7 Places to Get a Great Cocktail in Chicago
Chicago’s bar scene is overflowing with opportunities to belly up and find a great cocktail. Recent classics like Best Intentions and Lemon show the rest how it’s done, and newer arrivals Friends of Friends and Bar Bambi set the bar even higher. Beyond those much-buzzed-about spots, we chose seven bars we love to drink at regularly, offering a variety of options for your Chicago cocktail checklist.
Culebra
2101 N. California St.
Drinks and Menus at Culebra. Photo credit Lisa Futterman
Head around back to check out this Puerto Rican-inspired basement den, which opened in Logan Square in April. Here, you can sip on original cocktails like the split-base Culebratini, made with olive oil-washed mezcal and tequila plus gin, and spiked with pickled carrot brine. The list of classics, made from agave spirits or rum, includes an excellent Hemingway Daiquiri, which feels like the right order late at night in this dark hideaway. There’s tasty food on offer as well, including grilled pork or chicken pinchitos during happy hour.
Botanero
1413 N. Ashland Ave.
A cocktail at Botanero. Photo credit Lisa Futterman
Step into this moody Wicker Park spot for a Mexico City feel and excellent drinks shaken up by beverage director and partner Marco Velasquez, formerly of Fulton Market Kitchen. Of course, this below-ground agave bar, which opened in November 2024, offers multiple fruity Margaritas, but signature drinks show off the staff’s drink-making prowess. They include the spicy Señor Sotol, made with a house-made cucumber, mint, and jalapeño cordial, and the Galactic Shroom, with hibiscus red wine mingling with tequila and Peychaud’s bitters. There’s a modern Mexican menu, and the crowd definitely shows up for Taco Tuesdays and late-night Latin music.
Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club
51 W. Hubbard St.
Martinez, 20th Century, and Alaska cocktails from the cold room at Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club. Photo credit Lindsay Eberly
Make a reservation to be enveloped in this River North bastion of swank. Order a Rosita from the cold room, beverage director and partner Kevin Beary’s chilly minus 16-degree workshop and flavor lab for perfectly executed batched cocktails, or summon the bar cart for a tableside martini stirred up with overproof Old Raj gin and a blend of three vermouths. Beary, the mixology mastermind behind Lettuce Entertain You’s Three Dots and a Dash and Gus’ Sip & Dip, selected just 10 spirit brands per category to use in the tight, technical menu of updated classics.
Bernard’s
Second floor of the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, 11 E. Walton St.
The Bar at Bernard’s. Photo credit Waldorf Astoria Chicago
Head to this plush, masculine cocktail bar in the Gold Coast for drinks like the Bramble and the Goat, which pairs goat cheese-washed gin with raspberry, serrano, and citrus to great effect. The luxe “noshes” include caviar service and lobster mac and cheese croquettes. The bar is named for the philanthropist who donated the $27 million purchase price of the land where the hotel now sits to Chicago children’s charities. Choose Bernard’s for a confidential meeting or a little canoodling.
Bobo
2630 N. Clark St.
The interior of Bobo. Photo credit Lisa Futterman
Filipino nightlife gets a tribute in the back room of Lincoln Park’s Muhājir at Bobo, a neon-lit spot that opened in July 2026. More a lively meet-up spot than a brooding speakeasy, Bobo serves original cocktails from beverage director Richard Beltzer, like the Primary Colors, a cocktail shaken with tea, calamansi, and your choice of tropical fruit and served up. Word on the street is that chef Jacob de la Cruz serves up midnight lumpia — for free — that are worth staying up for.
Drama Club
819 N. California St.
The interior of Drama Club. Photo credit Drama Club
Drama Club is a brand-new baby, opened in July 2026, from the group behind Scofflaw, the beloved Logan Square gin bar, and a collection of conceptual bars including the ferny Heavy Feather, upstairs from Skee-Ball and dance-party playground Slippery Slope. Drama Club brings velvet curtains and chandeliers and slightly serious cocktails (and mini Margaritas) to Humboldt Park. Slide into a communal banquette, sample agave cocktails like the Offline Crush, an early favorite refresher with mezcal, cucumber, and green cardamom, and enjoy the relaxed vibe, complete with nightly DJ sets.
The Hi-Lo
1110 N. California St.
The interior of The Hi-Lo. Photo credit The Hi-Lo
Owner Isaac Liberman (EZ Inn) pictured a spot with “high-end vibes but low-level pretentiousness” when he opened The Hi-Lo in Humboldt Park. The list of “Hi” and “Lo” octane cocktails includes a collection of spritzes perfect for the charming, plant-filled all-weather patio. Grab a Naked & Famous slushie to slurp on and settle in for some neighborhood people-watching.