Must-see nightlife in Illinois

  • Scratch Brewing

    Illinois

    You'll find this farmhouse brewery hidden away amid horse- and sheep-grazing pastures just 5 miles outside Shawnee National Forest in Ava. Twigs, bark,…

  • Lagunitas Brewing Company

    Chicago

    Enter this jovial brewery – the city’s largest – via a blue glowing hallway with trippy art painted on the walls and the Willy Wonka theme song playing…

  • CH Distillery

    Chicago

    This slick tasting room has a cool, naturalistic look with exposed concrete posts and knotty wood beams across the ceiling. Slip into a seat at the bar…

  • Metropolitan Brewing

    Chicago

    An elder of the local beer scene, Metropolitan has expanded into a striking, retrofitted old tannery overlooking the Chicago River. The floor-to-ceiling…

  • Marz Community Brewing

    Chicago

    Marz started as a group of home brewers whose friends demanded more. The small brewery is known for its peculiar creations, such as Potion #1 (aged in…

  • Spiteful Brewing

    Chicago

    Spiteful's taproom has a rock-and-roll, DIY vibe. Two home brewers launched the brand, and they now operate out of a renovated garage. The concrete…

  • Old Town Ale House

    Chicago

    Located near the Second City comedy club and the scene of late-night musings since the 1960s, this unpretentious neighborhood favorite lets you mingle…

  • Hungry Brain

    Chicago

    The owner of nearby music club Constellation also owns this off-the-beaten-path little bar. It charms with its kind bartenders and well-worn, thrift-store…

  • Delilah’s

    Chicago

    A bartender rightfully referred to this hard-edged black sheep of the neighborhood as the ‘pride of Lincoln Ave’: a title earned for the heavy pours and…

  • Violet Hour

    Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village

    This nouveau speakeasy isn’t marked, so look for the wood-paneled building with a full mural and a yellow light over the door. Inside, high-backed booths,…

  • Ten Cat Tavern

    Chicago

    Pool is serious business on the two vintage tables that the pub refelts regularly with Belgian material. The ever-changing, eye-catching art comes…

  • Berghoff

    Chicago

    The Berghoff dates from 1898 and was the first Chicago bar to serve a legal drink after Prohibition (ask to see the liquor license stamped '#1'). Little…

  • Alulu Brewery & Pub

    Chicago

    Pilsen's bohemians love this intimate brewpub and no wonder. Join them at the reclaimed wood tables for a flight and fancy pub grub such as poutine with…

  • Arbella

    Chicago

    Named for a 17th-century ship full of wine-guzzling passengers, Arbella is an adventuresome cocktail bar. Booze from around the globe makes its way into…

  • Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery

    Chicago

    Centennial hides in plain sight. It's rarely mobbed, like many of its neighborhood competitors, yet its 50 taps of carefully chosen craft beer and its…

  • RM Champagne Salon

    Chicago

    This West Loop spot is a twinkling-light charmer for bubbles. Score a table in the cobblestoned courtyard and you'll feel transported to Paris. In winter,…

  • Sparrow is a gem of a cocktail lounge in Chicago's Gold Coast.

    Sparrow

    Chicago

    This refined lounge, inspired by hotel lobby bars of the 1930 and ’40s, is a Gold Coast hidden gem. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront in an art deco…

  • Begyle Brewing

    Chicago

    Tucked in a warehouse by the train tracks, Begyle's little taproom is a community hub. Friends play cards at one table, an old guy chills with his dog…

  • Wake Brewing

    Illinois

    Two musically-inclined homebrewing brothers started this sludgy, doom metal–themed taproom in 2017 and quickly rose to the forefront of the Quad Cities…

  • Nisei Lounge

    Chicago

    Sometimes the new, cocktail-laden Wrigleyville weighs on your soul and you yearn for the cheap-beer-splashed days of yore. Enter the Nisei, a neighborhood…

  • Simon’s Tavern

    Chicago

    An Andersonville mainstay since 1934, Simon’s is a dimly lit musicians’ watering hole. The jukebox rocks an eclectic menu ranging from St Vincent to James…

  • Innertown Pub

    Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village

    A holiday-light-festooned moose head and a life-size statue of Elvis overlook the crowd of artsy regulars playing pool and drinking on the cheap at this…

  • Matchbox

    Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village

    Lawyers, artists and bums all squeeze in for retro cocktails. It’s as small as – you got it – a matchbox, with about a dozen bar stools; everyone else…

  • Obed & Isaac's

    Illinois

    Occupying a rambling, 150-year-old mansion by Abe Lincoln's home, Obed & Isaac's offers a maze of sunny rooms to drink its wildly changing menu of ales…

  • Cole's

    Chicago

    Cole's is a dive bar with nifty free entertainment. Young scenesters flock in to shoot pool and swill Midwest microbrews (Bell's, Two Brothers) in the…

  • Queen Mary is a maritime-themed bar in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood.

    Queen Mary

    Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village

    Making waves when it opened in Wicker Park in 2015 in a sea of sports bars, Queen Mary is a neighborhood tavern inspired by the British Royal Navy. It’s…

  • Mordecai

    Chicago

    Early-20th-century Cubs baseball great Mordecai Brown lends his name to this stylish bar at Hotel Zachary. With a serious cocktail menu spotlighting…

  • Behind an unassuming industrial facade hides Moody Tongue, one of Chicago's most stylish tasting rooms.

    Moody Tongue

    Chicago

    A crackling fire, stylish glassware and, most of all, sophisticated brews featuring culinary ingredients such as black truffle and Oaxacan chocolate make…

  • Lost Lake is a neighborhood tiki bar on the Northwest Side of Chicago.

    Lost Lake

    Chicago

    Take a seat under the bamboo roof by the banana-leaf wallpaper inside this trendy tiki bar, and swirl a Mystery Gardenia or other tropical drink made from…

  • Aviary

    Chicago

    The Aviary is a James Beard Award winner for best cocktails in the nation. The ethereal drinks are like nothing you've laid lips on before. Some arrive…

  • Revolution Brewing

    Chicago

    Raise your fist to Revolution, an industrial-chic brewpub that fills glasses with heady beers such as the Eugene porter and Anti-Hero IPA. The brewmaster…

  • Half Acre Balmoral Tap Room

    Chicago

    The original Half Acre on Lincoln Ave got so popular it had to expand to this hulking facility on Balmoral Ave. Now it has become a destination brewery,…

  • Cindy's

    Chicago

    Cindy's unfurls awesome views of Millennium Park and the lake from atop the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Sit at one of the long wood tables under…

  • Waydown

    Chicago

    The Ace Hotel's rooftop bar wins praise for several reasons. It provides terrific skyline views. It draws a superstylish crowd, but there's no velvet rope…

  • Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar

    Chicago

    Owner Ed works the cozy back-room bar furnished with vintage decor, while mom Maria works the front liquor store. Both offer an excellent craft-beer…

  • Kibbitznest Books, Brews & Blarney

    Chicago

    This warm, eclectic cafe rambling over several rooms is devoted to creating a 'third space' for face-to-face communication and intellectual discourse …

  • Northman

    Chicago

    The Northman gives the neighborhood beer scene a twist by focusing on cider. Around 20 taps flow with tart, fermented creations from the US, England,…

  • Whiner Beer Company

    Chicago

    Barrel-aged beers rule at Whiner. Choose among wild saisons, Belgian wheat beers and Belgian dark ales in the rustic, softly lit taproom. A five-beer…

  • Scofflaw

    Chicago

    Scofflaw is a gin joint – literally. The bar specializes in boutique, small-batch gins mixed into gimlets, martinis and other cocktails that get creative…

  • Monk's Pub

    Chicago

    Pull open the huge wooden doors and enter this dimly lit Belgian beer cave. Old barrels, vintage taps and faux antiquarian books set the mood, accompanied…

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