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A tall glass filled with a yellow cocktail topped with a cherry and a black flier reading “Video Vortex.”
Yes, a movie theater bar is one of the best places to get a drink right now in Chicago.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Where to Drink Cocktails Right Now in Chicago

A boozy movie theater, a full-service restaurant in North Lawndale, and a leather lounge make February exciting

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Yes, a movie theater bar is one of the best places to get a drink right now in Chicago.
| Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

February represents the first sign of a light at the end of winter’s frigid tunnel in Chicago. But don’t get too excited, the shortest month can also be the longest in terms of waiting for spring. But waiting isn’t as bad while holding a tasty cocktail. And with that, we present the latest edition of Eater Chicago’s Cocktail Heatmap.

The list includes buzz-worthy new bars and restaurants with eclectic drink menus and atmospheres. Find six new additions this month, including a Logan Square diner with a new liquor license, a sports bar with a funky menu, and a Wicker Park cocktail bar. Cheers!

For updated information on coronavirus cases, please visit the city of Chicago’s COVID-19 dashboard. Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission. The latest CDC guidance is here; find a COVID-19 vaccination site here.

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Moonflower and Nightshade

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Moonflower, the plant-themed cocktail bar that opened in Old Irving Park in 2021, recently acquired a darker, moodier younger sibling, Nightshade. Located in the basement below Moonflower, Nightshade serves cocktails with more experimental ingredients — the Late Bloomer features purple rice-washed Ford’s gin while Son of a Gun includes salted tortilla chips and poblano peppers — plus fluffy alcoholic shave ice.

Soulé 2

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Soule owner Bridgette Flagg says it means a lot to her to move her restaurant from West Town to North Lawndale, as it’s a full-service location with a full bar. After talking with local officials, Flagg says Soule is the first full-service restaurant in the neighborhood that’s opened in 50 years. There are six signature cocktails including the Soule Punch made from Grey Goose vodka and complemented with cognac or tequila.

Same Day Cafe

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Same Day Cafe has been open for eight years in Logan Square, but ownership has made a few changes. They include bringing in a new chef for more composed dinner menus; don’t worry the sandwiches are still around. But in November, the cafe secured a liquor license and created spiked sodas using unique syrups made in-house. Highlights include the Paloma-inspired Unpainted Arizona (Azteca Azul Tequila Plata, Grapefruit, Jalapeño, Lime, Soda) and Inconceivable! (Redwood Empire Bourbon, Ginger Syrup, Angostura).

Roundhouse Sports Bar

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Roundhouse is a sports bar fueled by a lot of ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia. Logan Square doesn’t have a lot of sports bars, so the owners, which include DJ Dante Deiana of Barstool Sports fame, are hoping to fill a niche for good times. There’s a full bar to give customers to wash down a unique menu that includes dishes like Italian beef fried rice and cheeseburger egg rolls. 

The Meadowlark

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The final installment of Meadowlark Hospitality’s trilogy of dining and drinking spots in Logan Square, this speakeasy-style bar has quickly established itself as a moody neighborhood hang with boozy, engaging cocktails from beverage director and Violet Hour alum Abe Vucekovich. The opening drink menu, elucidated in a beautiful Audubon-esque guidebook, pays homage to native birds of the Midwest. These include a brandy-based Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and egg nog-inspired Snowy Owl.

A shaker pouring an orange iced drink.
Meadowlark has drinks from a Violet Hour alum.
Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago

CLAUDIA

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In Bucktown, fairy tales have long inspired the tasting menu at Michelin-starred Claudia. Chef Trevor Teich has created a 10-course menu out of nostalgia, and in late 2023, the restaurant rolled out a winter cocktail menu with nods to the Brothers Grimm. Now, the Brothers Grimm have their faults, but children don’t know that, and Claudia is serving drinks like Rapunzel (Cherry Bomb Radish 8000 Generations Shochu, Viola Flower Bordiga Maraschino, green chartreuse, and sudachi). Beyond the 10 drinks, created by bartender Terence Shapcott, the menu features illustrations by Tom Keating.

A cocktail with a green root beer leaf.
Claudia’s Queen Bee (duck fat-washed Marie Duffau Armagnac, root beer leaf, Fey Anmé forest liqueur, amaro, sfumato rabarbaro, black ants, shiso bitters, honeycomb).
Claudia

Jackhammer

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Rogers Park’s reborn leather and fetish lounge has a full beer list and interesting cocktails courtesy of 2Bears Tavern Group. This LGBTQ space serves up a signature drink called Jackhammered (vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, lemon). The bar’s history dates back to 1999 with various owners celebrating the counterculture of leather, fetish, BDSM, and kink.

Revolver

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Revolver’s exterior storefront, filled with pop-culture artifacts, doesn’t really give passers-by an idea of what to expect inside. It’s a dimly lit bar that’s good for dates and conversation. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of time to talk as the cocktails don’t exactly come out quickly. Be prepared to wait. This is definitely not a shot and beer type of place. It’s from the owners of Duplex.

The exterior of a bar with lots of pop culture in the window. LeQoinne Rice

Passport Bar Room

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Passport Bar Room has revitalized a long-vacant corner space with an emphasis on international sports and street fare (the menu was developed by a José Andrés alum). The bar also has a basement lounge that focuses more on cocktails, an escape from the fans’ cheers.

Passport’s basement bar is sleek.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Bambola

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Travel-obsessed restaurant group Bonhomme Hospitality has supplemented its Silk Road-inspired food menus with an inventive selection of seriously boozy cocktails, including the frozen Mango and Spice (rum, arrack, mango, yogurt, yellow curry) and photogenic Cherry Blossom (gin, shochu, cocoa, plum). ABVs start around 13 percent, so imbibers would be wise to plan ahead for a designated driver.

A colorful lounge area with brown couches and low cocktail tables.
Bambola weaves old-school antiques into a modern aesthetic design.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

After Lounge

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After is one of the biggest bar openings in recent memory with an ultra-modern space and rare spirits from the minds behind Michelin-starred Ever. It really does feel like a spaceship inside, but not at the expense of hospitality which is warm and knowledgeable. Imagine really great versions of all the beverages drinkers enjoy at dive bars, with nicer glassware, and customers get a good idea of what to expect. The bar takes reservations.

A round glass holds a large ice cube embossed with the word “After.” Michael Muser/After

Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville

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Movie theaters are trying dynamic pricing, to charge customers more depending on what seat they select. That’s not happening yet at Alamo Drafthouse, the Austin, Texas chain that just opened its first Chicago location. But they’re trying another revenue stream: booze. The theater houses Video Vortex, a bar lined with VHS cassettes (which are available to rent), and drinks with movie themes. It could be a reason for a non-sports fan to venture to Addison and Clark, even in the summer when the Cubbies are playing.

Hide+Seek

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The former home of quarter-century-old Vivo is lively again at last following the fall 2022 debut of Hide + Seek, a restaurant and bar that aims to strike a balance between comfort and elegance in Fulton Market. At the bar, patrons will find a short menu of drinks such as the tequila-based Pyro’s Negroni and the citrusy City of Lights, made with whiskey, orange curacao, and chamomile.

A long wood-lined bar space with crystal chandeliers and booths.
Hide + Seek seats 100.
Hide + Seek

Nine Bar

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Nine Bar is Chinatown’s first cocktail bar, located behind the Moon Palace Express takeout counter. Owners Lily Wang (whose parents own Moon Palace) and Joe Briglio mix up “Asian-ish” takes on classic cocktails, creating Old Fashioneds, highballs, and margaritias with baiju, soju, and shochu.

Mile High Club at Adorn Bar & Restaurant

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The restaurant at the Four Seasons Chicago is going through some changes, and in November, the hotel unveiled the Mile High Cocktail Club, a revamped space with two ticket options that come with drinks and paired bites. They’ve aped the ‘60s feel of Pan-Am, and the entrance is through a red London phone booth. The bar’s on the 46th floor.

Bronzeville Winery

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This restaurant and winery from urban planner Cecilia Cuff and Silver Room owner Eric Williams is home to some of Chicago’s hardest-to-snag tables, as well as a tight cocktail list that hits on all the major spirits. Submissions include the Uncle Yams Old Fashioned, a concoction starring Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest, sweet potato syrup, and brandied cherries.

Moonflower and Nightshade

Moonflower, the plant-themed cocktail bar that opened in Old Irving Park in 2021, recently acquired a darker, moodier younger sibling, Nightshade. Located in the basement below Moonflower, Nightshade serves cocktails with more experimental ingredients — the Late Bloomer features purple rice-washed Ford’s gin while Son of a Gun includes salted tortilla chips and poblano peppers — plus fluffy alcoholic shave ice.

Soulé 2

Soule owner Bridgette Flagg says it means a lot to her to move her restaurant from West Town to North Lawndale, as it’s a full-service location with a full bar. After talking with local officials, Flagg says Soule is the first full-service restaurant in the neighborhood that’s opened in 50 years. There are six signature cocktails including the Soule Punch made from Grey Goose vodka and complemented with cognac or tequila.

Same Day Cafe

Same Day Cafe has been open for eight years in Logan Square, but ownership has made a few changes. They include bringing in a new chef for more composed dinner menus; don’t worry the sandwiches are still around. But in November, the cafe secured a liquor license and created spiked sodas using unique syrups made in-house. Highlights include the Paloma-inspired Unpainted Arizona (Azteca Azul Tequila Plata, Grapefruit, Jalapeño, Lime, Soda) and Inconceivable! (Redwood Empire Bourbon, Ginger Syrup, Angostura).

Roundhouse Sports Bar

Roundhouse is a sports bar fueled by a lot of ‘80s and ‘90s nostalgia. Logan Square doesn’t have a lot of sports bars, so the owners, which include DJ Dante Deiana of Barstool Sports fame, are hoping to fill a niche for good times. There’s a full bar to give customers to wash down a unique menu that includes dishes like Italian beef fried rice and cheeseburger egg rolls. 

The Meadowlark

The final installment of Meadowlark Hospitality’s trilogy of dining and drinking spots in Logan Square, this speakeasy-style bar has quickly established itself as a moody neighborhood hang with boozy, engaging cocktails from beverage director and Violet Hour alum Abe Vucekovich. The opening drink menu, elucidated in a beautiful Audubon-esque guidebook, pays homage to native birds of the Midwest. These include a brandy-based Ruby-Throated Hummingbird and egg nog-inspired Snowy Owl.

A shaker pouring an orange iced drink.
Meadowlark has drinks from a Violet Hour alum.
Jack X. Li/Eater Chicago

CLAUDIA

In Bucktown, fairy tales have long inspired the tasting menu at Michelin-starred Claudia. Chef Trevor Teich has created a 10-course menu out of nostalgia, and in late 2023, the restaurant rolled out a winter cocktail menu with nods to the Brothers Grimm. Now, the Brothers Grimm have their faults, but children don’t know that, and Claudia is serving drinks like Rapunzel (Cherry Bomb Radish 8000 Generations Shochu, Viola Flower Bordiga Maraschino, green chartreuse, and sudachi). Beyond the 10 drinks, created by bartender Terence Shapcott, the menu features illustrations by Tom Keating.

A cocktail with a green root beer leaf.
Claudia’s Queen Bee (duck fat-washed Marie Duffau Armagnac, root beer leaf, Fey Anmé forest liqueur, amaro, sfumato rabarbaro, black ants, shiso bitters, honeycomb).
Claudia

Jackhammer

Rogers Park’s reborn leather and fetish lounge has a full beer list and interesting cocktails courtesy of 2Bears Tavern Group. This LGBTQ space serves up a signature drink called Jackhammered (vodka, rum, gin, tequila, triple sec, lemon). The bar’s history dates back to 1999 with various owners celebrating the counterculture of leather, fetish, BDSM, and kink.

Revolver

Revolver’s exterior storefront, filled with pop-culture artifacts, doesn’t really give passers-by an idea of what to expect inside. It’s a dimly lit bar that’s good for dates and conversation. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of time to talk as the cocktails don’t exactly come out quickly. Be prepared to wait. This is definitely not a shot and beer type of place. It’s from the owners of Duplex.

The exterior of a bar with lots of pop culture in the window. LeQoinne Rice

Passport Bar Room

Passport Bar Room has revitalized a long-vacant corner space with an emphasis on international sports and street fare (the menu was developed by a José Andrés alum). The bar also has a basement lounge that focuses more on cocktails, an escape from the fans’ cheers.

Passport’s basement bar is sleek.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

Bambola

Travel-obsessed restaurant group Bonhomme Hospitality has supplemented its Silk Road-inspired food menus with an inventive selection of seriously boozy cocktails, including the frozen Mango and Spice (rum, arrack, mango, yogurt, yellow curry) and photogenic Cherry Blossom (gin, shochu, cocoa, plum). ABVs start around 13 percent, so imbibers would be wise to plan ahead for a designated driver.

A colorful lounge area with brown couches and low cocktail tables.
Bambola weaves old-school antiques into a modern aesthetic design.
Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

After Lounge

After is one of the biggest bar openings in recent memory with an ultra-modern space and rare spirits from the minds behind Michelin-starred Ever. It really does feel like a spaceship inside, but not at the expense of hospitality which is warm and knowledgeable. Imagine really great versions of all the beverages drinkers enjoy at dive bars, with nicer glassware, and customers get a good idea of what to expect. The bar takes reservations.

A round glass holds a large ice cube embossed with the word “After.” Michael Muser/After

Alamo Drafthouse Wrigleyville

Movie theaters are trying dynamic pricing, to charge customers more depending on what seat they select. That’s not happening yet at Alamo Drafthouse, the Austin, Texas chain that just opened its first Chicago location. But they’re trying another revenue stream: booze. The theater houses Video Vortex, a bar lined with VHS cassettes (which are available to rent), and drinks with movie themes. It could be a reason for a non-sports fan to venture to Addison and Clark, even in the summer when the Cubbies are playing.

Hide+Seek

The former home of quarter-century-old Vivo is lively again at last following the fall 2022 debut of Hide + Seek, a restaurant and bar that aims to strike a balance between comfort and elegance in Fulton Market. At the bar, patrons will find a short menu of drinks such as the tequila-based Pyro’s Negroni and the citrusy City of Lights, made with whiskey, orange curacao, and chamomile.

A long wood-lined bar space with crystal chandeliers and booths.
Hide + Seek seats 100.
Hide + Seek

Nine Bar

Nine Bar is Chinatown’s first cocktail bar, located behind the Moon Palace Express takeout counter. Owners Lily Wang (whose parents own Moon Palace) and Joe Briglio mix up “Asian-ish” takes on classic cocktails, creating Old Fashioneds, highballs, and margaritias with baiju, soju, and shochu.

Mile High Club at Adorn Bar & Restaurant

The restaurant at the Four Seasons Chicago is going through some changes, and in November, the hotel unveiled the Mile High Cocktail Club, a revamped space with two ticket options that come with drinks and paired bites. They’ve aped the ‘60s feel of Pan-Am, and the entrance is through a red London phone booth. The bar’s on the 46th floor.

Related Maps

Bronzeville Winery

This restaurant and winery from urban planner Cecilia Cuff and Silver Room owner Eric Williams is home to some of Chicago’s hardest-to-snag tables, as well as a tight cocktail list that hits on all the major spirits. Submissions include the Uncle Yams Old Fashioned, a concoction starring Black-owned whiskey brand Uncle Nearest, sweet potato syrup, and brandied cherries.

Related Maps