In need of two different drinking locations.

Ill be in chicago for the first time next month with my girlfriend for our anniversary. Im looking for two different bars/pubs/lounges, one for each night.

The second night im looking for a nice intimate lounge type setting. We are going to our anniversary dinner that night at North
Pond and I am looking for a place to stop in for a few after dinner drinks before we head back to the hotel. So obviously Im not looking for any raging clubs or bars. Any suggestions?

The first night im open to any suggestions. We are both looking for a place (or places) to hang out and have a few drinks. I love good craft beer so a good selection is a plus. If there is any area with multiple good bars/pubs we would be willing to bar hop as well. Ive heard a little bit about the green mill, is it worth checking out?

Thanks in advance for the suggestions

For the second night, the first place that comes to mind is The Drawing Room. It's an intimate lounge underneath what used to be Le Passage (becoming Privet soon) with top-tier drinks by Charles Joly (winner of On The Rocks/America's Best Bartender, Season 3) and Tim Lacey. It's in the Gold Coast, so it's fairly near North Pond. I've only been there on the early side but it's been quiet at those times. There's intimate lighting and cozy furniture groupings.

As for the first night, I'm not really a beer guy, so I'm sure that others will have better suggestions but The Map Room in Bucktown is a fun place with a great selection of tap and bottle selections. There are definitely other places nearby to get distinctive, high-quality drinks and brews, like Hot Chocolate, The Bristol and Duchamps. A few blocks farther south are The Violet Hour and Big Star.

As for the Green Mill in Uptown, it's a great, distinctive place, especially for listening to live jazz, as there are acts there pretty much every night. It's a Chicago institution and a very fun place. I think the drinks are, by default, secondary and I really don't know how the beer selection is there.

As other suggestions come to mind, I'll try to post again. Hopefully others will chime in, too.

Happy anniversary!

=R=

The Drawing Room
937 N Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 266-2694

The Map Room
1949 North Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 252-7636

Duchamp
2118 North Damen
Chicago, IL 60647-4571
(773) 235-6435

The Bristol
2152 North Damen
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 862-5555

Hot Chocolate
1747 North Damen
Chicago, IL 60647-5508
(773) 489-1747

The Violet Hour
1520 N Damen
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 252-1500

Big Star
1531 North Damen
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 235-4039

The Green Mill
4802 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 878-5552

As always, Ronnie's suggestions are great, and here's another idea for an interesting first evening.

For the first night - not sure how much you like to walk, but Chicago's a great walking town - I'd start off at the Hopleaf - massive beer selection, with a focus on Belgians, but many craft beers, including incredible locals like Metropolitan and Half Acre, plus good Belgian-ish food. It's in Andersonville, and you'll find lots of other interesting bars, shops and restaurants in the area. Then going south on Clark and east on Lawrence, it's a little less than a mile to the Green Mill (you could do a short cab ride if you're not walkers) - highly recommended for jazz, and an interior virtually unchanged since the Al Capone days. Even before that, it was a place Charlie Chaplin used to hang out when he was making movies at Essanay Studios, a few blocks way, during the years when Chicago was the nation's movie-making capital, before most of that moved to California.

Hopleaf opens at 3pm - might be easier to get a seat if you get there a bit on the early side; later in the evening it can get pretty crowded.

Hopleaf
5148 N. Clark
Chicago

nr706 wrote:As always, Ronnie's suggestions are great, and here's another idea for an interesting first evening.

For the first night - not sure how much you like to walk, but Chicago's a great walking town - I'd start off at the Hopleaf - massive beer selection, with a focus on Belgians, but many craft beers, including incredible locals like Metropolitan and Half Acre, plus good Belgian-ish food. It's in Andersonville, and you'll find lots of other interesting bars, shops and restaurants in the area. Then going south on Clark and east on Lawrence, it's a little less than a mile to the Green Mill (you could do a short cab ride if you're not walkers) - highly recommended for jazz, and an interior virtually unchanged since the Al Capone days. Even before that, it was a place Charlie Chaplin used to hang out when he was making movies at Essanay Studios, a few blocks way, during the years when Chicago was the nation's movie-making capital, before most of that moved to California.

Hopleaf opens at 3pm - might be easier to get a seat if you get there a bit on the early side; later in the evening it can get pretty crowded.

Hopleaf
5148 N. Clark
Chicago

I was also thinking of Hopleaf. Plus, you can walk down to In Fine Spirits. They have excellent cocktails, wine, a very good beer list, and good small plates. If you like cask ale, they have a firkin - a real treat.

In Fine Spirits
5420 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60640-1210
(773) 334-9463

I've been hanging out quite a bit lately at The Long Room, which has an excellent beer list and although the whiskey list isn't huge compared to some other places, they make a mean Manhattan. They're rarely too crowded and it's a dimly-lit, cozy room that strikes the right balance between romance and serious drinking. The place is usually filled with regulars, and the bartender greets at least half the people who enter by name. That could be intimidating to a newcomer if the bartenders weren't also great at making newcomers feel like regulars too after a round or two.

The Long Room
1612 W. Irving Park
773-665-4500

All great suggestions above. I find that the night of the week can matter a great deal...can you clue us in?

I'll add The Whistler (more of a first night option) and Sable (either night, in River North, so probably not too far from your hotel), but again...a lot depends on when exactly night 1 & night 2 fall.

The Whistler
2421 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 227-3530

Sable
505 N. State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 755-9704

The first night is a friday and the second a saturday. We are going to the theater on friday and will probably eat a late lunch, and be hungry again by the time we go out. So good food at the bar would probably be a plus. The play is at navy pier and we should be out around 10 if that impacts anything. Keep the suggestions coming.

Friday evening might prove challenging… If you’re getting out of a play at Navy Pier at 10pm, you’re looking at a moderate cab/bus ride to another part of the city where you find better options. A few ideas that aren’t too far away include:
The Purple Pig – kitchen open until 1am, very nice selection of small plates and wine; usually packed, but since it’s right off Michigan Ave, it might be quieter later in the evening – also, Chicago is generally less crowded during the winter months (can’t imagine why…); does not accept reservations
Avec - late kitchen hours; tiny, tiny restaurant that might have thinned out by the time you get there; does not accept reservations
The Girl and The Goat – unsure about kitchen hours; probably one the current “it” restaurants in Chicago; generally packed but it might be less crowded by the time you get there; accepts reservations but also saves seats for walk-ins
Paramount Room - unsure about kitchen hours; okay food, decent beer and drinks; I think they accept reservations, but it probably wouldn’t be necessary

As far as a late lunch on Friday, that's easier. If you want to really dive into some great beer spots, you couldn’t go wrong with the following:
Revolution Brewing – solid selection on in-house beers with good guest taps; food is better than your average pub food
The Map Room – huge variety of beers, one of the first bars in Chicago devoted to craft beer; no food served; cash only
Piece Brewery & Pizzeria – one of the city’s oldest brewpubs with a selection that usually has a few stand-outs (everything they make is good but not necessarily distinctive); only place in Chicago to find “New Haven” style pizza (http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2 ... crust.html)

It’s just over 1 mile from Revolution to the Map Room and about ½ mile further to Piece.

If you’re still hungry/thirsty/upright, you could head on to Big Star (around the corner from Piece):
Big Star – like Ronnie already suggested, great place for interesting and tasty drinks, though it’s hardly beer-centric; tacos are delicious (your mileage may vary, of course); late afternoon is my favorite time to stop in, before it can get too crowded and hard to listen to Fleetwood Mac or Jethro Tull on the record player; cash only

And if it’s around 6pm and you’re still at Big Star, walk across the street to the Violet Hour for a pre-theatre drink:
The Violet Hour – not inexpensive (cocktails are $13), and you might find the décor overwrought and not to your style, but it’s a favorite around these parts and home to some of the finest cocktails in the city (if not the entire country)

The Purple Pig
500 North Michigan Avenue
312.464.1744
www.thepurplepigchicago.com

Avec
615 West Randolph Street
312.377.2002
www.avecrestaurant.com

The Girl and The Goat
809 West Randolph Street
312.492.6262
www.girlandthegoat.com

Paramount Room
415 North Milwaukee Avenue
312.829.6300
www.paramountroom.com

Revolution Brewing
2323 North Milwaukee Avenue
773.227.2739
www.revbrew.com

The Map Room
1949 North Hoyne Avenue
773.252.7636
www.maproom.com

Piece Brewery & Pizzeria
1927 West North Avenue
773.772.4422
www.piecechicago.com

Big Star
1531 North Damen Avenue
773.235.4039
www.bigstarchicago.com

The Violet Hour
1520 N Damen Avenue
773.252.1500
www.theviolethour.com

The drawing room looks perfect for the second night. Any clue what the price on cocktails is? I looked at their menu but I didnt see any prices. Also should i make reservations on open table for very late, or is it fairly easy to walk in and sit at the bar or in the vicinity?

mueltrain54 wrote:The drawing room looks perfect for the second night. Any clue what the price on cocktails is? I looked at their menu but I didnt see any prices. Also should i make reservations on open table for very late, or is it fairly easy to walk in and sit at the bar or in the vicinity?

I can't really say what it'll be like late-night, as I've only gone there on the early side. If no one here knows about the necessity of making a reservation at that hour, maybe it's best to call them directly. My gut tells me that being a Friday, you're better off making a reservation.

Last time I was there, all cocktails were $12.

=R=

Sable would be a terrific choice for you post-theater at Navy Pier. It's due west about a mile and half --a very quick cab ride--with great cocktails, an fairly extensive beer list and terrific food (serving til 11:00).

Sable
505 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60654
Adjacent to Hotel Palomar Chicago
Tel: 312.755.9704

ronnie_suburban wrote:
As for the Green Mill in Uptown, it's a great, distinctive place, especially for listening to live jazz, as there are acts there pretty much every night. It's a Chicago institution and a very fun place. I think the drinks are, by default, secondary and I really don't know how the beer selection is there.

If you are staying out late, there is simply no better place in Chicago for a strong drink at 3:45am on a Saturday.

Habibi wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:
As for the Green Mill in Uptown, it's a great, distinctive place, especially for listening to live jazz, as there are acts there pretty much every night. It's a Chicago institution and a very fun place. I think the drinks are, by default, secondary and I really don't know how the beer selection is there.

If you are staying out late, there is simply no better place in Chicago for a strong drink at 3:45am on a Saturday.

This reminds me of my own personal rule (not to mention an episode of 'How I Met Your Mother'), but bars close at 2am for a reason!

Another option for post-Navy Pier is the newly opened Haymarket Pub & Brewery -- it's in the West Loop, about 2 miles from Navy Pier (same as Avec, Girl and the Goat -- farther than Purple Pig or Sable, mentioned above) and early reports suggest they have a great guest list of beer (by the time you make it into town, they might have more of their own stuff available). I have no idea what the kitchen hours currently are, but I understand that the food is squarely in the 'pub food, but better than defrosted and re-heated and probably made 'in-house' from assorted local vendors' vein that is de riguer these days (laudable, certainly, but local for local's sake.... and that's another discussion entirely!). The place seems to be mobbed every night so far since opening, but in a few weeks, it might be a bit calmer.

http://www.haymarketbrewing.com/
737 W. Randolph St.
312.638.0700

Kennyz wrote:I've been hanging out quite a bit lately at The Long Room, which has an excellent beer list and although the whiskey list isn't huge compared to some other places, they make a mean Manhattan. They're rarely too crowded and it's a dimly-lit, cozy room that strikes the right balance between romance and serious drinking.

The Long Room is my new favorite place for these reasons.

mueltrain54 wrote:The drawing room looks perfect for the second night... Also should i make reservations on open table for very late, or is it fairly easy to walk in and sit at the bar or in the vicinity?

You can make a reservation to be extra safe, but I visit TDR late at least once, often twice, a month (sometimes 11-midnight-ish but also visit closer to closing time), and I've never had a problem getting seats for me and one other person. Note that there are very few seats at the bar proper, so if it is a busier night, it's likely you'll be able to sneak in and get a table rather than spots at the bar. But then you can request cart service, which I've always found to be fun and very informative.

All of the suggestions above are great. Green Mill is a GREAT place, but I always think of it more as a place to go see great Jazz as opposed to hanging out and having a beer. The Bristol has a great beer selection, and even better food. I wouldn't go there unless you're planning to eat, especially on a Saturday. During busy times the bar is pretty much dedicated to serving food to people.

Two other places to consider for beers would be Quencher's and Acre (formerly Charlie's Ale House). Quencher's has an excellent beer selection, especially for regional microbrews. Acre is just up the street from Hopleaf, and could be a good alternative to check out if Hopleaf is too crowded. Just ask to be seated on the bar side and not in the restaurant.

Quencher's
2401 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60647

Acre
5308 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640

I think everyone's nailed the good spots Friday for the most part.

Sheffield's may work, as you can cab it there but take the red line back to the hotel. Lots of bars in the area, though I tend to avoid many of them on Clark St. Good food as well.

3258 N. Sheffield (central lakeview)

Also, to add to Attrill's comment the Green Mill usually doesn't permit talking during jazz shows, at least the last time i was there, though it is fun to listen.



Second night - DOC Wine Bar (Lincoln Park - cozy back rooms and fireplace. A good way to relax and a very short walk North Pond. Good wine list, though I haven't tried cocktails.