Diners' Choice: Cocktail Bar restaurants in Chicago / Illinois

OpenTable

Updated April 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants with the best overall Cocktail Bar cuisine in Chicago / Illinois? You’re in the right place. Each month OpenTable analyzes more than 400,000 new diner reviews. We sort the results by category to help you discover new favorites. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Pandan

4.8

4.8 (50)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Gold Coast / Streeterville

About the restaurant

Venture to the 18th floor of Viceroy Chicago to discover a seductive world where the sky is your ceiling and gorgeous city views unfold from every angle. Welcome to Pandan, a lush cocktail experience in the heart of the Gold Coast. Bask in what seems like infinite sunshine and starlight as you share baos and buns from the menu of Southeast Asian cuisine. The cocktail menu is as vast as the skyline itself and full of alluring flavors you haven't yet imagined. Sink into a lounge chair surrounded by botanicals and greenery. You'll quickly see: Pandan is a world unto itself -a haven for secluded celebrations, important connections, and whispered secrets. And the undercurrent of exclusivity is undeniable. Pandan is not just a scene. It's a satisfying new perspective. Come up. Elevate.

Top review

Gabriela

Dined on Apr 12, 2025

Always love coming here! Staff is amazing and super kind! Drinks are great too ;)

Judes Cocktails and Nosh

4.9

4.9 (241)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Crystal Lake

About the restaurant

Located in Downtown Crystal Lake, directly across form the Raue Center for the Arts. Our team of outstanding chefs and servers will cater to your every need – for a dining experience that you’ll never forget.

Top review

Shannon

Dined 4 days ago

Always a great experience at Jude’s - the mix of small plates and flatbreads make it easy for everyone to find something they like and also try something completely new.

Rooftop at Nobu Hotel

4.6

4.6 (891)

$50 and over

Cocktail Bar

West Loop

About the restaurant

Soak in the vibes of Chicago’s famous Restaurant Row and the views of the stunning city skyline at the Rooftop at Nobu Hotel. The Rooftop encourages walk-ins.

Top review

Alexander

Dined 4 days ago

Wonderful ambiance, views are beautiful and drinks are fantastic. Not much more to be said!

Three Dots and a Dash

4.8

4.8 (1927)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

River North (Chicago)

About the restaurant

With a secret alleyway entrance, Three Dots and a Dash is a speakeasy-style take on the traditional island bar—ready to transport you to the glamorous bygone eras of Trader Vic, Stephen Crane and Don the Beachcomber. Descend underground to discover a subterranean hideaway featuring a rum-soaked menu of more than two dozen classic, modern and original tropical cocktails and a selection of island fare. We are a 21+ venue.

Top review

Shannon

Dined 3 days ago

Awesome place for cocktails! Perfect table and the service was outstanding!

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Three Dots and a Dash (Deposit Required)

The Alderman

4.9

4.9 (231)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Pilsen

About the restaurant

Winner of the 2022 Jean Banchet Award for Best Bar, THE ALDERMAN is an intimate, 16-seat cocktail bar tucked away, behind closed doors, within Pilsen Yards. The cocktail list rotates some of its original cocktail features, while the twists on American classics are staples of the cocktail list.

With a plush velvet banquette and a 4-seat counter, it’s the perfect room for a night cap, a date, or a casual evening of one to several astonishingly good cocktails.

Top review

Emily

Dined on Apr 20, 2025

Some of the best drinks we’ve ever had, and we love a cocktail bar.

The Violet Hour

4.7

4.7 (201)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Bucktown / Wicker Park

About the restaurant

This James Beard award winning bar program, serves seasonally-driven libations amongst candlelit tables and a sprawling marble bar. Centrally located in the heart of the vibrant Wicker Park neighborhood, surrounded by delicious restaurants and boutique shopping. Cocktails are inspired by trailblazing head mixologist Toby Maloney.

Top review

TracyVIP

Dined 5 days ago

Very sexy vibe. Creative, tasty cocktails with passionate, knowledgeable and pleasant bartender Brandon. Overall, a lovely place.

Celeste

4.6

4.6 (193)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

River North (Chicago)

About the restaurant

**For Rooftop Garden and Disco reservation, please visit our website at celestedisco.com**

Celeste is a modern, refined interpretation of the classic American drinking establishment. Our four levels are each inspired by nuances in architecture, art movements, social clubs, and a breakdown of the barriers between art and life. A carefully curated space, upscale cuisine, and imaginative cocktails create the essence of Celeste.

Reservation Types:

Whiskey Bar High-Top:
On the first floor, The Bar is a nod to classic neighborhood bars. This space offers a casual atmosphere, perfect for gathering with friends during happy hour while indulging in elevated spirits, modern American cuisine, and an expanded whiskey list.
Open Wed-Sat at 5pm

Deco Supper Club:
Located on the second floor, Deco Supper Club pays homage to the glamorous architectural history of Chicago at the turn-of-the-century with a drink menu spotlighting craft cocktails.
Open Thurs-Sat at 7pm.

Top review

JosieVIP

Dined on Feb 15, 2025

Celeste’s first floor cocktail bar had my favorite espresso martini of all time! Highly recommend for cocktails, and they have an excellent happy hour.

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Experience

Happy Hour at Celeste

Lazy Bird

4.7

4.7 (20)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

West Loop

About the restaurant

Located in the cellar level of The Hoxton, Chicago hotel, Lazy Bird is a cocktail and music lounge in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. Known for its extensive signature cocktail program, luminary bartenders, live music, and low lighting, Lazy Bird hums with energy every evening, making it the perfect start, middle, or end to a night on the town.

Top review

James

Dined on Apr 18, 2025

Great experience. Make sure when you book your VIP you ask for the section you want.

The Berkshire Room

4.5

4.5 (63)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

River North (Chicago)

About the restaurant

The Berkshire Room is an upscale lounge specializing in craft cocktails all created by a talented team. The atmosphere is retro classy and definitely worth a visit before or after dinner for cocktails with friends. There is ample seating either in the private side rooms, the booths in the lounge area or at the bar. The clientele that frequent the Berkshire Room rave about the dealers' choice, which allows guests to choose the spirit, flavor profile and glassware. The bartender then customizes a unique and customized cocktail.

Besides the tasty cocktails and the relaxing ambiance, the Berkshire also offers bar snacks and small dishes. The Berkshire room is located within River North's swanky ACME hotel.

Top review

Whitney

Dined on Apr 5, 2025

Everything was nice!!! We try Charcuterie board only and it was tasty. Though next, we’ll try more bites.

Vol. 39

4.7

4.7 (86)

$31 to $50

Cocktail Bar

Downtown / Loop

About the restaurant

Tucked away in the The Kimpton Gray Hotel is our library of spirits. Vol. 39 is an upscale bar and cocktail lounge in Chicago’s Loop where friendly faces serve classic drinks like Old Fashioneds and Expresso Martinis. For a speakeasy feel with the comfort of your neighborhood bar, Vol. 39’s collection of wine, whiskey and other craft spirits is the ideal spot for an intimate date night, networking with colleagues, pub crawl or your first drink of the night.

Top review

MollyVIP

Dined on Mar 29, 2025

This bar is absolutely stunning. The house cocktails are pricy but are worth trying, for sure! In addition to be unusually delicious, the presentation is pure art- specifically the specialty Old Fashioned. It wasn’t even my drink but watching the unusual way it was served to my date was fun to see! Our server was knowledgeable and attentive. My only disappointment with our time here was that my fiancé had listed on our reservation that we were going there to celebrate literally right after he’d proposed. It was in the notes and still shows on our reservation. However, no mention of any kind was made of our occasion and we were seated at a tiny table at the back. The bartenders and servers are great but the hostess, at least that day, definitely seemed like she didn’t want to be there.

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