Of course when in Chicago, I had to check out Bisous, ranked #30 on North America's 50 Best Bars…read more2026, climbing from #39 in 2025. With an intimate ambiance, in Chicago's Fulton Market, Bisous brings the vibe of a 1960s Parisian cocktail lounge. Since they don't take reservations, I had a short wait at the door. Somehow, they knew exactly what I wanted, which was a seat at the bar. My favorite place to sip, exhaole, and chat with the bartenders. The cocktails were delicious, and the service was warm, attentive, and welcoming. My tongue-clicking sips for the evening: PASTRY WAR Pistachio Cream, Agricole & Jamaican Rums, Grappa, Almond, Egg White, Lemon, Nutmeg BAIT & SWITCH Blueberry Cordial, Mezcal, Blanche Armagnac, Baking Spices COUNTERPOINT Fig Leaf, Armagnac Duffau Napoléon, Yellow Chartreuse, Oscar.697 Rosso Vermouth Mmmm... #BonAppetit! Cheers! Enjoy!

My boyfriend and I were visiting Chicago (from Las Vegas) 2 weeks ago, and were very excited to…read morecheck out Bisous, as it looked nice inside and had good reviews. Imagine my shock when we didn't even make it past the bouncer because he was so rude, AS OTHER RECENT REVIEWS HAVE MENTIONED AS WELL! We had dinner nearby and walked to Bisous after, and saw there was a line of 5 or 6 people outside. We expected this as we knew Bisous is a first come, first serve bar. We were curious what the wait time would look like, so we approached the front door to ask a host or employee inside (we assumed there'd be a desk with an employee working it who could give us a wait time). We had no problem waiting, just wanted to see how long they estimated it would be! Before we could even fully open the door, the bouncer swung the door open from the other side and hit me with the door. I stumbled back a few steps and he looked at us and said, and I quote, "What do you want?". I laughed at first because I thought he was joking and putting on a tough guy act. He was not. We quickly explained we just wanted to see what the wait time was, and he said "don't you see there's a line outside?" We said yes, and explained we just wanted to know a rough estimated wait time. He just blankly stared at us while ushering us out. Both my boyfriend and I have worked in customer-service roles for a very, very long time. This encounter was not only extremely rude and unprofessional, but he also hit me hard enough with the door to send me stumbling back, and then said nothing about it and continued to address us in a tone that was nothing less than annoyed and irritated. We didn't end up going inside because that encounter left such a bad taste in our mouths. I don't believe in spending my money at establishments that don't treat their customers with the bare minimum respect they deserve! Bummed we didn't get to experience it, as I'm sure it was lovely inside and I can only hope the rest of the employees were much more kind and accommodating, or at least able to answer a simple question. Fire your "bouncer" (??) and hire someone with some basic customer service and communication skills!!

The Cove is your friendly neighborhood dive bar. If you are looking for a place to meet new and…read moreinteresting people, grab a drink after a long workday, or hang with friends on the weekend, then this is your place. I love it here because you can get a super-boozy Old Fashioned for only $10. You will also get friendly bartenders who actually enjoy meeting patrons and making conversation with them. I like grabbing a seat right at the bar (when there is a seat available because it is typically crowded) because that is where you can meet the most interesting characters. This is not the place to come if you are looking for drinks with frills. This also is not the place where you can get some nosh with your liquor, but I have seen folks order and bring in food. There's not live music (i.e.: a DJ), but there is a paid jukebox in the back. #ImNotAFoodie #ImJustAGirlWhoLovesFoodAndDrink #YelpEliteSquad

The cove is a great little dive bar in the Hyde park neighborhood. A wide range of patrons from…read morelocals to UChicago students you will see in here. A laid back bar with friendly staff with great service. The drinks are mixed well and you can typically find a seat in the bar pretty easily.

Loved how quiet, comfortable, and relaxed our visit was on a Sunday afternoon. We were seated…read moreimmediately, and although there were only a few other parties, I was honestly surprised by how empty it stayed. We ordered the crab linguine and the steak sandwich, and both were delicious. The cocktails were fresh, flavorful, and definitely boozy! I'd come back for those alone. The space is cozy but roomy enough for both date night and larger groups. It's also connected to a hotel, which was news to me, and parking was easy. Definitely a place worth checking out!

Excellent restaurant at the street level of the Study hotel. After a long day at the Obama…read morePresidential center, we stopped by on a Tuesday night for dinner without a reservation, and then on Wednesday morning to catch breakfast. Dinner was wonderful - a deliciousl crab pasta dish in a light lemon sauce, along with a very tasty dessert. Service from Simone was very good. Since we had such a good experience at dinner, we stopped by in the morning and got a yogurt parfait with granola and fruit - also quite tasty. The server that morning was (I believe) Andrea, who had an amazing energy and a wonderful attitude. She was quite confident in running the whole restaurant front of the house. When I return to the area, I will definitely be visiting Truth be Told.

From the greeting at the door by Mario to the hand crafted cocktails made by Lee, our experience…read morewas great! The sexy dark ambiance sets the mood. Saw a menu of small plates that sounded yummy, didn't have but will next time!

Well priced bar with good prices, quality cocktails, and a strong identity in West Loop…read more Out of the options you have in West Loop, this one works perfectly for something slightly more lowkey. This is a great place to go for friendly ambiance to not break the bank.

Genesis was our server and she was absolutely amazing and attentive. She offered great suggestions…read morewhich we adhered to. Smash burger was . Caesar salad+ shrimp was a hit too. Fried chicken was crunchy and good. A touch sweet for my liking but very good. Truffle fries were a big hit. Also had warm crab dip wish had quite a few shells/cartilage but flavor was good. The drinks were all very good too. Music was nice. You good hear it a vibe to it but it was too loud. We didn't have to yell or talk loudly. We were were celebrating all 4 of our upcoming June/July birthdays and she treats us like rock stars. Great job Genesis

I'm not quite sure why this place has pretty good reviews. Overall, it's pretty average. We came…read morefor happy hour and sat outside. While the table was on the sidewalk it was slightly set off and not on a busy street, so that was nice. While I only went inside to use the restroom, the vibes are interesting... I had their aperol spritz and it was okay. It was strong which was good. Then a pornstar martini. I thought the pornstar martini was really good and the best item of the evening. We shared oysters, the crab dip, and tuna tartare. The oysters were alright. The crab dip was funky. It was a bit fishy and maybe too heavy on the dill? I'm not sure but something was a bit off. The tuna tartare tasted fresh and was a good combination of flavors. It would be the only food item I'd reorder from the happy hour menu.

Beautiful intimate speakeasy with amazing cocktails it's hard to pick which one to start with! The…read moreservice was wonderful and we really enjoyed our time. I ordered the petal pusher cocktail which was delicious!

The Alderman has been on my list for quite some time now. I am so excited that I finally was able…read moreto snag a reservation and check it out. If you didn't know, it is located inside of Pilsen Yards. It's a nice small intimate setting, but I loved every single detail about it. If you are not able to sit at the booth, there are four seats at the bar where you can still enjoy the experience. The ambience was amazing. It was nice and cozy, dimly lit, candles everywhere kind of gave a romantic feel in a sense. The art on the wall was like no other. Very bold, vibrant, and told a story. The selection of music was great, It was a vibe the entire time. My bartender's name was Scotty. Scotty was everything. He was so knowledgeable about the drinks. He had amazing suggestions and he could even put a twist on it if you allowed him. He's also very passionate about his craft and it shows once you a taste of the drinks that he prepared. I had such an amazing time. Not only did he prepare a great drink, but he was so personable and checked on everybody throughout the night and made sure everyone was doing OK. I loved it there. I cannot wait to go back another day. This is hands-down one of my favorite speakeasies. What a hidden gem.

This place is magical, first when you walk in there is a beautiful wall display of flowers then you…read morewalk in and see romantic candles on tables with dim light. The ambiance is perfect if you are celebrating your anniversary or birthday. Now let's talk about the music, LIVE MUSIC!!! When I was there it sounded like jazz, besides the house of blues, where in Chicago can you go and hear live music? (I'll wait) The service was exceptional, very kind and personable staff, very attentive and easy to talk to. The food was utterly delicious, I've never had a steak so good in my entire life, & I've had steak at RPM & STK Overall an amazing experience, I will definitely be coming back and telling everyone about it. Thank you so much for an amazing experience.

From the moment you walk into Chemistry until the second you leave, the experience is immaculate…read more The hostesses are dressed to impress--absolutely stunning--and set the tone right away. We were seated promptly and greeted by our lovely host, who truly brought the "chemistry" to our table and woke up our entire vibe! Everything from the drink presentation to the final dessert was phenomenal. We tried the Patron flight, which I highly recommend. I ordered the stuffed salmon, perfectly seasoned, with rice and spinach that was incredibly flavorful. My sister had the lamb chops with garlic mashed potatoes speechless. And our birthday girl went with the jerk salmon and asparagus. She loved it so much she cleaned her plate and couldn't stop talking about how amazing it was. Overall, we had an unforgettable experience. The music, the food, the energy--everything was a 20/10. If you're in Chicago, this place is a must-visit. I made it there within 48 hours, so no excuses!

After years of driving by and seeing the hanging octopus I finally stopped in to celebrate a…read morefriends birthday!! A seafood birthday dinner has become her tradition, can't say I'm upset about this!! We started off with drinks! Two of us got the Floral Cloud and the other two got the salty air margarita! The salty foam (replacing the traditional salt rim) was perfection!! The presentation of the floral cloud was so cute! For starters we got the patatas bravas, 10/10 would recommend!! The sauce was delicious!! I personally got the poke bowl, it was love at first bite!! While it may not look like a huge portion I was only able to finish 3/4 of it. Shared with the after in an attempt to save room for dessert!! Two of my friends got the scallops and the other got the lobster roll. Scallops were delicious, they shared a bite with me! The lobster roll left me a bit unsatisfied. While it had plenty of meat it lacked lasting flavor!! Now let's talk about the MVP's of the night- Dessert! HIGHLY recommend the key lime pie if you're a fan! It also includes some of that salt foam! The sticky toffee was a huge hit at our table!! And the passion fruit in the flan was a very yummy add on!! Our server was the best!! She was so lovely and made excellent recommendations!!

We loved this place! We initially thought we would be sitting looking at the river but it's a bit…read morefarther in and we couldn't see the river from our table but no big deal. The ambiance was beautiful, our waiter was so kind, and the service was great. The waiter misheard my order so I didn't get my right entree the first time but they were super kind, quick, and accommodating to bring out my correct order. The food was AMAZING! We shared the tuna tartar as an appetizer and it was one of the best things i've tried! The presentation was also so fun and pretty, served inside a coconut with plantain chips on the side. I ordered the lobster roll and it was so so so amazing, definitely best i've ever had. The bun was toasted and buttery and the lobster filled with flavor.. I could eat 5 of them!! They also had brought seasoned corn nuts to the table when we were seated and salted caramels for dessert, both fun and yummy. Would recommend to anyone looking for a bit of a nicer dinner in Chicago. We had a reservation on a Saturday night and it looked like the place was full, we were glad we had one and got seated right away.