The 10 Best Cocktail Bars In Chicago For One-Of-A-Kind Drinks

Best Cocktail Bars In Chicago.With a wealth of renowned mixologists, the Windy City and its offerings range from excellent margaritas to inventive cocktail creations and everything in between.

We’ve cut through the clutter to compile the top cocktail bars in Chicago based on our observations at Secret Chicago, reader recommendations that are highly regarded, and a meticulous evaluation of the environments and beverage quality. Best Cocktail Bars In Chicago.

1. Kumiko

First on our list of notable bars is one that worlds50bestbars.com just named among the world’s top 50 bars.

Kumiko is “a place where we honor the way of the cocktail and the way of hospitality,” according to its creative director and world-famous bartender Julia Momosé. The bar’s website describes it as a Japanese eating establishment.

A sophisticated menu of dishes is complemented by a delectable selection of cocktails that expertly combine Japanese ingredients and methods to create an experience unmatched in the Midwest, much alone Chicago.

Sitting down with a martini at this classy yet laid-back restaurant bar in the West Loop is a genuinely unique experience, thanks to Momosé’s design of a cocktail bar with Japanese sensibilities.

The address is 60661 Chicago, IL at 630 W Lake St.

2. Three Dots and a Dash

Three Dots and a Dash offers the exact opposite of Kumiko’s more austere approach to cocktails. The cocktails at this tropical speakeasy are visually stimulating and bursting with color and flavor.

Tucked down beneath the busy streets of River North, Three Dots and a Dash is a tropical haven that will transport you to Polynesia. It was also voted one of The World’s 50 Best Bars, but this time by Drinks International.

Expert in cocktails Kevin Beary oversees a committed staff that crafts drinks with the best rums, spirits, elixirs, and syrups produced in-house, combining the freshest exotic fruits, flowers, and spices. Cocktails are served in ornate vessels such as treasure chests, clamshell bowls, and tiki totems.

3. The Violet Hour

The Violet Hour, a James Beard Award-winning bar program with a seasonally rotating cocktail list of pre-prohibition era libations, is located in the center of Wicker Park.

This prestigious business is recognized for having ignited Chicago’s cocktail revolution and takes its name from T.S. Eliot’s renowned poem The Waste Land.

The Violet Hour has an ever-changing painting on its front in addition to a rotating drink menu inside. Behind a discreet door is a magnificent speakeasy setup complete with crystal chandeliers, draped curtains, candlelight tables, and a large marble bar.

It’s difficult to locate a chicer cocktail bar in Chicago than The Violet Hour

.The address is 1520 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60622

4. The Aviary

The Aviary in West Loop is a well-known local attraction that has been enthralling patrons with its painstakingly crafted drink creations since its establishment in 2011.

Though some of The Aviary’s offerings can be misinterpreted as scientific experiments, we firmly think that science can be trusted.

For example, the bar’s Junglebird is a surreal mixture of rum, Campari, pineapple-lime syrup, and a string of pearls floating in the drink that bursts in your tongue. It is understandable why this is one of Chicago’s top cocktail bars—it is owned by the same hospitality business as Alinea.

You may get more details at www.theaviary.com.

955 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607 is the address.

5. Nobody’s Darling

As you walk inside this “adult playpen for cocktail lovers,” as the bar puts itself, you’ll notice the moving lines from the poem “Be Nobody’s Darling,” by Alice Walker, which gives the establishment its name. Nobody’s Darling is a beloved Andersonville hideaway and one of the greatest cocktail bars in Chicago because of its amazing cocktails, which are another source of magic behind the bar.

The Washington Post referred to Nobody’s Darling as “a perfect cauldron of our differences” when it was founded in 2021 by two Black lesbian friends, Angela Barnes and Renauda Riddle. The article highlighted how the Black-owned, queer-owned, women-owned bar came to be in response to antipathy at Chicago gay bars and a nationwide decline in lesbian bars. A few months later, Barnes and Riddle’s brainchild was nominated for a 2022 James Beard Award in the Outstanding Bar Program category, which is evidence of the bar’s growing popularity.

The neighborhood cocktail lounge has become one of Andersonville’s most well-liked establishments, serving a variety of contemporary and traditional concoctions influenced by Black history.

You may find out more at nobodysdarlingbar.com.

Address: Chicago, IL 60640, 1744 W. Balmoral Ave.

6. Las Fuentes Restaurant

Chicago offers plenty of amazing spots for margaritas and gorgeous patios, but Las Fuentes in Lincoln Park has both.

Many of you who are reading this will have had one of their expertly mixed drinks while lounging in the enchanted outdoor oasis and listening to the drip of the Las Fuentes fountain.

Since 1982, the family-run eatery has been providing traditional Mexican food and beverages to Chicagoans, and they certainly know how to do it well. When the sun is shining and you check into the quaint courtyard with an Especial Margarita in hand, you’ll see what we mean.

Check out lasfuentesrestaurant.com for more details.

The address is 2558 N. Halsted, 60614 Chicago, IL

7. Billy Sunday

Google claims that during quarantine, America’s most popular cocktail to go was the Old Fashioned. Billy Sunday’s Old Fashioned is what you should get if you were among those who contributed to that title.

Logan Square Park’s award-winning bar provides more daring alternatives and “a library of vintage spirits” to browse with your taste buds in addition to their classic selection.

Visit billy-sunday.com for additional details.

Address: 60647, Chicago, IL, 3143 W Logan Blvd.

8. The Scofflaw

Naturally, the gin-focused Scofflaw is included in the list of the greatest cocktail bars in Chicago as it is another well-known establishment in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Scofflaw is the place to go if you enjoy drinking gin. You’ll get more than your money’s worth at this hip late-night cocktail club with its amazing selection of “baroque” and reasonably priced gin beverages and delicious international cuisine.

In any weather or on any occasion, you can take advantage of the friendly service and a changing selection of highly regarded gins at this cozy, Victorian-style salon that is centered on a relaxed bar area and large patio. We suggest trying the Ruby Thief, an apple juice and green chartreuse drink made with Bluecoat Gin. It claims on its website that this beverage will “steal your heart.”

You may get more details at scofflawchicago.com.

3201 W Armitage Ave., Chicago, IL 60647 is the address.

9. Sparrow

There’s a very little chance that if you’re reading this, sipping a martini in an elegant bar with a nearly century-old Cuban influence won’t appeal to you.

At Sparrow, you will precisely discover that. Housed in a 1927 art deco structure, this Gold Coast hidden gem is another place to experience the spirit of Prohibition. It serves some really good rum cocktails.

This fashionable bar was initially intended to be a haven for residents looking for a late-night meeting spot or a nightcap, drawing inspiration from the famous hotel lobby bars of the 1930s. We appreciate that Sparrow will make you feel as though you’ve traveled back several decades or stumbled into an old movie.

You can find out more at sparrowchicago.com.

12 W Elm St., Chicago, IL 60610 is the address.

10. The Victor Bar

According to The Victor Bar’s website, “since its opening in 2016, this bar has been recognized throughout the city as a destination for balanced cocktails and compassionate bartenders.”

The atmosphere in this cozy, retro cocktail bar is reflected in these subdued opening lines. The Victor Bar, which is situated in Chicago’s Northcenter district, is a welcoming haven with rustic exposed brick walls and a Parisian atmosphere that make it the ideal place to sip one of their amazing cocktails.

You may find out more at thevictorbarchicago.com.

4011 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60618 is the address.

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