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Cocktail barModernist cocktail tasting
The Aviary in Chicago is the Achatz-Kokonas modernist cocktail bar above Next on Fulton Market, with edible-ice cocktails and a service script all its own.
DrinkIn the Rocks (cracked-ice cocktail)
FoodSmall bites with the cocktail menu
TipBook the In the Rocks cocktail (cracked-ice presentation tableside); it is the room's defining drink and the value-per-dollar move.
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Cocktail barSpeakeasy beneath The Aviary
The Office in Chicago is the speakeasy beneath The Aviary on Fulton Market: a 15-seat reservation-only basement room with rare-spirit flights and caviar.
DrinkRare-spirit flights
FoodCaviar service, snacks
TipBook six weeks out via the Tock system. The Pappy Van Winkle pour is the room's biggest draw.
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Cocktail barCocktail bar with nautical theme
Queen Mary Tavern in Chicago is the Wicker Park cocktail bar on Division Street with a maritime theme, navy-blue panels and a fish-and-chips counter.
DrinkPisco-and-vermouth highball
FoodFish-and-chips bar snacks
TipThe fish-and-chips kitchen opens at 17:00 from the back room; the bar opens an hour earlier for cocktails only.
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Cocktail barWhiskey bar and restaurant
Longman & Eagle in Chicago is the Logan Square whiskey bar-and-restaurant on Kedzie Avenue, with a 250-bottle whiskey list, a Michelin Bib Gourmand and inn.
DrinkWhiskey-flight menu
FoodPub-elevated full kitchen
TipThe Bib Gourmand dinner room is the right pairing for the whiskey list. Sit at the bar if walk-up and order the wild-boar sloppy joe.
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Cocktail barDiner-bar hybrid
Au Cheval in Chicago is the West Loop diner-bar on Randolph with one of the country's most-mentioned cheeseburgers, plus duck-heart hash and a bar-front.
DrinkWhiskey and a French dip
FoodFull Au Cheval menu
TipThe bar accepts walk-up only; sit there if you can't book. The single-with-egg cheeseburger is the menu's defining order.
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Cocktail barTiny historic cocktail bar
Matchbox in Chicago is the four-foot-wide West Town cocktail bar on Milwaukee Avenue, a 30-seat triangle serving stiff classic cocktails since 1995.
DrinkOld fashioned, Gimlet
FoodNone
TipOrder an Old Fashioned. The slim bartender pour is the house standard; do not ask for it differently.