Illinois
Two musically-inclined homebrewing brothers started this sludgy, doom metal–themed taproom in 2017 and quickly rose to the forefront of the Quad Cities…
Must-see nightlife in The Great Lakes
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…
Illinois
Occupying a rambling, 150-year-old mansion by Abe Lincoln's home, Obed & Isaac's offers a maze of sunny rooms to drink its wildly changing menu of ales…
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…
Michigan
Bell's started brewing in 1985, so it was doing the craft beer thing before it was a thing. Now it's one of Michigan's largest breweries. Bell's Eccentric…
Gold Coast
Belgian-style beers are Stormcloud’s gift to the universe. Rainmaker Ale is its medal winner (bronze at the Great American Beer Festival), and there are…
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,…
Michigan
Graffiti covers the walls and zillions of mugs hang from the ceiling in Dark Horse's no-frills, cave-like taproom. IPAs dominate the line up, but robust…
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…
Ohio
Beer gurus gather around Land-Grant’s communal picnic tables to discuss the finer points of hazy brut IPAs versus Baltic porters and Mexican lagers. They…
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…
Indiana
Muncie does't offer a whole lot for visitors beyond Ball State University, but it does have a burgeoning brewery scene. This relative newcomer (it opened…
Minnesota
While Summit is one of the state's largest brewers, its beer hall is welcomingly low-key. Inside it's a big open space with communal tables, large windows…
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 …
Ohio
The brewery takes its name from the Wright brothers’ concept of wing-warping, which was their breakthrough idea that enabled flight. The taproom’s…
Ohio
Little Fish specializes in saisons and barrel-aged sour beers, though pale ales, porters and smoked lagers mix in among the taps. The brewers source the…
Gold Coast
Odd Side brews some peculiar experimental suds, like the Mayan Mocha stout (with coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg and habenero chilies) and Aestas sour ale (aged…
Michigan
Ellison hides in a no-frills warehouse in an East Lansing industrial park. Bowl up to the corrugated metal bar and order a Tiramisu coffee stout, 3 Stacks…
Wisconsin
This hilltop brewery, about a mile south of New Glarus, has won kudos around the state for its excellent Spotted Cow ale and Belgian Red (with Door County…
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,…
Gold Coast
Every city needs a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, and Low Bar checks all the boxes: it's dimly lit, oozes 1920s glam and is a little hard to find. Classics…
Michigan
A welcome addition to the local drinking scene, Bière de Mac has around 11 house-made brews on tap, from French farmhouse ales to milk stouts, Belgian…
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…
Milwaukee
The bar at the Hotel Madrid is a warm, magical space that transports you to 1930s Spain. It serves cocktails inspired by what Ernest Hemingway and pals…
Indianapolis
Painfully hip and Instagram-ready, Provider's skilled baristas are pulling Indy's best espressos, which are market-priced (around $4) and come with a…
Minneapolis
Surly's sprawling, mod-industrial, family-friendly beer hall is mobbed by locals who come for the 20 rotating taps and abundant meaty snacks. Try CynicAle…
Indiana
At the dead-end of an unremarkable warehouse district in Valparaiso, Dagger Mountain is hidden in all the right ways; but its speciality coffee roasted in…
Gold Coast
Head to Virtue’s farm in Fennville and sip a pint while sheep bleat, pigs oink and chickens cluck around you. The taproom is in a barrel-strewn barn,…
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…
