Here’s a running list of some of my favorite spots in Chicago organized by neighborhood from restaurants, cocktail bars, wine bars, breweries and more.
Avondale
- Parachute — amazing restaurant serving modern Korean food with wine and cocktails
- Consignment Lounge — chill cocktail bar with super friendly bartenders and just great vibes
Bucktown / Wicker Park
- Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar — cocktail bar + Chinese food
- Dorian’s — cocktail bar behind record shop, often has live music
- Bordel — cocktail bar/lounge with live performances and dj sets
- Little Victories — low-key bar with a pool table and good bar food
- Queen Mary — craft cocktail bar with a bomb oyster happy hour
- Le Midi Wine — chill wine shop and bar
- Mott St — a great spot for Asian-fusion (leans more Korean) and craft cocktails
- Oiistar — really good ramen
- Taxim — Greek restaurant with large greek wine list and a rooftop patio
The Loop
- Good Funk — natural wine bar + snacks
- Cindy’s Rooftop — rooftop bar and restaurant across from millennium park
- The Game Room — casual bar and lounge with games (pool, bocce, shuffleboard, etc.)
Logan Square
- Parson’s Chicken and Fish (additional locations in Lincoln Park, West Town and Andersonville) — chill hangout spot with boozy slushies and fried chicken
- Bungalow by Middle Brow — all-day brew pub with fire pizza (they have wine and cocktails too)
- Outside Voices — natural wine bar with a cute patio
- Scofflaw — gin-focused craft cocktail bar
- Easy Does It — natural wine bar with a big patio and dj sets on the weekends
- Pilot Project Brewing — brewery incubator + tasting room
- Chicago Distilling Company — chill distillery and cocktail bar
- Daisies — midwest-inspired, pasta-focused restaurant
- Lula Cafe — casual neighborhood restaurant with seasonal, farm-to-table dishes
- Giant — lively and friendly restaurant with seasonal, new American plates
- Table, Donkey and Stick — somewhat rustic and minimal restaurant with alpine-inspired plates and good wine and cocktails.
- Golden Teardrops — basement craft cocktail bar
- Longman & Eagle — dark and cosy restaurant and bar with a great whiskey selection
- Estereo — all-day bar for Latin spirits and cocktails
- Ramen Wasabi — one of my favorite ramen spots in the city (get the spicy gmiso ramen)
River North
- Bar Sótano — mezcal-focused cocktail bar + small plates
- Arbella — global-inspired craft cocktail bar + small plates and dj sets on the weekends
- Obelix — modern French restaurant
- The Drifter — speakeasy with craft cocktails and live performances
- Sunda — Asian-fusion restaurant
- Ema — Mediterranean restaurant
- Avli — modern Greek restaurant
River West
- Dandy Crown — cocktail lounge with classic and modern cocktails and a chill patio.
- Matchbox — a nice, little neighborhood bar
West Town / Ukrainian Village
- Kasama — bakery and modern Filipino restaurant with an excellent tasting menu for dinner
- All Together Now — all-day restaurant + natural wine and cheese shop
- Forbidden Root Restaurant & Brewery — “botanic” brewery and restaurant
West Loop / Fulton Market
- Moneygun — cocktail bar that focuses on the classics + great music
- Sunnygun — fun, casual patio behind Moneygun
- Rose Mary — Croatian-Italian restaurant with great cocktails
- Sawada Coffee — coffee shop that specializes in espresso and matcha-based drinks
- Momotaro — Japanese restaurant with great cocktails and nice sake selection with a basement bar for a less formal experience
- The Publican — fun spot for oysters, pork and beer
- Aba — Mediterranean restaurant with rooftop patio
- Avec — Mediterranean-inspired restaurant with a great wine selection
- Cabra — Peruvian rooftop restaurant
- Green Street Meats — casual Texas barbecue spot with a full bar
- Lazy Bird — basement cocktail bar with live music
- Cruz Blanca — casual, Mexican brewpub
- Leña Brava — Mexican restaurant for wood-fired seafood and meat
- Kumiko — Japanese craft cocktail bar
- CH Distillery — distillery and cocktail bar with sushi
- The Press Room — basement wine and cocktail bar with good food
- EstereoFM — all-day bar for Latin spirits and cocktails (very similar vibes to the location in Logan Square)
- Tetto — rooftop bar with great views, bomb pizza, and good cocktails.