Time Out Chicago: It's pristine (the carefully constructed cocktails are excellent), pretentious (you won’t find a sign on the door–just look for the long lines) and, ultimately, completely and unarguably gorgeous.
2421 N Milwaukee Ave (at W Fullerton Ave), Chicago, IL
Cocktail Bar · Logan Square · 110 tips and reviews
Time Out Chicago: It’s open and loftlike, with a permanent stage set up for weekly live music. One sip and there’s no doubt that despite everything else going on here, the cocktails are the reason to stick around.
Time Out Chicago: You’ll find an extensive beer list, leather booths, brocade wallpaper and hipsters shooting stick in an antler-adorned back room, but they’ve set their corner tap on the path toward longevity.
123 N Jefferson St (btwn W Washington St & W Randolph St), Chicago, IL
New American Restaurant · West Loop · 64 tips and reviews
Time Out Chicago: No time for dinner? Opt for the lounge, a gingery Sepia Mule cocktail and the sweet-salty-smoky flatbread of fresh peaches, creamy blue cheese and bacon
4352 N Leavitt St (btwn N Lincoln Ave. & W Montrose Ave.), Chicago, IL
Lounge · North Center · 75 tips and reviews
Time Out Chicago: After renovations, this place is a little mod. But sitting here with an impeccably crafted Sazerac is undeniably pleasant that it’s hard not to believe that the changes were for the better.
Time Out Chicago: If you’re lucky, you can snag a couch in the back by the fireplace where you can take in the cool vintage bar, sip some seasonal glogg and check out the friendly neighborhood crowd.
Time Out Chicago: You can’t sit among the sparkling fountain and oversized flower arrangements, slowly sipping your perfectly shaken martini, without thinking that your mom was right all along: You are special.