated garage. The concrete…
Chicago
Located near the Second City comedy club and the scene of late-night musings since the 1960s, this unpretentious neighborhood favorite lets you mingle…
Chicago
The owner of nearby music club Constellation also owns this off-the-beaten-path little bar. It charms with its kind bartenders and well-worn, thrift-store…
Chicago
A bartender rightfully referred to this hard-edged black sheep of the neighborhood as the ‘pride of Lincoln Ave’: a title earned for the heavy pours and…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
This nouveau speakeasy isn’t marked, so look for the wood-paneled building with a full mural and a yellow light over the door. Inside, high-backed booths,…
Chicago
Pool is serious business on the two vintage tables that the pub refelts regularly with Belgian material. The ever-changing, eye-catching art comes…
Chicago
The Berghoff dates from 1898 and was the first Chicago bar to serve a legal drink after Prohibition (ask to see the liquor license stamped '#1'). Little…
Chicago
Pilsen's bohemians love this intimate brewpub and no wonder. Join them at the reclaimed wood tables for a flight and fancy pub grub such as poutine with…
Chicago
Named for a 17th-century ship full of wine-guzzling passengers, Arbella is an adventuresome cocktail bar. Booze from around the globe makes its way into…
Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery
Chicago
Centennial hides in plain sight. It's rarely mobbed, like many of its neighborhood competitors, yet its 50 taps of carefully chosen craft beer and its…
Chicago
This West Loop spot is a twinkling-light charmer for bubbles. Score a table in the cobblestoned courtyard and you'll feel transported to Paris. In winter,…
Chicago
This refined lounge, inspired by hotel lobby bars of the 1930 and ’40s, is a Gold Coast hidden gem. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront in an art deco…
Chicago
Tucked in a warehouse by the train tracks, Begyle's little taproom is a community hub. Friends play cards at one table, an old guy chills with his dog…
Chicago
Sometimes the new, cocktail-laden Wrigleyville weighs on your soul and you yearn for the cheap-beer-splashed days of yore. Enter the Nisei, a neighborhood…
Chicago
An Andersonville mainstay since 1934, Simon’s is a dimly lit musicians’ watering hole. The jukebox rocks an eclectic menu ranging from St Vincent to James…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
A holiday-light-festooned moose head and a life-size statue of Elvis overlook the crowd of artsy regulars playing pool and drinking on the cheap at this…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Lawyers, artists and bums all squeeze in for retro cocktails. It’s as small as – you got it – a matchbox, with about a dozen bar stools; everyone else…
Chicago
Cole's is a dive bar with nifty free entertainment. Young scenesters flock in to shoot pool and swill Midwest microbrews (Bell's, Two Brothers) in the…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Making waves when it opened in Wicker Park in 2015 in a sea of sports bars, Queen Mary is a neighborhood tavern inspired by the British Royal Navy. It’s…
Chicago
Early-20th-century Cubs baseball great Mordecai Brown lends his name to this stylish bar at Hotel Zachary. With a serious cocktail menu spotlighting…
Chicago
A crackling fire, stylish glassware and, most of all, sophisticated brews featuring culinary ingredients such as black truffle and Oaxacan chocolate make…
Chicago
Take a seat under the bamboo roof by the banana-leaf wallpaper inside this trendy tiki bar, and swirl a Mystery Gardenia or other tropical drink made from…
Chicago
The Aviary is a James Beard Award winner for best cocktails in the nation. The ethereal drinks are like nothing you've laid lips on before. Some arrive…
Chicago
Raise your fist to Revolution, an industrial-chic brewpub that fills glasses with heady beers such as the Eugene porter and Anti-Hero IPA. The brewmaster…
Chicago
The original Half Acre on Lincoln Ave got so popular it had to expand to this hulking facility on Balmoral Ave. Now it has become a destination brewery,…
Chicago
Cindy's unfurls awesome views of Millennium Park and the lake from atop the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Sit at one of the long wood tables under…
Chicago
The Ace Hotel's rooftop bar wins praise for several reasons. It provides terrific skyline views. It draws a superstylish crowd, but there's no velvet rope…
Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar
Chicago
Owner Ed works the cozy back-room bar furnished with vintage decor, while mom Maria works the front liquor store. Both offer an excellent craft-beer…
Kibbitznest Books, Brews & Blarney
Chicago
This warm, eclectic cafe rambling over several rooms is devoted to creating a 'third space' for face-to-face communication and intellectual discourse …
Chicago
The Northman gives the neighborhood beer scene a twist by focusing on cider. Around 20 taps flow with tart, fermented creations from the US, England,…
Chicago
Barrel-aged beers rule at Whiner. Choose among wild saisons, Belgian wheat beers and Belgian dark ales in the rustic, softly lit taproom. A five-beer…
Chicago
Scofflaw is a gin joint – literally. The bar specializes in boutique, small-batch gins mixed into gimlets, martinis and other cocktails that get creative…
Chicago
Pull open the huge wooden doors and enter this dimly lit Belgian beer cave. Old barrels, vintage taps and faux antiquarian books set the mood, accompanied…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Forbidden Root is a 'botanical brewery' that uses roots, bark, spices, fruit and flowers to make eclectic beers such as Wildflower Pale Ale (with marigold…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Danny's comfortably dim, dog-eared ambience is perfect for conversations over an early pint, before DJs arrive to stoke the dance party later on. It winds…