One of my favorite spots for cocktails in Chicago! The drinks are NEXT LEVEL, the mixology is…read moreseriously insane. They also have live music, and it's always such a vibe. I've never not had a great time here. Shoutout to Guillermo because he's so good at his job and also so fun to talk to! Definitely one of my go-to cocktail spots.

Such a fun moody speakeasy for cocktails located in lower level of The Hoxton! They have such an…read moreincredible range of cocktails it's truly impressive. There's a decent amount of seating and space in the bar but we went on a Monday evening and it was quite busy so I can only imagine how crowded it gets on a weekend. It also is quite dark in this space, something to keep in mind if you struggle with that! We helped one of the bar staff clean a broken glass from the floor and they brought us some extra drinks which was extremely sweet of them! Would definitely come back the next time I'm in the area.

The VIG is an underrated West Loop spot!…read more Excellent food, great drinks, and a fun, knowledgeable staff. The Girl Dinner for $25 is an outstanding value and tastes amazing. The burgers are also highly underrated and deserve to be talked about more. Add in the great vibes, and this place deserves more love. I do not know the late night vibes or if the DJ/club scene takes over or not but I like the regular restaurant style and vibes here.

Came here on a Sunday and it was pretty busy. We made a reservation online ahead to ensure we had a…read moretable but you could have walked in without having to wait. They have a large indoor dining area, a large bar with seating and an outdoor patio. The clientele was younger with guys watching football and girls brunching. Staff were waiting at the door to seat you and our waitress was very kind and attentive. I started with a mimosa which was good and normal-sized. For food, I ordered the breakfast burrito which was very good and large! I'd definitely come back for the burrito! To end my meal, I ordered an espresso martini which was good and not too sweet. Overall the vibe was good and I'd come back here for brunch!

One of my favorite cocktail bars in the city, I just learned a secret-- visit on Sunday afternoon…read morewhen there isn't a line out the door and it isn't slammed inside. Really creative cocktails, unusual wines, great snack list (and the complimentary olives and cheese made us able to stay longer add have another round!). If you sit at the bar, one of the very talented, friendly mixologists will guide you to your perfect drink progression-- that's right-- you're not just have one thing. Too hard to choose so why should you? There are low and no ABV options as well to balance out the martinis and other spirit forward offerings. I love the decor and overall vibe--classy, French-y, fun not stuffy. Great on your own, with a date, a small group. Special shout out to Hannah but everyone we interacted with was great.

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!

After my birthday dinner, my friends and I went to The Office, the intimate speakeasy in Fulton…read moreMarket, and it was such a great experience! The atmosphere is beautiful, cozy, and intimate, which made it perfect for continuing my birthday celebration. Our bartender was incredibly attentive, kind, and welcoming, and the drinks were absolutely delicious. We made a reservation and paid a deposit in advance, which was applied toward our final bill. I really appreciated how seamless everything was. They even surprised me with a little birthday treat and a candle, which was such a thoughtful touch and made me feel celebrated. We had a wonderful time from beginning to end. Great drinks, great service, and an amazing vibe. I would absolutely recommend The Office for an after-dinner experience, a pre-dinner cocktail, date night, or a special celebration. I will definitely be back!

The Office is a nice speakeasy! I had wanted to get a floral drink at the restaurant upstairs…read morecalled "the Aviary" but they were actually totally full, whereas the speakeasy wasn't. I sat at the bar downstairs and can confirm the place has a classic speakeasy feel -- the the basement of a place behind a locked door, very dark inside with mood lighting/glass cases and leather chairs/couches around small low tables. It's definitely a great date spot! I took off a star because it's pricey -- I got the "milk punch" on their classic cocktail menu which was $25 and is pretty small, but it's a nice drink and tasted very much like a milk punch drink I got at a speakeasy back home (in Austin, TX). The bartenders were super nice and provided excellent service, no complaints there! The bathrooms were also immaculate. Overall, this is a very nice speakeasy! I've been to many in my day and the ambiance is definitely on par with the best, but I gotta say some other unique ingredients (ideally more floral options!) would really take their menu up a notch! Nevertheless, I would def rec a visit to those visiting Chicago, and would go again even just for vibes :)

Speakeasy on the second floor of recently renovated Niso. Very warm vibe with a Greek decor except…read morefor a misplaced disco ball . I went for a night cap after dinner at Komo last night and the 'mixologist' was a lot of fun to chat with. They also have a 'secret menu' but I'll leave the rest of the details on this for you to go experience it. I asked for a scotch sprit forward drink with some smoke to it and was presented an Ardbeg laced with some green chartreuse and it was excellent. The chartreuse was a substitute to using absinthe which I don't enjoy. Overall a great experience and a cool spot to hang out.

Located in Nisos, The Lounge is one of 3 spaces and this one is their cocktail lounge! What a…read morebeautiful spot! However, come here only for the vibes and your IG pics because that's all there is to this place. The ambiance is very moody and sexy which I love however, I felt like I was sitting in seating meant for toddlers! It seemed like all the seats were super low to the ground and i'm pretty short so not sure how the taller folks feel. It felt super awkward to sit in the space. Our drinks tasted like pure perfume so it was disappointing considering they were almost $20. I'll be skipping out on the lounge and will only enjoy the restaurant spaces in the future. Prime Bar's bar on the first floor is 100x better if you're looking for a good drink and aren't too invested in vibes.

My wife and I were on our anniversary trip to Chicago and decided to enjoy the cocktail bar The…read moreAviary before our dinner at their sister concept - Next. I'll start out by saying that the time in the Aviary was the best cocktail experience we have ever had. Not saying the best cocktails (even though they were very good), but the best experience as far as interesting presentations and overall service combined with good cocktails that when you were drinking them did not feel gimmicky at all, but that everything had a purpose. My wife did the 3 drink progression and ordered The Partridge, The 3 Martini Lunch, and the non-alcoholic version of the Kyoto Plum. I got three cocktails, but because I opted for one on their barrel aged part of the menu, my progression was basically a la carte, not the 3 drink $75 price. We also opted for one small bite of food - The Truffle explosion. My drinks were the Cereal Killer, the In The Rocks, and the Blood and Sand. As far as favorites went Joy's Partridge was basically a Mint Julep with some warming spices, but the presentation was great. Almost every table got that drink so it must be well received. My favorite was the Blood and Sand that was just a really well balanced cocktail. I think that part of the menu does not get the elaborate presentations. We both also enjoyed sharing the 3 martini lunch which was a small version of a Vesper, a Gibson, and a dirty Martini. Two things about this drink, we like our martinis with gin rather than vodka (obviously a Vesper has both), but their rules are that there are no changes to their menus, so both the gibson and the dirty martini were vodka based. The Gibson and the Vesper were our favorites of the three as the dirty martini was too dirty. There was even more olive brine if we wanted it dirtier. Bottom line, top notch experience, great friendly service, and the atmosphere was awesome watching the room being served some of the drinks we had, and ones that we did not order. The Truffle Explosion was also a very good bite, basically a truffle/parmesan infused soup dumpling that exploded in your mouth and helped out with a little food in our belly while having all that alcohol at the same time. The only disappointing cocktail was the Kyoto Plum mocktail, interesting presentation, but tasted just like grape juice - no real character. A hostess from Next came and got us and took us to our table in Next for the 1987 Manhattan meal. Thanks for a great experience Aviary!!

What an entertaining experience. The Aviary is like fine dining except almost entirely focused on…read morecocktails. We made a reservation for their three course cocktail experience for four of us which required a deposit of $75 per person. Only one of us ended up doing the experience (the rest of us were too full and already tipsy from dinner) but it was nonetheless, a very cool experience. Service was top notch. My partner has admired this place for a long time, as a bartender himself, and he has even learned a thing or two from their Bible-like cookbooks. So when the maitre d offered to allow him to step into the kitchen and help finish one of their cocktails, he was absolutely giddy. This was such a memorable and special touch for us during our visit to Chicago. I loved seeing how the kitchen worked together in a traditional kitchen line but only focusing on cocktails. It was an impressive thing to see. Many of the cocktails are presented in an incredibly theatrical way featuring interesting glassware, dry ice, and even a plastic bag filled with flavored air. I actually wasn't a big fan of the cocktail I ordered (it leaned too heavy into the BBQ flavor for my taste) but I enjoyed trying everyone else's cocktails at the table. I would definitely recommend checking out The Aviary if you are a cocktail enthusiast hoping to try something you can't get anywhere else. It truly is a fine dining experience with mixology at the forefront.

7/3/26: Absolutely fell in love with their HH deal! Had their espresso martini and Appletini. Both…read morecocktails were of superior quality! Loved the apple flavor and sweetness to the appletini while the espresso martini had a nice espresso flavor and wasn't too sweet. I thought waffles fries had some great seasoning, just wish they came out a little warmer. The red lighting set such a cozy mood for a girls night out and the photo booth made our experience that much more memorable.

Super cute for a night out, not super busy inside but the lighting makes it really fun! Since photo…read morebooths have become popular again, this is a perfect spot for that! The bar is slightly hidden around the corner, but easy to find and the service is fast. Def recommend for a night out stop

Stopped in last night and sat at the bar, was fortunate to get a spot and so pumped to eat here…read more Great happy hour menu, I had two of the HH mastitis (7 bucks each) and then I also ordered the steak tar tar for an app. Holy shit this was incredible, would go back just for this again... sooo good! I had what I thought was the best tar tar of all time in French restaurant inside the aria in Vegas but this is right up there with that, maybe better. For dinner I had the pork dish, was really good probably would get a pasta or the chicken next time. Service was very friendly! The dimly lit restaurant has such a cool atmosphere, I see why this place is so highly regarded m! Definitely recommend!

We visited Gilt Bar for the first time and, while there were a few highlights, the overall…read moreexperience didn't justify the value. Happy hour was the best part: the drinks had good pours and felt like a solid deal, and the onion rings were very good. The sliders on the happy hour menu, though, felt overpriced for what you get--mostly bread with a small piece of chicken or burger. For the main courses, two of the four pasta dishes came out cold. We were seated outside, and it seemed like the plates may have been held while other entrees finished, so they were barely edible by the time they reached us. Service was decent, but it didn't really make up for the misses in pacing and food quality. We also expected a patio, but it was more like curbside seating at a busy intersection, with cars and traffic noise right on top of us. It was distracting and made it hard to have a conversation. Given the overall value and experience, we won't be returning.

A cute spot for an afternoon or evening bite in the heart of West Loop. The patio is gorgeous!…read moreGreat for sunny fall afternoons! The place turns into a lounge at night with a live DJ on weekends. The bartender Antonio gave stellar customer service, knows his craft. I got their espresso martini and it was perfect, not overly sweet or acidic! Their grilled cheese and tomato bisque is to die for! I will be coming back for seconds. Overall a great 10/10 experience.

Got there a bit early and grabbed a cocktail at the bar while waiting for my friend. The host and…read morebartender were really nice. Cocktail was good. Average prices. Ordered the burger for brunch, felt there was minimal brunch options that didn't feel like lunch food. Everything was decent/ ok. My biggest issue is it was brunch and there was NO coffee. Allegedly the coffee machine is broke? I mean? You can't even get an old school coffee pot to serve coffee? Instead their solution was that I leave brunch and go next door and get coffees from levain bakery. Then I ordered a burger and they didn't have ranch for the fries??? Now they have salads on the menu so the fact they don't have ranch is weird. Overall staff was nice but the food was average and no coffee at weekend brunch was disappointing. I wouldn't go back.

Recently went to Prime Bar to celebrate Galentine's Day with my girls. This spot had been on my…read morelist for a while! We decided to dine at the bar so we could take advantage of the everyday happy hour and use our InKind app. The espresso martini was a HIT. Our favorites were the chips and dips, cheeseburger, chicken taco pita, truffle fries, and oysters. The wings were just okay and I did not love the herb aioli. Our bartender server, I believe her name was Delia, sorry if I spelled it wrong, was super nice. She got slammed but still gave great service the whole time. The ambience is gorgeous and the music really set the vibe. Would definitely come back!

This place is insanely beautiful and aesthetically pleasing. They did an amazing job decorating the…read moreinterior and using the space. Even the area they kept water for easy access was well thought out. I started with a dozen oysters and ended with the wagyu smash burger, as it was a must order. The oysters are $1 during happy hour, which is 4pm - 6pm everyday. The oysters were fresh and the perfect size, not too big or too small. It came with two sauces, lemons, and mini Tabascos. The wagyu smash burger was pretty good and filling. I'm not the biggest fan of burgers but this one is definitely worth trying! My waiter was attentive and chill. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and can't wait to come back!