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    Scofflaw

    4.3 (876 reviews)
    Open 5:00 pm - 1:00 am (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Scofflaw Photos

    Business Info

    SCOFFLAW ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Hipster
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Scofflaw

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    Ube mocktail
    Tasha M.

    Everything is better here! The vibes are relaxed and warm. The cheeseburger is delicious it hit the spot so perfectly. Three seating options are either at the bar, a table or the loveseats. Our servers we attentive and super friendly, time just flew by and we pretty much stayed until last call. I cannot wait to bring all my friends to hang here.

    Jefferson's President Select 21yr. Excellent
    Justin P.

    If you're a gin fan, you need to check this place out. Very few spots in Chicago have this type of selection. The craft cocktails were pretty good, but the gin selection is the star here. Try to make a reservation so you can snag one of the cozy seats. Otherwise, bar seating isn't hard to snag unless it's a Friday night. Was also impressed by the staff. They were accommodating and made great drink suggestions. I'd come again.

    Sanika P.

    Scofflaw has the best ambiance! Their chandelier, fireplace truly bring you back to another time. And to add to that, their cocktail creations are so yummy. You couldn't go wrong w anything!!

    Pendennis Club and Daisy
    Carina L.

    Tried 4 drinks off their happy menu and all slapped - really good range of tasting notes! Pleasantly surprised by their cheeseburger! Patties were juicy and the sauce was really good - simple but done right. Their spinach and artichoke dip was very rich and cheesy, served with fried wanton chips. Greasy finger food but went to well with the clean and crisp cocktails.

    Apple pie monkey bread
    Lily B.

    Everything from the ambiance, to the service, to the food was 10/10. We arrived early for our reservation and they had us seated for a drink at a couch in the back while our table finished up. The vibes are immaculate inside - cozy, dark and lively. Scofflaw truly exudes coolness without trying too hard. We enjoyed our drinks, some more than others. But seriously get the burger. It's absolutely perfect, I have no notes. Our waiter went above and beyond and even brought my brother a small plate of fries because we didn't save him any. For dessert we got the apple pie monkey bread which was a comforting end to the meal.

    David W.

    Went to Scofflaw for the second time this evening and it remains an excellent experience. Service was fast, polite, and made us aware of a few things we didn't know about things we were ordering so we wouldn't be surprised. Menu remains good while being relatively compact - they do fewer things better and I appreciate that. We had several cocktails with differing profiles and base liquors and they were all good, definitely in the A class for our fair city. Particularly good was the Bear Necessity which was delightfully well balanced for any palette. For appetizers we had the fried cauliflower with the lemon pepper sauce and the beet bruschetta. Both were S class and vegetarian as well. For mains we had the Italian Beef Spaetzle and the Eggplant Hoagie, both were A class and off special note was the crispy chickpeas in the hoagie giving it an extra enjoyable texture component. We finished with the cinnamon monkey bread which was so good that I did indeed split it with my date despite initially turning down dessert. If you're in the neighborhood or looking for somewhere worth a bit of a jaunt for a lovely meal, I'd recommend Scofflaw wholeheartedly. Prices were reasonable, maybe even trending a bit on the inexpensive side for the quality of the meal.

    Inside
    Cheyenne G.

    I've heard so much about this cute bar and finally had a chance to visit! Seating is competitive but we were lucky to snag a bar seat. The dark moody lighting and smooth background music made this a perfect spot for a rainy night. Our bartender was incredible, and so was the hostesses at the front door. The cocktails are reasonably priced at ~$13 a piece, and they're stiff. And the midnight cookies were just what we needed after a few drinks!

    Burrito- not bad
    Ernie H.

    You can have anything on the menu before 5 as long as you order from the Brunch menu. Im not a a burger person but my son and future son I law swears by it so who am I to argue. I had the sesame French toast; sweet, savory strangely weird but I like it. It's too rich - share it with someone. The steak sandwich is excellent. My issue is with the "to go" order. I told the bar tender I need it by 2:10 - 2:15. I got it around 2:30. Too late for my wife, daughter, her future mother in law they left at 2:18. He wasn't the fastest bar tender his speed was his speed and you just had to deal with that. He was nice mind you. You just knew you couldn't rush him. He said that in advance - the food will show up when it shows up. Oh well.

    Cicada Club
    Fiona H.

    This is it you guys. The cutest cocktail bar in the city. My husband and I have been in a few times now and have had the same bartender and we are obsessed! Brendan is so fun and very knowledgeable about the food and cocktails. He makes everyone feel so welcome and whips up drinks in 2 seconds. We came the first time-not realizing what the vibe was here. After having Brendan as our bartender once we were hooked. Every bar/restaurant is only as good as it's best bartender. At this point we have had almost every drink on the menu. The burger was without a doubt the greatest thing I have ever tasted. (Think Culver's meets In-N-Out. WOW) We also had the burrata app and it was heavenly.

    Forgot the name of this drink but it was not as good as it looked!
    Bertha C.

    Sad to say I was underwhelmed with this place. We were sat literally 2 feet away from the door in an awkward space. Our chairs were turned outward because of this. Their menu is very limited for food. I didn't see any chicken dish options whatsoever so I just ordered French fries. Their mixed drink menu wasn't too appealing either. I went with what the waitress recommended and unfortunately I wasn't impressed.

    Fire Chicken Scallion Pancake

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    6 months ago

    The food was disappointing. Crab cakes looked like Dunkin Donuts sausage patties. Thin and sad.

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    2 years ago

    Awesome cocktails, cool space, great bartenders, good prices. Everything you want in a cocktail bar.

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    Scofflaw Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Scofflaw

    Does anyone know how to make a "Victory Lap"? One of the greatest cocktails I've ever had.

    There's no clear concensus for a cocktail build and it varies wildly with each iteration.

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    Bisous - interior

    Bisous

    (114 reviews)

    Fulton Market, West Loop, Near West Side

    The Chicago food tour commences... First stop, drinks at Bisous! This cocktail bar was listed no…read more 39 on the top 50 bars in North America for 2025. It was no wonder when we arrived that there was a line out the door. We waited around 45 minutes, and the bouncer was a really nice fellow who kept track of the numbers and people at the door. Upon entering, we were immersed in a dimly lit retro-style lounge. It was quite loud inside and packed as we walked to our seats. The server was great at taking our orders and offering suggestions. I opted for the French 75, which featured sparkling wine and mixed gin, brandies, and citrus. The drink was delicious, but STRONG. I don't know what they put in the cocktails in America, but I am always finished after one drink. Needless to say, we were all struggling to finish our own drinks. My favourite touch was the coasters, I ended up keeping all of them so that I can reuse them at my galentines event next year. The 'bisous' with the kiss on the other side is a perfect touch! I think the drinks are fairly priced for USD. I would love to return someday to try other drinks and bar bites, and also try their sister bar, Sparrow.

    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!!

    Le Mistral - Inside the building - Le mistral is all the way down on the right side

    Le Mistral

    (12 reviews)

    Lincoln Park

    The service is just incredible. That's what stands out the most. We came after having a superb…read moredinner at S.K.Y. and out waitress transferred us to Le Mistral for dessert as we were hoping to end the night with another cocktail. The transition was seamless, the walk through the kitchen was very cool, everyone was very friendly and excited to see guests. Our dessert came quickly to Le Mistral instead of S.K.Y. and was superb. Our waiter at Le Mistral was very friendly, gave some good advice on the cocktails, and was consistently attentive. My cocktail was just OK - sherry-based martini. I don't normally like a martini but all the ingredients actually seemed very much up my alley - the sherry, benedictine, rose vermouth. But the olive just overpowered. And definitely not worth the price of $24... Would definitely return and try the food next time as well.

    We popped in on a Monday night for a nightcap after finishing up at Mon Ami Gabi across the lobby…read more Our experience was meh. I don't know if every Monday is Metal night, but it was that Monday - Black Sabbath, Nu-Metal, everything but the live goldfish. Perhaps they should advertise "Monday Metal at Mistral" if that is to be a regular thing. It does flow off the tongue. To be fair, there was a full house and the other patrons did not seem to mind. We were not looking to feel the noize, however, and so stayed for just one cocktail. Mine was a Sazerac adjacent mix, and it was very high quality. The decor is very low light, but the vibe is pretty basic - more Paint Your Dorm Room black than Parisian Opium Den black. A bit of a missed opportunity for romance.

    Valedor - Bar area

    Valedor

    (85 reviews)

    Wicker Park, West Town

    Happy hour daily 5-7pm to seat at the bar…read more Reservations are for the tables Happy Hour menus- food for $8 Tuna poke taco $13- salmon is soft. The taco shell is nice and crisp. Al Pastor Gyoza $12- good flavor on the meat. The Gyoza could be more crispy. Quesabirtia roll $12- great flavor. It comes with mole sauce that I would skip. Chicken and Mushroom karaagr $14- actually very good. Good portions. Crispy chicken and mushroom. Nice side dipping sauce. Crispy rice- very disappointing. It is not crispy. Drinks- happy hour $12 drinks. Tamarind sour $16- decent sour. Nice mix. Mano de sol $16- excellent flavor, blood orange, tequila We love lychee $16- great flavor with lychee. Midnight espresso $16: pretty good coffee flavor. Sakreita $15- strawberry- prob bed drink I had. Served in an aluminum can. Pretty cool

    I was lowkey nervous about writing this review because I know this place is already popular... and…read morepart of me wants to keep it a secret. But Valedor is easily a 10/10. From the moment you walk in, everything just clicks -- the atmosphere, the door host, the staff, and the overall level of service. It's one of those places where you can tell the team takes pride in the experience they create. What I really like is how versatile the space feels. It works for a birthday celebration, dinner date, or even an after-work happy hour. No matter the occasion, it fits. If you're thinking about checking it out, make the trip. You won't regret it.

    Truce - The cocktails are legit

    Truce

    (50 reviews)

    Bucktown

    Love the concept and execution of Truce. The interior is gorgeous and upscale. Dark and moody- to a…read morefault in the restrooms though. I literally couldn't see anything in there lol. The best of both worlds for me and my partner, as he is obsessed with cafes and I'm more of a cocktail bar type of person. We went in the afternoon and got specialty cafe drinks and overnight oats. The drinks were really good and the oats were... oats lol. Not particularly special but not bad. After we sat down we were given water and a menu. We then went up to order. Didn't really interact w the workers much but I didn't want to anyway, I just came to chill and enjoy some cafe drinks. The atmosphere is definitely way more lively than a regular cafe, lots of people chatting and more of a cocktail bar vibe so like I said it was the best of both worlds for me and my partner. I'll probably come back here often. I live nearby so I'm super pleased with this place. Dare I say it's a neighborhood gem?

    Came here after hearing and reading great things. The drinks were good and very spirit-forward. We…read moretried the in full bloom, peas + carrots, and uma off their spring 2026 menu. We also tried the mango no. 5 off the classics menu. My favorite was the mango no. 5--it was very smooth with a hint of spiciness. We sat in the corner at the bar behind the coffee machine, which was nice because it felt somewhat private. Bartenders tended to leave us alone and not really check on us unless we made direct eye contact with them. The vibe inside felt cozy and intimate, with very low lighting and a few couches to sit. We wanted to try the "cosmic brownie" I read reviews about, but unfortunately they no longer have it. I was excited to hear they are planning to bring it back sometime soon though. Don't know if I'd go out of my way to come back here again, but maybe if I'm in the area and want to check out a new seasonal menu. I'd also consider coming during the day for coffee.

    Scofflaw - newamerican - Updated May 2026

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