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Cocktails & speakeasies

Cocktails & speakeasies in Chicago

Craft drinks and speakeasies — quiet enough to talk.

Plan a cocktails & speakeasies night →

Example nights

Real Chicago venues, put together by our planner. Refreshed Jul 20.

Cocktails at The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash in River North, then dinner at Hubbard Inn.

  • 01The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a DashRiver North · $$$
  • 02Hubbard InnRiver North · $$
Plan your own →

Cocktails at Sparrow in Rush & Division, then dinner at Eduardo's Enoteca in Gold Coast.

  • 01SparrowRush & Division · $$
  • 02Eduardo's EnotecaGold Coast · $$
Plan your own →

Cocktails at The Alderman in Lower West Side, then dinner at Tack Room.

  • 01The AldermanLower West Side · $$$
  • 02Tack RoomLower West Side · $$
Plan your own →

Top 12 venues

  1. 01

    Nightcap

    West Town · $$$

    Rotating menus, mole cocktails you drink from bowls, wagyu tallow candles to eat with focaccia — bartenders treat drinks like theater.

  2. 02

    Club X Speakeasy

    Chicago Loop · $$$

    1950s speakeasy energy, bartenders who remember your name. Dirty martinis, espresso martinis, old fashioneds — and the people pouring them actually care.

  3. 03

    Three Dots and a Dash

    River North · $$$

    Tiki cocktails and steak skewers in a dim, alley-tucked Polynesian room — reserve a table or crowd the bar standing room.

  4. 04

    Rose Lounge

    Rush & Division · $$$

    Basement speakeasy under Adalina—craft cocktails, 90s hip-hop, gothic mood. Book ahead; take the elevator down.

  5. 05

    Sparrow

    Rush & Division · $$

    Rum-heavy cocktail bar in a 1927 art deco building. Bartenders know their stuff, spacious despite feeling intimate, open late.

  6. 06

    Elixir Lounge

    Lake View East · $$

    Craft cocktails, low lighting, patient bartenders—the quiet option when Boystown's too loud. No food, just nuts.

  7. 07

    The Meadowlark

    Logan Square · $$$

    Seasonal cocktail menus, knowledgeable bartenders, rotating drinks like The Moon and The Sun. Reservations help, but you'll get in.

  8. 08

    Golden Years

    West Town · $$$

    Inventive highballs and Manhattans, frozen shots, cheeseburger-and-fries combo. Friendly bartenders, easy seat at the bar, room for 40.

  9. 09

    The Office

    Fulton Market District · $$$

    Mezcal-forward cocktails built to your mood — bartenders explain every choice. Upscale, intimate, copper bar gleaming in the basement.

  10. 10

    The Alderman

    Lower West Side · $$$

    Tiny, reservation-only cocktail room with creative drinks and bartenders who actually know their stuff. Cozy, not snobby — dim lighting, good music, chill vibe.

  11. 11

    Revolver

    West Town · $$$

  12. 12

    Valedor

    Wicker Park · $$$

    Japanese-Mexican cocktails and tapas in a cozy, intimate space. Pour-your-own sake ceremony, fresh drinks, katsu sando.