Rooftop Bars in Chicago

Vines on Clark

20s / 40s / ATM / Average Joes / Jeans

Party Earth Review With lots of glowing flat-screens beckoning to Cubs fans, daily specials luring the budget-minded, and a big seasonal beer garden perfect for open air drinking, Vines on Clark fits right into the Wrigleyville bar scene without being (entirely) about baseball. A long wooden bar with a mirrored back lines the right side ... more

3554 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657

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Benchmark

20s / 30s / ATM / After Work / Bar / Beer

Party Earth Review Boasting a double distinction as Chicago’s first rooftop beer garden and its first rooftop beer garden with a giant retractable roof, Benchmark draws a lively and amicable crowd of sports fans year round, whether to enjoy the sun and open air or to laugh at the snow on the other side of the glass. A polished and modern ... more

1510 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610

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Citizen Bar

Affluent / Bar Food / Blouses / DJ

Party Earth Review A swanky exposed brick hideout in the winter, the upscale Citizen Bar gets into full swing in the warmer months when it opens a massive five-thousand-square-foot rooftop deck, making it a popular River North summer hotspot. Wealthy finance types and local residents appropriate the venue during the week, commandeering dozens ... more

364 West Erie Street
Chicago, IL 60654

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ROOF on theWit

20s / 30s / Affluent / Brunch / DJ / R&B

Party Earth Review Set atop the 27th floor of a trendy boutique hotel in the heart of downtown, ROOF on theWit boasts an expansive view of Chicago’s glittering skyscrapers – not to mention a good sampling of its see-and-be-seen crowd as well. A dedicated elevator opens into a sprawling main room filled with clusters of low-slung chairs and ... more

theWit Hotel
201 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60601

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Chicago is a city of tall buildings and cold winters. When those cold winters finally disappear, the tall buildings come in handy. They contain rooftops, and rooftops are excellent places to drink outside. Rooftop bars in Chicago are among the city’s trendiest and most desirable hotspots.

ROOF on the Wit puts its draw right in its name. Set atop the 27th floor of trendy Wit Hotel in the heart of downtown, the lounge boasts an expansive view of Chicago’s glittering skyscrapers – not to mention a good sampling of its see-and-be-seen crowd. Here, gussied-up ladies and gents hope to snag one of the prime patio tables reserved for thousand-dollar bottle service, while others groove to a DJ and live music.

Other luxurious downtown hotels take advantage of their roof spaces, providing lounges that seem like the most exclusive places in town. The Affinia Hotel’s C-View, Dana Hotel’s Vertigo Sky, and the Trump Hotel’s Terrace at Trump are only three of the destinations that have recently joined the scene, while NoMi at the Park Hyatt, overlooking the Magnificent Mile, has become a local favorite.

Hotel bars aren’t the only prized Chicago rooftop bars. For those who would rather wear a hoodie than a slinky dress, places like Rock Bottom Brewery’s large rooftop gives the dressed-down a spot to down beers above the rabble on the street. No matter the level of luxury, rooftop bars in Chicago give everyone what they want – a sanctuary above it all.