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    The Sterling

    4.8 (19 reviews)
    Closed • 4:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)
    Updated 1 month ago

    The Sterling Photos

    THE STERLING ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - The Sterling

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    Delicious drinks
    Shamara M.

    I was in the area with my husband and since we were celebrating Valentine's Day we wanted to treat ourselves to some fancy cocktails. It was pretty chill, dark atmosphere. The bar had space so we decided to sit there. I wish I remembered the bartenders name (from my video), he gave us great service and made delicious drinks. We'll come back when we're in the area, definitely recommend.

    Bartender special
    Niketa M.

    The bartender Nate was amazing!!! I'd definitely come back just for him. The owner was very personable. Loved the music and atmosphere. Overall a good vibe.

    Awesome tequila recommendation and served perfectly.
    Mary B.

    I was walking down Houston St. back to my hotel and the lights coming from The Sterling drew me in. So glad I went in to check it out. Awesome vibe, staff was engaging, customer service top tier, the bar squad knows what they're doing in the extreme! Not to be missed.

    Bar
    April W.

    Great drinks! Very cozy vibe! I'll def check this out again during a weeknight as well. The service was great!

    Candy Barr
    Tobie C.

    Tried this out for a quick weeknight drink. The atmosphere was gorgeous, and the overall vibe was upscale but still inviting! Darker lighting and good music that was loud enough but not too loud you couldn't hear a normal conversation. I was quickly served by friendly staff members. They gave great recommendations and went over several drinks with me. I first chose the Candy Barr as I love blackberries. The drink had a beautiful presentation including an edible butterfly decoration. It was smooth and not too sweet and was so easy to drink. Next I got the endless summer, a good tequila option. It was also extra smooth and so easy to drink. Their flavors are amazing and tasty without the strong overpowering alcohol taste, what a true cocktail should be. They had so many options of alcohol and different fun drinks on the menu. And I was surprised at the happy hour price of 35% at 4pm. Not sure if happy hours is from 4-6 or 4-7. I'm psyched this is close to my home so I can walk for the awesome atmosphere and refreshing drinks. You can tell they care about the environment, the service, and the cocktail quality. Was a pleasure and I can't wait to try more drinks.

    4th of July bomb pop!

    The best service, ambiance. and music! Nate and the rest of the staff made every drink special and intentional. We had a whiskey sour, the toasted espresso martini, and the seasonal 4th of July bomb pop. I highly recommend The Sterling

    H M.

    Great drinks! Really nice atmosphere and fast service. Cheyenne was the best!! We will definitely be back next time we are in town.

    Cocktail menu
    Zoe M.

    Delicious and thoughtfully comprised craft cocktails. Friendly and knowledgeable bartenders. An owner on premise greeting patrons. Impeccable service. Gorgeous vibe. Perfect addition to the elevated cocktail scene in Funkytown!

    Bar entrance

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    3 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you Mark! We appreciate the kind words.

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    1 year ago

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    1 year ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you Niketa! It was nice meeting you and you’re friends!

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    1 year ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you very much Mary!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you Michael!

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    2 years ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you for the kind words Tobie!

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    1 year ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you so much for the kind words Lauren.

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    2 years ago

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    Brian P.

    Thank you for the kind words!

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    2 years ago

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    Brian P.

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great craft cocktails. Bitter Bee is a must have! Parker and Angel were very nice and made great drinks. We'll be back!

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    Brian P.

    Thank you Amy!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Drinks were amazing the vibe was great and the door guy Matt was amazing!!! Will definitely be back!

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    Thompson's  - Natalie & Zack make a killer Old Fashioned

    Thompson's

    4.2(399 reviews)
    0.0 mi•Downtown
    •$$

    Came here for the Murder Mystery at Thompson's event, and even though we didn't end up solving the…read morecrime, it made for such a fun, festive night out. The premise of the event was super engaging. We got to mingle with suspects, search for clues, and try to figure out "whodunnit" while exploring the venue. One of the best parts about Thompson's is the venue itself. The experience spans across all four distinct floors (from the main speakeasy level up to the cigar lounge), and each floor has its own unique vibe and personality that made hunting for clues even more entertaining. As for the drinks, the whiskey sour was top-notch. It hit the spot while we were busy playing detective. The bar was kept fairly clean throughout the night. The employees were super friendly, and kept the drinks flowing smoothly despite the event crowd. We were able to grab some street parking nearby, but if you can't find a spot right out front, there are plenty of paid parking lots in the immediate area. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for their special events!

    A few of us went here on a Monday night. Only the main bar and cigar bars were open. It's a neat…read morelittle place. We sat on the couch with lounge chairs. Bourbon menu is vast. We also had one of their unique cocktails which had a butterscotch taste. It was good. I walked through the cigar bar which is on the small side. Felt a little cramped compared to the other cigar bar downtown. We had a few drinks and went to leave. We found 4 additional bourbon drinks added to our tab. We knew nobody in our group was drinking that drink at all. We argued with the bartender and he refused to take it off. It left a sour taste in our mouth and $50+ lighter in the wallet. Bartender must have put someone else's drinks on our tab. Frustrating.

    Photos
    Thompson's  - Speakeasy bar

    Speakeasy bar

    Thompson's  - Maria Lucia cigar and a nitrogen cocktail

    Maria Lucia cigar and a nitrogen cocktail

    Thompson's  - Inside

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    Inside

    Blackland Distillery - The bar

    Blackland Distillery

    4.5(142 reviews)
    1.4 mi•Arlington Heights
    •$$

    Great people and great whiskey. We had a great experience blending our own whiskey and then having…read morea party to bottle it. I didn't like whiskey until I tried theirs, especially the Pecan Brown Sugar one.

    4.7 of 5. Our…read moreanniversary didn't start the way we hoped--our dog had gone missing, and chaos ensued. But from the very first phone call, Sophie at Blackland Distillery showed nothing but grace and patience. She allowed us to keep pushing back our reservation without a hint of frustration, and that alone deserves a standing ovation. When we finally arrived, what could've been a ruined evening turned into one of the most memorable nights we've had. Every single person we encountered at Blackland was incredibly kind and welcoming. Marshall greeted us with warmth, and Jeremy? He's not just a bartender--he's a cocktail artist. The drinks he crafted for us were next-level, easily some of the best we've ever had. He truly understands spirits and how to elevate them. We were genuinely torn when it was time to leave for our dinner reservation at Wicked Butcher--honestly, we could've stayed sipping Jeremy's creations all night. Before we left, we got to meet Sophie in person (she stuck around!), and by that time, we had sampled every single spirit Blackland offers. Each one was exceptional--smooth, bold, and full of character. Take home message: Top-tier spirits, an amazing vibe, and a team that genuinely cares--Blackland Distillery turned a stressful day into an unforgettable celebration. We'll be back... and next time, we're staying all night.

    Photos
    Blackland Distillery - Custom cocktail #2

    Custom cocktail #2

    Blackland Distillery - Pecan Bourbon

    Pecan Bourbon

    Blackland Distillery - A flight

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    A flight

    Dirty Laundry - Old Fashioned

    Dirty Laundry

    4.3(80 reviews)
    1.5 mi•Cultural District, Arlington Heights
    •$$

    Fiance and i walked were exploring and walked past an oddly placed and weirdly small laundromat…read morebefore realizing that there is no way this just a tiny random laundromat. We poke our heads in (accidentally going through the exit door. the front door is well camouflaged) and just found a wonderful very chilled out bar. Haven't been to a speakeasy in a long time. It was dark lighting with ambient black lights and string lights to keep it dim but you wont struggle to see through. Music was not super loud and the chairs were incredibly comfortable and the whole place was laid out to just have drinks and lounge while talking with friends. No food, which is fine. You have plenty of options on the same block for that. This place is just for drinks and conversation. The seasonal menu was awesome. It iss a bar so they of course can make anything you request if you don't want a specialty cocktail. I got my favorite, a moscow mule but they had a brazilian mule on the specialty menu. I never had that before and ordered it on the spot. It was grapefruit vodka with lime, lots of fine pellett nugget ice (the really good kind) with ginger beer and condensed milk. My god it was great, they told me how they made it because i never saw milk added to this before. It was a delicious limeade that almost was slushy like, creamy and with tangy vodka. Plus they actually served it in a proper copper mug. Best mixed drink ive had period and a cool twist on my favorite standard moscow mule. The place is now going to become a frequent haunt for us. Its very laid back, relaxed, with fantastic ambiance. It doesn't get jammed packed and is not meant to get wild in. We went there around 7pm on a friday night with about 8 or so others already there with their drinks. It did pick up later with 15-20 people in there but still spacious and comfortable. It genuinely was just a nice bar to have drinks and conversations with friends. Nice music that isn't too loud so you can talk with normal voice levels. The bartenders we had were super nice and charismatic. The drinks were not expensive, a respectable 13 bucks for my mule. If you have a bill over 40 dollars they automatically add 20% gratuity to it so keep that in mind when you are tipping. And after 8pm everything had 20% gratuity added to the bill. But the service is so damn good that you will probably still want to tip on top of that anyways. I loved it so much i actually made a yelp account just to post a review. TLDR super cool speakeasy type joint, cool aesthetics and laundry theme. Not loud, good for drinks and chit chat, cool well crafted specialty cocktails that don't break the bank. Good bartenders. Good times. Cozy seats that encourage you to hang out and talk even with folks you haven't met before and dim without being dark lighting. Clean bathroom too and quick charismatic service. Hit this place up for sure even just for the novelty of it. It was a wonderful surprise bar for a date night. Pro tip for this area in general. all paid parking, some place validates some do not, i am unsure if they do here but there is paid parking right out front and also a paid lot literally across the street. But i don't even bother. About a block and a half away northeast is a big shopping complex with a target. i just park there for free and walk. its a short nice walk and doesn't cost 20 bucks.

    Super late review as it's been quite some time since I visited Dirty Laundry, but it's still a spot…read morethat stands out. Highlights: Super fun speakeasy-style entrance Small interior, but the seating is arranged really well for different group sizes and feels surprisingly comfortable I don't recall them offering food during my visit, but the bartenders were friendly and were able to make a great mocktail Surrounded by different eateries, so it's easy to grab food nearby before or after drinks Easy parking, which is always a plus (street or parking garage nearby)

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    Dirty Laundry
    Dirty Laundry - Inside

    Inside

    Dirty Laundry - Hot iron!

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    Hot iron!

    The Sterling - cocktailbars - Updated September 2026

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