Choose your location
Sun / May 19
- New York
- Los Angeles
- Washington, DC
- London
- Paris
- More Cities
- Close
Bars in Chicago
Today May 19
Tomorrow May 20
Bar
Party Earth Review With a rich history in the arts and music scene, The Flat Iron, formerly the live music venue The Blue Note, draws a dedicated community of creative patrons. The giant face of a skull immediately greets guests upon entering – usually accompanied by the deafening sounds of Black Sabbath from the jukebox – while murals by ... more
1565 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
- Liked By:
-
Bar / Lounge
Party Earth Review Camouflaged behind a colorful plank façade adorned with an ever-changing display of graffiti art, The Violet Hour offers an unexpected touch of upscale luxury to a neighborhood better known for dive bars and hipster hangouts. A series of dark blue floor-to-ceiling curtains part to reveal the various rooms of the venue ... more
1520 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
- Liked By:
-
Party Earth Review Located at the south end of the city’s famously ritzy Magnificent Mile, Sweetwater Tavern and Grille is a cavernous sports bar and restaurant with an upscale, minimalist vibe. Floor-to-ceiling windows and dozens of plush white booths around the perimeter provide a cozy spot for tourists and local professionals to enjoy ... more
225 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
- Liked By:
-
Party Earth Review Having gone through multiple owners, names, and clientele over the course of its long history, Lottie’s Pub opened in its current incarnation in 2002, bringing a sporty but casual hangout to this mostly residential neighborhood. Named for a six-foot transvestite who allegedly ran the joint in the thirties, the venue’s ... more
1925 West Cortland Street
Chicago, IL 60622
- Liked By:
-
Bar / Club / Live Music Venue
Party Earth Review Named for its two separate entrances – one for the fans and one for the bands – Double Door is a simple club where music undeniably takes center stage. With its single long bar the only element that takes away from the open wooden dance space and a standing room capacity of only five hundred, it seems incredible that the ... more
1572 North Milwaukee Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
- Liked By:
-
Party Earth Review The Empty Bottle has been serving up $5 drink combos and live music seven nights a week since it first opened in 1992, featuring a jam-packed calendar of events ranging from jazz and rock to experimental noise. The venue’s deceptively small exterior hides a spacious three-roomed space decked out in concert posters and packed ... more
1035 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
- Liked By:
-
Bar / Lounge
Party Earth Review Located on the ground floor of the Hard Rock Hotel, Fall Out Boy Pete Wentz’s Angels & Kings is an intimate, dark venue where, depending on the night, patrons might find rockers in skinny jeans or clubbers in high-end cocktail dresses. Although Wentz himself has been known to grace the small stage, entertainment is usually ... more
Hard Rock Hotel
230 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60601
- Liked By:
-
Bar / Pub / Restaurant
Party Earth Review Popular with an amiable bunch of grad students and young professionals bent on conversation, the modest Hopleaf Bar harbors an intense dedication to beer, and lots of it. Every night, the worn wooden tables and booths on the first floor quickly fill up with easygoing patrons pouring over the selection of more than two hundred ... more
5148 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640
- Liked By:
-
Lounge / Restaurant / Sports Bar
Party Earth Review Even on the most crowded and rowdy evenings, Bull & Bear maintains a level of decorum worlds apart from the often raucous venues that dominate Chicago’s sports bar scene. In true Wall Street style, a forty-foot-long stock market ticker above the main bar reports recent sports updates and scores, while an almost obscene ... more
431 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654
- Liked By:
-
Party Earth Review Situated in the epicenter of Lakeview’s gay scene, minibar Ultra Lounge & Café caters to a higher-end clientele with swanky décor, intricate drinks, and bartenders who could double as Abercrombie & Fitch models. A narrow, sexily-lit bar takes up part of the U-shaped front lounge, whose intimate low banquettes and VIP sections ... more
3341 North Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60657
- Liked By:
-
Bar / Irish Pub
Party Earth Review The city’s premier beer and bacon bar, Paddy Long’s is a popular hangout for a mixed crowd of young Lincoln Park hipsters and older regulars on a first-name basis with the owner – a Dublin native who is often also the bartender. Usually low-key and welcoming, this Irish-style pub features craft beers and a menu that would ... more
1028 West Diversey Parkway
Chicago, IL 60657
- Liked By:
-
Party Earth Review Named in homage to legendary University of Alabama coach Bear Bryant and his signature houndstooth hat, Houndstooth Saloon may be in the heart of Cubs country, but there’s no doubt it’s a pure Alabama bar and headquarters for homesick Southern transplants. A mournful basset hound on the sign now wears the checkered cap ... more
3369 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
- Liked By:
-
Recommended Bars in Chicago
Top Sports Bars
BY: Lucas
Lucas also likes: Beer Sports Rowdy Casual Anything goes Bar Flirty
more recommended by Lucas
Super Chic Bars
BY: Adriana
Adriana also likes: Exclusive Nightclub Fashion Forward Shopping Jetsetter
more recommended by Adriana
Great Music Bars
BY: Jonah
- → The Hideout
- → Schubas Tavern
- → The Mutiny
- → darkroom
- → aliveOne
Jonah also likes: Live Music Eclectic Indie Alternative Non-mainstream
more recommended by Jonah
Fun Student Bars
BY: Emma
Emma also likes: Happy Hour Culture Dancing Lively Budget-friendly
more recommended by Emma
Chicago Bars Overview
Chicago’s social life invariably revolves around its denizen’s love of sports and beer, but there are still hundreds of bars in Chicago that cater to the highest of the high end and the dingiest of dives to fit into any resident’s social schedule.
There are actually thousands of Chicago bars – and they populate every street and are hidden away in the quaintest residential areas – so if the Cubs, White Sox, Bears, or Bulls are playing, it’s a lock that every bar in town will be playing the game on their TVs. But the biggest spots in town for sports fans are in Wrigleyville where sports bars are dime a dozen.
Meanwhile, many food-heavy bars dot the city and serve perfect beer and food pairings, though it’s just as easy to find the best deep dish pizza and a cold one at other local haunts, or just a wine bar to while away the hours in.
Though neighborhood bars, sports bars, and pubs are the most common nightlife destinations in Chicago, an array of higher-end venues in areas like River North and the Gold Coast draw in the social elite to live, work, and play.
The best part about all the bars in Chicago, whether high-end, sports crazy, or just the hole-in-the-wall variety, is that they stay open really late, with some spots keeping their doors open until 4 or 5am.
Find Chicago Bars by Neighborhood
Lincoln Park
-
Lilly's Bar
Bar / Live Music Venue
-
Goose Island
Bar / Brewery / Restaurant
-
Lincoln Hall
Bar / Live Music Venue
Wicker Park / Bucktown
-
Debonair Social Club
Bar / Club
-
Double Door
Bar / Club
-
Piece
Bar / Pizza Place
Recent Articles
-
Spring Break!!!
If midterms and finals have gotten you down, get ready to forget about those blue books with a spring break escape. Whether you're looking to soak up the sun on a sandy beach with surf crashing ... read full article
-
Classy and Ahead of the Curve: Elite Hoods Around the World
-
Drinking Like Gatsby at Global Speakeasies
