Favorite spots in Chicago for drinking and eating

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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

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.