Telegraph The 6 Best Wine Bars Ada St. This upscale small-plate spot thrills with its craft cocktail program, but the massive wine library at the entrance is truly the most enchanting part. Stop by during summer and check out the industrial outdoor patio, complete with Ping-Pong tables situated between the brick walls. Just be careful—the … Read more
Whether they serve spicy chicken wings or vegan quinoa burgers, here are the 10 best bars for grub in Chicago.
The 10 Best Dives Archie’s Iowa Rockwell Tavern The 69-year-old family-run tavern (now manned by Archie’s granddaughter Katrina) still offers some of the best deals anywhere: $3 monthly craft beer special, $2 Hamm’s, and free pool and cheese puffs all night. Dogs welcome, too. Find it: 2600 W. Iowa St., 773-486-2626 Carol’s Pub It’s … Read more
Map Room The 6 Best Craft Beer Havens Fischman Liquors & Tavern A primo craft beer menu (all are available for sale at the attached liquor store), live tunes, weekly food truck gatherings: Sprint to this so-unhip-it’s-charming “slashie” (bar/liquor store) before the beer snob invasion. Find it: 4780 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-545-0123, fischmanliquors.com Fountainhead … Read more
Big Chicks The 5 Best LGBT Bars Big Chicks A’ville and B’town residents flock to this Uptown hipster dive’s dance floor on the weekends. Cure your hangover with a Sunday brunch and Bloody Mary next door at partner establishment Tweet. Find it: 5024 N. Sheridan Rd., 773-728-5511, bigchicks.com Elixir A far cry from its … Read more
Hüettenbar The 18 Best Neighborhood Spots Aberdeen Tap Head over any night for the ample bottled beer selection and delicious fried macaroni and cheese squares. Cap your weekend by testing your smarts at Sunday night trivia. Find it: 440 N. Aberdeen St., 312-929-3845, theaberdeentap.com Bernice’s Tavern This 48-year-old institution has a museum-like collection of … Read more
The 5 Best Drink-Time Diversions Alice’s Lounge For the Rihanna Wannabe: This endearingly trashy karaoke joint ditches the private singing rooms for a public stage where a karaoke jockey takes tune requests (ruined on a recent Saturday: “Hand in My Pocket,” “Baby Got Back,” and even opera). It’s a birthday and bachelorette party bonanza, but … Read more
The Green Mill The 5 Best Bars For Music Empty Bottle Option 1: Get close enough to practically shred the guitar yourself. Option 2: Linger by the bar or pool table. Either way, the vastness of this nightly alt music venue makes for a surprisingly accommodating outing for all. The cheap beer doesn’t hurt. Find … Read more
While we wish we could have crawled through Chicago’s pubs forever for our 100 Best Bars issue, at a certain point we had to call it quits and actually write the whole thing. The problem? Going to press means we couldn’t include the spots opening now in the city. Here is what we’re most curious about for the next time we tackle the best bars of Chicago.
What’s dinner without a quality liquid sidekick? We’d be remiss not to give a shout-out to our favorite restaurant cocktail programs.
