Illinois
You'll find this farmhouse brewery hidden away amid horse- and sheep-grazing pastures just 5 miles outside Shawnee National Forest in Ava. Twigs, bark,…
Must-see nightlife in Illinois
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Chicago
Enter this jovial brewery – the city’s largest – via a blue glowing hallway with trippy art painted on the walls and the Willy Wonka theme song playing…
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Chicago
This slick tasting room has a cool, naturalistic look with exposed concrete posts and knotty wood beams across the ceiling. Slip into a seat at the bar…
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Chicago
An elder of the local beer scene, Metropolitan has expanded into a striking, retrofitted old tannery overlooking the Chicago River. The floor-to-ceiling…
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Chicago
Marz started as a group of home brewers whose friends demanded more. The small brewery is known for its peculiar creations, such as Potion #1 (aged in…
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Chicago
Spiteful's taproom has a rock-and-roll, DIY vibe. Two home brewers launched the brand, and they now operate out of a renovated garage. The concrete…
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Chicago
Located near the Second City comedy club and the scene of late-night musings since the 1960s, this unpretentious neighborhood favorite lets you mingle…
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Chicago
The owner of nearby music club Constellation also owns this off-the-beaten-path little bar. It charms with its kind bartenders and well-worn, thrift-store…
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Chicago
A bartender rightfully referred to this hard-edged black sheep of the neighborhood as the ‘pride of Lincoln Ave’: a title earned for the heavy pours and…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
This nouveau speakeasy isn’t marked, so look for the wood-paneled building with a full mural and a yellow light over the door. Inside, high-backed booths,…
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Chicago
Pool is serious business on the two vintage tables that the pub refelts regularly with Belgian material. The ever-changing, eye-catching art comes…
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Chicago
The Berghoff dates from 1898 and was the first Chicago bar to serve a legal drink after Prohibition (ask to see the liquor license stamped '#1'). Little…
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Chicago
Pilsen's bohemians love this intimate brewpub and no wonder. Join them at the reclaimed wood tables for a flight and fancy pub grub such as poutine with…
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Chicago
Named for a 17th-century ship full of wine-guzzling passengers, Arbella is an adventuresome cocktail bar. Booze from around the globe makes its way into…
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Centennial Crafted Beer & Eatery
Chicago
Centennial hides in plain sight. It's rarely mobbed, like many of its neighborhood competitors, yet its 50 taps of carefully chosen craft beer and its…
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Chicago
This West Loop spot is a twinkling-light charmer for bubbles. Score a table in the cobblestoned courtyard and you'll feel transported to Paris. In winter,…
Chicago
This refined lounge, inspired by hotel lobby bars of the 1930 and ’40s, is a Gold Coast hidden gem. Tucked behind an unassuming storefront in an art deco…
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Chicago
Tucked in a warehouse by the train tracks, Begyle's little taproom is a community hub. Friends play cards at one table, an old guy chills with his dog…
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Illinois
Two musically-inclined homebrewing brothers started this sludgy, doom metal–themed taproom in 2017 and quickly rose to the forefront of the Quad Cities…
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Chicago
Sometimes the new, cocktail-laden Wrigleyville weighs on your soul and you yearn for the cheap-beer-splashed days of yore. Enter the Nisei, a neighborhood…
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Chicago
An Andersonville mainstay since 1934, Simon’s is a dimly lit musicians’ watering hole. The jukebox rocks an eclectic menu ranging from St Vincent to James…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
A holiday-light-festooned moose head and a life-size statue of Elvis overlook the crowd of artsy regulars playing pool and drinking on the cheap at this…
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Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Lawyers, artists and bums all squeeze in for retro cocktails. It’s as small as – you got it – a matchbox, with about a dozen bar stools; everyone else…
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Illinois
Occupying a rambling, 150-year-old mansion by Abe Lincoln's home, Obed & Isaac's offers a maze of sunny rooms to drink its wildly changing menu of ales…
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Chicago
Cole's is a dive bar with nifty free entertainment. Young scenesters flock in to shoot pool and swill Midwest microbrews (Bell's, Two Brothers) in the…
Wicker Park, Bucktown & Ukrainian Village
Making waves when it opened in Wicker Park in 2015 in a sea of sports bars, Queen Mary is a neighborhood tavern inspired by the British Royal Navy. It’s…
Chicago
Early-20th-century Cubs baseball great Mordecai Brown lends his name to this stylish bar at Hotel Zachary. With a serious cocktail menu spotlighting…
Chicago
A crackling fire, stylish glassware and, most of all, sophisticated brews featuring culinary ingredients such as black truffle and Oaxacan chocolate make…
Chicago
Take a seat under the bamboo roof by the banana-leaf wallpaper inside this trendy tiki bar, and swirl a Mystery Gardenia or other tropical drink made from…
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Chicago
The Aviary is a James Beard Award winner for best cocktails in the nation. The ethereal drinks are like nothing you've laid lips on before. Some arrive…
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Chicago
Raise your fist to Revolution, an industrial-chic brewpub that fills glasses with heady beers such as the Eugene porter and Anti-Hero IPA. The brewmaster…
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Chicago
The original Half Acre on Lincoln Ave got so popular it had to expand to this hulking facility on Balmoral Ave. Now it has become a destination brewery,…
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Chicago
Cindy's unfurls awesome views of Millennium Park and the lake from atop the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Sit at one of the long wood tables under…
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Chicago
The Ace Hotel's rooftop bar wins praise for several reasons. It provides terrific skyline views. It draws a superstylish crowd, but there's no velvet rope…
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Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar
Chicago
Owner Ed works the cozy back-room bar furnished with vintage decor, while mom Maria works the front liquor store. Both offer an excellent craft-beer…
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Kibbitznest Books, Brews & Blarney
Chicago
This warm, eclectic cafe rambling over several rooms is devoted to creating a 'third space' for face-to-face communication and intellectual discourse …
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Chicago
The Northman gives the neighborhood beer scene a twist by focusing on cider. Around 20 taps flow with tart, fermented creations from the US, England,…
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Chicago
Barrel-aged beers rule at Whiner. Choose among wild saisons, Belgian wheat beers and Belgian dark ales in the rustic, softly lit taproom. A five-beer…
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Chicago
Scofflaw is a gin joint – literally. The bar specializes in boutique, small-batch gins mixed into gimlets, martinis and other cocktails that get creative…
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Chicago
Pull open the huge wooden doors and enter this dimly lit Belgian beer cave. Old barrels, vintage taps and faux antiquarian books set the mood, accompanied…
