119 Best Bars in Chicago, Illinois

Built in 1903 by the Schlitz Brewing Company, Schubas Tavern favors local and national power pop, indie rock, and folk musicians. The laid-back, wood-paneled back room is the perfect place to hear artists who are just about to make it big. The attached restaurant, Tied House, serves creative comfort food.

That the once-shabby stretch on which the Scofflaw sits grows hipper by the month is no coincidence; the cozy, brick-walled cocktail bar, which boasts a huge collection of gin, put the intersection of Kedzie and Armitage Avenues on the map. It’s an open secret that the kitchen serves a stellar cheeseburger.

With a shaded beer garden in summer and a roaring fireplace in winter, Sheffield's spans the seasons. The laid-back neighborhood pub has billiards and more than 100 kinds of bottled beer, including regional microbrews. You can also choose from 18 brands on tap or opt for the bartender's "bad beer of the month" (think a cheap can of PBR).

Focusing on a different theme every night of the week, Sidetrack broadcasts videos on TV screens that never leave your sight. Attractive professionals pack the sprawling strike-a-pose bar and rooftop deck; order a vodka slushie (the house specialty) and join the crowd.

With its giant dance floor, craft cocktails, and dim, red-hue lighting, Slippery Slope has brought a cool, clubby vibe to Logan Square. (It gets bonus points for the Skeeball machines located next to the door.) This place gets especially crowded on the weekends, when the dancing gets serious.

Sluggers is packed after Cubs games in the nearby stadium, and the ballplayers make occasional appearances in summer. Check out the fast- and slow-pitch batting cages on the second floor, as well as the pool tables, air-hockey tables, and electronic basketball.

Sound-Bar is a two-level labyrinth of nine bars, each with a unique design and color scheme (some even serve matching colored cocktails). Feel like dancing? Join the pulse of Chicago's best-dressed on the huge dance floor.

This Ukrainian Village bar’s roots as a nightspot for local Polish immigrants can still be felt in its warm wood accents and retro back bar. Classic cocktails are the drink of choice; they pair perfectly with the warmth of the back patio’s brick fireplace.

This late-night underground dance club has been in the River North area for more than 25 years. Featured are internationally renowned and up-and-coming local musicians and DJs. 

Check the letter board over the front door of this Wicker Park storefront for a list of the rising indie rock and hip-hop acts playing there soon, often on their first Chicago gigs. Chances are good they'll be playing a larger venue the next time through. Locals also come for the popular Thursday reggae nights and regular hip-hop open mike events.

Located in the Irving Park neighborhood, about 15 minutes northwest of downtown, this place showcases rock, as well as some Irish, Celtic, and country music, in a large concert hall with a separate, busy pub. By day the hall is used to show soccer and rugby games from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Chef Grant Achatz applies his cutting-edge culinary style to cocktails at this West Loop bar, adjacent to his high-concept restaurant Next. Your newfangled old-fashioned might arrive injected into an egg of ice, or your drink's flavor might change subtly as its flavored ice melts. Inventive bar bites are on offer as well. It's strongly advised to book your seating in advance (www.exploretock.com/theaviary).

The bartenders at this swanky but unfussy cocktail bar on the ground floor of the hip ACME Hotel specialize in improvisation—name a spirit, flavor profile, and type of glassware from the "Dealer's Choice" menu and they'll craft a drink for you on the spot.

This compact dive bar—one of the few that caters to lesbians, though it draws gay men, too—can be especially lively after 2 am when most other bars close. Stop by Sunday afternoons when bartenders serve up what are hailed as the best Bloody Marys in town.

The old school taverns tucked at random along Bucktown's residential streets---many distinguished by a vintage Old Style sign---are a major contributor to the neighborhood's character, and this one (the latest iteration of a series of bars that have existed on this site since the 1950s) is a prime example. Come for the ice cold beer, the easy going dive vibe, and the jukebox tunes.

On the 13th-floor rooftop of the Lincoln Hotel, this sprawling bar offers both excellent cocktails and the finest vantage point in the neighborhood. An impressive retractable roof means you could end up jockeying for a seat come rain or shine (or even snow). Be advised that the secret's well out among locals and access is first come, first served; a wait is probable during the warmer months.

This comedy showcase started in the back room of a Lincoln Square diner, where for years young comics like Hannibal Buress, Cameron Esposito, and Kumail Nanjiani honed their stand-up. The Lodge now has its own venue in Bucktown, where you can find the next generation of comedians working the room most nights of the week.

The Map Room might help you find your way around Chicago, if not the world. Guidebooks decorate the walls of this self-described "travelers' tavern," and the craft beers represent much of the globe. This is a favorite gathering spot for soccer fans, so expect it to be roaring during World Cup season.

The Motel Bar has all the comforts of a real, honest-to-goodness motel bar (TVs tuned to sports, classic cocktails, and a retro color scheme), but the atmosphere is amped-up with sexy, low-rise furniture and a "room service" menu of upscale bites.

This subterranean dance club has dropped the quasi-military underground bunker theme it once sported, but it still attracts celebs, international DJs, and the clientele that follows both.

The Violet Hour channels a Prohibition-era speakeasy—an unmarked door in the mural-covered facade leads to a mysterious, curtained hallway. Inside, twinkling crystal chandeliers cast a glow on cornflower-blue walls, and extremely high-backed blue leather chairs encourage intimate conversations. Add to that pricey, but flawlessly executed cocktails and a sign discouraging cell-phone use, and it's our idea of nightlife heaven.

Once you’ve found the alley entrance (hint: look for the red-roped line of people waiting outside), descend the glowing skull-lined stairs to reach this hip spot that’s an homage to the tiki craze of the '40s, '50s and '60s. "Three Dots and a Dash" is an old-school, rum-based tiki cocktail that gets its name from the morse code for the letter "V" as in victory, as used in WWII. There are Pan-Pacific nibbles, like the shareable pu pu platter, to accompany the strong tropical cocktails adorned with flowers and served in tiki mugs. 

Despite being hidden away underneath the El tracks in a spooky stretch west of downtown, Transit is wildly popular with young clubgoers. Inside, the multiroom space has a crisp design and sumptuous VIP area. Don't miss the glowing black-and-white bar between the oval and chandelier rooms, or the mezzanine with its minimalist furniture and oversize mahogany table.

This cozy, candlelit bar is a romantic place for a date. It stocks more than 500 bottles of wine (at least 20 are available by the glass) plus ports, sherries, single-malt Scotches, a few microbrews, and a menu of small tasting entrées at reasonable prices. If you're looking for carryout provisions, there's a wine shop with tempting picnic fixings, too.

Zanies books outstanding national talent and is Chicago's best stand-up comedy spot. Dave Chappelle, Ali Wong, and Jeff Garlin have all performed at this intimate venue.

Small and funky with zebra-stripe lamps and other kitschy accoutrements, this lounge attracts an interesting crowd of dressed-up and dressed-down regulars who come to sing along with the pianist on duty.