Chicago / Illinois Casino Region Bars & Lounges

The Aviary

West Loop / Fulton Market

The Aviary by chef Grant Achatz is one of the world's most acclaimed cocktail bars — applying the kitchen techniques of three-Michelin-starred Alinea to drink-making. Cocktails arrive as complete culinary experiences with housemade ingredients, theatrical presentation, and preparations requiring tools rarely seen outside a professional kitchen. A must for serious cocktail enthusiasts visiting Chicago.

The Violet Hour

Wicker Park

The Violet Hour is Chicago's founding craft cocktail bar — opened in 2007 and instrumental in launching the city's serious cocktail scene. Cocktails are original compositions using house-made syrups and fresh-pressed juices, served in an intimate and deliberately quiet room under house rules that prohibit loud conversation and cell phone use at the bar.

The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge

Uptown

The Green Mill is Chicago's most iconic jazz bar — an Art Deco cocktail lounge in Uptown that has operated continuously since 1907, making it one of America's oldest jazz venues. Al Capone's regular booth is still pointed out to guests; weekly jazz sets and the world's oldest poetry slam (Sunday nights) create an atmosphere of genuine Chicago history unmatched anywhere in the city. An essential destination for any jazz enthusiast or serious cocktail traveler visiting Chicago.

Lost Lake Tiki Bar Chicago

Logan Square

Lost Lake is America's most acclaimed tiki bar — a Logan Square establishment that has appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list and consistently ranked as one of the top tiki bars globally for its extraordinary rum program, immaculate tropical cocktails, and genuine love of tiki culture. Its commitment to taking tiki seriously as an art form while maintaining the fun that makes tropical bars beloved has made it a pilgrimage destination for cocktail enthusiasts worldwide.

Longman & Eagle Chicago

Logan Square

Longman & Eagle is Chicago's most acclaimed neighborhood bar and inn — a Michelin-starred Logan Square gastropub that combines an extraordinary American whiskey collection (500+ bottles) with one of Chicago's most celebrated kitchens and six upstairs guest rooms. It pioneered the "gastropub with rooms" concept in Chicago and has been imitated across the country, while remaining the most definitive expression of Logan Square's creative food and beverage culture.

Hopleaf Bar Chicago

Andersonville

Hopleaf is Chicago's most beloved beer bar — an Andersonville institution serving 200+ Belgian and craft beers in an authentic Flemish atmosphere that has earned it consistent recognition as one of America's great beer bars. Its extraordinary Belgian beer selection, knowledgeable staff, and resistance to trendiness in favor of genuine quality have made it one of Chicago's most enduring and beloved drinking establishments.

Drumbar Chicago

Streeterville / Raffaello Hotel

Drumbar is Chicago's most celebrated rooftop cocktail lounge — an intimate 13th-floor rooftop bar at the Raffaello Hotel with sweeping Magnificent Mile and Lake Michigan views, earning consistent recognition as one of America's best hotel bars. Its combination of exceptional cocktails, intimate scale, and the most coveted views in Chicago make it one of the city's most sought-after reservations.

Three Dots and a Dash Chicago

River North

Three Dots and a Dash is Chicago's most acclaimed tiki lounge — a River North underground speakeasy-style venue that has consistently appeared on the World's 50 Best Bars list for its extraordinary tropical cocktail program. Its sister bar Lost Lake has both elevated Chicago to one of the world's great tiki cities, a remarkable achievement for a Midwest city known for brutal winters rather than tropical climate.

Fulton Market Lounge Chicago

Fulton Market

Fulton Market District's extraordinary concentration of restaurant and bar concepts has created Chicago's most exciting new entertainment destination — a former meatpacking district that now houses more Michelin-starred restaurants per block than anywhere else in America. The district's lounge scene, developed alongside restaurants from Smyth to Elske to Giant, creates a cocktail culture of remarkable sophistication in one of the most rapidly evolving urban neighborhoods in the United States.

The Aviary Chicago

West Loop

The Aviary is one of the world's most innovative cocktail bars — Grant Achatz and Nick Kokonas's West Loop cocktail experience that applies the same molecular gastronomy philosophy as their Alinea restaurant to the art of cocktail-making. Guests receive cocktails in extraordinary sculptural vessels, experience ingredients from unexpected angles, and pay prices commensurate with a fine dining tasting menu, creating one of the world's most talked-about and discussed bar experiences.

Cindy's Rooftop Chicago

Chicago Athletic Association / Loop

Cindy's is Chicago's most spectacular rooftop destination — a rooftop bar atop the historic Chicago Athletic Association hotel with panoramic views of Millennium Park, Lake Michigan, and the Chicago skyline. Its combination of architectural grandeur, exceptional cocktails, and the most photographed view in Chicago makes it consistently one of the city's most popular reservations and one of the most impressive hotel bar experiences in the United States.

Half Acre Beer Chicago Brewery

North Center Chicago

Half Acre Beer Company is Chicago's most celebrated independent craft brewery — a North Center institution producing outstanding ales and lagers whose genuine Chicago character and consistent quality have established it as the most important independent brewery in the Midwest. Chicago's extraordinary craft beer renaissance and Half Acre's artistic commitment to great beer create a taproom experience of genuine Chicago neighborhood brewing significance.