Bar Guide - Landing Image

Guide - Neighborhood Spotlight

  • Spots to escape the game-day craziness—or to embrace it

Guide Neighborhoods

  • Central

    • Drinking in the clouds, expensive Japanese whiskey, and the saddest of piano bars.
    • A swanky rooftop, a grungy dive, and a surprising number of must-visits in between
    • A tourist mecca under Michigan Avenue, a classic dive manned by a no-nonsense dame, and a boozy tribute to the Great Lakes region
    • Yuppies, degenerates, and blues aficionados—sometimes all in the same room
  • North

    • Forbidding dives, a Korean karaoke joint, and stripper tunes
    • Belgian beers galore, craft microbrews, and gløgg
    • Preternaturally friendly, sublimely unpretentious . . . and the charms of Miss Ollie
    • Go-go boys, tacos and tequila, and a beloved dive with a beloved jukebox
    • Coziness, grit, authenticity, and a warning that “shit beer will kill you.” Wait, is this Lincoln Park?
    • An alpine lodge-inspired brauhaus and an art installation with booze
    • Beer gardens, Nintendo, and one-dollar PBRs—oh my!
    • Eat some cured meats, stop by a neighborhood bar, check out where Second City players go to drink, and then fall down three flights of stairs
    • A beer dean’s dream
    • Sourcing a bar that's practically preserved in amber—and maybe, just maybe, the neighborhood's best manhattan
    • Craft beers and cutting-edge jazz, a bar for hillbillies and locals alike, and a civilized 4 AM bar (5 AM on Saturdays)
    • The land of 4 AM bars—sports bar, lounge, or decades-old jazz clubs: take your pick
    • Spots to escape the game-day craziness—or to embrace it
  • Northwest

    • Karaoke, birthday specials, and the old-school original Small Bar
    • Sing karaoke, play the lottery, and throw horseshoes—all within walking distance
    • From hipster dive bars to a citywide destination for craft cocktails
  • West

    • “Mistakes,” drink-and-a-shot with complimentary cheese balls, and a landmark cheap date that doesn’t feel cheap
    • Plenty of sports bars, sure—but also plenty of decent bar grub and beer selections
    • The south of the border of the south side
    • Where to go for bars called The Matchbox that are the size of a matchbox and a Rat Pack bar that serves hard-boiled eggs in shot glasses
    • A portal to childhood; a hallowed ground for musicians, artists, and writers; and the only tolerable place to have a beer on the stretch of Division between Damen and Western
    • Happy respites from the neighborhood’s crowds, from sub-par cocktails, and from dance clubs that do it wrong
    • Summer-camp-styled karaoke, an Elvis bust, and barrel-aged whiskey on the bar
  • South

    • The south side’s hipper side
    • Croatian grog, the alleged birthplace of Second City, and the U. of C.’s semiprivate in-house pub
  • Suburbs North

    • The longtime dry suburb now has a bar in a movie theater, a jazz bar in a steakhouse, and an Irish pub with a superb patio

Drink Up!

Location Comments

  • I have had three bad experiences here due to the inflexibility of the management staff …

  • Captain Chicago loves this place - especially the Bullpen!

    • Re: The Lodge

    • on January 1, 2013
  • After numerous times attempting to dine at Bad Apple, I finally relegated it strictly as …

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