The Loyalist is a wine bar in Chicago.
The Loyalist in Chicago is the wood-bar room downstairs from Smyth on Ada Street, an unfussy wine bar from John and Karen Shields with the cult dirty burger.
Editorially verified May 18, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Food program: Burger, snacks, full kitchen
Tip: Walk up to the bar at 16:55. The dirty burger is on the bar menu from open; it leaves the kitchen rare and griddle-pressed.
Address: 177 N Ada St, Chicago, IL 60607
Webster's Wine Bar in Chicago is the long-running natural-wine bar that moved to Logan Square on Milwaukee Avenue in 2014, with a 200-bottle list.
Signature pour: Biodynamic flight by the glass
Wine focus: Old World, biodynamic, small producers
Food: Cheese and charcuterie boards
Tip: The Monday-night flights are themed around a single region; the next-day discount on full bottles is a real value pull.
Rootstock in Chicago is Humboldt Park's neighbourhood natural-wine bar on California Avenue since 2011, with a small-producer list and a strong charcuterie.
Signature pour: Cab Franc from the Loire by the glass
Wine focus: Natural wine, small importer focus
Food: Small plates and a strong cheese board
Tip: The kitchen runs late; the burger and pork-rillette plate are the late-night moves once the cheese case thins.
Maria's Packaged Goods in Chicago is the Bridgeport corner store-and-bar on 31st Street: hybrid bottle shop, neighbourhood pub and Kimski Korean-Polish.
Signature pour: Marz beer with a kimchi-pork dumpling
Wine focus: Cult Midwest beer, natural wine
Food: Kimski Korean-Polish street food
Tip: Kimski's kimchi pierogi and the Marz brewery beers on the back wall are the room's defining pairing.
Diversey Wine in Logan Square is the natural-wine shop and bar next door to Cellar Door Provisions on Diversey Avenue, with rotating skin-contact pours.
Signature pour: Loire whites and Italian skin-contact
Wine focus: Natural wine retail and bar in Logan Square
Food: Charcuterie boards and rotating snacks
