Grant Achatz cocktail bar where drinks are served in custom vessels, some requiring tools to consume. The ice program alone is worth a PhD. This is the Alinea of cocktails -- inventive, theatrical, an...
95
2
Bavette's Bar & Boeuf
Steakhouse · River North
The sexiest steakhouse in Chicago -- dim lighting, jazz on the speakers, and a clientele that looks like they stepped out of a prohibition-era film. The bone-in ribeye is perfectly crusted, the shrimp...
92
3
The Violet Hour
Craft Cocktails · Wicker Park · James Beard Award
The bar that launched Chicago craft cocktail revolution -- a speakeasy-style lounge hidden behind an unmarked facade on North Damen. No standing allowed, no phone calls, and cocktails that are among t...
91
4
Momotaro
Japanese · West Loop
Gorgeous three-level West Loop Japanese with sushi, robata grill, and a stunning subterranean cocktail lounge. The omakase is excellent, the A5 wagyu is properly indulgent, and the izakaya-style small...
91
5
Sepia
American / French · West Loop · Michelin 1 Star
Andrew Zimmerman's seasonal American restaurant in a stunning 1890s print shop in the West Loop. The menu marries French technique with Midwestern ingredients — foie gras, duck, and pristine fish prep...
91
6
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
Jazz Club · Uptown
Al Capone old hangout that has been serving jazz and cocktails since 1907. The Sunday night poetry slam is legendary, the live jazz is nightly, and the Art Deco interior is a time capsule. The most at...
90
7
The Drifter
Speakeasy · River North
Hidden in the basement of Green Door Tavern (itself a 100-year-old bar), The Drifter is a tiny speakeasy with a rotating menu printed on vintage tarot cards. Burlesque shows, fortune tellers, and cock...
90
8
Cariño
Modern Mexican · Uptown · Michelin 1 Star
Modern Mexican from chef Edgar Gonzalez in Uptown that earned a Michelin star with dishes rooted in his Guerrero heritage. Moles built from 30+ ingredients, hand-pressed tortillas, and a mezcal progra...
90
9
Longman & Eagle
New American / Whiskey Bar · Logan Square
Logan Square gastropub and whiskey bar with rooms upstairs that make it the coolest place to sleep in the neighborhood. The wild boar sloppy joe is a cult classic, the whiskey list is encyclopedic, an...
89
10
Lost Lake
Tiki Bar · Logan Square
Paul McGee tiki bar that put Chicago on the national cocktail map with drinks that are both technically brilliant and genuinely fun. The tropical decor is maximal, the rum list is extensive, and the Z...