Cocktail barModernist cocktail tasting$$$Tue-Thu 17:00-23:00; Fri 17:00-01:00; Sat 16:30-01:00; Sun-Mon closed
The Aviary in Chicago is the Achatz-Kokonas modernist cocktail bar above Next on Fulton Market, with edible-ice cocktails and a service script all its own.
Signature drink: In the Rocks (cracked-ice cocktail)
Food: Small bites with the cocktail menu
Tip: Book the In the Rocks cocktail (cracked-ice presentation tableside); it is the room's defining drink and the value-per-dollar move.
Cocktail barSpeakeasy beneath The Aviary$$$Tue-Thu 17:00-23:00; Fri 17:00-01:00; Sat 16:30-01:00; Sun-Mon closed
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.
Signature drink: Rare-spirit flights
Food: Caviar service, snacks
Tip: Book six weeks out via the Tock system. The Pappy Van Winkle pour is the room's biggest draw.
Cocktail barCocktail bar with nautical theme$$$Mon-Thu 17:00-01:00; Fri-Sun 15:00-01:00
Queen Mary Tavern in Chicago is the Wicker Park cocktail bar on Division Street with a maritime theme, navy-blue panels and a fish-and-chips counter.
Signature drink: Pisco-and-vermouth highball
Food: Fish-and-chips bar snacks
Tip: The fish-and-chips kitchen opens at 17:00 from the back room; the bar opens an hour earlier for cocktails only.
Cocktail barWhiskey bar and restaurant$$$Mon-Thu 11:00-23:00, Fri 11:00-01:00, Sat 09:00-01:00, Sun 09:00-23:00
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.
Signature drink: Whiskey-flight menu
Food: Pub-elevated full kitchen
Tip: The 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.
Cocktail barDiner-bar hybrid$$$Mon-Sat 10:00-23:15, Sun 10:00-22:15
Au Cheval in Chicago is the West Loop diner-bar on Randolph with one of the country's most-mentioned cheeseburgers, plus duck-heart hash and a bar-front.
Signature drink: Whiskey and a French dip
Food: Full Au Cheval menu
Tip: The bar accepts walk-up only; sit there if you can't book. The single-with-egg cheeseburger is the menu's defining order.
Cocktail barTiny historic cocktail bar$$$Mon-Fri 15:00-02:00; Sat 15:00-03:00; Sun 15:00-02:00
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.
Signature drink: Old fashioned, Gimlet
Food: None
Tip: Order an Old Fashioned. The slim bartender pour is the house standard; do not ask for it differently.