Choose your location
Thu / Jan 14
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
20s / 30s / After Work / Bar / Brunch
Party Earth Review Despite a preponderance of creative galleries and contemporary boutiques in River North, Moe’s Cantina manages to stand apart from the hipster contingent with a cavernous, upscale space that attracts a preppier crowd than many of its neighbors. Exposed brick, beamed ceilings, and intricate ironwork chandeliers and banisters ... more
155 West Kinzie Street
Chicago, IL 60654
Dinner / Good for Groups / Tapas
Reviewed by Nicole Alexandra P.
"Venture on over to Café Iberico to experience not only the most authentic, delicious and satisfying tapas around Chicagoland, yet I'd have to argue, t ..." more
737 North LaSalle Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60654
30s / Affluent / After Work / Beer
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
30s / 40s / Affluent / Bar / Brunch / DJ
Party Earth Review Located in upscale River North, the Chicago outpost of the Mercadito chain is a top spot with affluent locals and trendy couples in the mood for intricate Mexican fare and more than one hundred varieties of tequila. Well-dressed finance types and chic party girls stop in to chill out over a relaxed meal and a shot of Don ... more
108 West Kinzie Street
Chicago, IL 60654
20s / 30s / 40s / Bar / Blues / Couples
Party Earth Review A part of Chicago’s rich jazz and blues history since the late 1970s, Andy’s Jazz Club serves up multiple live sets seven nights a week. Located just two blocks from the tourist magnet Magnificent Mile, the venue draws a good number of out-of-towners looking to cross “Chicago jazz” off their to-do list, although the ever ... more
11 East Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60611
All Ages / Bar / Bluegrass / Blues
Party Earth Review A maze of function rooms, dining areas, and two stages support the House of Blues’ reputation for great music, good grub, and a packed house practically every night. Swaggering locals may decry the chain aspect – there are thirteen locations and counting – but seeing as the venue pulls in big names covering a range of ... more
329 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60654
30s / Affluent / After Work / Club
Party Earth Review True to its name, Nacional 27 brings to Chicago a little bit of flavor from all twenty-seven countries in Latin America, drawing a diverse crowd of trendy, fun-loving partygoers eager to follow the venue’s motto of “Eat. Drink. Dance.” Somewhat removed from the loud and rowdy club scene of nearby Hubbard Street, this upscale ... more
325 West Huron Street
Chicago, IL 60654
80s Music / After Work / Bar
Party Earth Review For those who rock out in the shower but are too embarrassed to try karaoke, the pianists at Howl at the Moon offer an introvert’s alternative, playing crowd-pleasers late into the night to a packed and raucous crowd always ready to sing along. Both an after-work hangout for business people and a late-night hotspot for ... more
26 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60654
30s / Affluent / Bar Food / Beer / DJ
Party Earth Review Beer lovers in search of a new hangout will make a new home at Public House, a ten-thousand-square-foot gastropub that pours more than 120 labels, including its own seasonal brew produced in collaboration with Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery. Split into two distinct rooms by a grand stone entryway, the restaurant also boasts ... more
400 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60654
American Restaurant / Burgers
Reviewed by Gabriella D.
"Dick;s Last Resort is probably one of the only restaurants where you go HOPING the waiters/waitresses are rude to you and boy, are they! Me and a larg ..." more
315 North Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60610
River North restaurants seem to outnumber the upscale hood’s clubs and lounges, no small feat considering this gallery district is nightlife central for the city’s elite. Some eateries mimic the area’s trendy, sexy nightspots, while others cater to the many visitors staying in River North hotels. Wherever they fall on the trendmaker/tourist spectrum, restaurants in River North tend to all be raucous affairs for big crowds.
Old favorites anchor the neighborhood, and their longevity does not scare away the trendy crowds that converge on River North for clubbing and gallery-hopping. Tapas spot Café Iberico and pan-Latin-American dance club Nacional 27 have survived as hotspots because of their energetic vibes and delicious food. Huge tables of friends pass around the small plates at Iberico while patrons of Nacional 27 take a break from eating to salsa it up on the restaurant’s dance floor. New buzzworthy spots take their cue from these veterans and pair impressive food with lively rooms. Many of these spots boast fusion cuisine, from Sunda’s Asian/sushi fusion to Mercadito’s new take on Mexican.
Locals and out-of-towners alike also head to the neighborhood’s more casual spots, which resemble frat parties more than cocktail soirees. Bachelorette parties flock to Howl at the Moon, a restaurant with dueling pianos, while frat types are drawn to the purposely-rude service at Dick’s Last Resort. Visiting hipsters have a place in River North as well; Andy’s Jazz Club brings in world-class talent to accompany meals, and Purple Pig jumps on the all-things-pork foodie trend. River North is known for its A-listers, but restaurants exist there for every kind of scene.